Nick...allow me to be the lone dissenting voice. I've gone down that path twice. First time was a new Tacoma (2006 I believe), then again in 2010 with a new F150 King Ranch 4WD/4dr. In both cases, I loved them for about a month. Beyond that it just got cumbersome to drive a truck everywhere and feed it gas. And the F150 was a big truck albeit decked out with every conceivable amenity.

Guess I'm just not a truck guy. My "hauling" needs are well handled with the wife's mini-van and a small utility trailer that spends 99% of it's life parked in the yard. For the once-in-a-blue-moon I actually needed it, it just wasn't worth it. Bottom line, neither truck made it a year before they were sold/traded.

Nick, the hard fiberglass cover would be a royal PITA to remove on a regular basis. It requires at least two men to remove, and takes a little time to get properly lined with the bed on install. It is held down by only four clamps, but I wouldn't want to remove it regularly. Mine hasn't been off in over two years but I've still hauled couches, doors, tons of building supplies, appliances, pretty much you name it. Unless you carry around an engine hoist all day, it wouldn't be a major issue.

If you're hauling manure all day then I agree. But for a true driver, new trucks are exponentially better than trucks from a decade ago. My father in law has a 2008 F150 SuperCrew 5.4 4x4, the last year of the prior bodystyle. My 2012 is better in every possible way. Almost 100 more HP with better MPG, significantly bigger inside, significantly better material quality, much better driving overall. The same thing goes for the Chevy/GMC and Dodge. Trucks have come a long way.

OK you convinced me. I'll check out the 6.2. Another local dealer has one on the lot. Thanks!

You can rarely go wrong with more power. The 5.0 in my F150 is a great motor, but at times I still wish I would have paid a few thousand more for the Ecoboost.

Agreed. I am a professional and will use this vehicle for some business purposes, so it can't be a 10 year old beater truck. I don't have the space to store an "extra" beater truck so it needs to be my daily driver and nice.

If I had to get rid of all my vehicles and only keep one. It would be my pickup. Sure its a huge monster, especially being a dually. But like Kaisen said, you get used to driving anything.

Once you have had a pick up it's hard not to have one they are just great for hauling/towing. When it comes to trucks I've always had GM for what ever reason I'm sure Ford/Dodge are equally as good. I've owned 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and one ton they all performed great. My latest is a 2001 GMC 4X4 diesel dually she is a beast ! :D But like anything you get used to driving its size. For about a year it was my daily driver so you learn pretty quick where to go and where NOT to go ! I average a good 20 mpg with this tank that weighs over 7,000 pounds I am very impressed with the torque and fuel mileage. In my opinion buying used is the way to go but it depends on what is available in your area and do you have time to weed out 5-10 bad ones to get one good one ? Good luck with your search.

I've looked at all the new trucks and I can't find anything I would spend the money on. My current plan is to keep my beater truck on the road for the things I have to have a truck for and spend a percentage of the money on a comfy sedan. Now I drive the truck 90% of the time. Everyone has different needs and you have to consider them all carefully.

"Beyond that it just got cumbersome to drive a truck everywhere and feed it gas."
Yes it does. My Tundra is a medium sized 4x4 and it gets old climbing in and out several times a day, passing up tight parking spaces, and pumping gas into it.

"the hard fiberglass cover would be a royal PITA to remove on a regular basis."
A cap is a big pain in the behind. I made a set of forks for the front end loader on my tractor to put mine on and off. Before that I had to wait until a friend had time to come over and help. Seemed like whenever I needed it on, it was off, and vice versa.

"If I had to get rid of all my vehicles and only keep one. It would be my pickup."
Same here. I love my truck. I loved my my ex-wife too, but I sure wanted to ride something more fun now and then. Unfortunately with wives you can't have both.

You definitely adjust quickly to driving it. We drove it on vacations to big cities like Denver and DFW with no issue. The newer trucks all have enough power to easily cut through traffic. Still small enough to maneuver through parking garages. Don't like parking in tight spots? Just park a little further out, it helps prevent door dings as well. Hell, if my wife can daily drive an F150, anybody can!:D

No question about it. The only time my truck is a pain is in parking garages, which is rare...I have another vehicle for commuting into DC.

Perhaps some parking garages, but there have been some that I've had to pass on and I've seen many people (poor drivers) get stuck, scrape up their paint, or knock off mirrors. This has been a bigger problem with the company Silverado than the Tundra.

I have a 2005 Dodge 1500 I bought new. After I had it for a week I said "Ima drive the wheels clean off this truck".
I've only washed it once. It's gotten the perfunctory hose off at the dealership several times. Sometimes I think they do that first.
It's all bashed up from when a bigass tree branch fell on it during an ice storm.
I get about 17mpg average in mixed driving. As much as 20 on the interstate.
I love it because I don't have to care about it.
You learn to park far out in the parking lot. Them spots up close are for the ladies anyway.
It's a truck, not a Cadillac. It's gonna be a little rougher.
I too say buy a good used. Plenty of them. Get in one cheap. No worries. Beat the crap out of it. Again, it's a truck.

Spotless and shiny ain't truck...

Carter

I've been in quite a few without issue. Definitely requires more care than maneuvering a Focus though.

I have a 2001 Tundra with 181,000 miles on it. Runs and drives like new, seriously, suspension is tight, it drives like a car in terms of comfort, have gone to NC and OH a few times to pick up cars and tow them back doing 11 hour drives straight with the same fatigue if I were driving my E320 wagon. All in all, it's a fantastic vehicle and it gives me excuses to do anything I want hauling stuff around. I can't imagine ever needing to sell it.

I would never want to use it as a daily driver for one reason, just too big for parking, it gets annoying. Maybe the lots around here were made for small cars, it's so much nicer to take the wagon or the 911 for daily use.

If your streets/parking lots are more truck friendly, then it could be a perfect DD.

I've got a 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4, crew std bed. Has about 11k miles on it now and I love it. Doesn't see daily use (I subway to work), but ferries me, my wife, our 95lb Rottie mix and all our gear back and forth to our country home in PA. With the 5.3l engine, I have averaged about 19mpg over the 11k miles.

This truck is very easy to live with. Its incredibly quiet and rides very well. I've tried 'regular cars' and wagons, but I always seem to come back to pickups. I think finally I may have learned that I should stick with them.

I have a Retrax retractable tonneau cover. It locks so the bed can be secured, but slides open easily in seconds. Its mostly water proof, some weatherstripping at the tailgate would probably seal the bed off 100%.

Tows very nicely too:
http://asbury.smugmug.com/By-Land/87...11245300-L.jpg

Same here. Had pickup trucks, but always go back to an SUV or car and my utility trailer.

I've owned a lot of trucks and the only ones I've ever loved were 3/4 ton diesels. I've rented every brand of new 1/2 ton and they are nice but nothing drives close to a diesel, IMO. The easy torque, the fuel mileage when empty, the towing, etc.

Of course not everyone needs a 3/4 or 1 ton PU so 1/2 tons are by far the biggest sellers. I have the best possible scenario now, a friend/business partner with a newer full-sized PU that I can use any time I need it. It was bought as a MC hauler, (he tracks bikes a lot), but it will be phased into harder work with some light construction projects in the near future.

I have the truck now, (used it to fetch a bike on Fri., 800 mile round trip in one day), it drives as luxurious as any car of only a few short years ago. The only minor complaint is that it has 20" rims with low-ish profile tires from the factory and the ride on certain roads sucks even with Bilsteins installed. It's a loaded F-150 Ecoboost.

Now that I'm used to the back-up camera and sensors, (excellent camera, BTW), I don't know how I ever lived w/o them. I'm very much in an urban environment with tight parking spaces. Had to park in a ramp last night going out to dinner in Beverly Hills, if it was lifted it would have been a no-go. Fortunately it is not. :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1403538498.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1403538551.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1403538604.jpg

Denis, on mine I downsized from the OEM 18" to used Raptor 17" with slightly oversized 33" tires. With my Bilstein 5100s it rides exponentially better than stock. Nice truck btw, the Ecoboost is the closest a gas truck motor to has gotten to feeling like a diesel. Awesome low end torque.

Thanks guys, going this afternoon to look at one, will post update...

I bought a CPO Tundra a couple of months ago to replace the '01 Honda Civic daily driver I've had for the last 10 years. It has the 5.7 and the 6.5' bed. I really like it. I had pretty much made up my mind on a new Ford at the time when I test drove it. The backup camera on the Tundra is ridiculous. Gas mileage doesn't seem any worse than the V6 Tacoma I used to own. I'm really surprised at how tight the truck turns. I can park it almost anywhere I could park my Honda.