Advice - Considering a full size pickup - Will I regret it?

[kaisen]

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Had a ¾ ton for a few years. Don't miss it a bit. I also don't miss being constantly asked to help people move, etc. Gas pig, impossible to park in a lot of places (particularly urban settings), etc. Yes was convenient at times but nothing I can't live without. Your mileage may vary.

[sammyg2]

I've had a full-sized pick-em-up as a daily driver since 1994.
I'm definately a pick up guy.

If you're buying a truck just to haul stuff occasionally, get a car and the number to U-haul or hertz renta-truck.

If you like driving a truck instead of a car, buy a truck.


BTW, furd F150, 5.4L, 17.2 mpg combined on unleaded regular.

[Nickshu]

Thanks guys...found the "perfect" one today. 2014 Silverado High Country, Crew cab, Short bed, 6.2L engine with Nav and Sunroof in Tri-Coat White. I was able to drive it around most of the day, parked it several times, and found it to be very easy to maneuver. Bed liner, Entry steps 6", and Tonneau going on soon. Pic in my garage tonight...

[porsche4life]

Good looking truck!

[speeder]

Those little steps in the corners of the bumper are brilliant. It's all the little things like that that make you love a truck, IMO.

[look 171]

Once you go truck, you will never go back. I love driving my dirty old diesel, full size truck (Extended cab, and 8' bed)

[kaisen]

Beautiful truck Nickshu. I hope it treats you well!

[trekkor]

2001 Diesel.
You should be able to find a nice one with the 7.3 motor in the $15-20k range.

I would buy it all over again.
I can't think of any good reason to buy a '14/15 model for $50k.

[campbellcj]

I had never had a truck in my life but 'negotiations' with my wife a couple years ago led to me getting a well-used '01 F150 4x4 Supercrew with a shell, to tow my race car. I bought it from a neighbor for a fair cash price then fixed it up a bit to be tow and road-trip worthy to my satisfaction. (Load-rated tires, shocks, brakes, trailer brake controller.)

For a while I didn't use it for much besides towing. Quickly I realized how damn handy these things are to have around, for home and car projects, hauling kids, road trips, etc.

It'll probably take daily driver role soon as my Audi is dying, and gas costs are a wash since the Audi gets a little better MPG but needs premium vs regular in the truck. Now I cannot envision ever not having a truck. In fact in a couple years I'll likely get a bigger one - F250 or F350 diesel - and a larger enclosed trailer for the race car...

[Cajundaddy]

Enjoy your new rig Nickshu, she looks like a keeper.

A little late to this thread but I own a fleet of trucks and we have run Datsun, Toyota, Nissan, Ford Chevy, Tacoma and Tundra probably 40 different vehicles over the years. They all have strengths and weaknesses and the best truck is the one that is sized properly for your needs and planned use. If you plan to tow, get the big motor. If you need to duck in and out of tight neighborhoods and parking spaces, get a small one.

My current rig is a Chevy Silverado with 170k miles and she has been a trooper. I got her new in 2005 and was doing a lot of hauling and towing then. These days my loads are lighter and I don't need the full size so I may try a Tacoma again for a while. If I don't like it I'll pass it down to one of my field service techs.

There is wisdom in owning a pickup truck, a decent dog hauler/grocery getter for wifey, and a Porsche for pure driving joy.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Congrats! Those look great in white. I found the best deal on my tonneau cover and Bedrug at Autoanything, quick shipping too. They also sell the BakFlip and roll-up hard tonneaus.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

Had a ľ ton for a few years. Don't miss it a bit. I also don't miss being constantly asked to help people move, etc.

You find friends you never knew you had when you get a truck. Add a trailer to it and new friends come out of the woodwork.

Nice truck Nickshu!!

[oldE]

For all the guys who feel removing a cap and replacing it is a two man job, try this:

My trucks have 8' beds and sometimes I have to haul hay or other loads which means the cap has to come off. This is one of my solutions if I don't have a wagon handy to slide the cap on.
I affixed a 2x4x8 to the outside of my garage, parallel to the ground, about 2" above the side of the truck bed, then I built a simple frame of 2x4, consisting of two verticles ~4' high, two cross braces and another 2x4x8' across the top, in the same plane as the one on the side of the garage. The lash-up is completed by two more 2x4x8' utilized as cross pieces.
Here's how it works. You back in next to the garage so the bed is in line with the piece you attached to the garage wall. Undo the clamps holding the cap in place and you will find you can raise the cap by stooping in the bed of the truck and using your back to push the cap up far enough to get the cross pieces under the cap and their ends against the garage wall. Lever the garage ends up on to the 2x4 ledge and secure with a deck screw or two, then take your cross-braced frame and put the other ends of your cross pieces onto that. Secure with a couple of deck screws and drive out from under.

I built a similar rig for a friend of my wife. She didn't have a garage, so there are two crossed braced frames, each having "feet" built on the bottom so they are stable from side to side. This rig allows her to take the cap off by herself. (she is 65.)

Best
Les

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

If you plan to tow, get the big motor. If you need to duck in and out of tight neighborhoods and parking spaces, get a small one.

I don't need the full size so I may try a Tacoma again for a while.

That's the old conventional wisdom. But it's not true.

A new Tacoma is within a few inches of of a full-size truck, and doesn't get better fuel economy.

If you could choose, would you want a 236 hp / 266 lb-ft V6 that got 21 mpg?

-OR-

Would you choose a full-size truck with 355hp / 383 lb-ft V8 that got 23 mpg?

[speeder]

Those mileage figures may be useful for comparing one vehicle to another but they are complete BS in my real world experience. Or they all apply only to 2wd, regular cab trucks with no heavy options or something.

I just drove a 2012 F-150 ecoboost to SF and back on the 5 freeway the whole way, empty going and with a MC in the back returning. 70-74 mph using cruise control. It averaged 18.3 for the trip according to the truck's computer and I suspect that is off a little, (optimistic), but I did not hand-calculate. It also gets about 12.5 in the city, also according to its own computer. I do not drive like a teenager in it, more like an old retired dude.

[speeder]

I agree about the pointlessness of a new Tacoma, however.

[Cajundaddy]

There are still plenty of reasons to own a Tacoma. The 2.7L gets 23 mpg average while the Chevy 5.3L averages 18mpg. Total cost of ownership will be about 50% vs the Chevy long term. They are also a lot more sprightly in traffic, tight neighborhoods and tight parking. It is also faster than the Ford F-150 with it's doggy 4.6L V8. No reason to drag around a 5000 lb $40k truck for light duty hauling. Choose the right tool for the job.

Edit: This is all from ownership experience and not hypothetical. As with Porsche, I consider weight issues more important than hp.

[Nickshu]

I was considering waiting for the new 2015 Colorado (Chevy's new Tacoma killer). I decided to go Silverado when I found out that the Colorado Crew Cab will be 228 inches long (Silverado Crew Cab is 230 inches), and when well equipped will cost $45K (pretty close to what I paid for the Silverado). Gas mileage will be somewhat better, but it's not like the Colorado (or a Tacoma) will be getting 30MPG so in the end the difference is probably negligible unless you are a high mileage driver, highway commuter, etc (which I am not).

Just my $0.02. YMMV.

[kaisen]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

There are still plenty of reasons to own a Tacoma. The 2.7L gets 23 mpg average while the Chevy 5.3L averages 18mpg. Total cost of ownership will be about 50% vs the Chevy long term. They are also a lot more sprightly in traffic, tight neighborhoods and tight parking. It is also faster than the Ford F-150 with it's doggy 4.6L V8. No reason to drag around a 5000 lb $40k truck for light duty hauling. Choose the right tool for the job.

Edit: This is all from ownership experience and not hypothetical. As with Porsche, I consider weight issues more important than hp.

So let's forget the personal anecdotes and look at the facts:

2014 Toyota Tacoma Reg Cab 4x2 2.7L 4cyl AT
Horsepower/Torque: 159 hp / 180 lb-ft
Weight w/ AC: 3,445 lbs
Length: 190.4"
Width: 72.2"
Legroom: 41.3"
Hiproom: 53.6"
Headroom: 40.0"
Interior Volume: 56.1 cu ft
Bed Length: 73.5"
Bed Width (wheelwells): 41.5"
Max trailer weight (SAE J2807): 3,050 lbs
Max payload: 1,205 lbs
EPA City / Hwy: 19 mpg / 24 mpg

2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Reg Cab 4x2 4.3L V6 AT
Horsepower/Torque: 285 hp / 305 lb-ft
Weight w/ AC: 4,387 lbs
Length: 205.6"
Width: 80.0"
Legroom: 45.3"
Hiproom: 60.7"
Headroom: 42.4"
Interior Volume: 61.0 cu ft
Bed Length: 78.9"
Bed Width (wheelwells): 51.1"
Max trailer weight (SAE J2807): 6,100 lbs
Max payload: 2,088 lbs
EPA City / Hwy: 18 mpg / 24 mpg

The Silverado has 126 more horsepower and weighs 939 pounds more.... it moves 15.4 pounds for every HP.... the Tacoma moves 21.7 lbs/hp (40% more weight per HP). The story with torque is about the same. And the Silverado has SIX gears to choose from, where the Tacoma has FOUR. So the Silverado is faster, more efficient, more capable, and will be much more efficient under load.

The Silverado will tow exactly TWICE as much (6100 vs 3050)
The Silverado will haul 883 lbs more cargo (2088 vs 1205)
The Silverado will carry a 4ft width of material on the bed's floor, the Tacoma makes you put it over the wheelwells.
The Silverado has 4 inches more legroom, 7 inches more hiproom, and 2 inches more headroom.
The Silverado is 15.2" longer (less than 10" difference in wheelbase), and less than 8" wider.

All of this and only ONE mile per gallon different around town, and THE SAME fuel economy on the freeway.

A Dodge Ram 1500 HFE with the V6 and 8 speed would be even MORE of a competitor to the 4 cylinder, achieving 1 mpg BETTER than the Taco 4 banger on the freeway.



People are incorrect about their assumptions