[jdlowery]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

Well I have been buying and running a fleet of PU trucks since 1974 and have no emo attachment to any of them. I have owned around 40 of em and my last new one was 2014 so I am a bit behind the curve, but these are the questions I will ask before every purchase. (my current answers)

* How many miles/year and percentage of street/hwy miles? (20k, 50/50)
* How many seats do we need? (5 maybe)
* How often do we need to tow in excess of 5000 lbs? (never)
* How important is reliability? (very)
* How important is gas mileage? (somewhat)
* How do we plan to keep it? (10 yrs +)
* How often will it see snow? (never)

With these answers you can see that I need a pretty basic truck. No diesel, no super duty or 3/4T, no 4x4, no bigazz V8. I do want one for general hauling and light towing that will not leave me stranded and not leave me broke from excessive car payments, gas, or maintenance. Ford, Chevy, and Toyota all have different flavors of these for around $30k new or $20k in good used condition.

In these brands I like the Chevy Silverado LS, Ford F-150 XL, and Toyota Tacoma SR5 longbed for my purposes. Drive em and see if you agree.

Everything you wrote makes sense. I definitely only need a basic truck. My towing needs are minimal (motorcycle trailer) and all I really need is room for 3 plus a big dog. I love V8s but a V6 may be the way to go. I plan on dropping by the Ford and Chevy dealerships tomorrow to test drive a few. I'll let you guys know what I like.