and it has to be a pick up truck - so other responses will be disregarded and possibly ridiculed.
so, I'm at the point in my life based on my kids ages and our family travel needs a pick up truck makes sense to me (one I've always wanted one but they were not convenient for our lifestyle and two I sometimes have to haul stuff - debris, leaves, materials, etc.).
I have many questions.
I used to avoid Ford aggressively based on a bad experience (Ford Explorer), but I have read their trucks are among the best and should not be avoided.
I liked the Toyota Tundra the best, but someone said they're not better than the F-150.
and someone else said Dodge and Chevy are fine too.
So now I'm confused.
Here are my questions:
1. I'm thinking extended cab and regular bed - I don't need an 8 foot bed and with both an 8 foot bed and an extended cab it won't fit in my garage, solid plan?
2. What brand do you recommend - I know personal preference has a lot to do with this so I'll take some of this with a grain of salt?
3. Any benefit of a lease to get to make sure its the right brand? I've always been a buy vs lease person because I own my vehicles for 10+ years, but is there merit to a lease here?
4. What else am I not asking?
thank you in advance.
For my requirements, 3/4 tons started coming into play. Found a RAM 2500 Tradesman with all the features I wanted - running boards, spray in liner, slip diff, on fly 4WD - it's a beast, can tow 14,500+, Motor Trend Truck of year and all of that. Gas is fine with me, diesel too much trouble. Love it. Dynamite rig. Basically this:
Truck is a keeper but is retired from towing. If Toyota made a 3/4 ton, I've been interested, wound up with the RAM instead..
thanks again for the replies.
Ridgelines are freakin great. Unless you need a heavy duty truck or tie your identity to your car. I haul around bricks, stacks of sheets of plywood (which lay flat in a ridgeline), garbage, supplies for renovating rooms, a cord of wood etc. AND it has a trunk. I previously had a “real” truck. There’s no question the ridgeline can’t do “real truck stuff” but 95% of truck owners are lugging stuff around that wouldn’t be too heavy for a sedan and are convinced they need some heavy duty truck because “it’s not a real truck”....just like most handymen are using vans. Granted, I have kids, and I take trips sometime, so I wanted something that handled like a car, not my dodge truck. I just think it’s silly to write off a ridgeline because it’s not a truck (again, it definitely isn’t a real truck - I get that!), when most people don’t even come remotely close to needing a “real truck”. My brother owned a big ram and worked in construction and never saw him come even remotely close to utilizing it to capacity.
Best car I ever owned. Is it funny looking? Sure. Is it a unibody? Yeah. But they get the job done for me.
In 2007, 2010 and 2015, when I was purchased 3+ year old vehicles with 15,000 to 55,000 miles on them, new was way more expensive.
I agree if the price is close, go with new and remove the need to worry about how the last owner treated the vehicle etc.
Ford - currently, major issues with 5.0 liter, long term durability of ecoboost engines unproven.
RAM - Durable rust buckets in the past, Hemi's bulletproof guzzlers
Toyota - dynamite trucks, probably durable as he'll. Good luck finding one at a reasonable price.
Nissan - dark horse, none of the quality or tyranny issues that plague their cars, trucks may be outclassed, but are reliable and loved by owners.
ALL these vehicles use a ton more fuel than cars. If you don't need it for towing or hauling, and you don't suffer from micropenis, just get an SUV or a car.
In 2007, 2010 and 2015, when I was purchased 3+ year old vehicles with 15,000 to 55,000 miles on them, new was way more expensive.
I was looking under 30k miles, prices were well into the 30's. Screw it, I threw in another 5k and got the better tower.
I agree if the price is close, go with new and remove the need to worry about how the last owner treated the vehicle etc.
I had the exact same experience when I sold my 1997 T100. Guys were calling me the day of the sale and offering me $2000 more than the guy who bought it was paying. That was my first truck and I had it for 14 years. I never knew there were so many T100 bigots put there until I sold it.
-Chevy/GMC make an overall solid vehicle but have always had weak transmissions and the 10 speed isn't old enough to know how it will work out long term. The new 5.3 seems to be good so far however the last version had oil pressure and other internal engine issues.
-Ford is the best selling truck because they give the best deals to commercial/government accounts. In most cases losing money on trucks to be able to sell them to regular joe's off the gimmick that they are the most purchased truck
-Ram is typically the cheapest of the 3 "American" trucks however also the worst built of the 3. They have gorgeous interiors, but after 3 years there are massive interior gaps, noises, tire wear issues, suspension issues. There are also a good deal of transmission failures and they are having some of the worst back orders of replacement parts to the extent that one of my customers had Ram offer to buy him a Chevy truck as a replacement because his transmission was on back order for over 6 months (He took that deal).
I know leasing is not for everyone but this is a site with good leasing info and some deals. I have no affiliation with them but I secured a great lease for myself through the site.
Link - ( New Window )
My wife and I bought a popup camper in 2015. Back then, we pulled with a GMC Envoy. But as we realized we would eventually want to upgrade to a travel trailer, we knew a truck would be a necessity.
Quote:
just kidding. My $0.02 is that I wouldn't let 1 bad experience keep you from seriously considering the F-150. Its an excellent truck and they hold their value.
Ridgelines are freakin great. Unless you need a heavy duty truck or tie your identity to your car. I haul around bricks, stacks of sheets of plywood (which lay flat in a ridgeline), garbage, supplies for renovating rooms, a cord of wood etc. AND it has a trunk. I previously had a “real” truck. There’s no question the ridgeline can’t do “real truck stuff” but 95% of truck owners are lugging stuff around that wouldn’t be too heavy for a sedan and are convinced they need some heavy duty truck because “it’s not a real truck”....just like most handymen are using vans. Granted, I have kids, and I take trips sometime, so I wanted something that handled like a car, not my dodge truck. I just think it’s silly to write off a ridgeline because it’s not a truck (again, it definitely isn’t a real truck - I get that!), when most people don’t even come remotely close to needing a “real truck”. My brother owned a big ram and worked in construction and never saw him come even remotely close to utilizing it to capacity.
Best car I ever owned. Is it funny looking? Sure. Is it a unibody? Yeah. But they get the job done for me.
Yup. Had a Dodge and then Tacomas for 20 years, and then drove a 2019 Honda Ridgeline. No comparison. Independent suspension, quiet, comfortable, all the bells and whistles. Just got 25.5 mpg on a 2600 mile trip. Heated power leather seats, sunroof, heated steering wheel, etc., etc., etc. 282 hp. One of the quickest pickups. Same payload as the Tacoma. Bigger bed than a Tacoma. 2 way tailgate and trunk feature is great. If you are just hauling "stuff" give the new Ridgeline a test drive. I haul a 4000 pound ski boat no problem. Watch some online reviews. My bet is you'll really like it.
The new design on the Honda looks much better than the original.
Thank you in advance for any future comments or replies.
If you're not overly concerned about hauling or towing, I'd recommend an F150 with the 2.7 liter Ecoboost engine, lightly used gets you more bang for the buck, 2.7 liter keeps the price down but still has plenty of power with reasonable MPG for the class.
Good luck!
Simmons Rockwell in Elmira, NY has been getting batches of F150 rental/leases - low mileage, 2 year old pickups in excellent condition.
I looked at their current offerings on CarGurus - they're now $5,000 more than they were 2 months ago for the same basic trucks. Some of them are more than I paid for my NEW 2500!
Sellers market, bigly.