Truck questions from a sedan driver.

Lol. Yeah, I know.

I have been booted out of the garage by the splitter and mower right now. We will probably built a 2.5 car and re-do the drive way but that won't be for a few years. I guess size doesnt matter much. But when we build the garage, I will make sure to check it close.

I have wood on my lot so I don't intend to use it for firewood unless I am helping a neighbor or something. I don't pull a lot of weight, just bulky things from the hardware and feed store.

 

Now I have a better grasp on what you need...I will begin my search for an F550.

 

Now we are talking! Make sure it has a good step because I am only 5'1'.

...just kidding on the height. I am actually 6'.

 

Unless you are getting New . I would avoid diesel pickups. Especially as at this point your not a Truck Guy.
I drive commercial trucks for a living so all things are relative.
As I don't drive HotShot . I don't need to listen to a diesel clattering away after work.
My pickup is a 2012 F350 4x4 6.2 gas 6 speed auto with rear lockers. Crew cab long bed. It feels like a itty bitty little thing some days when I get off work.
For driving around + commuting to work I average 12 mpg. Today I went to the woods and got a light load of sawlogs. 3 k lbs or so. Next load might be 16k lbs.
The truck don't care.
Imho a short bed F150 4x4 crew cab would work well for you.

 

Sounds like a Maverick might be ideal, especially if you have a commute of any meaningful length.

 

I find the Ford Maverick truck to be an interesting option.

(I learned to drive in a Maverick, but it was a sedan.)

 

All of my Explorers have been V6, I'm sure the V8 are a bit heftier in that regard. The thing that I more worried about was the transmission. From my understanding, the vehicles with the Class III tow package have a transmission upgrade and a cooler (amongst other things). I always wondered if my Patriot transmission died at less than 5 years old because I overloaded it when hauling pellets.

 

Ahhh I see all the classics from the 70's. Id take one of those too.

 

I would be very leery of the maverick. Ford and most other brands usually has problems with the first year or so of any new/model change.

after what I have seen I would not even consider it till they get a couple years to work the bugs out.

 

If it lasts that long as a model.

 

They have dragged plenty of flops out…

 

Get yourself a Tacoma. New or a nice used one. Crazy reliable. Just get the bed coated and have the underside treated on a routine basis.

 

I know people love Toyota's and my buddy I mentioned with the small duramax 1500 Silverado was a die hard Toyota fan. I've known him for 30 years and that's all he ever had. When I first met him, he had a Tacoma 4WD with a 4 cylinder and a stick. He had that truck for a long time. He traded it in for an extended cab Tacoma with a 6 cylinder automatic. He had that for about a year or two and traded it in on a full size Tundra because he had a bunch of problems with it. He kept that Tundra for a long time. He loved the truck but not the mileage. When he retired a few years ago when he retired, he traded it for a new Tacoma. Nothing but trouble. 4WD would work sometimes, but not always, lots of electrical crap. That's when he bought the Silverado.

My advice on the Toyotas is this. I'm 6'-2" and I liked the feel of how I sat in it and how it rode, etc. Every Tacoma I ever sat in or drove was very uncomfortable to me. It felt more like I was driving a car in the sense that I was in more of a reclined position vs. a seated one if that makes sense. I could fit OK, it just wasn't a comfortable position for me. I've had small trucks as well (Chevy Luv, Ford Bronco II, Ford Explorer (older one)) and they all "sat like a truck" to me. I've heard other people say the same thing so I'm not totally alone but I could be a minority. The thing is, try them out.

My other belief is that it's not a truck unless it has a full frame under it. Unibody is a car. A guy I work with has a Honda Ridgeline he calls a truck; I tell him it's an El Camino, or Ranchero at best. Just my opinion, but they don't make Macks and Peterbuilts as unibodies.

 

^^^ Key to gettin anything to last more than your loan in NEO! I am a big fan of using oil spray coating every winter...we have a local guy that does cars for $40 and full size trucks for $60...not sure if you are close enough to Wayne Co. to make that a worthwhile trip though JackHammer ...I'm sure you have more local oil spray services too...most charge a good bit more though.
I've done Ziebart undercoating before...oil spray is far superior IMO...

 

This is probably a real good thing to get. I haven't ever done an undercoating and I probably should, regardless if it is a new truck or my existing car.

 

Most had a 4.0 V6. Same chassis though and the V6 explorers could tow quite well.

Whenever you can get a transmission cooler, factory, do it. That little bit of $ extra is worth it in the long run. Even if you don't tow, this is good advice.

 

It's not a new chassis. Based on the escape that's been out a few years.

 

I bought a used 2014 Toyota Tacoma v6 with a 6-speed manual, 6 ft bed, access cab (suicide doors in the rear) in March of 2020 right before COVID hit. $18.5k with 96K.

I absolutely love this truck.

The guy who had it before me was an electrician and definitely used the bed to transport parts. But he had seat covers, garaged the car, and really took care of it.

I got super lucky.

It fits 1/3 of a cord in the bed, filled up to the side rail height, and that is just about perfect for my needs. I don't sell wood, I don't need to transport 5 cords at a time, and a 1/3 of a cord of green oak probably weighs right below the capacity of the truck (1300lbs cargo).

I'm 6' and I fit in the Tacoma fine. That said, I have more headroom in my Mini Cooper S hatchback. I don't like the fact that you can't adjust the height of the front seats. I also don't like the tall gear ratios (when you're backing up hill, you will burn the clutch no matter what you do) and it makes you look like a rookie manual tranny driver......But other than those two minor issues I use the truck all the time for all sorts of things - wood rounds, splits, gravel, manure, wood chips, furniture. So convenient. I have 3 kids 13,12, and 9 and while I won't take them on a super long drive I can fit them all in no problem when I need to.

I can't recommend it enough. With the rear view camera, the new stereo I put in that displays the camera fullscreen, radar detector, dash cam, I just love this truck.

I had thought about a trailer but I figured I'd just try it out without and so far it has been working out wonderfully.

In terms of buying a used truck I made sure to check for frame rot (all vehicles in the NE here will have surface rust but frame rot is a big red flag), service records if available, and gave it a thorough examination in person. Make sure it goes into 4WD and make sure you go straight if testing on an asphalt road. It will bind if you try to turn.

That said used car prices are insane and it looks like older tacomas with more miles are going for $4-$6k more than what I paid for mine.

 

I will say that I don't need any more interior room on my supercrew f150. Plenty of space.

Yota taco and 4runner are a bit tight for me at 6'4". However, the 4runner had just enough room for me. I sat in a new Tacoma a couple years ago at the auto show, like 2019. It was kind of claustrophobic after jumping in any of the full size trucks.