Help me buy a truck

Ford F150 2WD. Ive owned three since 1988, i beat the chit out of them and they have served me well.
My current one is an old fleet vehicle. Stripped down, which works for me. I haul everything and anything and weight limit is no limit. My current one is a 2008 bought five years ago (paid $3900) with 124K miles. Around 175k miles now with only a starter and some minor electric problems the only issues.
Mine has the "suicide doors" for access behind the seat. Great feature.
That being said for $5k you should be able to find something to suit our needs just fine. You NEED a truck booneatl if youre gonna be a wood hoarder.

 

So, have you thought about just getting a trailer? Looks like the Accord can haul 1,000 pounds. And my understanding is that you really are looking to haul pallets. Lot less to go wrong with a trailer. too. Of course I don't know the whole story, and sometimes is great just to have a second vehicle, so a truck might be better.

 

Good idea......I never considered this.

 

A trailer would be cheaper to insure and could be parked somewhere on the property until you need it. Not too many mechanical issues with a trailer.

 

Ra

Ngers especially that body style and before are pretty reliable. If it's the manual they are really reliable. They can't tow a lot and your not hauling as much as a half ton but I beat on a ranger for a decade or more and it never let me down.

 

Yea my square ranger was a 1990. From the factory the 2.3L had like about 110hp I'm sure mine was down in the 90hp range. But I didn't drag race it. It was fun to drive as a manual. Would haul things and do it effectively, was slower but empty commuting I got 25mpg.

 

I wouldn't even insure a $900 or less trailer even a $5000 trailer I wouldn't insure. If your towing it it's covered under your insurance, but I can't imagine making a claim on a $800 trailer that I backed up and crunched, just get another one, don't worry with a deductible and increases insurance premiums.

But yes trailers are great for this, get a really light trailer so you don't waste a lot of your towing on the trailer. The small 5x8 super light duty ones from tractor supply I would guess are still 400ish pounds so your left with little over 600 pounds, cause you can subtract your tongue weight cause that's not technically being towed it's being carried by the vehicle. But that's semantics. You can still pile way more pallets than in a car. And like said there is just tires and bearings which on a trailer are dirt cheap. An extra truck you have to keep insurance.

 

I can only speak from somewhat limited experience. I bought my first truck about 2010ish. My 2003 Toyota Tundra has been crazy reliable. Cost of ownership is very very low with very few items needing replaced. Basically front brakes.

This body style:
2003 Toyota Tundra double cab - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle...

 

In BC, Canada, nothing is on the road without insurance. Cheap homemade trailer needs insurance plates. Trailers are not covered by the towing vehicle insurance. I guess every state is different in the US.

 

Maybe, but the adjoining states around me it's all the same. Now if I had a $50k travel trailer or a 20k pound deckover trailer I might have insurance on it but my insurance covers my vehicle and anything I am towing. If I back you over in Walmart parking lot with my trailer it doesn't matter if my trailer has insurance or not I'm driving and operating it with my truck. Trailers can't move themselves or cause any damage without a vehicle towing them by an insured operator. If my fender falls off my trailer and busts your window, again I am pulling that trailer with my vehicle and I am an insured driver, claim goes against me and the tow vehicle not the trailer. But yea government officials are good about making laws that do or don't make sense so you can have anything under the sun.

I'm glad it's the way that ours is. I wouldn't want to pay insurance on a trailer that might not even leave my yard this year!! Heck I have four trailers!!

 

Yea those first gen Tundra/Sequoias are like tanks! They are over built because that was Toyotas introduction to the half ton market. They wanted to make sure that they would compete with the big three. That platform is a half million mile one with PM. I know a few of those early ones came with the V6, but if you have the V8 , the 4.7L make sure you do your timing belt, there an interference engine. This is what deters many from them who somewhat know about keeping a vehicle up. It's interval is 80k by the book. I did the one on our 04 Sequoia last year. I had a little over 100k on a Gates belt and it looked to me it would go another easy 50K maybe 100k. But for the cost of an engine I just couldn't live not doing it. Now it's an $700-1000+ job based on what you replace and if you go to a dealer or not. I put new most everything in mine....well I did put new everything and with the cost of the radiator it was just over $450 in parts. Now I didn't do the radiator with the belt, but it started leaking a month after it was pulled and installed so it got replaced. I contemplated it when I had it out for the belt but I was like that's crazy. I would of saved myself two hours or so of time just replacing it in the first place. I used all Denso parts as well which for those who don't know is the OE supplier to Toyota for the parts. Only thing not Denso was the serpentine belt tensioner which was gates because it wasn't available from Denso and actually looking at it , it had all the same marks as what came out, which may or may not been original. Ok side tracked. I do like my Toyotas like I said and I am big on PM.

 

Honda Ridgeline may be a good option. Decent mileage, crossover like ride, it can haul with the bed and has 5k lb towing capacity.

 

I’m an old truck guy. Frequently getting asked, “isn’t it about time to upgrade?”.

Current truck I’ve had for over 10 years as a daily driver is a 2000 f350 diesel 4wd. Yeah, I haul and tow an RV so one vehicle for everything. More mpg is not enough to pay for insurance on a second vehicle.

I am not brand loyal and if I was replacing my ford and didn’t need to tow very much then I would recommend ANY Toyota pickup that meets your needs and budget. Tacoma, tundra, t100, whatever.

I owned a 1985 Toyota pickup for many years with carburetor and solid axles and dearly miss it.