The Glade 4.0

There's been a long-standing desire of mine to own a pickup truck, that every so often bubbles up to the surface.

I am currently going through such a bout, and although a pick up is nowhere near realistically affordable for me, I can always dream.

The Toyota Tacoma appears to be getting good marks, and has the best gas mileage I've seen for compacts (~21/25). Were these trucks affected by that big Toyota recall a year ago?



There's always the Ford F-series, which is the best-selling line of trucks, but best-selling does not = best value.


I've posted a similar thread before, but it's been a while back, and it appears that the market may have changed. Any past/current/future pick up owners have any updated words of wisdom on the subject of truck purchasing? I've noticed that the trend appears to be better mileage on pick ups with pricing actually dipping slightly.

I think to answer your question fairly, you need to include some more input. I live in the land of pickups and usually the first factor is what you are going to use it for. 2 wheel drive or 4, extra cab, mid size or full size, auto or manual trans, diesel or gas, towing a fifth wheel or a boat? All of these things make a big difference in what you should be looking for never having had a truck before there are a few things you might want to consider.

Extra cab trucks are pretty nice and if you are used to having a trunk you'll be pretty sad without one I'd imagine. Having the 3rd door option making getting in and out of the extra cab much easier. Piling all your groceries in the bed when it's raining has it's downfalls.

I don't know about your uses, but 4 wheel drives hold their value much greater that 2 wheel drive, and have quite a bit more utility, at least for me. I'd never own one that wasn't

Let's hear what's on your mind.

I agree very much with what Emer said.

My boss has a 15 year old F-150, 2WD but not meant for heavy hauling or towing. It is usually as clean as a show truck, but with over 200,000 miles on it. He uses it for occasional hauling, especially for home projects, but hates to have anything happen to the paint job so a decent liner is always used.

Another friend has a 10 year or so old Dodge Cummins Diesel beat to hell, but it will take his boat anywhere the 4WD will let him go.

Both men love their trucks. My boss is urban, my friend lives out in the country a bit. Do the analysis Emer suggested and get back to us.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

The guys are right. The truck you want will depend on it's planned uses.

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Memento Vivere

I have local knowledge.
That sandbar was not there yesterday!

Go check out the Ford site and check out the torture test that they did with the new Ecoboost engine in the F-150.

http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/experie ... 0p20110104

Well, for more info:

4WD pref.

Mid-sized truck, with a modest cab and bed (the one in the pic I posted above seems pretty much my ideal, save for only having 2 doors) + collapsing bed extender if available.

Auto transmission is fine, because hey it's a truck.

Unleaded fuel.

Will not be towing anything on a regular basis.

Basically, I want a truck that has the capability of hauling/towing if needed, but that will not be the main function of the truck. It would be far more of an everyday vehicle with utility lying in wait. So a fullsize Dodge Godzilla F-950 Nuclear/Diesel hybrid is unnecessary.

My mother has a Nissan Frontier Nismo that I love.
Looks like this:

The problems are, however, gas mileage is kinda meh, and the pricetag is steeper compared to others in its class.

That isn't a truck, its an SUV with an open trunk. It also has a pretty full crew cab. Those short beds were the only thing I saw on used lots. The Salesman I talked to said anything with a full bed lasts minutes to hours on the lot, if it comes in and is halfway decent, it won't be there tomorrow. Short beds on the other hand are traded in fairly new when the boys get tired of the non capacity of their toys.

Sorry Rodahn, I really don't see the point to a truck you can't put a full sheet of plywood in. As long as you know you are buying a non working truck, a toy, go for it and enjoy the hell out of it.

That being said, consider looking at the used truck lots rather than buying new.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

The Nissan bed has an extender that folds down, making it effectively a mid-size bed if needed, although I agree the cab is a tad big comparatively.

Like I said, the Tacoma in my OP is more of my ideal, size-wise. The problem with full-size is that they are so hard to maneuver. If you're out in the open country with tons of space -- no problem, but what I would be doing is more city/town traffic.

And I actually would prefer good condition used over new, although really the price difference wouldn't be that great in those circumstances.

F-350 diesel crew cab or nothing

I'm a fan of big trucks, it's what I grew up driving on and I loved it. Standard transmission, good gas mileage.

My wife and I were talking the other day, and we said that when we eventually get a second car, we'd like to split into a smart car for driving around town, and an F-350 for road trips and farm chores.

The F- series pickups are good, I'm a fan of Ford in general. Our truck lasted to 375k miles or so, and my 2006 escape has (so far) 5 years and 107k miles on it without a single problem to date.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.

I drive an Avalanche in the city. It maneuvers just fine

That Tacoma's a wee bebey of a thing.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Yeah but compared to this mofo . . .



Even the Avalanche is modestly-sized.

If you want big, go IH

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

Chevy Avalanche
Overall Length 221.3 in
Overall Width 79.1 in
Overall Height 76.6 in
Wheelbase 130.0 in

F350 SD
Length - overall 248.6"
Width - SRW 79.9"
Height - F-350 DRW (w/o options) 76.7"/79.5"

20" longer, but that's the long wheelbase version The F350SD has more towing capacity though.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Manufacturer International Trucks
Navistar International Corporation
Production 2004–2008
Body style(s) 4-door crew cab
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Engine(s) 466 cu in (7.6 L) DT466 inline-6 - 365 cu in (6 L) VT365 V8
Transmission(s) 5-speed Allison 2500HD automatic (CXT)
5-speed Allison 2200 automatic (RXT)
5-speed Allison 2000 automatic (MXT)
Length 21 feet (6.4 m) (CXT) - 232"
Width 96 inches (2.4 m) (CXT)
Height 9 feet (2.7 m) (CXT)
Curb weight 14,000–25,999 pounds (6,400–11,793 kg) (GVWR)

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

I drive a 91 F-150 Super Cab with manual transmission...best family vehicle on the market at the time!! Room for the kids plus the bed for groceries or whatever else we needed to haul home. Enough power to tow a camp trailer plus all the camping perephenalia needed! I LOVE my truck!!

IF (BIG IF) I was to get rid of my truck for something else it would be a Ford Explorer SportTrac!

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

If you are going to be hauling/towing, make sure you get an engine that will do what you want without working too hard. Better to have too much power than not enough. Working harder uses more fuel, heats things up more and causes premature wear.

I'm not really a fan of any particular brand, they all have their advantages and disadvantages. I'd recommend driving some to get the feel of what you want. Just because something is big doesn't mean it has to be hard to maneuver. Some do really well. Some are terrible.

I Have a Ford ranger as my girlfriend does too. My work truck is a Chevrolet. I'm more of a "what suits your needs best" kind of guy more than a dedicated fan of one particular brand.

I work on probably 5-6 different trucks every week and they all have their issues. Some last longer, but are more expensive to fix when they do break, some have more constant issues that aren't too terribly expensive to fix, but a nuisance nonetheless.

If you narrow down your choices some more I can give you some more information. Stay away from the Ford 6.0 diesel ( I know you said you wanted gas, but just making sure).

They vary quite a bit in in reliability/issues depending on the year.

I never got why people got into buying the smart cars, per NephyrS' post. Their mileage really isn't all that great, considering what you're giving in space and utility.

According to the sales figures, people haven't gotten into buying the smart cars.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

What the heck is a smart car??

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

Not much larger than a golf cart, a get around town short commute vehicle.

A weekly trip to the grocery store would fill it up.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

It's not about the gas mileage, it's about the parking.

Those things can fit into almost anything- and around here, where parking is mostly on the street, and really tight, they would be quite nice.

So for running errands around town, they're great- hold more than a bike or cycle, and best of all (for those of us who live where it rains 350 days of the year), waterproof!

They're also pretty darn cheap.

I'd never own one as an "only" vehicle... But they'd be nice for a second car to use in town, where I do most of my driving. They're sturdy, too- have fantastic crash test ratings, even against much larger cars. But yeah, only about 40-45 mpg.

They're coming out with a 4 door model this year, be interesting to see what it looks like when finished.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.

Oh...you mean Tonka toys! Okay, I don't even like to drive my hubby's Taurus because I feel too small and vulnerable....I'll stick with my truck, thank you!

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

It looks just as ridiculous as you'd expect.



Called the Smart ForFour.

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Holy shitsnacks!

At the risk of being "that guy"...


Run awaaaaaaaay!

Seriously though, don't do it. It isn't worth it

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Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

Screw you and your plastic piece of **** ...



1972 F-100 with a 390

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Oh I'm in no position to get a truck, don't worry about that. This is more of a wishful thinking thread.

The area I live in is practically all Ford, with Chevy coming in second. Interesting that the reviews tend to favor American brands for full-size, and foreign brands for compacts.