Honda Ridgeline

[nmrt]

actually, i wish they made a e36 m3 in a wagon. and it would have been my perfect family car. i drove my friend's e36 m3 (5-MT) coupe and was blown away. now that is a driver's car!

but yes, i agree. i test drove the 6-MT 2020 Taco and the 2020 9-speed auto Ridge. For driving on asphalt, they both simply cannot even be compared. The Ridge is in an entirely different league. But the reason why the Taco is even in comparison is two fold: 1. it has a manual transmission, 2. If is better off-road.

I know that the Ridge can do some fireroads and wash board stuff. But I am not entirely certain if that is all I will ask the Ridge to do. If I start taking my popup camper up some gnarlier stuff out here in CO to camp, the Ridge might not make it. Hence the undeniable dilemma.

Originally Posted by Jeckel30

If your ideal family car is an E46 wagon(I agree and miss mine) you will vastly prefer the Ridgeline to a Tacoma. I have had a bunch of full size trucks for towing purposes and they do great. As soon as I was done towing what I needed I sold them as I hate to drive them on a daily basis. I moved on to a Tacoma which was great and isn’t overly big but I wouldn’t classify it fun to drive. I currently have a 1st Gen. Ridgeline which is a much better daily driver. I have a Land Cruiser for off-road and an E36 M3 when I want to go fast.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by reuben

I tend to buy used, both cars and trucks. Saves $$.

Size - yeah, I had a 2001 or 2002 F150. It was puny compared to the F150 and similar trucks made now. No reason that I can tell. Same basic towing capacity, hauling capacity, etc. Is it a macho thing? I dunno.

Now I have a used 2013 Tacoma. It's a TRD, so it definitely feels like a truck, with a fairly harsh ride due to the suspension. But then, it's a TRUCK, not a luxury car, or even a normal 4 door sedan. I don't know why people expect trucks to ride like luxury cars - that's not what they're made for. It's nice if the ride is smooth, but they're made for work, not touring.

FWIW I put two extra leaf springs in a previous 1990s F150. Adds to the hauling capacity in the bed. Don't go too far though or you'll have to spend mo' money to level it out.

My brother in law works at a Ford dealership and the number(before the virus) of $100,000+ trucks they sold is..well, it's amazing....I just priced one for giggles on their website, $89,874...

[alancw3]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

My brother in law works at a Ford dealership and the number(before the virus) of $100,000+ trucks they sold is..well, it's amazing....I just priced one for giggles on their website, $89,874...

Prediction. my grandsons could care less about a pickup truck or a classic old corvette that I have owned. I am just thinking that when we are gone that traditional car purchasing world is also gone. maybe it will all be self driving Ubers. who knows. I do know that my grandsons attitudes towards cars ia different than me at that age. probalbly for the better.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by nmrt

actually, i wish they made a e36 m3 in a wagon. and it would have been my perfect family car. i drove my friend's e36 m3 (5-MT) coupe and was blown away. now that is a driver's car!

but yes, i agree. i test drove the 6-MT 2020 Taco and the 2020 9-speed auto Ridge. For driving on asphalt, they both simply cannot even be compared. The Ridge is in an entirely different league. But the reason why the Taco is even in comparison is two fold: 1. it has a manual transmission, 2. If is better off-road.

I know that the Ridge can do some fireroads and wash board stuff. But I am not entirely certain if that is all I will ask the Ridge to do. If I start taking my popup camper up some gnarlier stuff out here in CO to camp, the Ridge might not make it. Hence the undeniable dilemma.

The manual transmission Tacos aren’t as fuel efficient as those with automatics. At least they weren’t when I had leased mine in 2014. I never could figure that out.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

My brother in law works at a Ford dealership and the number(before the virus) of $100,000+ trucks they sold is..well, it's amazing....I just priced one for giggles on their website, $89,874...

Yeah, it's mind boggling. My use has always been hauling stuff in the bed, so a standard F150 did the trick. Trucks nowadays are so much bigger and so much more expensive that I can scarcely believe it. And they're still 1/2 ton trucks. But now they're fancy schmancy, and cost a boatload. I don't understand it.

When did I start to need an "infotainment center" instead of a radio? Good Lord, packages like the Lariat and King Ranch are freakin' Cadillacs! I tend to call "all hat and no cattle" on that kind of stuff, but I'm sure that there are exceptions.

And the vast majority I see around here are always in pristine shape, 1/2 ton and larger. It's pretty easy to tell an honest-to-goodness roofer or mason from a poser. Apologies in advance if I've offended anyone.

Last year I downsized from an F150 (old - 2001, so definitely smaller than a 2020) to a used 2013 Tacoma. I miss the 8 foot bed, but I don't haul nearly as much stuff as I used to. I figure that in a few years when I move and haul a bunch of building supplies I can just rent a UHaul or Home Depot truck for a few days. In the meantime I've got enough room to haul what I need, and it's a lot easier to drive and park since it's smaller.

[pasadena]

No question with a pop-up and primitive camping, the Taco is the way to go.
The Ridgeline is good for urban pickup duties.
Honestly, if I got a pickup, the only one I would get is the Taco. It's not the best driving, but it's the best midsize pu for a lot of reasons.

Guy that bought my rtt worked for Honda. Guess what pickup truck everyone at Honda buys that offroads?

Originally Posted by nmrt

actually, i wish they made a e36 m3 in a wagon. and it would have been my perfect family car. i drove my friend's e36 m3 (5-MT) coupe and was blown away. now that is a driver's car!

but yes, i agree. i test drove the 6-MT 2020 Taco and the 2020 9-speed auto Ridge. For driving on asphalt, they both simply cannot even be compared. The Ridge is in an entirely different league. But the reason why the Taco is even in comparison is two fold: 1. it has a manual transmission, 2. If is better off-road.

I know that the Ridge can do some fireroads and wash board stuff. But I am not entirely certain if that is all I will ask the Ridge to do. If I start taking my popup camper up some gnarlier stuff out here in CO to camp, the Ridge might not make it. Hence the undeniable dilemma.

[nmrt]

here is the biggest problem with the Taco and a pop-up camper: the Taco has a payload of 1100 lb (this includes the weight of the passengers). very, very lightweight campers are around 800-1200 lb + weight of passengers. so, i am wondering if the Taco will even cut it payload wise.

who here owns a Taco and a pop up camper?

Originally Posted by pasadena

No question with a pop-up and primitive camping, the Taco is the way to go.
The Ridgeline is good for urban pickup duties.
Honestly, if I got a pickup, the only one I would get is the Taco. It's not the best driving, but it's the best midsize pu for a lot of reasons.

Guy that bought my rtt worked for Honda. Guess what pickup truck everyone at Honda buys that offroads?

[HenryA]

You could go with something like this:

https://gofastcampers.com/pages/camper-landing

Simplest is a camper shell and an air mattress. How many people will you need to haul and sleep?

[bronk]

I drive a 2010 taco sport access cab. Resolved the sloooow issue with a factory supercharger.

Note: Tacos have had known frame rust issues. Toyota recalled and bought my 2000 for 150% of blue book to get it off the road. I was happy so I went and bought a 2010 assuming they had fixed the issue. In 2019 Toyota at their cost replaced the frame on my 2010 taco for the same issue.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by reuben

Yeah, it's mind boggling. My use has always been hauling stuff in the bed, so a standard F150 did the trick. Trucks nowadays are so much bigger and so much more expensive that I can scarcely believe it. And they're still 1/2 ton trucks. But now they're fancy schmancy, and cost a boatload. I don't understand it.

When did I start to need an "infotainment center" instead of a radio? Good Lord, packages like the Lariat and King Ranch are freakin' Cadillacs! I tend to call "all hat and no cattle" on that kind of stuff, but I'm sure that there are exceptions.

And the vast majority I see around here are always in pristine shape, 1/2 ton and larger. It's pretty easy to tell an honest-to-goodness roofer or mason from a poser. Apologies in advance if I've offended anyone.

Last year I downsized from an F150 (old - 2001, so definitely smaller than a 2020) to a used 2013 Tacoma. I miss the 8 foot bed, but I don't haul nearly as much stuff as I used to. I figure that in a few years when I move and haul a bunch of building supplies I can just rent a UHaul or Home Depot truck for a few days. In the meantime I've got enough room to haul what I need, and it's a lot easier to drive and park since it's smaller.

I agree, when I had a Ford Ranger, had for 3 years, didn't even wash it. Spilled paint and baby head rock dents in the bed and back tailgate. It was a 'fleet' truck, paid about $9k for it..early 2000s..sold it for almost as much as I
paid for it. But I'd like a basic truck, no A/C, a radio...extended cab, not CREW cab..mid size but even old ones that need things like a new tranny are BIG $.

[reuben]

Originally Posted by p nut

When I was shopping last year, I found the price difference between mid and full-size wasn’t that much. Less than 10%. ie Ranger was around $28-29k for an XL and few options. Crew cab 4wd. Equivalent F150 was $30-31k.

Yeah, apparently this is part of why Ford quit making the Ranger for years. During that time Chevy, Toyota, and others took over the small truck market.

There wasn't/isn't much difference in price between small and full size trucks, and the mileage is about he same, so consumers didn't see much of a reason to buy the smaller trucks - for the same amount of money they got more truck.