OT: New Truck Frustrations?

[reuben]

I feel your pain. My last F150 had to go a couple of years ago. I talked myself into a smaller used Tacoma, my thinking being that I probably only have 1 or 2 large construction projects left in my life, and if I need a bigger truck I can rent one for a day or a week - Home Depot or elsewhere.

The smaller truck is much easier to drive and park since it's smaller.

But man, I really miss that 8 foot bed for hauling stuff.

I bought a used 2013 Tacoma 4WD with about 45k miles on it for about 21k after tags, tax, etc.

New truck prices are insane. And I see a lot of pretty ones, which tells me that some of the owners see them as trophies or status symbols rather than utilitarian vehicles.

And if you want one with a plain cab (not extended or double/super), you'll have to order it new, cuz ... I don't know why. I hardly ever see any of the larger cabs with more than 1 or 2 people in them.

[slambers3]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

our family car is an odyssey and i agree it's a great versatile platform, but does not do 4WD things.



No 4WD is a deal breaker, and due to the "toyota tax" - used tacos go for bonkers money. add to that they barely have what i would consider adequate power in V6 selection, the 4cyl versions are way underpowered.

Recently bought a new Tacoma (had to wait about a month for delivery) and ended up playing less new than for similarly spec’d 1-2 year old used trucks that were on the lot. I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around that.

[AngryScientist]

Another point of frustration: Manual Trans pickups are nearly extinct.

[thirdgenbird]

Originally Posted by Keith A

So what's the attraction to the trucks of this era?

I think it’s 3 things:
Good looks
Enthusiasts wanting “simple” trucks
Nostalgia

[velotrack]

as someone who has never looked into buying a truck, i was really not aware trucks were this expensive.

[Ozz]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Another point of frustration: Manual Trans pickups are nearly extinct.

It is hard to shift when talking on the phone.....

RAM offered some manual trans in their diesel trucks

But the new ZF auto transmissions are really nice.

[cmbicycles]

After a few months of looking, I found an 06' Tundra in July. It had (and almost still has) 90k miles, and was about $13k... so there are trucks out there that will fit your budget. You will have to patiently wait, expand your search area, and be prepared to buy quickly when the right truck comes along. I looked for a while to find one with low miles and no rust that was reasonably priced (to me), and came across an older couple selling mine a few hundred miles away.

While talking to the owners, we got to talking about bikes and the wife gave me her older road bike to fix up and sell. She had crashed years ago and never rode again so told me to just send her something for it once it sold and they put it in the bed of the truck. It was a mess, but cleaned up nicely.

[077XX]

How about an older Ford Ranger 4x4? They're not impossible to find, usually run forever, easy to fix, come in stick etc.

I went down the Tacoma rabbit hole and ended up refusing to pay so much for an older used vehicle with a ton of miles..

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

that sounds right.

i'm honestly amazed at the number of decked out tundras and silverados i see day to day. i'm guessing most of them are leases - not sure how else so many people afford to drive around in a $50k rig.

I park in a garage and live with mostly young professionals, and I pass about ten cars walking to mine. Two are brand new raptors, one is a loaded tundra, and then there are the two lifted Jeeps that probably cost north of 50k easy.

I ask the same,,,how do they afford it? Even with a lease, living where we are, theyre at $3k a month pretty easy just for living and a car...

Speak of the devil...just heard the sound system thumping. Their commute is from the garage to their barber shop they run in the same building...winch, led lights inside and outside all over it. My favorite are the spider images that shine from the wheel wells.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

is it crazy to get something with a V8, 4WD and under 50k miles for 25 grand?

other than craigslist and ebay - where should i be looking?

thoughts welcomed.

Figure out what you want, then go hunting on cars.com, cargurus.com and autotrader.com

CL and eBay are usually ****shows...although you *occasionally* see something interesting on eBay. You might also want to visit the enthusiast websites, where nicely kept/optioned vehicles are listed in the classifieds...and usually snapped up pretty quickly.

You could buy an older V8 VW Touareg for a whole lot less than 25 grand, and stock it's as capable an offroader as any, except perhaps a stock (original) D90 or a built CJ5. It will also pull a 7600 lb trailer or post reasonable lap times at the Nurburgring

If you need to tow, look for a gen 2 VW Touareg TDI (2008-2010). You won't find many, as a lot were returned to VW as part of Dieselgate. But they are (were?) fabulous vehicles. The gen 3 platform lost some weight and heft and offroad capability...but may be an option if you want to go that way... The updated 3 liter diesels are great...we get 30 mpg in our Q7, never got quite that much in our Touareg with the original factory (dirty) tune.

[ColonelJLloyd]

Originally Posted by 077XX

How about an older Ford Ranger 4x4? They're not impossible to find, usually run forever, easy to fix, come in stick etc.

If he thinks the Tacomas are underpowered I don't think an older Ranger would fit the bill.

[jamesdak]

I do have to admit that the auto in my F-150 does seem to work really well. Hasn't caused me issues off road yet. And the plus side is I can get around 19mpg highway on long trips. And out west here that means averaging around 80 mph. I did notice about a 1 mph gain in fuel economy once I started running ethanol free gas.

.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

If he thinks the Tacomas are underpowered I don't think an older Ranger would fit the bill.

yea, i dont need a sports car, but it's a real drag driving an underpowered truck when towing something and you cant maintain 80mph without the trans hunting around.

[Tony T]

Good luck getting a Jeep for 3k

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by Tony T

Good luck getting a Jeep for 3k

no problem.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto...252171794.html

this one is $2000!

these old GC WJ's are really capable trucks, and the I6 is a buletproof, reliable, easy to work on engine. i have had a bunch. a little work and this truck is good for 5 years of adventuring, for sure.