Anybody have a pickup truck?

[sho220]

Thanks! If you don't mind me asking, what kind of features would you have added on to an offroad Tundra that you think is really needed?



Thanks so much for the help! I'll definitely look used for the first one, maybe a few years off, and I believe it'll help me in my job quite a bit. I don't plan on using a vehicle a whole ton of a lot if I could help it (rather use a bike or walk) but I'd use the truck for the needed things.

Thanks again!

Never had a Tundra but the weakest link on almost every new truck is the tires. Get a decent set of A/T or M/T and you're good to go...

[blue roses]

I owned a toyota pick-up from 1985 - 1992 it had 4wd and a standard trans. i loved it put 120 thousand miles on it before some idiot was so busy watching pretty girls in the next car ran into me and totaled her. I would still have it now. great gas mileage and great on the beach, just cruised over the soft long island beaches. Now we have a v6 chevy pick-up and it is not a 4wd but the gas mileage is great, and very dependable, my husband drives an hour each way for work every day. I would look for something as simple and basic for your needs. remember all the extras are great, but they are great but if you don't have use for them, they will just be an expensive add on you'll have to eventually will have to repair. So keep it simple, and get a truck with only your nessecities in mind.

[JoshSloane]

Bought my 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Diesel Mega Cab (duely) new.

Have only put fuel, oil and tires into it in 100,000 miles and the recommended transmission fluid change at 60/70 k? Nothing else, not even brakes.

I don't baby it. I work it hard. It constantly has a load of 1000-1500 lbs in it. And occasional runs a load of 3000-3500 lbs.

Occasionally pulls a 14,000 LB trailer from Texas to California without knowing it's back there, even up the mountains while passing everybody.

Probably more than what you need, but that son, is a truck! Tells ya what a Dodge is capable of.

Hey Reinz that a guy! I knew I liked you...

I am a truck fanatic, and always have been. I just bought a 2015 Ram 1500 quad cab in black.

Right now my mods include a Line-x spray in bed-liner, Bilstein 5100 series ride height adjustable leveling shocks set at 2.1, Smittybilt bull-bar, Flowmaster S40 muffler, stock pipes with resonators removed, Diablo tuner. Next month I am having a 6" Zone suspension lift installed, and will be putting on 35s.

In my opinion Dodge gives you the best bang for your buck with 'entry level' trim packages. I bought the express trim, which was one level up from the super basic tradesman model. IMO entry level f150s look like work trucks, and aren't very esthetically pleasing. So far this truck has been tough as nails. I hunt/backpack/camp almost year round, and the five trips that this truck has been on so far, it outperformed my friends f150 by far. I have the Hemi 5.7L V8 and this thing just roars, even without a flowmaster. I am getting around 19 mpg on this guy surprisingly. If there is only one modification that you do, a spray in bed liner is crucial. There are many other options available, but none IMO that perform as well as Linex.

I have owned Fords in the past, and having now switched to Dodge, I feel like the Ram edges out the F150 all day. To me the new f150s look like an SUV with an attached bed, not a true truck. For some reason Ford insists on painting the name of the trim package all over the side of the truck, and to me it looks cheesy. I don't think people a block away need to be able to see that you have the 'Raptor' edition.

I believe I was able to haggle a ton on this truck. Check out Truecar.com and you can see what others in your area are paying for the exact same truck. It's a good starting point for negotiations. I got mine at about 2k below the truecar.com "good price" quote. Don't be afraid to stand up and walk out. Usually you will find the salesman running after you in the parking lot.

For reliability I will say that it has been top notch 'so far.' I am pretty intimately linked into the Ram community in Denver, and the new generation of Rams is getting pretty stellar remarks. I've pushed it hard in offroad, snow, sleet, mud and heavy rain. So far has cranked through it all with no issues.

As far as new owner 'friendly,' trucks can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. If you aren't really into mods or add-ons, you will do just fine with a stock truck throughout the entirety of its life. However, if you like truck toys, sky is the limit. There are literally hundreds of mods that you can do to make it how you want it. Personally I think that Rams look the absolute best when modded out.

My line of thinking is to buy a low level trim, and then add on what you want. Usually you will save a ton of money. For instance, Ram now has a 'Blacked out' package that hikes the price a good 2.5k. You can achieve these mods on your own for much less. All truck companies do this, and it is usually gimmicky crap on the inside that you forget about in six months. Take the back up cameras that are routinely installed for example. I don't trust this item, and cant see why its so hard to turn around and see what is behind you.

I agree with others on here telling you to not buy more truck than you need. Rarely does anyone who doesn't work in a farming/ranching/construction community need anything bigger than a V8 half-ton truck. If you can afford it go to town, but you really don't need it. A V8 can haul just about anything.

I know that Toyota has a nice reputation, but I would personally NEVER buy a foreign truck. Pickups are an American institution, and I believe in them. I have owned only Ford, Jeep and Rams in my life, and would never trade any of them for something foreign.

Other than that have fun! You are going to find that driving a pickup is unlike any other automobile you have ever had. Once you get one, you will never go back.

[bcr229]

I know that Toyota has a nice reputation, but I would personally NEVER buy a foreign truck. Pickups are an American institution, and I believe in them. I have owned only Ford, Jeep and Rams in my life, and would never trade any of them for something foreign.

Psst... http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/t...-for-2014.html
Toyota, Honda, and Ford all tied for #1 for US-sourced parts in 2014, for 2015 Ford didn't get over 75%.

For vehicles overall the Toyota Camry has rated highest for the past few years, go figure.
https://www.cars.com/articles/the-20...1420680649381/

[JoshSloane]

Haha I knew someone was going to pull out the stats. I guess for myself I cant bring myself to pour money into a foreign brand. Call me nostalgic.

Admittedly I don't drive a pickup out of complete necessity. Yes I use the bed constantly for outdoorsman activities, but an SUV would likely serve the same purpose. I love the feel of driving a truck, the power, the possible modifications, and all that goes with it. There is a definite 'pickup culture' and I unabashedly love being a part of it.

Camrys are safe, reliable, cost-effective and most definitely a great buy. But for me, nothing sounds or feels like a big truck engine opening up full throttle.

[jclaiborne]

What kind of truck do you own?


I have owned a 1988 and 1992 Chevy Silverado, a 2000 Dodge Ram, and Now (I know not a truck) a 2007 Toyota FJ, my dad has a Toyota Tundra, and we use to have the good ol Toyota Pickup with the 22re engine. I use to be one of those die hard Chevy fans, and in all honesty when it comes to older vehicles and the classics I still am, my 88 pickup was bullet proof, however in my opinion the NEW big 3 (dodge, chevy, ford) American Trucks I just don't like, The seem to be making them cheaper and cheaper, my grandpa got a new GMC and the thing was a rattle bucket. I hated the Ram with a passion, the interior was ugly and seemed unfinished. The thing went through 2 transmissions (factory warranties). At this point I am sold on Toyotas, their engines have tons of power, I have 95K on my FJ and have had zero issues with it. My dads Tundra has 185K on it with zero issues. (and in all honesty Toyota not only utilizes American parts, but some vehicles are built in America)

What kind of add-ons do you have on it? (Off road package, Crew Cab, etc.)

Steel tubed front and rear bumpers, 35in MT tires, 9000lb winch with synthetic line, Piggback rear shocks with new springs, Front coil overs with external reservoirs, CB radio, cold air intake, custom tucked exhaust, extended breathers for crossing through deep water, complete regear, short throw shifter, On board air compressor, rear lights (spot, chase, dust), HID floods, HID headlight conversion, headers...that's all that comes to mind right now, but there is something I have forgotten.

My opinion add-ons from the factory are overpriced, poorly made, you would be better off getting the engine you want and then building up from there with aftermarket custom accessories. Build it to what you want to use it for. If you are going to be off-roading build it to the terrain you will be in. I live in California so it is all desert out here, I built mine to handle high speed desert terrain.


What's your opinion on it?

Again I know not a truck but I love my FJ, and will be getting a used Tundra down the line.


Were you able to haggle down the price quite a bit?

You can haggle down the price of almost anything from a dealership, however I would recommend picking up a reliable used vehicle, I bought off the show room floor once and see no reason to do it ever again.


Is it reliable?

Toyotas are incredibly reliable, our old pickup with the 22re would still be running today if it didn't get T-Boned.


Is it a 'new vehicle person' friendly kind of vehicle?

Trucks are not overly complicated, anything new will have computers on board so that gets to be a bit of a pain...

[JoshSloane]

If yall haven't had a chance to check out a 2013+ Ram I really encourage you to do so. I know a lot of the issues have been cleared up in these newer year models. And I think you will be nicely surprised with the interior.

I also believe that if I wanted a fancy interior I would get a luxury sedan. Trucks are meant to be able to functionally gut out a job. I'm not a technology fanatic, so my trucks stock package with regards to cab features was plenty.

[jclaiborne]

If yall haven't had a chance to check out a 2013+ Ram I really encourage you to do so. I know a lot of the issues have been cleared up in these newer year models. And I think you will be nicely surprised with the interior.

I also believe that if I wanted a fancy interior I would get a luxury sedan. Trucks are meant to be able to functionally gut out a job. I'm not a technology fanatic, so my trucks stock package with regards to cab features was plenty.

Oh I agree they interiors shouldn't be fancy, the ram I had, had those ugly cloth seats that had grey, yellow, pink, and either a blue or purple color to it, almost looked like tiny squares....I hated it haha.

[Pampho85]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll try to answer them in depth later on today when I get home!

Just a question tho, does anyone know if the Toyota Tacoma is a good outdoorsy pick up too? As a first car, I'm leaning towards it since it is quite a bit cheaper and all haha. I will be looking for one used however!

[JoshSloane]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll try to answer them in depth later on today when I get home!

Just a question tho, does anyone know if the Toyota Tacoma is a good outdoorsy pick up too? As a first car, I'm leaning towards it since it is quite a bit cheaper and all haha. I will be looking for one used however!

Depends on what you want out of a pickup. Tacoma isn't a full sized pickup. If you just want something to get you to a camping/hunting spot you should be fine in a Tacoma. I don't know the hauling/towing specs but it won't pull the equivalent of a full sized truck.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh I agree they interiors shouldn't be fancy, the ram I had, had those ugly cloth seats that had grey, yellow, pink, and either a blue or purple color to it, almost looked like tiny squares....I hated it haha.

Ha yeah I remember those. New Rams definitely upgraded that.