Looking for a Used Pickup...

[Anvil Al #59168]

Allie,

 

Their are lots of choices when shopping for a pick-up, most of them bad.

 

First the most common mistake buyers make is purchasing a truck without enough hauling capacity and engine. I seem to recall reading that most 1/2 tons are used as daily commuters to work and the store. I know the beds of a lot of 1/2 tons I have seen don't have a mark in them. Case in point is my father-in-law. I have spent decades telling him he didn't enough truck for his trailer towing needs. He would buy his trucks based on how pretty they were and then wondered why he would have problems. After we brought a 3/4 diesel he finally got it through his head what I was telling him.

 

2. Most salesman don't know jack about what is needed for trailer towing. We had a young salesman tell us that a 1/2 ton Dodge PU would tow on horse trailer cause it had a HEMI! He was to young and arrogrant to believe my wife when she started asking asking horsepower, transmission ratio, bumper weight, etc. or that a woman knew more than he did.

 

Good used 3/4 tons only stay on lot for a few days.

 

3. Diesels are not cost efficent unless you do a lot of trailer hauling. And for serious pulling we are talking one ton truck. Diesel is about .50 cents a gallon more than gas here and engine repairs are a LOT more expensive. My last diesel hit me for a $1100.00 repair bill and my wife traded it off the next weekend for a big gaser.

 

And speaking of gaser I would not go less than a 6.0 liter engine. I know it suffers in gas mileage but wait til the first time you see a glassy eyed 18 wheel driver highballing it at you and getting out of his way FAST seems like a real good idea.

 

4. Toyota don't know how to build a pick-up. The Tundra suffers for poor sales and resale value.

 

5. 4 wheel drive really depends on where you live. Since we have horses I have to get into the pasture regardless of the weather.

 

6. Take a really hard look a what you may be pulling in the future. The 15' may be cute but after a couple of seasons 30' trailer may look awful good.

 

 

Got to disagree with you on the Diesel. Yes they cost more to repair. But most don't have that much to repair.

They tend to run and keep on running.

 

Our Dodge one ton. Has 130,00 on it now. I can not think of one repair we have done to it except for just

regular maintenance stuff.

Plus I can hook to and pull about anything I want. And when empty. 21-22 MPG. So yes. Diesel cost more. But you get more MPG. So the cost of fuel more than evens out.

Has been the most repair free truck I have ever had.

 

The Ford Diesel (shoeing truck). Has 295,000 HARD miles. Still runs like a top. VERY few repairs. And NO major repairs.

That motor still runs as good today as it did when I bought it. With the custom shoeing bed I got on it and all the

equipment. It always has a load on it.

 

Will never have another gas truck.

[Jimmy Reb, SASS #54804]

I beleive you ought to reconsider the cab selection. An extended cab gives you inside DRY and LOCKABLE storage. When I met my wife she was driving a little dodge colt. Now (17 years later) she is driving a gmc sierra 3/4 ton 4x4 extended cab. She loves her truck. So don't think it's just for your hubby - you will like it too. Also I don't belive we will buy another gas truck either. J-R

[Uno Mas SASS #80082]

Mz. Mo;

 

I'm gonna chime in with opinions as a RV and pickemup owner in Kalifornia;

 

1) What RV to buy? Don't. Rent. You'll pay an arm and a leg to rent - but you won't be using an RV nearly as much as you thought. So pay someone else to store, maintain, and worry about the rig.

 

2) Jimmy Reb has it exactly right. If you decide you need a PU, consider the extended cab - especially the ones with pillar-less entry. There's a reason 99% percent of the world has gone to extended cabs: we ain't dummies.

 

3) Diesels: don't. I love my oil burner, but the Kalifornia State nannies have made it economical unfeasible with their greenie super-ultra-low sulfur fuel requirements. I hate paying 25 cents more for a gallon of diesel than for premium.

 

BTW: The opinions expressed above are not the opinions of the management.

[Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217]

Dang! The truck I really liked sold the night before hubby went to look at it.

 

Loophole, I checked out the rental dealers. There were few trucks and they were not in CA.

 

Seldom, thank you for your thoughts on the subject. As we had a 24 foot RV for nine years, I'm familiar with my space and option needs in a trailer. A small trailer is about the same as the house part of the RV. It will only be used for going to annual matches. In the past, I spent very little time inside. We really cannot afford anything large at this time.

 

Jimmy, the truck will not be my day-to-day vehicle. I will only be using it when towing. Hubby already has a storage box for the bed. The trailer will have plenty of dry storage. It will be his day-to-day vehicle and he does not want the big cabs. I wouldn't mind an extended cab with a standard bed.

 

Thanks Uno. However, it is an hour's drive to any rental dealers. Going to pick up the vehicle and driving it home to pack then returning it would be really inconvenient. Also, a little trailer would make a great auxiliary guest room. Last time I had four folks stay over, I had to use two air beds and one was in the back of the dining area. Storage is not a big deal with 10 acres and there's not much maintenance on a trailer.

 

Regards,

 

Allie Mo