Any truck people here? I'm considering a pick up.

[Clovis]

It's time to trade in my WRX for something else. I bought that car 5 years ago when I was 29 back then and now I'm 34, have a family and different needs. The WRX is a young man's game

I'm looking at trading to either a pick up or SUV - something ranging from New to say 2 years old. I've recently started looking (online) at the 2015+ F-150 with the twin turbo Eco Boost V6.

Having a bed for trips to Home Depot is appealing and next summer I'm renting a house for 10 days in Deadwood, SD for an epic trip to the Black Hills with some friends. We'll be towing the bikes this year... the only crappy part about that trip is the 450 mile super slab to New Castle, WY.

Any advice or recommendations? Should I look at the Toyota Tundra as well?

Whatever I get, it needs to have 4 doors and towing ability - my 2 bike trailer, with 2 bikes weighs <1500 lbs, but it would be nice to have the ability to tow something larger like a camper (you can rent those for the weekend, right?)

I'm lucky to live very close to work (2 miles) so for the past 2 years I've put less than 5000 miles per year on the WRX. MPG isn't a huge concern.

[Snazzy]

EcoBoost sucks, I've driven a new Ford (from CO to CA) and hated it for multiple reasons.

If I had 35k for a new vehicle I'd go wtih the 2016 Tacoma.... that should have no problem towing tow motorcycles + trailer. Or get the Tundra, I'd go with the smaller truck for the better gas mileage for the many miles you won't be towing.

[Clovis]

That's a good point.

Realistically, I would be towing a handful of times per year with the longest jaunt being to the Black Hills (Deadwood).

[koop]

I'm a lemon law attorney so my experience is a bit skewed. Nobody ever calls me to tell me how good their truck is. But bad trucks make up a good % of my caseload.

1. Stay away from Dodge. Between their electronics and transmissions Ram Trucks have too many problems.

2. Stay away from diesels. From what you describe you don't need one. There are lots of things to break on a diesel motor and they are god awful to repair. I think diesel's are living off a 20 year old reputation for reliability. Today's diesels are much more complex. Injectors, turbos, turbo pedestals, emissions, filters. Anyone of those goes bad and you can toast a `15k motor. If the manufacturer can trace a bad injector back to a fuel filter that wasn't changed on time, warranty denied.

3. Stay away from the Ecoboost Ford. I think they are probably reliable enough, I haven't gotten any calls on them but from what I've read you don't get game changing performance from them. In my mind technology = risk. If you're going to assume risk you should be rewarded with benefits sufficient to justify the risk. If you only drive 5k a year a couple MPG isn't going to make any difference.

3. I'm a Toyota fanboi. I never sue them. They make solid boring pickups beloved by terrorist and warlords worldwide. They also hold their value. If you're looking a Toyota it often makes sense to buy a new one instead of a year or two old one because they just don't depreciate enough to make it worthwhile.

4. Nothing wrong with a Chevy 1500 or Ford F-150. I have a F-150 myself. Either will do the job you're describing. There are a billion of them on the road and parts are cheap. You can also get pretty much anything you want from a beancan work truck to a loaded up King Ranch with all the bells and whistles.

[Clovis]

Thanks Koop!

Okay, so F-150 is out.

Looking more at the Taco and Tundra...If a Toyota truck is good enough for Isis, it's good enough for me!

[Nolan]

I have an ecoboost and it's quite fun to drive. I didn't get it to commute with though so a mpg or two wasn't a concern. I got the ultra base version and it suits our needs. I can comfortably haul 6 people in the cab toss two bikes in the back and haul a small trailer.
The thing with any vehicle is maintenance. I can show you two vehicles. One with 230k on the clock and one with 542k. The 542k one is in better shape overall and it's a year older.
I didn't like the Dodge. They were pretty proud of their product.
Nissan Titan was a letdown since I had an 06 frontier. They looked the same inside but bigger.
I didn't look at the Tundra or Chevy.

[Drano]

I bought my 2004 Tacoma in 2010 when it had 107,000 miles on it. I've put another 29,000 miles on it since then. Aside from regular services, I have replaced the brakes. That's it. The trucks are 100% solid, but horsepower can be a little lacking. It's not too bad compared to the other small trucks, but one day I'll throw the TRD supercharger in it. The problem with small trucks is the bed space. They really don't offer that much, and while it isn't a deal breaker for me, there have been trips to home depot where I have wished it was a full-size. Gas mileage from mine with City/Hwy combined has been right around 18 mpg. As far as towing is concerned, mine is rated at 5,000 lbs. with a tongue weight of 500 lbs. The newer generation Tacomas are a little larger, and the 4.0 makes considerably more power. I don't regret the decision to buy mine at all. Koop is right though, buying mine was 1, hard to find, and 2, a lot pricier than its competitors.

[Chaos]

I bought a new 2015 Colorado crew cab long bed (4 door, 6 foot bed) in June and I'm very pleased so far, 305 hp V6 7000lbs towing, and I've been averaging 23ish mpg in heavy stop and go California traffic commuting 90 miles a day. I recommend checking them out, all new for 2015, the GMC Canyon too.

Edit: I got it OTD for 30K, but I did get 2wd since I personally don't need 4wd where I'm at now.

[Grant H.]

From what you have described, you certainly don't need a large diesel.

Honestly, the Nissan with the little Cummins might be attractive, and it would be much better suited if you were to ever rent the camper.

Despite Koop's assertions, diesels aren't really that bad, and unless you go in as a raging a$$hole, the dealers don't just write stuff off and deny the warranty. Most dealers actually like warranty work, since they get work and paid, even if the customer doesn't/won't/can't spend the money.

For a half-ton gasser, I have friends that have the Tundra and the F-150 Ecoboost. If you're going to tow with the Ford, get the eco-boost. Anytime you get to 6-7000 feet and above (passes) you will be very grateful you aren't naturally aspirated. The Eco-boosts have been pretty dang good for towing with a half ton truck. The larger size of the tundra will make for a better towing rig than the Tacoma.

There are lots of things that go into towing:
1. Power - You have to be able to pull your trailer(s) and around here that usually means up the mountains. The Tacoma isn't going to like a trailer...
2. Braking - More important that Power. LOTS more important. If your trailer doesn't have electric trailer brakes (lots of small campers rely on Surge breaks which actually suck), your truck has to be able to stop it safely. For your bike trailer? The Taco will likely be fine. Much larger, and the dinky brakes on the Tacoma are going to get hot, fade, and potentially cause problems. The Tundra and the F-150 will have much larger brake systems that can handle a camper or similar much better.
3. Load rating - The Taco doesn't have a very good towing rating. Hell, the "Ho-Runna" (4Runner) has a higher towing capacity. The Tundra and the F-150 are significantly higher than the Taco. This means that you won't hate towing as much at the end of a trip, even a flat road trip. Low tow capacity means that you are going to feel every little bump, the trailer (unless very light) is going to push the Taco around, and with a camper (or other bigger trailer) if you suffer a blowout on the trailer, the trailer is going to make a little truck like the taco whip around and potentially make a simple blow out a wreck (extreme, but very possible).

[Wrider]

I'll be completely honest, I'm not a huge fan of Ford. In fact I pretty much don't like them at all. That said, the EcoBoost is actually doing pretty well, and I'm getting some pretty good reviews from friends that own it. A buddy has similar needs to yours and owns a '14 EcoBoost. Gets 26 MPG in combined driving. That's pretty impressive in my book. I've also seen one with a tuner (plug in, not a custom tune) embarrass a Terminator Cobra with a few add-ons.

The Taco is a good reliable solid truck, but I'd be shy of the 2016 simply because they're going to a new motor, a 3.5 V6 Atkinson cycle motor. From what I've heard it should be more powerful than the current 4.0 V6, but I've never honestly worked on or had any experience with an Atkinson cycle motor before, so I'm not sure how they'll do. That said, they're in a lot of family/luxury performance sedans like the Nissans and Infinitis.

Tundra is a good truck all around, but they can have an issue with bed bounce on the freeways, and the front end is a little iffy on them. Plus a ton of guys get what they call the "from-behind bump". I've felt it in my Mom's 4-Runner as well, it basically feels like you just got tapped from behind when you let off the brakes to hit the gas. It's not really a big deal, but it can be somewhat annoying.

Also, if you go with new, the 2015 F150 does have an aluminum body. That does give it a noticeable advantage in acceleration, braking, and handling because it is lighter. That said, it's also significantly more expensive to repair any body damage to it. A friend does Paintless Dent Removal work for a living, and charges 1.5X as much for working on aluminum as he does steel. Another does bodywork and charges 3X as much.

[Clovis]

Thanks everyone - great advice! Keep it coming!

Narrowing it down:

1. Taco - Would probably go with the new 2016 due to re-design
2. 4Runner - Last redesign was in 2014, correct? Mostly just cosmetic changes over 2013? - Could buy a new one too, depends how much the 'discount' is for a 2-3 model yr old 4Runner.
3. Also looking at the Chevy Colorado - but haven't spent as much time researching this one yet.

For the negligible price difference between the Taco and the Tunrdra. But, a full size truck is likely due to garage space. I have a 3 car garage but the main bay is only 19' deep. The 3rd bay is the standsard 22' deep but that's my motorcycle bay. I have my bikes, gear, stands, No-Mar tire changer (bolted into the floor) - moto lift table coming soon, etc - A full size truck could be parked in that bay, but it would mean moving all that stuff over to the main bay and wouldn't be quite as ascetically pleasing. Not to mention a F150 at least would barely fit through the width of the single garage door bay.

1. The Taco (double cab) is 18.83' long. Would fit!
2. The 4Runner is 16' long - much easier to fit! 3 feet to spare.
3. The Chevy Colorado is 18.75 ft - same size as the Taco essentially. Would also fit.

Mrs. Clovis's preference is a 4Runner of a Tacoma - rides better, has full time AWD instead of "Truck 4WD" - its more refined, etc. But we already have a '13 Turbo Forester SUV (her car)

1. Towing with the 4 runner is 4700lbs
2. Towing with the 2016 Taco is around 6500lbs (I've seen multiple numbers quoted)
3. Chevy Colorado 3500 to 7000 pounds

In either case, that's plenty to tow a 1500lb motorcycle trailer I'm not sure how much a small camper trailer weighs - looks like 1500 to 2500 based on what I could google in a minute.

The SUV is probably more comfortable for every day stuff but it's nice to have a bed available to trips to Home Depot.

A camper trailer with a built in bike/ATV deck would be pretty sweet =)

[bodhizafa]

I got a 2015 Tundra in January and love it. I have had a couple small electronic issues (blown fuses) but it's been good so far. Having said that my buddy is on his 2nd Ecoboost F-150 had has loved his trucks too. He had a 2012 and traded it in for a 2015. The F-150 is noticably quicker and feels "sportier".....I must say I really like his truck. I just wanted to try and minimize reliability risk by going with the Toyota, plus it was a bit less expenisve for a similar package. If I was buying again now and had another $5k, I'd be leaning towards the Ecoboost F-150

When I looked to purchase I didn't bother with the Chevy, GMC's or Dodges....I unfortunately don't trust them. Too many people I know who have had bad luck with those. I've had 3 new Toyota trucks in a row with no real issues (Taco, FJ, Tundra).

[Snazzy]

My favorite part about the 2016 Tacoma is that they finally changed the interior and it's really nice. I'd buy one but I hate $500 car payments lol

[dirkterrell]

Earlier this year, I sold my '98 Expedition and bought a 2014 model (the last year with the 5.4l V8 ). I got 15 years out of the old one (bought it in 2000, and I think it had been on a 24-30 month lease before that). The new one is an EL model, so you can haul 8 people and still have a fair amount of room for cargo in the back. I got a good deal on it, probably because people are wanting the 2015 with the EcoBoost V6 that gets somewhat better gas mileage. (I'm getting 17mpg with my 19 mile commute to work.) I like the V8. It is rated to tow a bit over 9K pounds and came with an integrated brake controller. I haven't done any real towing with it yet because I have an F350 dually for that stuff, but I used the '98 on several occasions to haul trailers heavier than what you're talking about and it worked great. I'll note that you can fold the seats down and a 4'x8' sheet of plywood/drywall will lay flat inside.

[birchyboy]

You can still get the F150 with a 5.0 V8 which is supposed to be great motor. The best thing to do is go drive them and see what you like and then decide Is your WRX a sedan or "wagon"?

[Clovis]

I'll plan on stopping by a Toyota dealership and driving both - just a question of (lack of) free time!

WRX is a Sedan Birchy - base model, didn't want a spoiler... kind of wish I had gotten one anyways =P

[Nolan]

Take your trailer and or ask to take one of them home.

[GMR]

Not a truck person, but I bought a '14 F150 V8 (maybe Ecoboost is nice for altitude, but have to have a V8 in an American truck...). Super crew cab or whatever and a 6.5' bed which is the perfect size, not too long (well it kinda is-def doesnt fit in garage) but long enough to fit motorcycles lengthwise. F those 5.5' short beds...

[Hibs]

I'm really considering a new Chevy Colorado Diesel when they start hitting the dealerships. Initial reports are saying 23.2mpg city and 31.4mpg highway. Plus 7000lb towing capacity. in a "midsize" truck (7/8th scale in reality). That's killer. (http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/10/...olled-testing/)

[mdub]

I really like these kind of trucks

[birchyboy]

I'll plan on stopping by a Toyota dealership and driving both - just a question of (lack of) free time!

WRX is a Sedan Birchy - base model, didn't want a spoiler... kind of wish I had gotten one anyways =P

Thanks. I'm considering a WRX but need the wagon/hatchback/whatever for the dogs.

[Erratic]

Crazy that Dodge gets no love. Had a 2002 Dakota, put a couple hundred thousand miles on it with minimal issues. Then upgraded to a 2010 ram 1500 that just kicks ass. I'm a huge fan. I've had the ram for 3yrs with no issues. I tow all the time. It's the 4dr crew cab. Super roomy. Seats wife 2 kids and 2 large dogs. You give up a little bit of the bed for the extra cab room. Avg mpg is about 17. My brother liked it so much after riding in it, he sold is Tacoma and bought a ram too.

I know there were some issue with earlier models, but these newer ones imho, are miles above the rest.

[Clovis]

Thanks. I'm considering a WRX but need the wagon/hatchback/whatever for the dogs.

Yep. There were a few times where the wagon version would have been better to have.

[Wrider]

Crazy that Dodge gets no love. Had a 2002 Dakota, put a couple hundred thousand miles on it with minimal issues. Then upgraded to a 2010 ram 1500 that just kicks ass. I'm a huge fan. I've had the ram for 3yrs with no issues. I tow all the time. It's the 4dr crew cab. Super roomy. Seats wife 2 kids and 2 large dogs. You give up a little bit of the bed for the extra cab room. Avg mpg is about 17. My brother liked it so much after riding in it, he sold is Tacoma and bought a ram too.

I know there were some issue with earlier models, but these newer ones imho, are miles above the rest.

I will say, I had an 01 Dakota that was actually pretty remarkable in how stout it was. Even drivable after I decided to try to do a barrel roll in it and only got halfway over before landing.