What pickup do I want?

I've been given....approval....to buy a new vehicle...

So, let's talk pickups.  no SUVS,  I need a  bed I can throw muddy mtn bikes in.

Simple requirements:

* 4 door

* Preferable 6 passenger, but in all honesty,  5 is probably fine (Oldest kid starts driving soon)

* AC (yep, I know it's a standard option pretty much now)

* Able to tow a Pop-up Camper (Also looking to upgrade, so lets say 3500lbs)

I will probably fly-n-drive to get something in better shape than the rust belt.

Hoping to stay under $16K and under 100k in mileage.

Things I would like?

* Higher MPG trucks (I realize 1/2 tons get better than the midsize colorado/dakotas)

* Ability to add remote start.

Latest 2wd ls powered exended cab 2500 chevy you can. The ext cab is pretty spacious.

Other would be a mega cab ram 2500. Incredibly huge interior, but dodge.....

used tundra crew cab. probably one of the biggest back seats as far as leg room is concerned

Well, Almost any of them will handle those needs including a Taco. 

The question you really have to answer is Turbo or V8? Honestly though 6 in any of them suck. For the Fly and Drive, Fords seem to be cheaper than the equiv chevy in the same configurations here in TX. You'll be in the 2012-2013 age range if you are close to the 100K miles.  

I know you said no SUV but I put my muddy mountain bikes on my bike rack and they are in there firm and in place. A Burb is much nicer place for 6 than any crew cab truck.  

In reply to MazdaFace :

Depends on the age of the tundra. The Max-Cab Dodge is a heck of a lot bigger . The early 2nd gen tundras were not big at all in the back seat. It wasn't till 2014ish they got roomy back there. 

I suppose I should mention I live in the HEAVY lake effect snowbelt.  

Getting 8-12" overnight of wet sloppy snow is not unheard of.

I can handle 2WD, but it needs something to compensate for winter traction.  

Are any on the 2wd models better in the slick than others?

In reply to bmw88rider :

agreed I should have been more specific. Post-2014 tundra with the 5.7

Gr, I'm certain that you have looked at the pricing for our region for what you are asking for. Reasonable miles and good mileage equals $18.5k on most off what's around. A co worker just paid $16.9k for a 2012 Sierra 6.0L with 147k. No thank you. Spend a little more for an off lease (insert your favorite truck here) or buy a super high mileage beater from Atlanta, fly down on spirit air on Thursday at midnight and drive it back. Then recondition the parts that need redone.

No pre 2009 GM. No 4.2/4.6/5.4/6.8 Ford. No 4.7 Chryslers. Watch for Nissan radiator failure without trans replacement. ONLY Post 2014 Toyota.

Mine is well beyond the price point, but I’d say Avalanche.

This is my second one and like it more than I would a crew cab pickup. And I like pickups.

I think an 2007+ Avalanche is a good start. It's pretty much a Suburban but with space for dirty stuff. 

Compared against my 2006 Tundra Crew Cab it's got more power, gets better MPG, probably higher tow capacity. It's also a more recently designed vehicle, as the older Tundra's were designed back in 2001, where as the 2007+ Avalanche was the same design up until 2013 (or 2014 if we consider the Suburban). 

The 2007+ Tundra has more rear seat space than any other "half-door" full-size truck, but they are pretty small compared to even a mid-sized crew cab and considerably smaller than full-size crew cab. 

Part of the reason I chose the 2006 Tundra was that it's only a few inches longer than a crew-cab-long-bed Tacoma or Frontier, but's shorter (and lighter) than all of the domestic crew-cab-6'-beds. I could also find examples for under $9k, which was important to me. I paid $6k for my salvage title Tundra. Crew-Cab Long-Bed Tacoma's are silly priced. The Tundra is a big vehicle, but it's totally worth it when I'm hauling 4 adults and a baby in the carseat in the back. I also wanted a 6' bed because we like sleep in the bed of the truck. The Avalanche would allow sleeping inside the vehicle, but it would require emptying the rear seats. 

I wouldn't say I regret getting the Tundra, because it's a trusty vehicle, but I would love to have a vehicle with the same space and hauling dimensions but gets 20+ mpg highway.  Which is pretty much limited to newer ($16k+) trucks. 

Also, Cadillac Escalade EXT comes with a 6.0l or 6.8l if you need extra oopmh. 

The first big snowfall you're going to regret buying 2wd and when you go to sell it in the snow belt, your resale takes a big hit. You can't give a 2wd truck away here and dealers don't even order them.

A 4wd Tundra, GM gasser, or maybe a Titan? 

I'll probably never sell it.   Seems we keep vehicles until their death.

2wd Chargers/Challengers etc still seem popular around here year round despite 2wd.   Thinking the advances in tech would make 2wd bearable.

In reply to Grtechguy :

you sure they arent the AWD chargers and challengers?

I want an AWD Challenger.

Grtechguy said:

I suppose I should mention I live in the HEAVY lake effect snowbelt.  

Getting 8-12" overnight of wet sloppy snow is not unheard of.

In that case, whatever it is, spend a lot of time underneath it banging around to make sure you don't end up supension falling apart in 10 yeats like I did.

Modern crew cab truck with under 100k miles for less than $16k?

In reply to Grtechguy :

May I make a case for a newer Ford?  The one with the aluminum body!  Better fuel mileage because it’s 800 pounds lighter.  Better power to weight ratio so performance is significantly better.  

The V8 is a 4 cam  mine gets 22.4 mpg to and from work. ( it’s a 4x4 ) plus the newer ones don’t have the issue of stripped spark plugs the older ones do. 

One option that is a real plus is flex fuel they all offer it and it’s a real money saver. On my Ford it’s a $100 ( list price) option.  That has paid for itself many many times already. 

I save about $10.  Every time I fill up. Even considering the lower fuel mileage I net out $5. Every tank full plus it really adds power!!! To the engine.  Seriously using regular gasoline the truck is quick if I floor it.  However with E85 it turns into a tire shredding machine!  Now luckily for my tires sake I can be reasonable. But power is addictive!!!!! 

In reply to frenchyd :

Check his budget. 

D40 Navara/Frontier/Equators are looking like a really good deal right now. Tow capacities start at 5klbs, MPGs are excellent and they have a proper 4x4 drivetrain with low range.

Will you often need to carry that many people?  My dad used to get half-ton GM trucks, standard cab / long bed.  Then he got a 2001 with an extended cab.  Now they're four door.  It's like driving a garden shed with a 5 foot bed bolted to the back.  They're huge and hard to park / see out of.  

I would either be shopping for the nicest late GMT400, so a 1995 or so, when they got the updated interior, or a 1999-2002 standard cab / long bed Chevy half-ton.  2wd, automatic trans, V8.  You can carry the most stuff and it's not like driving a barn as much as the bigger cab versions.  One of these in perfect condition should be well under your max budget.

I know this isn't per the listed requirements so grain of salt & no hard feelings if none of this is paid attention to.

Very rarely will I need to carry everyone.   98% of the time it will be myself + 1.

I will be a dissenter on 4 wheel drive. I lived in Manistee for 2 winters and rarely engaged the 4 wheel drive on my Nissan pickup as good snow tires made it unnecessary, actually I usually just forgot to engage it as the truck was doing well. The guy that I worked for had a 2 wheel drive f150 it was fine with good snow tires. 

yupididit said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Check his budget. 

Modern crew cab under 100 k. Miles for $16k that gets good mileage?  I had to take that with a grain of salt. Of course there might be that beat up off brand sitting in some banks repossessed lot but since that’s below whole sale it’s like trying to buy a $20 bill for $9 and change.

To be fair I don’t know what the OP considers modern or good gas mileage.  I also don’t know how firm the under 16k is or under 100 k miles is either. 

Besides I think most people approach buying a vehicle all wrong.  The first question is how long will you need it for?  In other words how close to leaving the nest are the kids?  Once they are gone will he really need the extra doors? How often are the extra doors actually going to be used?  Older kids would prefer not to be with parental units. If it’s for a few family trips maybe a lease or even a rental is a better deal?  

The price of gas is projected to get over $2.70 a gallon this summer according to AAA That’s gonna dump a lot of those on the market. Probably lower prices. 

frenchyd said:

yupididit said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Check his budget. 

Modern crew cab under 100 k. Miles for $16k that gets good mileage?  I had to take that with a grain of salt. Of course there might be that beat up off brand sitting in some banks repossessed lot but since that’s below whole sale it’s like trying to buy a $20 bill for $9 and change.

To be fair I don’t know what the OP considers modern or good gas mileage.  I also don’t know how firm the under 16k is or under 100 k miles is either. 

It does depend a lot on one's interpretation of "modern", but a few minutes of poking around on CA craigslist turns up this:

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2004-ford-150-lariat-4dr-4x4/6523909392.html

There are a number of other F-150 supercrews in that range too, although most of them are RWD.

As for the cab style, personally I find that the crew cab on my truck massively improves its usability, if only in the ability to put stuff in the back seats that I want to be able to lock up and have it not get wet while still keeping the bed available for truck stuff.