Need a new truck

[asian900ss]

Hey guys I am/will be in the market for a newer truck. I was thinking a Colorado, toyota, nissan or something along the line of those. I want something extended cab (4 door) and short bed. Any suggestions or advice? Trying to stay away from full size since I drive a shit ton and it will kill me but need a little bit of power for trailers.

Thanks for any advice.

[f4isvt]

my buddy just bought a 2010 trd tacoma. the thing is pretty kick ass. I like toyota's anyway but. its got a electronic locking diff in the rear, a poly bed that never rusts, bilstien shocks all the way around a back up camera its pretty tits. He took me for a drive last night and for a 4.0 its got some get up and go.

[jporter12]

my buddy just bought a 2010 trd tacoma. the thing is pretty kick ass. I like toyota's anyway but. its got a electronic locking diff in the rear, a poly bed that never rusts, bilstien shocks all the way around a back up camera its pretty tits. He took me for a drive last night and for a 4.0 its got some get up and go.

How's the throttle actuator system, and the ABS?

I'm going to hope that by now they've doen something about the frame rusting problem so that they're not going to be buying back a bunch of trucks in 10 years, again. I'm amazed at how well Toyota has done in light of that truck issue a couple years ago. I wonder how they'll come out of all these recalls they've been dealing with? I think the American car companies have something to learn from Toyota when it comes to running their business.

[Artmageddon]

I love my Ranger. Mine is an 04 and I know they better fuel economy now, and mine is decent,and I have the 4.0. The newer one's have a supercab, but it's not a full size back seat.

The Tacoma's are pretty cool too. Good Looking truck, just seems to sit right.

[jporter12]

Hey guys I am/will be in the market for a newer truck. I was thinking a Colorado, toyota, nissan or something along the line of those. I want something extended cab (4 door) and short bed. Any suggestions or advice? Trying to stay away from full size since I drive a shit ton and it will kill me but need a little bit of power for trailers.

Thanks for any advice.

I vote for the Colorado, but I AM a biased, loyal, Chevy fan....

Please don't notice that I drive a Dodge!!!

[Disclaimer]

I think the American car companies have something to learn from Toyota when it comes to running their business.

I'd love to derail this thread to discuss that, but I won't

I drive a 2003 S10 - it's OK for my lifestyle. I think I get a whole 12.75 mpg from the 4.3L V6. It just turned over 30k miles.

From the sounds of the initial post, you're MPG-conscience, so all else equal, I'd get the truck with the highest MPG. I just end up with GM products because I had multiple family members working there in the past and can get GMS pricing. I think there's probably a few small I4 pickups still being made on the market if you have to have a bed. Otherwise, I'd opt for something with a little towing capacity, but more car-like (Equinox, Escape, Edge, etc) for more MPG.

[f4isvt]

How's the throttle actuator system, and the ABS?

I'm going to hope that by now they've doen something about the frame rusting problem so that they're not going to be buying back a bunch of trucks in 10 years, again. I'm amazed at how well Toyota has done in light of that truck issue a couple years ago. I wonder how they'll come out of all these recalls they've been dealing with? I think the American car companies have something to learn from Toyota when it comes to running their business.

i went and bought a 2010 tundra it doesnt have any problems for me yet. all the recalls didnt bother me none. oddly enough i bought it to tow my 89 with a rusty frame.

[asian900ss]

I would love to get a TRD but they are a little pricey for my liking. Flounder has a nice Toyota that is just about what Im leaning towards. But reason for the smaller truck is I kinda want something that gets decent fuel, can fit 4 people comfortably, and offers 4 wheel drive for towing a boat... Any input for a 4 dr s-10 Zr2? Anyone have experience with those? Thanks for all your help!

[Disclaimer]

I thought the crew cab S-10s had the ZR5 package. The ZR2 package was for ext and reg. cabs... (I suppose I'm splitting hairs though).

My S10 is an ext cab ZR2. I don't understand why you'd be interested in a 4dr truck if you're not getting a fullsize? The mini-bed is practically useless, in my humble opinion. I can barely fit a motorcycle in the bed of my ZR2 ext cab, and it's got the normal 6ft. bed.

[Zach]

if you want to tow something rather large, you'll want to get the biggest motors available in the 'little' pickups. Once you do that, the MPG is equal or worse than a v8 in a full size truck.

Add in the fact that you want to carry 4 people and it just pushes you toward the bigger vehicle anyway.

Or get an SUV if you're going to put most everything on a trailer.

[flounder]

I would love to get a TRD but they are a little pricey for my liking. Flounder has a nice Toyota that is just about what Im leaning towards. But reason for the smaller truck is I kinda want something that gets decent fuel, can fit 4 people comfortably, and offers 4 wheel drive for towing a boat... Any input for a 4 dr s-10 Zr2? Anyone have experience with those? Thanks for all your help!

Mine gets better gas mileage then those.. Even when I towed a trailer down to deals gap with 3 bikes and also had mine in the bed with 4 of us and all our gear for 4 days, I still got 20mpg

[redkow97]

I love my Ranger. Mine is an 04 and I know they better fuel economy now, and mine is decent,and I have the 4.0. The newer one's have a supercab, but it's not a full size back seat.

The Tacoma's are pretty cool too. Good Looking truck, just seems to sit right.

Tacoma's are badass. expensive though.

there is a 4-door ranger; it's called the Explorer Sport Trac. Depending on how serious your towing needs, I believe the Sport Trac has an optional V8.

My ranger also had the 4.0 V6, and it had more towing power than I ever expected of it. I averaged 17-18 mpg, but on extended highway trips, 22 wasn't out of the question. Supposedly it could tow over 5,000 lbs. I saw the 3.0 tow a 6x10 enclosed trailer with 2 bikes in it no problem.

biggest thing I ever pulled was my friend's "Browns Bus" 1967 motorhome. I'd say it was 4,000 lbs. at least. Didn't want to make it up the hill out of the pit lot after a game. traction was a bigger problem than the towing. 6 drunk guys in the bed fixed that problem :-p

[asian900ss]

F my life. Im glad I'm thinking of all this shit now and not when I am in a hurry to buy. Anyone have nissan experience? But it's looking like i should reconsider whats important...

Side note. how do I make a pic in my signature at the end of the posts?

[ohdaho]

I think the American car companies have something to learn from Toyota when it comes to running their business.

Already done. Toyota is the most studied car company for their business and production practices. By studied...I mean legitimate peer reviewed journal studies, not your NYTimes bullshit.

Asian, Id go with a Toyota but Im biased to imports. My uncle recently bought a Tundra and loves it. My cousin used to have a Tacoma and its been solid. There are some cash incentives out there right now too.

http://www.edmunds.com/incentives/RebateController?step=2&modelId=100529089&setzip=61354&state=IL&tid=edmunds.n.incentivesindex.incentives.2.2.Toyota*

Edit: If youre military consider using USAAs car buying service too. Theyll get you all the recent cash incentives and sometimes have a extra discount also.

Edited April 28, 2010 by ohdaho

[redracer95]

i had an 04 colorado Z71 extended cab. 5 cyl. i loved it, i avereged 21mpg mostly hwy driving 36 miles 1 way to work. i beat the livin piss outta it and it never let me down. too bad i was rearended be a cadilac and it was totaled out.

[Meanie]

My Grandfather has an '08 Colorado crew cab, it's a nice truck. For light duty it's good. However I'm 6'3" and it's a little small inside. I'm not a Chevy guy at all and I think it's a nice truck sooo. One of the guys I work with has an '06 Nissan Titan, I drove a few Titan's when i was looking and loved them, but his gas mileage isn't that great. I think Nissan makes a nice truck, I can't comment on the Frontier other then i was along for a test drive when my Grandfather was shopping for a truck. They seem to be more geared toward a work truck then a play truck. But they look good and they run well. I have a friend that details for a Nissan dealership, he loves them. Now for my personal favorite TOYOTA!! I bought a brand new Toyota Celica GTS in 2000, I never had any problems with it. I am currently looking for a Tundra, I figure with all the recall crap, Toyota is going to be on their game with any issues that arise. That and, like I said, I never had a problem with my Celica which had 100k miles on it when i had to sell it. (not the easiest thing to carry kids in) I miss that car alot. The Tacoma is a great looking truck too, never drove one, but it's a Toyota it's gotta be awesome.

[mahdey]

My Grandfather has an '08 Colorado crew cab, it's a nice truck. For light duty it's good. However I'm 6'3" and it's a little small inside. I'm not a Chevy guy at all and I think it's a nice truck sooo. One of the guys I work with has an '06 Nissan Titan, I drove a few Titan's when i was looking and loved them, but his gas mileage isn't that great. I think Nissan makes a nice truck, I can't comment on the Frontier other then i was along for a test drive when my Grandfather was shopping for a truck. They seem to be more geared toward a work truck then a play truck. But they look good and they run well. I have a friend that details for a Nissan dealership, he loves them. Now for my personal favorite TOYOTA!! I bought a brand new Toyota Celica GTS in 2000, I never had any problems with it. I am currently looking for a Tundra, I figure with all the recall crap, Toyota is going to be on their game with any issues that arise. That and, like I said, I never had a problem with my Celica which had 100k miles on it when i had to sell it. (not the easiest thing to carry kids in) I miss that car alot. The Tacoma is a great looking truck too, never drove one, but it's a Toyota it's gotta be awesome.

no offense but you are a moron if you buy a yota for a truck. Biggest POS trucks i have ever seen. Same amount of frame flex as a 70's chevy pickup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRfE_XAk2mE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jURNFshnXu0

yup, good quality product them slant eyes got ther i'll tell you what.

[f4isvt]

those tests were both ran by ford thats odd that ford would win a ford test. i bet if nissan or dodge or chevy were to run that test they would be the winner. But anyway meanie if your looking at a new tundra hurry cause they have 0 percent finance till the end of the month. The tundra we just got double cab 2wd 4.7 was stickered at 28 i talked them down 2000 on sticker another 1000 for buying a tundra another 1000 for my wife being military, 500 for owner loyalty told them i was putting 5k down then put 5500 and they matched my extra 500. I got 5 grand off plus my money down and 0%. I looked at ford nissan and toyota and niether nissan nor ford could touch that deal.

[asian900ss]

Um meanie. Im asain no worries on the height issue. But thanks for the concern on that one. Redracer how much did that 04 run you? that kinda sounds like what im looking for...

[Disclaimer]

Not that those tests aren't "real", but like f4 said -- they're biased, I'm sure they chose those specific tests that play to Ford's strengths.

That being said, I've traveled around the block as a green engineer looking at how things are made and corporate cultures... the Tundra may very well be weaker than the Chevy or Ford, likely it is, but much of the Far East manufacturing is done to "right size" the product.

For instance, if you look at a die to stamp panels for a US automotive OE manufacturer, a lot of them are built to handle multiple millions of hits with relatively little maintenance. They are just beefy. I bet there's US tooling out there that you could put into a press and still stamp out parts for an '82 Cutlass.

Compare that to a Japanese tool - it's built to handle 1 to 2 million hits and if it totally crumbles into metal ashes at the 2M+1 hit - so be it, that's how it was designed.

That philosophy and culture filters all the way down through the organization - the US "beefy/robust" vs. the Japanese "Right size, Right Spec, No waste". So, I'd bet that the US trucks are "tougher", but how important is that under the given circumstances?

I don't use a flamethrower to light a candle when a match will do. But, then again, there's something to be said for having a tool WAY more than capable of handling the job you ask it to do.

[redkow97]

it's looking like i should reconsider whats important...

absolutely.

Buy a vehicle that's ideal for what you do most often, and adequate for what you do occasionally, not the other way around.

For us, that meant trading my truck for a small SUV and a trailer. My truck bed was empty way too often to rationalize getting 18 mpg and handling shitty in the snow. I can think of ONE time i ever moved/towed more than 1,000 lbs., so the truck was overkill.

And the trailer is actually BIGGER than my old truck bed (longer by 2' and no wheel-wells to eat bed space).

[oldschoolsdime92]

Ive got a colorado. If you are going for fuel mileage, id have to say the 5 cyl isnt going to be your friend.I get about 18-20 in the city. As for looks i feel the colly wins hands down, and it has 1/2 ton towing capability, but as i stated the fuel mileage is going to be about the same as a full size.

[Meanie]

no offense but you are a moron if you buy a yota for a truck. Biggest POS trucks i have ever seen. Same amount of frame flex as a 70's chevy pickup.

yup, good quality product them slant eyes got ther i'll tell you what.

HAHA the newb called me a moron basing his facts off of youtube videos. So anyone wanna make a video and post it on youtube stating the Delorean can actually time travel? Obviously if it's on youtube its a fact. We can use images from a top secret test I know of codenamed "back to the future".

I was stating my opinions, if you don't like them.....sorry???

[ohdaho]

HAHA the newb called me a moron basing his facts off of youtube videos. So anyone wanna make a video and post it on youtube stating the Delorean can actually time travel? Obviously if it's on youtube its a fact. We can use images from a top secret test I know of codenamed "back to the future".

I was stating my opinions, if you don't like them.....sorry???

Let me find a new flux capacitor first.

[redkow97]

HAHA the newb called me a moron basing his facts off of youtube videos. So anyone wanna make a video and post it on youtube stating the Delorean can actually time travel? Obviously if it's on youtube its a fact. We can use images from a top secret test I know of codenamed "back to the future".

I was stating my opinions, if you don't like them.....sorry???

YouTube might trash the Tundra, but Top Gear likes the smaller 'yotas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVkedyQZfwQ