My wife wants a truck

[Janet H]

How about a van instead? The cost (new) is comparable to a truck but there are some interesting advantages.

If you want to tow, a 3/4 commercial van is van is just about perfect. Tow capacity is the same as a 3/4 ton PU. Full size vans are built on truck chassis.

1. Vans have ENCLOSED cargo space (no rain on yer stuff)
2. Vans have lower decks. We have a PU at my house and I HATE climbing into the back to get stuff out. It's hard on my knees and if there's a canopy on the bed (usually) I often whack my head.
3. Vans come in various lengths so you can get a long one and put your kayaks inside or you could get a short one and use a roof rack
4. Full sized PU with Crew cab and long bed is a monster to park at the grocery store. Way too long for polite turning in tight spaces.

Both Chevy, Ford and GMC have full size vans and you can trick em out any way you like.

Another interesting option is the Benz Sprinter van which tows almost as well but can be specked with a diesel and has a smaller foot print (nice for those skinny grocery store parking places). These cost more but are much more friendly for urban use.

If you are in the used market, a lightly used commercial van is well under 20 K <<< deal!

 

[Ronstar]

Your DW is a smart woman. There is nothing better than a truck. I have a 2009 F150 4wd supercrew cab with a 5.4 V8. I get 18.2 mpg - 2 mpg better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee that it replaced. Here's my list of must haves:

1. 4wd
2. V8 engine
3. Super crew cab (on F150)
4. electric rear window
5. Undercover bed cover
6. Yakima Beddy Jo bike rack
7. Line-x bed coating
8. Weathertech floor mats

 

[MikeD]

I have a rarely used (15K since new) 2006 Ford F350 four door Diesel pick up. I like it. My next car will be a Lincoln crossover SUV of some sort. I recommend the Line-X spray in bedliner and the factory towing option for the bigger radiators, too.

Mike D.

 

[TheWizard]

I have a 2004 Ford Ranger 4x4 pickup that I use primarily on weekends to do trucky things with, like hauling building materials and logs for firewood.
I drive my Mustang during the week but will swap that out for the Ranger once snow becomes an issue.
I do plan to replace the Ranger with an F-150 SuperCab in a few years when the funds present themselves...

 

[travelover]

How about a van instead?.......

Different strokes for different folks, but I owned a full size van for about 5 years and I was still backing into stuff - never could get used to driving it.

 

[rescueme]

FWIW, the pickup truck seems to be making a bit of a comeback:

Automakers play up pickups at Texas State Fair

 

[Free To Canoe]

I know that the image is important but does she know that it rides and handles like a truck? DW thought that WE should own a truck but that I should use it. After owning a couple of trucks I enjoy driving a car much more. Maybe it will be your truck? Better get one you like.

 

[ER Fireball]

I'm not all that girly-girl, but there's a point at which a woman has to take a stand.

Gotta tell ya, there ain't nothin' like a gal in a short dress climbing up into a big ol' pickup truck! That'll just about make ya drop yer groceries right thar in the parkin' lot!

All kidding aside, I love my pickup truck. I do make it work for a living on occasion, and we do have a nice car that gets great gas mileage.

 

[calmloki]

I know that the image is important but does she know that it rides and handles like a truck? DW thought that WE should own a truck but that I should use it. After owning a couple of trucks I enjoy driving a car much more. Maybe it will be your truck? Better get one you like.

Yeah - my gal thought I needed a truck with a full-on utility box some years ago. Frankly, I like to sneak up on work and surprise myself, not drive around loudly proclaiming that that's what I do.

 

[Walt34]

For longer trips (2 hours+) DW much prefers taking the GMC pickup. She says she feels safer (room for debate on that) and it's roomier and more comfortable. And of course fitting all the luggage/stuff we acquire on a trip is never an issue.

 

[ls99]

OK. One more to the mix.

A Quigley van conversion. They take factory new vans and convert them to 4wd. Not cheap.

Had one years ago when w*rked for Southern California Edison. Had big DC3 airplane tires to go on the beach. Pure decadence, supplied by empl*yer.

 

[OrcasIslandBound]

We have a Ford F350 Crew Cab 4x4. It does everything great, including burning tons of gas. It will go anywhere, snow, ice, up the side of some mountian, etc. Get's 9 mpg and burns premium. Bought new (as a "leftover") in April of '98. It is a '97 with a 460 gas engine. We haul a Lance 10.5' camper on it.

If I had to do it over again, the gas mileage would be the #1 consideration instead of the last consideration. The Tacoma, with a 4 cyl engine, and 2 wheel drive, would likely be high on the list. If camping is your thing, like it is for us, the tricky part is the toilet in the camper. The minute the camper has holding tanks, it seems that it requires a big rig to either pull it or carry it. Also, it gets expensive as well.

Just my 2 cents worth....

- Stephen

 

[grasshopper]

My 17 YO Dodge Ram 5.9 auto 4WD is still running great, just looks like hell. Its main purpose is trash, dogs, wood and gravel.

My 2009 GMC quadcab 5.3 4WD auto sb is awesome. It will run on 4 cylinders on the flats gets 19.5 mpg, gets better fuel mileage at 75 than 55. Has a locking tailgate so a tonneau cover makes goodies secure.

And yes this is my driveway.

 

[Free To Canoe]

My 17 YO Dodge Ram 5.9 auto 4WD is still running great, just looks like hell. Its main purpose is trash, dogs, wood and gravel.

My 2009 GMC quadcab 5.3 4WD auto sb is awesome. It will run on 4 cylinders on the flats gets 19.5 mpg, gets better fuel mileage at 75 than 55. Has a locking tailgate so a tonneau cover makes goodies secure.

And yes this is my driveway.

Looks really beautiful. Hard to imagine that as a driveway.

 

[Purron]

So what's wrong with a woman wanting a pick up??

Gretchen Wilson - Redneck Woman - YouTube

 

[Badger]

We got the truck this afternoon. The deal was just too good to pass up. Wife drove it home. I didn't even have a chance to get to the keys first. Race Red F150 XLT super cab w/ 6.5' bed and 6 year extended warrantee. Next expense is a spray in liner and a front license tag that says "Eat Mo Possum".

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. With the kind of milage we put on a vehicle this should easily last for 20 years or until they take away my license. Heck, our other car is a Crown Vic I bought 10 years ago with 25k miles. It now has 75k. Although I did put about 20k in 3 years on the motorcycle.

Cheers!

 

[Walt34]

We need pictures!

And it isn't complete without a copy of this book on the front seat: Amazon.com: The Original Road Kill Cookbook (9780898152005): Buck Peterson, J. Angus Mclean: Books

 

[REWahoo]

We got the truck this afternoon. The deal was just too good to pass up. Wife drove it home. I didn't even have a chance to get to the keys first. Race Red F150 XLT super cab w/ 6.5' bed and 6 year extended warrantee.

We need pictures!

+1

Did you get the Ecoboost 6 or the V8? 2WD or 4WD? Tow package?

I owned a 1998 F-150 for 13+ years. It was a great low mileage truck and I hated to part with it but needed a diesel to tow our RV.

 

[JPatrick]

And if you ever get serious about eatin possum, give me a shout..That's our state bird..

 

[Badger]

I don't have a working camera at the moment but if cut and past works then it is this one.

I didn't get the ecoboost. Instead I got the 3.7 6cyl with 6 spd 2WD for a little better milage (best of any full size truck). We won't be pulling heavy loads - just a couple of motorcycles (less than 3k lbs including trailer) or maybe a small pop-up if we get the urge to buy one. However, one of the 2 options that were already installed when we looked was a limited slip diff. The other was a sirius radio with some other features or some such thing. We probably won't pay for the music service after the 6 free months.

I never really ate a possum that I know of. Although back in the early 50's when we would visit the grandparents in NC, grandpa would catch and fatten them up in a pen next the the shed. I may have eaten some then.

Cheers!

 

[Ronstar]

Congrats Badger! Nice looking truck. Stop by the F150 forum for all kinds of truck tips.

 

[Badger]

Congrats Badger! Nice looking truck. Stop by the F150 forum for all kinds of truck tips.

Thanks, I'll do that. I'm sure there will be lots of tips and ideas I could use but would never have thought to do.

I don't know much about cars and trucks so I extended the warrantee to 6 years. They also have a maintanance plan for x years that covers just about everything but I will have to think about that. It was quite a few dollars and if the truck is as good as they say and I keep the oil changed then I hope it will be good for many years.

Cheers!

 

[Bimmerbill]

I plan on hitting up the local Ford dealers this weekend. They have some great end of year rebates right now. My searches for used 1 or 2 year old trucks turned up trucks that cost more than new (when you factor in invoice priceing minus current incentives).

The more I read about the ecoboost engine the more I want it. Tho I'd like to get a 5.0 Mustang and 5.0 truck to match (if I only had the money, garage space, etc).

The new 3.7 motor is sweet. I was considering getting a base model Mustang with the 3.7 for a commuter car. 30MPG and close to 300 HP could liven up my long commute ;-)

I like the red!

 

[JPatrick]

The red looks great..
Like Yogi said, Red looks good on anything unless it is on something that doesn't..

 

[thefed]

Not much hotter than a hot chick in a truck. maybe that makes me a redneck, but i like it. enjoy! sweet ride.