Former S-10 owner. Current Dakota owner. Would like a V6 2WD Access Cab Frontier but I don’t want to pay the price. For what I’m doing (towing a single motorcycle trailer - bike and trailer 720 lbs, cab and bed payload 600 lbs) and what I want to pay (~$13k) the numbers say a 4-cylinder Ranger will work, but after a test drive I have my doubts. I'm seeing some 2008-2010 V6 Silverado's with less than 50k miles, but I have a few questions.

I have to have cruise control. There a lot of WT’s out there but many have no cruise. Are aftermarket systems like the one in the link below from Rostra reliable or a waste of time and money?

I don’t need the expense of 4x4 but I don’t want to go back to steering into slides in the snow or getting stuck in shallow gravel like I did in my S-10. How well do the Traction Control systems work? What year did they first come out?

I prefer the looks of the Ram (I’m a closet Mopar guy) but the final straw for me and Chrysler is the rust. Per Google, up until about 2008 Dodge put foam between the panels which of course acts like a sponge (how dense do you have to be to not see that one coming?). Simply watching traffic go by it looks like Chevy’s have a problem too. Did GM solve the problem? In what year?

http://www.thecruisecontrolstore.com/250-9617-2009-2013-chevy-chevrolet-silverado-complete-rostra-cruise-control-kit/

 

Seems to me that around 2005 Chevy got in line with keeping rust down to a minimum. It's hard to tell how bad the rust situation is going to be with the newer Chevy trucks, but I really don't see much/any rust on trucks as old as 2008 with 100K miles. That being said, you can get a W/T with cruse if I recall. I believe you can even order them with A/C, power windows/locks, premium radio. The features aren't quite as full as a regular LS/LT truck, but you can get some more options on the new 14 W/T silverados.

If you're not in a hurry, the new Chevy Colorado looks really cool. I got to see it at the Autoshow and was really impressed. I don't know if there's a price tag or release date for it yet, but it looks pretty promising. Just something to consider. You could always look for a nice truck off of a Dealer's used car lot and still get a quality vehicle.