Hey all,

Im new here and introduced myself in the new member section, but figured id post my question here!

I currently do not own a truck but plan on doing so very soon (2-4 months). Im continuing to save money for a vehicle.

Let me start by saying, Wow, trucks are EXPENSIVE! For the money i currently have towards a truck, i could buy some pretty nice car's, but can only get crappy high mile trucks, the demand for these things is outrageous! oh well though it is what it is

So im looking for a truck for myself, and if you have read my intro in the new member section as you know, i dont know a lot about cars, so i came here seeking advice as to what make/model might suite my purposes best.

Heres what im looking for:

Im looking for a truck that i can step up into slightly, i dont need, a huge lifted truck, (i dont mind a slightly lifted truck) however, a full size, or mid size vehicle, with a slight lift or bigger tires would be nice. im so tired of sliding down into my thunderbird, and knocking my cowboy hat off. so no low riders....

I would like decent MPG. i dont need the greatest economy, but i do drive about 40 highway miles round trip to work 5 days a week. i cant drive to work once and need to refill the tank

I would like it to look nice. It doesnt need to be perfect condition as it will get used, but i would like it to no look like it was abused either. this will largely depend on the used car itself, however i mention it because i noted while shopping for trucks, a lot of dodge dakotas seem to have paint bubbling and coming off of them in huge spots all over the trucks. not sure what years this was but ive seen it from 99-03 so far i believe.

i would like an extended cab of some sort to put my guns into when we go shooting, rods in when i go fishing, and my dog in when we go camping, and storing various little things i dont want hit by the weather etc, including possibly a person or two.

i would like it to be 4x4 if possible but not really a deal breaker ( i think ) I dont do any mudding, but i would like to be able to take it out on some not so paved roads or have it make it through some slightly muddy trails for when im going camping or off road for whatever purpose. like i said, i dont do mudding where i need the vehicle to plow through feet of dirt and mud, but i want to be able to go up an incline or a dirt road without any hassle, and in mountains. i assume 4x4 would be good for this, or maybe for this stuff it would be irrelevant. i just know i take my Tbird out to go paintballing in the winter months, and it rains here, and where we play, i have a hard time reaching our destination as i spin out a lot, but it really is not a bad road at all. ( i know tires also play a role in that).

Bringing me to my next point, i need to know a bit about tires, cause im going to need to look for a truck with some on it, or look into replacing the current ones with something off road capable.

I want it to be automatic. I can drive a stick, but dont want the hassle....

it needs to have some power and a towing package, as i stated above, i may do some off road to get to my camping/fishing destinations and what not plus potentially pulling a small boat trailer while doing so. not some huge boat, but a kayak or small motor boat for fishing or possibly a small trailer for hauling stuff.

i would like a longer bed because i would like to put a lockbox in the back of it.

I would also like to add a brushguard to the truck, along with a shotgun rack in the headliner or possibly the back window...

I dont think i plan on putting the money into a truck to get it lifted or anything so no need to worry about any of that.

i mentioned some of these in the description of what i want above, but maybe my thinking was wrong, (your the experts) so here is what i will use the truck for and you tell me if i dont need anything mentioned above or also need other features.

Things i will need the truck for include:

Daily driving (in town + 40 highway miles to/from work)
slight off-roading (dirt trails, muddy trails, rock/gravel roads, inclines )
fishing/camping
towing small boat/trailer
hunting (throwing a deer in the bed)
hauling my dog/couple other people with me
storing gear inside (guns, rods, hiking equptment) depending on my adventures

That pretty much sums it up. i have no loyalty to any make atm, however, i will say my parents were always chevy people, and my only experience with a ford was not very good. (Tbird had blown head gaskets, sensor problems, needed tranny rebuild, leaks etc all under 135k miles and it was very well kept.) however that doesnt mean every vehicle they make is bad.

I was looking at some dodge dakotas, but everyone i saw, the grill was cracked in the same way, in the same spot in the front, had paint spots bubble and peeling and small things like that, however, mechanically, seemed great, however, i will say, in my used car hunts, i noticed numerous people saying there dodge just had the tranny rebuilt. (maybe dodge has had some tranny problems? or maybe it was just coincidence) but all around, i know a lot of people very happy with there dodge vehicles. i think due to the major paint problem we seem to be finding, were steering away from the dodge dakotas, at least in that time period we notice the paint having problems in... maybe a newer one wouldnt have those issues...

Anyway, thanks for reading such a long post, i know everyone has some brand loyalty, so more or less im asking for a recommended make/model that you may know would suite these purposes pretty well.

Thanks,

Kolton

 

Many of the BIG 3 (Dodge, Chev, Ford) Make exactly what you a looking for.
Many of the imports and the American made trucks can provide the fuel economy you are looking for as well as the horsepower you want to pull something.

I would suggest, find out exactly what your budget is for a truck purchase. Then search Auto Trader and Craig's list for trucks in that price rang.
Now you will know what model year you need to zero in on.
Then you can decide on a Make of truck you prefer.

Many people may tell you a particular Make of truck you should buy. That advice is usually biased based.
All makes of truck may have their inherent issues. Not one truck is perfect.
These are mechanical pieces of machinery that are build by humans and robots. There is going to be problems. Our goal as consumers is to find that one that isn't full of gremlins.
I have had pretty good luck by taking the VIN # of the vehicle I was going to buy and having the dealership run the number for a record of maintenance and warranty claims

I was were you are a few years ago Kolton
I knew what I want, I just didn't know which one would provide it.
I found that the budget I had wasn't going to get me what I wanted.
So I continued my research while growing my truck purchase budget.

This is what I learned. Keeping in mind my budget allowed me to buy in the 2005 to 2007 rang in diesel trucks
-Dodge had good paint finishes but didn't have the comfort I was looking for. And our local Dodge dealership wasn't my favorite place to shop.
-Ford had great style, inside and out, excellent comfort and interior finishes. but there was some engine issues
-Chev and GMC Had the engine reliability and fuel economy and general comfort and appearance and price that I wanted. And the local dealership was eager to have my business.
This is based on my own research and is strictly my opinion. Each person is different and can form their own opinion in different ways.

 

I hear a lot of people mention dodge as not being built for comfort, are they an uncomfortable truck to drive around?

Also, basically what happened to me is the same as you, i was proud of the money i saved, but my truck selection was limited with it, however if i was in the market for a Tahoe, i could get a sweet ride go figure...

im also not against getting a truck for all of the above purposes and also buying a car in addition to the truck for my round trip to work everyday, or my occasional travel long distances and what not including general cruising around.

 

I agree that each person has his own opinion. Aside from hearing the opinions of others, I think the best way you can do is to visit some local dealerships to see in person the trucks that you have in mind. To see the actual can help narrow down your selection.

 

Have you picked a particular Make of truck yet that you like?