SUV/Truck RFI

[ranger]

I decided to buy a full size truck in 2015. Decided on a 2015 Ram 1500 4x4 - wife said go ahead and get one with more options so we got a Laramie - very nice. Fast forward - guess who drives the full size truck - my wife. We have two grown kids and first grandchild. That truck has been in perpetual motion helping grown kids buy houses, move, etc. Filled back crew cab area plus bed taking toys to grandchild for Christmas. I agree that in theory you could plan exactly when you want/need truck and rent but I cannot begin to count the trips to Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Sams, and so forth where the truck was used on unplanned or short notice.

I have a high mileage 178k 2006 BMW X5 still going strong but I suspect I will get an all purpose vehicle and Subaru Outback is looking strong for that role.

[blues]

I'm in the 4Runner / Tacoma camp. Subaru would probably be next option.

[txdpd]

I agree that in theory you could plan exactly when you want/need truck and rent but I cannot begin to count the trips to Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, Sams, and so forth where the truck was used on unplanned or short notice.

I was exactly the opposite. Had a pickup truck, I had to have a new truck to tow the boat, imagined all the glorious task I would do with the truck. Wasn't much more than daily commuter and I didn't tow the boat anywhere.

Also in landscaping with Mulch and Topsoil there is a dry (dampish) weight and a wet weight. In the PNW I can see rain being a major issue in that arena. Dry hardwood mulch is about 800lbs a yard and soaking wet will be about 1500lbs. Dry topsoil is 2000-3200lbs a yard and wet can be over 5000lbs. Whether it's in the back of a truck or a trailer a couple phone calls to the supply yard and a rough idea on applicable weights might not be a bad idea.

[RevolverRob]

Small utility trailer and general honey-do - Toyota Rav4 AWD - the base LE model can be had in AWD for $26.5k. You'll get much better mileage overall and have a more comfortable ride for the day-to-day driving you'll be doing.

[randyho]

I'm hoping this Subaru Ascent based pickup truck will come to fruition. But it won't help Okie now.

Attachment 33940

I had a wrx with snow tires and an autcross-friendly suspension. It was SO fun.

[trailrunner]

I'll give you a split decision. I have both a Rav4 and a Tacoma (wife has a Highlander).

My Rav4 is 17 years old (and the Highlander is 15 years old). The Rav4 is a great daily driver, and with the seats folded forward, can carry some stuff, but will fill up quickly and I wouldn't want to put anything dirty like mulch or concrete inside. I don't drive much (it just turned over 150k miles), but it's been very reliable and still has the original clutch (which is remarkable since I drive in DC traffic). My wife's Highlander has been very reliable also and has been a nice family car for us.

But I've always been a truck person. Before my Tacoma, I had a 1986 Toyota truck that I kept for 25 years before I got tired of driving without air conditioning (I bought it when I was in grad school in San Diego and didn't want to pay $500 for a/c). (And before that, in HS, I drove a 1968 Datsun truck.) The '86 truck was my daily driver, and even with kids we made it work. I only put 140k miles on that, but it also had the original clutch, which again was remarkable since I drove it in San Diego, LA, and then in DC for over a decade. I have a fairly small house with a fairly small yard in the suburbs, but I seem to use my trucks a lot to haul stuff. Last week I hauled a bunch of old carpet that I pulled up to the landfill. I've done a lot of tree work in my yard, and have saved some money by having the tree guys just get the tree on the ground, and then I haul it away myself. I also built a large part of my fence myself, and hauled a bunch of lumber and some cement home from Home Depot. When you need a truck, it's great to have one, and they are not bad daily drivers.

[RevolverRob]

I guess my perspective in this is colored by “small utility trailer”. A 4’x8’ or even a 4’x6’ ramped trailer will haul everything a 6’ truck bed will haul. And has the benefit of being able to load it, drive it home, and un-hitch. No need to unload the bed of the truck to take the wife to dinner. Back it into the garage and close the door if theft is a concern. Not too mention, by virtue of being lower, it will be easier to load (and potentially unload).

If you’re not going to acquire a trailer - then I firmly recommend a truck, a Tacoma would be what I looked at.

[Malamute]

Im also in the 4runner camp. I have an 05 I got used a couple years ago. Excellent vehicle, extremely pleased with it. Its unfortunately a 2wd, but has gotten 22-24-ish mpg on the road. Its easily long enough to sleep in the back of, plenty of room for the dog and gear. I have a hitch mounted cargo rack and box i use on the road and it doesnt affect mileage much if any. I made a dog platform/lockable storage box in the back and I can open the front end and slide my legs under it and have sleeping room with the dog on the platform and still a lot of gear in it. The seats are rarely up, but its easy to take humans if desired.

I formerly drove trucks, always with a shell, always had a dog, camp gear etc to keep dry, and slept in them when travelling or camping a fair bit. I finally got a suburban and instantly wondered why I messed with trucks so long. Trucks are a PIA to me more than anything, an SUV does everything I need to do and much better than a truck. If it doesnt fit easily in or on the SUV, or a rear hitch carrier rack, I use a trailer. After second used suburban died, after many useful miles, I went with the 4runner and have been very happy. I hope I never have another truck. The only reason would be to have a pop-up camper.

[Matt O]

I'm in a similar boat and looking to upgrade in the second half of 2019. I'm also looking at either a Tacoma or 4Runner and currently leaning towards the former. I love the space and comfort of a larger SUV but it's hard to beat the unique utility of a pickup. I do have two little ones and will need to stuff them all into both the truck and SUV for test drives and to see how it works so my opinion may change. This will be mostly a commuting vehicle to me, so one other factor is that the Tacoma should get better gas mileage than the 4Runner, but likely not as good as our RAV4.

Admittedly I don't need a truck most of the time, but I am tired of throwing dead deer in a tarp in the back of my wife's RAV4, and that already was an upgrade from stuffing them in the lined trunk of my Civic, mafia style. Personally I thought about the trailer option, but I live in a town house in the suburbs and don't have a garage, just two measly parking spots, so that doesn't work for me. @okie john, I think I remember that you hunt, so that may be an additional factor for you in determining if you want wet, bloody (tick covered) animals inside your vehicle or in a place that is easily hosed off.

[JV_]

If you get an SUV, and hunt, get one of those hitch racks. You can easily tote a deer on there, and it keeps the inside of your car cleaner. It's also handy for those couple of bags of mulch that you need ... that will inevitably leak a little on the way home.

https://www.harborfreight.com/500-lb...ier-66983.html