Use one of those big Rubbermaid tubs that are made to fit a Christmas tree. The feet point up. Cover that with the tarp.
I live in eastern washington, and I really like my 4runner. However, my family lives up in Skagit and Snohomish counties, and if I had to deal with central Puget Sound traffic regularly (Olympia to Marysville), I'd be tempted to drive something with adaptive cruise control, like the Subaru with eyesight. Probably add years to someone's life, just in stress reduction, coping with that traffic. My dad got a subaru outback last fall-- he said that dealing with the worst of the Seattle/Everett traffic is way easier now-- plus the mileage is phenomenal in the 4 cylinder. He managed a good deal through Costco.
Last edited by idahojess; 01-07-2019 at 11:36 PM.
Wife’s got a 4Runner, I’ve got a Silverado. Silverado will haul more weight but 4Runner is probably a better daily driver. Gas mileage is about the same, strangely enough.
That’s about all I got. But if you look at a Silverado, make sure it has 3.42 gears and not the 3.08. You’ll notice a difference on hills. Mine has 3.08; I got a heck of a deal on my truck but I don’t love the 3.08. I don’t care enough to trade it in but if I regularly hauled anything bigger than a light trailer (which is never) I’d want taller gears. 20+ mpg on road trips though.
I have a basic model 2009 Tundra that i bought in 2009. I definitely recommend the Tundra over the Tacoma. The Tundra cabin is bigger which is nice when driving with your family. It works great for family trips. Of course you need a bed cover for the luggage. The no frill basic model Tundra may be close in price to a Tacoma.
If the only “hauling” is landscaping then I agree you can get by with an SUV or wagon and a truck bed.
However, as others have mentioned, there’s a lot to be said for being able to stop off at Home Depot or some garden center and load up on the way home from work on a Friday so that you can start the day off working on Saturday. I wouldn’t go dragging an empty trailer with me to work just to have it for the ride home.
Okie, are you in anything close to an urban or newer area? One thing I’ve noticed after almost 20 years of several trucks and large SUVs, SE FLORIDA is not large-vehicle friendly. Parking is often a nightmare, and frankly the Tacoma wasn’t a vast improvement in that department. If you’ve not owned a truck or large SUV before, it’s something to think about. You’ll park more often than you’ll haul.
I second a vote for Tacoma or 4Runner.
With the second row folded you can haul a surprising amount of crap in a 4runner.
The only issue I have with the current 3rd gen Taco is the seating. The seating options are slim. The highest trim levels don't even have anything but a 2 way adjustable seat. Back and fourth, recline, and a lumbar. The seating position is also causing a lot of folks issues.
I recommend a hearty test drive to ensure the seats aren't a deal breaker. The seat comfort and overall cabin comfort is a pretty big deal. I see lots of people moving to Tundra based on this alone.
The 3rd gen Taco also has had some teething problems. You'll likely read about it all over the internet. However the new units have the bugs worked out.
The 4runner is good to go. Its extremely mature in its design. The current 5th gen is essentially unchanged since 2009 which is practically a record breaking run in SUV market.
Toyota isn't changing it until 2020 at earliest. They don't need to--since 2014 the 4runner has caught some strange resurgence in popularity and has tied or exceeded sales records every year since 2014 (approx.).
The Tundra is another long in tooth truck. However most people disregard it due to fuel mileage. If you are looking for long term reliability, a truck without glitch prone tech, this is it. And it is substantially more comfortable than the Tacoma.
edit: You can also get fleet grade Tundras that have a "double cab" and a smaller and slightly less thirsty 4.6 V8. They are more utility oriented and much less expensive.
Last edited by fixer; 01-08-2019 at 07:11 AM.
Something else for those with kids considering the Tacoma...
I got rid of mine 3 years ago when the kids were 5 and 7. Smaller kids that have super tiny legs were not an issue in the back seat, and nor were bigger kids or small adults whose knees could bend to put their feet on the floor.
However, kids that are big enough that their feet stick past the end of the seat but not big enough to bend thei knees and have their feet in the floor, were a nightmare. Half-bent kid legs take up more room than an adult’s bent legs! And it was a constant struggle to get them to quit “kicking” the back of the seat in front of them!