Monday’s post by Jim Klein about a Ram 3500 with the optional diesel having 1,000 ft-lbs of torque generated all manner of comments.
CC has long been successful in bringing people of all backgrounds and lifestyles together so this is a collective opportunity for sharing and learning. This question popped into my head while chatting with Jim and we agreed it was too good to not ask. We’ve heard from those who have no need for pickups so let’s hear from those who do indeed need a pickup for whatever purpose.
What pickup do you have? What engine does it have? And, what do you use it for? Is there anything else about it you want to tell us?
Lastly, I would encourage anyone reading this who has never commented to do so. We are curious about your pickup.
Had many pickups over the years 69 f100 75 c20 94 dakota 88 f150 current 17 frontier. All sixes two newest the only autoboxes. Agree since 90s full size trucks are way too big and inefficient for everyday use unless u pull big trailers for a living.
Sort of-
1987 El Camino with a 4.3 V-6 and 4 speed automatic (in ’87 the V-6 came with fuel injection).
A daily driver (one of two I use), and the go-to ride for my Saturday morning junkyard trips.
It currently has about 85,000 miles, and is nearly rust-free, having spent most of it’s life in the San Gabriel valley east of LA.
Currently I have a 2009 Chevy Silvarado short wide bed 4.3 v6/auto. Great truck and is all I need. I SOMEtimes wish I had the extra space of an extended cab or quad cab, but not very often. I’m 5’10 so I have no love for the late model trucks that are so tall that I can’t reach over the bed sides. This is a key point for me in owning a truck and I wish they still made true step sides.
As a young guy in my current situation I probably don’t need a pickup but when you are given one and enjoy them so much it is worth owning. I have a 1997 f150 regular cab with a flareside bed. It is a 4×4 and has a 5.4 triton with 340000kms on it. I use it’s ability often to haul stuff fairly often. Having a farm and enjoying the out doors I use it’s off road ability often too. Although for the most part I could fufil my needs with a much smaller, efficient vehicle I will always own a truck.
I’ve had four in the past: 1991 Dodge Dakota, 4cyl/5speed; 1996 Dodge Dakota 4×4, 6cyl/auto; 1998 Chevy S-10, 6cyl/auto, 2003 Ford Ranger 6cyl/auto. The two Dakotas were used for my reenactment sutlery business, and hauling motorcycles, either in the bed or two at a time on a trailer.
And I’ve always had a need for something that’ll haul loads and motorcycles. But I don’t haul dirty loads. With that restriction gone, I’ve found a minivan works much better, and it will pull a trailer to haul a motorcycle, but I’m not using it for that purpose as often as I did the pickups.
2011 F150 XLT crew cab. 3.5 Ecoboost.
It tows our travel trailer around when we camp, or our utility trailer when hauling things. I moved a 7′ hot tub 80 miles on that trailer last weekend.
Our ATV finds its way into the bed frequently, when it is not on said utility trailer.
Other than that, my wife uses it to run around town in, and I use our car to commute.
We bought the crew cab when we were hauling kids more often than things. The kids are now older, so its replacement will be an extended cab with a longer box, when the time comes.
I’ve owned four pickups since 1983, and own one now. All 4 wheel drive, three with an extended cab and one double cab. All smaller than what’s now considered full size: a 1981 Datsun 720 KingCab, a 1986 Ford’s Ranger SuperCab, then a gap of almost 20 years without a pickup to a 1997 Toyota T100 XtraCab and for the last three years, a 2016 Tacoma Double Cab Short Bed which I currently own. Except for the Datsun, and the first three years I owned the Ranger before getting married (to a women who also owned a pickup), they were second (or third) family cars but typically were my daily driver. During the 20 year gap, I mostly drove a Land Cruiser wagon and a Forester. I mention that for two reasons; I felt a need for AWD or 4WD, and both “wagons” were pressed into use hauling all kind stuff of loads, including stuffing them to the gills with yard debris and other trash for dump runs. So, arguably, I didn’t really need a pickup.
That said, I like driving pickups. I like the utility, the driving position and visibility, and yes, the image. In my youth, I autocrossed and roadraced four cylinder compacts, and certainly broke a few traffic laws on twisty canyon roads. But now I’m old and slow, I enjoy the journey but also the destination, especially when it involves unpaved roads and remote forests, mountains or deserts. I’m not crazy about the powertrain in my Tacoma, the Atkinson cycle 3.5 V6 with six speed automatic. And especially I don’t like the gas mileage … personal expense and environmental impact … but try to compensate by walking and bicycling around town as much as possible, and try to use our Golf where we don’t need the truck. I don’t use the 4WD, let alone the TRD OffRoad features as much as I’d like, but the crawl control and rear locker have helped me out once or twice. The OEM Bilstein shocks are showing some age after 65K miles, but otherwise the truck has been completely reliable after a few early software and hardware glitches covered painlessly under warranty.
I have an Toyota SUV daily driver but I also have a 1988 F150 4×4 for hardware, dump, and winter plowing duty and a 1980 F100 for week-ends.
I have owned one and have daily-driven one (for about a six week stretch).
My own was a 1963 Ford F-100 with a six and a 4 speed stick. It was a toy. What is funny is that the Ford would absolutely wear me out after a Saturday morning of horsing it around while the Ram 3500 Jim tested would have left me fresh as a daisy.
My last 6 weeks of my first year of law school my 71 Scamp was sidelined and I borrowed the 81 Datsun 4×4 King Cab pickup my father had bought. He bought it to plow snow on a private road and to be a general utility vehicle. Plus, with all of the stripes, decals and the roll bar (Oops, light bar) he thought it was cool. It was about as pleasant to drive as the F-100 I later owned, except it had a wider turning circle and less torque.
Currently, no. I’ve owned 2 full-size single cab Dodges, a Jeep Scrambler, and briefly a sad pathetic ford ranger which I absolutely LOATHED. Im debating on scoring another truck to compliment my Challenger for camping trips, furniture hauling, inclement weather, 4×4 debauchery etc. I’ve never owned a 2nd gen Ram or mini Ram Dakota, but would love either. I tend to be pretty picky with my vehicles. I always have a specific idea of what the right ride for me is. I don’t approach a vehicle purchase like I’m replacing a broken toaster or TV.
Yes I have a pickup, well actually more than one.
The one that sits in my driveway and does the work is an 06 F-250 Crew Cab, 8′ bed, Shift on the fly 4×4, 3v 5.4l and the close ratio 4sp with Low and Overdrive. It is wearing a Workmaster canopy with the tool box inside the driver’s side panel, opening passenger side window and barn doors with tail gate removed.
It gets used for all sorts of hauling, from building materials, to furniture and appliances, to equipment for the non-profit I work with. It is also my primary transportation when we do get the unusual heavy snow. In the ~3 years I’ve owned it I’ve racked up about 12,000 mi. A number of my tools reside in that side box so it it ready to help me get many jobs done on short notice.
I also own an 02 F-150 Super Cab, 6.5′ bed, lever operated 4×4, 2v 5.4, and automatic. It resides in the town where my kids go to school and I own some properties.
I use it for working on said properties and transportation when I’m there with the wife. It was also picked up for that 4wd as the house my son lives in is at the bottom of a steep hill in a community that gets snow when no place around does. No one gets out of that street w/o 4×4 when the snow gets thick. It also comes in handy when there is a problem with one of their cars or they need a 6 passenger vehicle. This year it earned its keep when the heater core on my son’s car started leaking in the middle of my busy season and he had no one experienced enough to help him pull out the dash and replace it. It also comes down to my house occasionally to haul bulk materials like gravel since it doesn’t have a canopy.
3rd pickup is my 72 IH Scout II Cab Top. It has the 345, close ratio 4sp and the 2sp 4×4. It is down right now as it needs front brakes and I’m not fixing the drums on the Dana 30 so I need to brake down and install the disc brake Dana 44. When it is on the road it often just gets used as a convertible, but it is also used for hauling lawn mowers and other things that will fit in its 5′ bed. It has also hauled a lot of gravel over the years. It will carry 1500lbs w/o breaking a sweat and it is perfect for taking it right where it needs to go even in the tightest of spaces. Hopefully it will be back on the road next summer.
I have two. One is a 1967 GMC short stepside that is more of a “sport truck” since it is lowered and it has a nice fat camper special sway bar on it. Handles like a car! Recently acquired a beat up half ton ’71 Chevy long bed with a 307 and Powerglide! that I now use for home improvement store runs. The longer bed and helper springs make it so much handier.
Well, Akismet or perhaps some other internet pothole swallowed my original verbose reply, so I’ll be brief and hope it gets through. I’ve owned 4 pickups in the last 35 years, including my current 4wd 2016 Tacoma TRD OffRoad. I use it for fun and a bit of work, though realistically other vehicles would be as good or better for the latter. A 5’ bed isn’t great for 8’ lumber. But I’ll probably always own a pickup, and though all of mine have been sub-full-size and we’re daily drivers, I could see getting a slightly larger pickup with a camper for extended vacations. I know a van is probably more useful, as Paul has shown, but I guess I’m a pickup guy, though I only came to that after 10 years of small/sporty car ownership.
I had 5 pickups from 1986 to 2017. Before that big wagons worked for me. After I retired my last truck, I’ve used a Chevy HHR with a utility trailer. The front passenger seat folds as well as the back seat, making hauling 8 foot lumber in the car a breeze. It’s not wide enough for plywood but that’s where the trailer comes in. It’s not perfect, but it’s not bad. New trucks are too big in all the wrong places and wayyyy too expensive, and in my opinion, uglier than ever.
I’ve never owned a pick-up truck. I grew up with Depression born parents and I was taught, well, it was drummed into me, that one should never consume more than one needs.
I don’t particularly like paying taxes, either, so I don’t smoke, drink or drive a vehicle larger than the one I need. Regular gasoline runs about C$1.50 a litre in Vancouver at the moment, so a vehicle that uses 15L/100 km is simply not going to happen for me, since I usually drive 2000 km a month.
Trucks are very expensive for what they are, the average transaction price in Canada being about C$60K. The new car I bought last year cost less than half that price.
So I guess I am old school. I don’t like consuming more than I need.But then again, such beliefs have led to a rather early retirement.
I sometimes forget I have a pickup. Best thing I did was get a battery shut off switch. So when I need a truck, it starts.
Trucks have gotten overly expensive, but if you are willing to give up luxury there are deals to be had.
You can still pick up a new basic 2wd regular cab for just over $20K. I paid $34K for a new crew cab 4×4 with aluminum body, direct and port injected twin turbocharged engine, and 10 speed transmission. It does 0-60 in under 7 seconds, tows 7600 pounds, and has consistently been getting better city gas mileage than our minivan. Resale is excellent.
I think it’s a great value for what it is. It would not be at MSRP but nobody pays that. Many people are paying a lot more for little to no more capability, but hey if they weren’t then my truck would have been more expensive so I’m not complaining.
I have had one, a 1997 Ranger, bought new, 5 speed XLT with the 4. It was my daily driver for the 5 years I had it. It was more fashion statement than anything, as it mostly was used to haul air. It was a cheaper option than a mid-size car, and at the time, it fit my frame better (I was over 300lbs then). I don’t regret having one, but I don’t think I would have another, regardless. My life, even though I own a home, does not require my hauling much bulky, and without kids or family, I don’t need a 4 door, and living in Florida means I have no need for a 4X4. I guess that I would be an ideal candidate for one of the proposed subcompact trucks from Ford or VW or Hyundai, but unless they are really cheap, I think I’ll still pass. I would still prefer a hatch or trunk over a bed.
I got a camper shell for my 2011 Ranger (daily driver) & don’t regret it when I was able to haul all my luggage in the bed to Edisto Beach last year without any tie-downs. But it’s still not quite the same as a van for interior capacity (especially for passengers) & that’s why I eventually found an ’05 Chevy Astro to fill the void of my ’96 Aerostar. I still have the Ranger.
I’ve only ever had one, which was actually my ex’s, but we bought it when we were married.
It was a 2002 Chevy S-10 and it really was the little truck that could. For basic homeowner needs, it was perfect (to me at least). Ironically, my current wife had the same truck when we started dating before she got her Lancer. The only difference was it was an extended cab, whereas the one my ex and I had was a basic S-10. Hers was also black while ours was dark blue.
I would’ve liked a 4.3L V6 better, but the little 2.2L 4-cyl got the job done most of the time. I say most of the time because one time when we went camping in the Western Maryland Mountains, with all of our gear (and a few friends’ gear too) loaded up into the back, with the AC on, it was a challenge on I-68 getting up to the Sideling Hill Road Cut Rest Stop. I had to immediately get into the right lane like I was driving a loaded down semi. That little 4-cyl was OK, but that was a rude awakening on the little truck’s lack of power.
Speaking of the AC, that thing would freeze you out! I suspect it had WAY too high a SEER Rating for the tiny little cab on that thing, as well as robbing the power from that little engine that could.
Both my ex and current wives miss their trucks, but would prefer a bro-dozer size one next time.
The ex really wanted a GMC Sierra back in the day, and Mrs. RetroStang Rick says she might want an F-150. I’m trying to talk the latter into a more reasonably sized Ranger, Canyon, or Dakota (if they still make ‘em), as that really is all the truck we really need. But my wife is also intrigued by the thought of a CUV like a Honda CR-V instead of a truck these days for her next vehicle. As much as I’m not really a fan of either type, I’m starting to understand the practicality of such a vehicle, so perhaps “Resistance [really] is Futile”. ;o)
Oh cool!! I found a picture of it! I absolutely loved the wheels on that thing…
These little trucks had everything just right by this time.
Which is, of course, why GM cancelled them.
Yep, I loved my S-10. Unfortunately, they were out of production by the time it was due for replacement, and the general word was “don’t bother with a Colorado” so I went Ford Ranger set up to be its equal (2WD, stretch cab, V-6 with automatic).
What a crashing disappointment!
Same with my ’93 Ranger. The 4-cylinder made all of maybe 95 hp and while it was a great truck, when I tried to take it up a mountain road in Wyoming while loaded with camping gear, it literally wouldn’t go faster than 25mph. I crept the whole way up in the right lane with my hazards on. But it (eventually) made it, with no problems.
Mine at least made 42 mph on that long 6% or 7% grade. Thankfully, I was getting off at the rest stop featured in my link above. That was the first big incline I faced. After that, I was ready for it and built up a good head of steam on the downhill side when I could.
No, but probably will for my next daily driver. I’m not a truck person, but I’m also not an economy car or crossover fan either, so given the fact that I sometimes find myself in awkward/impossible situations trying to transport an engine, toolbox or something of similar bulk in said compactcar, a pickup is really the natural choice. Plus given the fact that I do my own maintenance, a vehicle as simple, rugged and easy to work on as a traditional pickup is far better for a vehicle I don’t really care about that much. I’m about over the tight access and costlier 4 wheel alignments that comes with a typical modern car.
I won’t give the whole game away until my next COAL, but I’ve now owned a truck for almost a year and frankly should have done it a lot sooner. It’s older and well used and much less expensive than a new one would have been and as such I’m not particularly concerned with its exterior looks or condition.
However. It’s saving me tons of time and wear and tear on the other vehicles from not having to put dirty, or oversized, or wet, or damaging materials in them anymore. Not having to deal with U-Haul is every bit the blessing it sounds like. It comes in extremely handy more often that I ever would have realized. It’s reliable enough that we took the whole family and more luggage than ever before to the West Coast for Christmas. It’s letting me enjoy my semi-retired (as much as I want to be) lifestyle in ways I never imagined. Love it!
I could likely resell it for close to what I paid for it and don’t see that status changing soon. And as an added bonus our insurance company rates the youngest driver (our newly licensed daughter) on the cheapest vehicle and thus having this one is actually saving us money on insurance versus the other four vehicles.
I live in a medium sized city and have plenty of parking for it. If I lived in downtown SF again this particular one probably wouldn’t be the optimum vehicle. But if I had to do my COAL selections all over again I’m fairly certain a truck would start to feature within the first ten vehicles, rather than being close to the 50th.
You shouldn’t tease us like this.
For occasional use it just makes sense to get an older well worn truck, that still has life left in it. Since you didn’t spend big bucks if it gets another dent or scratch its no big deal and the fact that the interior gets muddy, coffee gets spilled ect isn’t going to be the end of the world.
Now if it is the primary daily driver that racks up a lot of miles then it might be a different story.
It’s a white cabover Hino. Or not. 🙂
Hehe! Now, now.
A pickup is all I have ever owned, or at least driven as my own daily driver. I currently have two, a daily driver and much like Jim, the subject of my next Truck of a Lifetime when I finally get around to finishing it.
The daily driver is 2012 Ford F350 Crew Cab 4X4 XLT – Diesel, long box charcoal grey. I purchased it used in 2015 and commute daily about a 50 mile round trip with it. Also used for:
– Snowmobiling; it has a two place aluminum deck on it year around and also for hauling ATV’s and dirt bikes
– Towing my 28′ travel trailer
– Towing a 24′ car trailer for my various project trucks
– Business use, including travel to other cities (400-500 miles) and occasional hauling duty for the business.
Annual use of 35,000 km (22,000 miles)
For most off pavement/ off road and hauling dirt my 1978 F250 4X4 does all the dirty work.
Located in a Canadian city of 40,000 or so where there are more trucks than not, and most families have at least one.
Great question to ask and the responses are interesting to read.
Not now, I have no use for one, I did have a AL110 with silver diamond six, it would pull far more than it was rated for though I dont know what that figure was, its primary function was carrying dirt bikes though it towed several broken Datsuns home to the village, they were not its heaviest feat by a long way a water logged 25 ft Kauri launch and the K model Bedford that couldnt get traction on a boat ramp would take that prize and it just drove away with them on a strap, Good old truck really.
I’ve had 2 S10 pickups, both configured the same with the 2.2L 4 cyl and a 5 speed. I rather liked the well used first one, a ‘94, so I thought it would be even better to have a new one. So I bought a new 2001, and never cared for it. It had been repainted in spots, and a bunch of other minor quality flaws that you’d expect in a Chevy from the ‘’70s. And good grief was it slow.
We traded it in after 14 years to get a new car for my wife, and I kept her old Toyota Matrix with 2X the mileage. I couldn’t stand driving that S10 anymore, and I feel like I’m driving a Lexus now by comparison. I used my truck to haul my bike and other gear, but I can do this with the Matrix. The S10 was great to have when we moved some years back, but how often do you do that? The Matrix has surprised me with its cargo capacity, and I’ve only missed the S10 once in the last 4+ years. I hope that S10 went to a good home; it just wasn’t for me.
When I worked for GM we used to call the 2.2 “the rock crusher.” These Chevy motors were bulletproof and would tolerate little maintenance. Not exactly the sweetest sounding thing!
I had zero interest in owning a pickup until my wife and I moved onto 11 acres and got a few (17) sheep. She made me buy a truck, against my will. Got a low-mileage 2004 Ranger, 6 cylinder, extended cab step-side. And its great. I pick up 4-6 bales of straw every other week (I used to do this 2 at a time in my Xb), haul sheets of plywood and 2x4s for a pump house I’m building, bring the dog along in the extended cab,and its available for towing a 900 lb trailer plus 1700 lb of sheep should we have to evacuate because of fire (Northern California you know). Also small enough to drive in and around San Francisco when I need to pick up materials at a building recycling place.
If I were a city dweller I still would not own a pickup but in the country, on my little property, my little Ranger is just right.
I was never a “truck guy” until I bought our second home and realized that my ’88 Volvo 240 DL wagon was no longer going to cut it for the abuse that I was going to heap onto it for our dual home ownership needs. Plus, I wanted a semi-reliable work beater so as to save our other, nicer cars.
I eventually bought a VERY used ’93 Ranger for this task for $800. It was great in that I did not care what happened to it and could haul things that wouldn’t fit into our other two cars. I sold it once we bought our minivan and regretted it.
Two summers ago, I found another pickup. It’s a ’92 GMC Sierra. 4 speed manual with overdrive, 4.3 V6, crank windows, rubber floors, and no AC. It looks like an old government surplus truck. But it only had 127k miles and for all of $1000 it has been doing the job my Ranger did flawlessly.
I can haul our little pop-up camper, throw my kayaks, mountain bikes, or fishing gear into the back. I can haul 60 bags of mulch or several used appliances for our rental. I can drive it anywhere and not care what happens to it. When we take it to the beach and the floors get caked with sand, I don’t bat an eye. Dents? Ha! Who cares, it’s a pickup–it just adds character!
That said, I would never spend big money on a truck. I would feel too reluctant and guilty to use it for real “truck things”.
I bought my one and only pickup 11 years ago and still own it. In 2008 I went to my local (now defunct) GMC dealer. At the time, gasoline was hitting $4 a gallon for the first time and pickups and big SUVs were languishing on their lot and got a really good deal on the kind of truck I really wanted. I got a 2-wheel drive Sierra 1500 extended cab with traction control, which has served me well trough every snow storm. The intended reason for this purchase was that I would be transporting two kids to college and back, round trip of over 400 miles. Three years after the youngest graduated I still have the truck with 97k miles. I plan to keep it another 11 years, at the least and will probably be my last pickup as well.
My daily driver, and my first full-size pickup (other than the 1953 IH R-110 project that never achieved liftoff), is a 2014 F150 XLT Supercrew with the 5.5 ft box (folding aluminum tonneau cover) and 5.0 V-8. Purchased new in July 2014, it currently has 54k miles, so I don’t do a ton of driving. It pulls my 22 ft pontoon boat, my 12 ft flatbed utility trailer (sleds/ATVs/JD tractor), as well as easily hauling whatever combinations of landscape supplies, luggage, furniture, or whatever are being hauled back and forth between suburban and lake homes.
I average 18-19 mpg in the warm weather, closer to 16-17 mpg in the cold, and down around 13-14 mpg when towing. I could average 20-21mpg on the interstate in warm weather, assuming I stuck to the speed limit in the right lane, but I don’t want to get rear-ended, so I don’t. This truck is something of an extravagance for me, and I could live without it, assuming I had a vehicle with a towing capacity of (ideally) at least 5000lbs or so. That would limit me to at least a mid-size SUV or pickup (with 4WD/AWD for up MN/WI snow).
If I switched to a mid-size SUV, the trailer would be used more, which can be a hassle. For a smaller truck, the new Ranger is somewhat intriguing, but wasn’t available 5 years ago when I bought the F150, no apparent cost advantage to me at today’s prices, and it appears leg room really sucks in the four doors. The Tacoma would be a lot more attractive if Toyota had bothered to update more significantly, and I haven’t forgiven GM for screwing a lot of people by taking the bankruptcy route (which Ford avoided) so the Colorado/Canyon would really need to impress. First glance says they’d probably be worth a look. The Nissan Frontier has an outrageously cramped cab, to the extent we asked for a different vehicle when we were assigned one as a recent airport rental. I guess the Honda Ridgeline would be worth a look, but to me it still looks like half a Pilot.
The F150 pretty much does it all. Six passengers if needed, 7500lb towing capacity as equipped, and a box big enough for me. I will say the one downside of the F150 is its size. The large size is certainly a function of its utility, but I don’t like people parking next to me. Not a problem at Home Depot, for instance, where I can park in the hinterland and walk, but in a small, cramped parking lot I get real nervous about careless neighbors leaving door dings. Some people just don’t care.
If I couldn’t have this truck, or say a truck this large, I’d probably lean toward a Highlander at this point. I’ve always liked Toyota and Honda, having owned several over the years. The Highlander is to me better looking than the Pilot, has workable cargo space, Toyota reliability, good towing capacity, acceptable efficiency, and not outrageously priced (although that assumes one is desensitized to paying $40k +). I might even consider the Highlander Hybrid, understanding I’d need to work around the 3500lb towing limit.
1998 F-150 SuperCab 4×4 with the 4.6l V8, towing package & factory skid plates. Bought it brand new. I’ve taken it off-roading / mudding (not the serious stuff, but more than just dirt roads). Used it to tow a popup camper, haul wood, appliances, furniture, filled it to the gills with camping equipment for four people. It’s been a good truck & has lasted for over 225,000 miles. It’s well worn but very faithful. Now its helping my daughter learn how to drive.
I’ve never owned a pickup. In 37 years of driving, I’ve never had a true need for any of the utility or benefit they provide. I’ve never said “man, I really wish I had a pickup”. I get why people like them and why some need them. But as a daily driver, while it’s nice to be up high, it doesn’t seem to be too enjoyable or economical to drive, especially the full sized ones. Seems to me the mid-sizers like the Tacoma/Ranger/Canyon-Colorado would check all the boxes for most people. Nowadays though the sell price for mid and full size isn’t too great, depending how you option it, nor is the fuel economy penalty.
I drive company cars, and currently have an X-Trail (Rogue). But I frequently borrow utes (usuall Nissan Navaras or Ford Rangers) from our yards when I’m going on holiday etc. I’m trying to arrange one for my next car.
When we go camping we take quite a bit of gear with us, and a double cab ute fits all the gear and the family with no problems. I could probably make do with the X-Trail, but we’d have to compromise on a number of things.
We have the Silverado 2500 and 3500 on sale at one of our dealerships, but I’d never go that big. Just way too huge for NZ roads and carparks.
2015 Ram 1500 Big Horn quad cab. My first truck, only had it a year and a half, and I absolutely love it. It’s my daily driver in addition to being used to occasionally pull a boat. It’s big and roomy, which I like, in addition to just being a good looking truck. It’s come in handy now so many times I can’t imagine not having a truck. Also, if people get bent out of shape because my daily driver is big gas guzzler that just fills me with glee.
I’ve never owned one, though I’ve used my all cars as pickups. Whenever we’ve moved my Cortina was loaded to the roofline with small things that weren’t worth picking in the moving van, while the kids rode in the other car. The Cortina, Swift, (Ford) Laser and Mazda 3 have all carted home bales of hay (one at a time), bags of feed, posts, rolls of wire, and other pickup kinda stuff. Yeah, it’s raised a few eyebrows at the farm supply. For rubbish and loads of earth we have a trailer.
Never needed a pickup, just worked my cars hard. Use what you’ve got; that’s the old-fashioned way, I guess.
That reminds of the time my dad used his 1979 Corolla wagon to haul a load of manure for mom’s garden. Yes, you read that right… manure. He just folded down the back seat, put down a tarp, and shoveled it in. And swept it out real good afterwards.
And the smell?
I don’t recall that being a big issue. This was old, dried up manure, definitely not fresh stuff, hence being able to sweep it out. And it was horse manure, not cow, if that makes a difference (I have to admit I haven’t spend enough time on farms to know if they smell different).
It does make a difference, having shoveled tons of both over the years.
All of our “car” vehicles have done double duty carrying all manner of construction supplies, etc. Did you know a New Beetle can carry up to six 8′ 2×4 studs, inside, with the tailgate closed? Hauled a new, in the box dishwasher home to my Dad’s house in my ’15 Honda Fit. Sometimes I had no choice but to use the car when the truck was down for some reason.
Got a good chuckle at the landfill when I pulled across the scales in Herbie with a small utility trailer and a load of farm and residential trash. Also got some laughs pulling a manure spreader home (again, with Herbie) from a farm auction.
I remember times when we still had our New Beetle, when its sunroof made it our best hauler for long skinny loads. Our 5’ bed Tacoma also has a sunroof, but a shorter cab plus a small rear sliding window opening create surprising challenges even for 2”x2” lumber or PVC pipe. No sunroof on the Golf which is Beetle’s replacement.
I haven’t owned a pickup since my 1988 Ranger. The grand caravan does everything a pickup could do for me and much more.
Two caveats on that, if I ever really need a pickup truck I can borrow the truck from work, which is a big 10 year old Toyota with 5.7 l V8
Also being from Canada there is less cultural norm to own a big pickup.
No, I’ve never owned a pickup. Sometimes I’ve thought it might be nice to have something like an old 1990s era Tacoma for hauling the occasional load of mulch and such, but I don’t think I can justify paying for registration and insurance on a vehicle I’ll only use very occasionally. I’m probably better off just renting a truck on the very rare occasions I need one, or just having stuff delivered rather than hauling it myself.
I have had 2
My first was a 2010 Reg Cab Ford Ranger. I bought it from Carmax and had it for a big 2 weeks before it went in for a warranty issue and was left on a lift that was recently installed overnight. The next morning they found the truck laying on its side. The lift broke and the truck fell. They promptly bought it back and gave me $3000 extra on top of the price I paid to them and the cost of all the fees (tags/taxes etc)
My next truck was a 2011 Chevy Colorado Reg Cab (aka the white work truck). This was bought in 2015 and only had a CD Player, AC, and auto trans as the optional features. It had a rubber floor and vinyl seats with manual windows.
I actually used it as a daily driver from 2015 to 2018.
I got a cap for a very good price. It was a demo model. It was blue but as a I am a cheap B*stard, I went ahead and bought it and christened the truck the “Dodgers Truck”
It was a good truck until the final year of ownership(2018) when if left sitting for 3 days the battery would be dead. I had to disconnect the battery if I let it sit. I spent hours diagnosing the issue and could not find it. The dealer also looked over it(on my coin) and could not find it.
The end of it came when I realized 3 things.
1. I had a beater GM van that I was using to haul crap in
2. I wanted a brand new car with a long warranty
3. I was tired of disconnecting a battery all the time.
I traded it in and bought a 2018 Hyundai Elantra
Here is a pic of both my Colorado and GM van at the dealer. I drove up to look at cars in my van and bought my Elantra that day. The dealer wanted me to take possession of the Elantra that night yet allowed me to leave my van there over night and bring the Colorado back the next morning.
I think that was the last truck for me, i really did not use it for much trucky things and the things I did use it for, the van replaced it.
Not currently, but I have had a few over the years. The most recent was a 1995 Chevrolet K2500 4×4, extended cab, long box, 350 powered. I bought it for hauling materials for my renovation projects and junk hauling trips to the dump… and ended up installing a fifth wheel hitch in the box and using it for camping as well. It was a decent truck despite it’s age (I owned it from 2013-2016). I sold it after we decided to sell the fifth wheel, as my wife bought a Ford Expedition and we decided to get a utility trailer to use for hauling instead.
I used to have a 2003 Avalanche that I owned for 3-4 years and while that was not a legit pick up truck, it was a very versatile machine that definitely allowed me to do a lot of different things with it. Great truck!
The only other pick up I had was my dad’s old 1985 Ford F-150, 2WD regular cab with the 300-6 and 4 speed manual. Dad gave it to me when he bought a newest truck, so I drove it for awhile. Nothing crazy or too remarkable about it.
While renovating my home, I finally decided that I needed a truck on hand, rather than always trying to borrow one, so I purchased an ’83 Silverado long bed. I used it for hauling all types of materials, but at the end of the day, it had to be clean. (Don’t have a digital pix of it). After I was T-boned by an uninsured driver, I bought a non-running ’93 S-10 Tahoe 4.3 and restored it. I’m not hauling as much now, but I tend to drive it more than my Fit! I have hauled “dirty” loads in it, but like the Silverado, at the end of the day, it has to be clean! 🙂
I’ve owned my ’73 Chev C10 with manual everything and the six for about sixteen years. I was able to use it to move house, and pick up larger body parts to help maintain the rest of the fleet. It’s the small blue truck next to the white manly truck in the picture below.
Right now I’m driving my wife’s old 2008 Envoy that I treat like it’s a truck, but I’ll be in the market for one again in another year or two. In the past I’ve owned (in order) a 1992 S-10 2wd with the 2.8 V6 and 5 speed that was my first new vehicle, 1972 C-30 beater 2wd with a 292 straight 6 and a granny low 4 speed that I later found out was a somewhat rare longhorn with the 9 ft bed, 1987 C-10 Silverado 2wd auto with the powerhouse 6.2 diesel, 1993 F150 4×4 with a 300/ 5 speed and a snowplow, 1998 Mazda 2wd 2.5 4cyl 5 speed that I only kept for a year, 2001 Ranger 2wd 3.0 V6 auto, 1978 F250 2wd with a built 460 auto that was really impractical but I wish I still had it, 1995 GMC 2500 2wd 350 auto, and last so far, 2012 Silverado 1500 shortbox 2wd 4.3 auto, I only drive 2 miles to work and my wife needed a better vehicle so we traded it and I took the Envoy that we’ve had forever. Hopefully someday I’ll learn my lesson because everytime I’m without a truck I’m missing having one and asking myself why I got rid of the last one.
I have owned one pickup, a 1997 Ford F150 I purchased new in the fall of ’97. It had the 4.6 liter V8/4 speed automatic combination and got a steady 12 MPG in town, thanks in large part to the 3.55 final drive Ford used to compensate for the lack of bottom end torque in the OHC engine. Other than the crappy fuel mileage it was a pleasant enough vehicle to drive, at least in a straight line. The one additional complaint I had was that it was sometimes hard to park, especially in constricted areas. A couple of years into my ownership we moved house and the new garage was smaller than at the previous abode. The only way the truck would fit into the garage was if the nose was actually touching the raised area where the furnace and water heater were located. I finally came to the conclusion that 99% of the time the only thing I was carrying in the bed was air and decided it was time to move on. On the few occasions since then that called for a truck I was able to borrow my brother and his Silverado. It seems to me, based on cursory observation, that most pickups are used for transporting one or two people around, with only occasional use of the bed. Of course, as always, YMMV.
Apologize that this will be repetitive for long-time readers…
I’ve owned five trucks over the years:
1969 F-100 (2WD, 240/auto, longbed styleside). Its story is here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/coal-requiem-for-a-truck/
1995 F-250 (4WD, 300/auto, longbed). Story here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-stormy-relationship-how-long-will-a-ford-f-150-transmission-last-without-fluid/
1995 F-250 Powerstroke (4WD, Navistar 7.3l diesel intercooled/auto, longbed). I guess I never wrote it up beyond what’s mentioned in the link above. After a few years, I started getting nervous about having an expensive diesel repair. I also knew my Dad was nearing the end of his dementia battle and I’d need to make multiple 16-hour round trips to Georgia to clean and prep his house for sale. So the Powerstroke was sold to a landscaper/snow plow friend (still running great, but he did end up with a couple expensive repairs – whew!).
1950 International L-170. Bought this out of a storage lot after getting permission to get it running first (which I did, barely). No brakes so had it towed home. The plan was to make it roadable and haul hay with it. A tornado put an end to that when the pole barn in which the truck was stored was sprayed over a mile of cornfield East of our farm. The truck itself wasn’t damaged, but it got moved to the very bottom of the pile, and when someone stopped and made an offer, I took it. A couple of pics are here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake/curbside-outtake-three-trucks-and-a-riddle/
2015 RAM 2500 Tradesman (4WD, single cab, longbed). My first, and hopefully last new truck. Paid about $32K for it (stickered for about $42), as it was a never-titled truck used by a Chicago dealer to plow multiple new car lots. Had about 700 miles on it. As you see in the photo, I dressed it up quite a bit, and have had three different people approach me offering to buy it on the spot. As is a common complaint, I hate the ridiculous bed height (41″ at the tailgate), and Dodge/RAM has yet to figure out how to program a transmission so it shifts without completely ruining the driving experience. Also, given my truck was equipped with the snow plow prep group, it has super-stiff springs and rides like a 1948 Power Wagon.
Other than the L-170, all of these were almost exclusively used as pure work trucks – hauling hay, equipment, stock trailers, construction materials and debris, etc.
I did use the RAM as a DD for a couple months while waiting on my Chev SS to arrive from Australia (my Fit sold in a week, leaving me without a car DD). Being near retirement, I’ve given thought to what one vehicle I will eventually need to downsize to (besides my wife’s car), and it will more than likely be the truck, at least as long as we live in the country and I’m hauling bulk stuff around). But that time’s hopefully a ways off.
I’ll toss one other truck into the mix that I’ve had the pleasure of working on in my career. I’ve not driven this particular model, although I have operated a smaller version before (it’s like driving and apartment building): https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/the-cat-797-mining-truck-ill-see-your-v12-and-raise-you-twelve/
Got distracted and attached the wrong photo from what I intended. Here’s the RAM hauling my Boomer 8N and a load of mulch.
I bought my first pickup 6 years ago when I was 69 years old.
Retirement and this truck have allowed me the opportunity to add a sense of physicality to a life where I previously spent most of my time at a desk in front of a computer.
Those who read my COAL series will recognize this truck. It’s a 2013 Toyota Tacoma double cab long bed equipped with the older style 4.0 V6. It has a 6 foot bed, a five speed automatic transmission, is 18.5 feet long, has a 140.6 inch wheelbase, and a 44 foot turning radius. It is not a TRD model so it has a relatively gentle ride.
The 4.0 engine is rated at 236 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm.
I use it primarily as a daily driver and make a number of dump trips per month for tree and brush removal, junk runs for friends, family, and neighbors, furniture moves for the same group, for church rummage sales, and of course for snowy days.
The newer Tacoma introduced in 2016 has a smaller engine (3.5) with more horsepower and about the same torque but at a higher (4600) rpm . Some truck reviews indicate that the 4.0 still feels stronger than the new 3.5 engine (which has a 6 speed automatic).
I’ve heard some people say that we talk horsepower but we drive torque. I’ll defer to those more knowledgeable than I about that theory.
The newer 3.5 engine is rated at 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque at 4600 rpm and uses an Atkinson-cycle design.
“The newer 3.5 engine is rated at 278 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque at 4600 rpm and uses an Atkinson-cycle design.”
That piqued my interest, since an Atkinson-cycle engine is normally very weak on torque, not what I’d expect to see in a truck. All Prius engines are Atkinson-cycle, which is more efficient than Otto-cycle, and the electric motor provides the extra torque when needed.
Checking the Wikipedia, we learn the 2016 3.5L Tacoma engine is the 2GR-FKS, which combines dual direct+port fuel injection with a simulated on-demand Atkinson cycle. Now that Toyota has mastered the art of switching between Otto-cycle and Atkinson-cycle just by varying the valve timing, I guess they can use Otto-cycle when that 265 lb-ft of torque is demanded, and Atkinson-cycle otherwise.
Pretty clever for a dinosaur-burner.
I have the 3.5 with 6 speed auto. After 65K miles I’m used to it, but can’t say it’s great. I only have a few miles behind the wheel of 4.0 Tacoma’s but they did seem torquier, and my 3.4 T100 was also more relaxing to drive. Though all things being equal (which they’re not) a 6 speed will shift 50% more than a 4 speed. And the 3.5’s mpg, while better than the 3.4, seems to really suffer in the mountains. There are some highway grades where the empty Tacoma needs to run at higher rpm than our 4 cylinder Golf. The flip side is that high rpm passing power is plentiful in the Taco (by my standards). By the way, thanks Jason for the QOTD, and thanks especially to all the new names that have come out and shown their truck love and told their truck stories.
You are welcome. Seeing so many new names has been great.
We’ve got a lot of great readers and learning of so many use cases does us all good.
I have had a Silverado 2500 SCLB for a year now as a daily driver. Bad mileage, rough ride, work truck spec. And I love it especially since my commute is quite short.
It’s a 2014, got it used and in pretty good shape. Bright red with an 8’ plow, it was an impulse buy I could not resist.
No. My workplace is right next door to a Lowe’s so even the largest possible home improvement projects can come home by hatchback, multiple trips being no big deal since I’m headed that way anyway.
i currently have a pickup and it is my daily driver. It’s a 2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab (read extended or Super cab with doors) with a 5.7L V8 and 4×4. I chose this truck for the statistically superior reliability (it’s been excellent) and it had the roomiest extended cab (I wanted a 6.5 box minimum). I bought the truck off lease about 7 years ago or so from a Toyota dealer. Contrary to the stereotypes, I didn’t have to remortgage my house to buy it, in fact I got a very good deal since it was owned by a commercial company – it was cheaper than the last two cars we have bought.
For me, I live on a rural property, and having a pickup is invaluable to property maintenance, and other home projects (ie dump runs,hauling lumber and building supplies). it’s also our “cottage” vehicle. When we load up for a week at the cottage the truck is packed to the gills with coolers, bicycles, all our outdoor and water gear, and other supplies we need. It also will pull the boat and do dump runs when we are at the cottage. I use it to haul my dirty car parts, such as engines, transmissions (which leak fluids at time), and all my old oil and filters to the recycling center. In winter, the 4×4 is invaluable on our poorly maintained rural road. Even our Outback had a tough time last winter.
The great thing about these modern trucks, is that they are do it all vehicles. I can haul my entire family in it, while hauling a ton of stuff. And yes, the majority of the time it runs empty, but we also make a concerted effort to use our 4 cylinder family cars far more often than the pickup. For me, no other vehicle suits my lifestyle and needs better. And quite frankly, it’s my money and my life. I live well within my financial means and I will drive what I deem appropriate.
As I Canadian, I feel compelled to state that we are a diverse group and there are a lot of Canadians who have bought pickups for generations. Pickup ownership is very common in rural Ontario and northern Ontario. It is very common for families in these areas to have a car(or crossover these days) and a pickup. Major urban centers definitely have far less pickups but rightly so. As someone who lived in Toronto, I would not want to own a pickup if I lived there again.
I always find it so fascinating how much angst the modern pickup seems to cause so many on the internet. For whatever reason, people just fell compelled to push their personal beliefs on others when it comes to truck ownership. Why is owning a practically useless high dollar sports car okay, but pickup owners get ragged on?
I can tell you why I don’t like modern pickups but practicly useless sports cars are okay. Just my opinion but here goes. Useless Sportscars have never been practicle but they were never meant to be. That was part of their appeal to their buyers. They never changed the formula. The pick up truck formula changed, alot. A Corvette from 1953 sat two. Sixty six years later it still seats two. It’s still a sports car. If they came out with an “extended cab” Corvette the outrage would be intense. In 1953 any pick up Sat two, three if they were good freinds. Today most seat six, at the expense of the whole purpose of a pick up, bed length. The pick up wasn’t meant to be a family vehicle. It was a man’s vehicle, a work vehicle. They changed the formula. Add in a host of luxury crap and our classic pick up doesn’t seem much like a pick up anymore.
Crew cab trucks are incredibly versatile vehicles. They changed because society has changed. No longer does dad go to work while mom ferries the kids around. Dad needs to haul kids too.
A 5.5′ bed still hauls pallets or 4×8 material with the tailgate down and they haul and tow more weight than ever. That meets the “work” needs of most people. Why should you care if some of those people want luxury to go along with the versatility, the same as people in every other vehicle class today? If you want a bare bones regular cab with an 8′ bed you can still buy one, and people still do if that’s what they need. But not very many, since most want something more versatile.
I appreciate your opinion Hardboiled Eggs and Nuts, but I think you missed my point. People berate modern trucks as being expensive, big and useless, using lots of fuel and are basically an indulgence in style. The reality is, they are a lot bigger, but they are more useful than the past models and they are one of if not the most practical and useful vehicle configurations on the road. A sports car is actually an indulgence is style, uses lots of fuel, and has virtually no practical uses beyond driving pleasure – yet no one criticizes sports car owners. Both also cost a lot of money, but people only seem to care that pickups are expensive while no one cars about a guy dropping 100K plus on some high performance machine.
I agree with Phil, I don’t see why a pickup is less of a truck because it has a crew cab or other indulgences. The fact is pickup have evolved with society. When I was growing up, dad had a regular cab with an 8 foot box. As a family of six, we used to ride around in the back of the truck and four in the front. This just doesn’t fly anymore. And FWIW, my truck will do everything dad’s did but even better The once exception would be carrying really long material, although with the tailgate down, I have carried 16 foot lumber.
No, a pickup truck would never have met my needs at any time in my life.
Trucks and SUVs are currently very popular as lifestyle vehicles. This does not mean however, that many of the people who own and drive these things don’t actually use them as they were intended to be used. I think that there are some readers out there who are looking forward to playing “gotcha!” and exposing some of us as posers.
Today’s trucks are so comfortable and capable that they can be used in almost any situation. Especially Quad cab models which can be used as comfortable and flexible family cars. They can be the only vehicle that you have to own. The only real downside is the cost of the vehicle and relatively poor fuel economy.
My Dad owned a ’75 Chevy Stepside for 45 years. He also always had a station wagon as a second vehicle.
My own first truck, a ’66 Ford F 250, was purchased ( in 2004) both as a hobby project and to use as a working vehicle. I used it for starting up my swap meet, car parts business. I also needed a truck when I acquired a rental property and had to do a lot of repair, renovation and maintenance work.
My current truck is a 2007 F150 long bed, access cab, V6 powered model. It came in handy while I was towing trailers to So Cal meets. It also has been useful in my Wife’s antique furniture business. It’s a very comfortable truck that returns 20 mpg, during normal highway use. Since most of my travel now is limited to my Wife and myself, I used this truck to take many, many trips to Oregon, South Dakota, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and southern California. I also lend it to my kids and family members when they need a truck occasionally. A couple years ago I finally added an SUV to the stable, a ’96 V8 Explorer. I finally found out why these things were so popular. It’s just so useful and comfortable. I find that I prefer to drive the Explorer more than the p/u, unless I’ve got a real large load to carry.
No “gotcha’s” intended. We’ve heard from those that don’t need pickups and to keep things balanced the question of who has one was posed.
My only intent is to give everyone insight into the lives and needs of others. Nothing more.
At the end of the day, we ALL are posers.
If we didn’t buy a car or truck for purely practical reasons, we chose what we bought because it clicked with our likes. Even something purchased for basic transportation is usually not just the first thing one sees at the lowest price one can pay. We liked the style, what it helped us represent ourselves to the world, or how it sounded, or how thrifty (or not thrifty) is was to operate, or something.
Otherwise, we ALL would be driving some very refined version of a Model T, wouldn’t we?
I have a 2003 Dodge RAM 1500 and, yes, ‘that thing’s gotta Hemi’! 5.7l Hemi, Flowmaster dual exhaust, regular cab, short bed, 2WD I love my truck! I drive it daily. It is fun to drive, but also will haul anything I need, including Boy Scout camping gear and our trailer. Previously, I’ve had the following: 1976 F100 3 on the tree 2WD, 1992 S10 5 speed 2WD short bed, 1994 C1500 stepside auto 2WD. All 2WD regular cabs. No need for 4×4 in KC.
I have 2 pickups. One is a 2000 gmc sierra single cab 8 foot box 4×4 with 5.3 v8. Currently has 145 k miles. I purchased this brand new. My first new vehicle. Second is a 2015 gmc Sierra 4 door 5.5 foot box 4×4 5.3 v8. Got this from used in 2018.
I have. Had other trucks in the fleet, 1970 ford f250 4×2 360 v8 4speed manual, 1976 Ford f250 hi boy 4×4 360 v8 4 speed manual . 1989 Ford f150 4×4 regular cab 8foot box. 302 v8 4 speed manual, 1986 gmc s15 4×4 extended cab 2.8 v6 auto, and 2002 s10 4door 4×4 with 4.3 v6. Not in that order all used.
This is kind of redundant, as I posted this picture in the other thread. 2000 Chevy K2500 with 5.7L gas V-8. This is the bare-bones fleet model with crank windows, cloth bench seat and vinyl floor, just what I like. Originally owned by the State of California, I got it at 15 years old with about 150000 miles on it and complete service records. About 170000 on it now and no major repairs.
Used for access to my cabin in the mountains, hauling debris to the dump and carrying construction materials. We have a slide-in camper, which is the primary reason for a full-size 8′ bed model. It’s most unique duty is occasionally towing aircraft.
I have had a van or pickup for much of my 50+ years of motor vehicle ownership. More often than not, there was a motorcycle or small passenger car also in the fleet for economical commuting.
I love the look of these white 2500’s with black flares. Nice truck!
My husband owned pretty much a continuous string of compact, mid-size and full-size pickups since the late ’80s: ’88 Nissan Hardbody, ’94 Mazda B2000, ’05 Toyota Tacoma, ’07 Toyota Tundra and ’15 GMC Sierra. All of them regular cab, standard bed,
After more than 20 years of making good use of a pickup for his work, our side hussles, or home improvement, we came to the realization that our situation has changed. The last pickup was purchased out of habit. For us a pickup truck amounts to a two-seater vehicle that guzzles gas and isn’t fun to drive.
Late last year, we sold the Sierra and bought him a CPO ’15 RX350 that has all the utility we need and is an amazing road trip vehicle to boot. HE LOVES IT.