Being a home owner, there have been numerous occasions where owning a truck would have been handy. I’ve never thought I was the truck “type”, but dang it, sometimes you just need to carry big or dirty stuff (mulch, tillers, other lawn equipment, remodeling supplies etc). I asked my sister-in-law’s possible future husband to pick up the tiller from my in-law’s house. And so I had to wait for him to be free, and that didn’t fit into my schedule so I couldn’t do any tilling yesterday.
Taking this as a sign, I went truck shopping instead. And found what is probably an exceptionally good deal (94 Toyota extra cab, 61K miles, $5K). But I didn’t buy it. Because I drove it. Man, I don’t think I could ever drive a truck as my primary vehicle! Bouncy! Loud! Perhaps it was that particular truck, but driving it reminded me of other small trucks I have driven in the past.
So, my new goal is to have enough money some day to have a spare vehicle, and itmight indeed be a truck. Perhaps even something cool, like a really old truck (well, not really old, but older than me ). Or perhaps I’ll look at newer trucks when my car needs replacing and get something a little nicer, less rough, less coarse. And for now, I’ll just have to rely on the kindness of family and friends who own a truck.
Medium sized SUVs from the past 5 years (meaning you can find a good used (or ‘pre-owned lease’ vehicle) are fairly comfortable and reliable, not too bad too drive (easier to handle than say Suburbans or Expeditions), and have good handling and car-level interiors - start with imports such as Toyota Highlanders and Nissan Xterras, and work your way from there (I own one of the compact SUVs [Rav4], which also includes such models as the Honda CRV and the Jeep Liberty, and these, while decent haulers, might be a bit too small for your purposes).
I have the same dilemma. I compromised by getting a Ford Escape. It’s the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Drives like a car (but with that ‘command seating’ I really have learned to like), it’s as easy to park as any car, gets decent gas mileage (about the same as our Taurus), and it can haul a lot of stuff with the back seats folded down. Plus, it’s a really nice looking SUV. We got the ‘sport’ model with a brushed aluminum rack and alloy wheels. If you need to haul long items like 2 x 4’s you can strap them to the rack on top, or leave the glass open in the hatch and let it hang through.
The only thing I haven’t tried hauling is a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood, and that might be iffy. You aren’t supposed to drive with the liftgate up, and it won’t fit through the open area where the hatch glass opens. But that’s a pretty rare hauling job. For things like lawnmowers, bags of fertilizer, etc., it’s perfect.
It also makes a great recreation vehicle for skiing, camping, etc. And it can tow 3500 lbs. For me, it’s the perfect suburban vehicle.
I’ve sed our van in the past to move the same tiller, but it requires removing all the seats and is a huge pain in the ass. I test drove a Mazda Tribute a few years ago so I know what Escapes are like, and having a truck with an open bed I think is still the way I want to go.
I owned a Nissan Pathfinder. It was a great vehicle as far as reliability is concerned. However, it lacked the versatililty that a pick up offers.
I couldn’t be happier with the vehicle I purchased when the old Pathfinder lost her way. This review gushes a little bit, but this is the same year and model truck as I have.
I don’t have the kids to haul around, but I think that the rear seat offers as much room as a standard family car.
The sacrifice that you make is that the gas milage sucks. There’s no way around that. Mitigating that slightly is that (especially due to demand) this vehicle should hold it’s value reasonably well.
No full-size trucks! Way too much and the gas mileage would absolutely kill me. I could possibly consider a Dodge Dakota because the extra size cab has a bench big enough for my kids, but I’ve not driven one so I don’t really know.
I borrowed a friends F150 4X4 years ago when my wife (then girlfriend) moved. It had power steering and a/c and that was the extent of its luxuries. It was too tall, too long (and it was a standard bed!), and too wide. Way too much for this little suburbanite.
I’ve a Pathfinder that works quite well at hauling stuff. I have even been able to load 4x8 sheets of plywood in it if I leave the gate up. But, I have found that my roof rack works better for this.
We also have a large trailer. I’ll use it in the summer for going to the dump or hauling my little loader around. Can’t use the trailer in the winter, so I depend on my Pathfinder when I need to get lumber/whatever.
Another vote here for the trailer, Daddy*2. I have a snowmobile trailer with a 6’ x 8’ tilting bed. It’s great for hauling a riding mower, mulch, plywood, or most anything else that I can’t get into my van. It’s also lower to the ground than a pickup would be, so I don’t have to lift the heavy stuff way high to get it into/out of it. Mine has removable side racks, so I can carry loose stuff like gravel or topsoil or mulch if I need to. And when I’m not using it, I stand it up on its side and store it against the side wall inside the garage, so that it takes up only a little bit of space. There’s still room for 2 cars in a 2-car garage.
Well, there would be if I didn’t have the riding lawn mower, table saw, 30-foot extension ladder, snowblower, tub o’ kids toys, camping gear, generator, and gas grill in there. But those are all on my side of the garage. My wife makes me keep her side open, so her car can go in when the weather is sloppy!
1995 Ford F-150 owner here. I’m keeping it 'til the wheels fall off (which shouldn’t be any time soon - I’ve never had a minutes trouble with it since I bought it brand new).
I live in the country, have a house, and couldn’t imagine not having a truck. A van? No way. An SUV? Forget it. I love my truck.
If you are going to buy a trailer, why not just buy a beater truck? A trailer costs (according to the link above) at least $1000. You could easily get a beater truck for that. So, for the cost of a couple of hundred in insurance a year and maybe another $200 to $300 a year in maintenance, you can have a truck just waiting to haul whatever you need.
From my perspective, cmosdes, you answered your own question. Even better, I could buy a used trailer for a few hundred dollars and save all the insurance money and upkeep. I’m really liking this idea.
I’ll just have to look like an idiot the few times a year I’ll have to back the thing up to the dock at Home Depot. I’ve never driven with a trailer and I’m sure there will be a (big?) learning curve.
). Or perhaps I’ll look at newer trucks when my car needs replacing and get something a little nicer, less rough, less coarse. And for now, I’ll just have to rely on the kindness of family and friends who own a truck.