Teach me about Trucks

Rebel

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Dec 15, 2008
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Reno, NV
Since I've moved out west, I've been wanting a truck to haul stuff and use for work and turn the wrx into a weekend car. With the purchase of my house in July, I now have room to start adding toys to the collection. The WRX is paid off so I'm not interested in selling it. The only experience I have with trucks is using my dad's Frontier as my work hauler when I lived at home. I've always liked the F150s and loved using it as a rental when my wrx was in the shop for 6 weeks last winter. Tacoma's are big here in Reno, but I wanted to see what would be the other recommendations to look into.

MUSTS:
4WD- It snows. A LOT- putting on chains in the winter is not an option. I go down service roads quite a bit as well.
Must seat 4-5.
Tow 1-2 sleds + trailer (Don't own yet but will soonish) or a large enough bed to transport
Possibly tow a weekend boat (Idea sounds great, we'll see if I actually pull the trigger on a boat next summer)

Looking to spend under 20K. 10-15K is my sweet spot. So fancy boat hauler trucks aren't high on my list. I can upgrade in 3-5 years. When I move closer to Tahoe.
 

EmersonHart13

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[MENTION=10343]Bub[/MENTION] [MENTION=7923]CTC DEEZUL[/MENTION] [MENTION=19]Yaj Yak[/MENTION] [MENTION=2449]ilikemtb999[/MENTION] [MENTION=1983]Outlaw[/MENTION] [MENTION=5553]Ear Rak[/MENTION] [MENTION=8029]BeerOrGasoline[/MENTION] [MENTION=2616]Chester Copperpot[/MENTION] [MENTION=11347]ragingclue[/MENTION] [MENTION=3785]muskie[/MENTION] [MENTION=3788]Pewter-Camaro[/MENTION] [MENTION=340]Eagle[/MENTION] [MENTION=917]1quick[/MENTION]

Do you care about mileage? Fuel economy? Options?
 

Rebel

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Dec 15, 2008
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Reno, NV
[MENTION=10343]Bub[/MENTION] [MENTION=7923]CTC DEEZUL[/MENTION] [MENTION=19]Yaj Yak[/MENTION] [MENTION=2449]ilikemtb999[/MENTION] [MENTION=1983]Outlaw[/MENTION] [MENTION=5553]Ear Rak[/MENTION] [MENTION=8029]BeerOrGasoline[/MENTION] [MENTION=2616]Chester Copperpot[/MENTION] [MENTION=11347]ragingclue[/MENTION] [MENTION=3785]muskie[/MENTION] [MENTION=3788]Pewter-Camaro[/MENTION] [MENTION=340]Eagle[/MENTION] [MENTION=917]1quick[/MENTION]

Do you care about mileage? Fuel economy? Options?

Roughly the same or better than the WRX if possible. Currently avg ~23 mpg. Not a deal breaker. Options aren't too important. A way to plug in my iphone for pandora. Bluetooth, Wired etc.. Maybe heated seats :dunno: The must haves were mentioned, (4WD, tow up to 2-4k pounds)
 

EmersonHart13

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Roughly the same or better than the WRX if possible. Currently avg ~23 mpg. Not a deal breaker. Options aren't too important. A way to plug in my iphone for pandora. Bluetooth, Wired etc.. Maybe heated seats :dunno: The must haves were mentioned, (4WD, tow up to 2-4k pounds)

Averaging 23 narrows the heard a lot. My wife's Colorado doesn't get that.
 

Rebel

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Dec 15, 2008
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Reno, NV
If your only looking for a tow capacity of up to 4K I would say stay in the Colorado area. I would have a hard time spending 15-20k for an F150 with close to 100k miles. I would think a Colorado/Cyanne would work perfectly for you.

4K could maybe be on the high end too. I could go for a jet ski or a little sail boat next year and stick around 1000-2500 pounds I believe with the right trailer.

Averaging 23 narrows the heard a lot. My wife's Colorado doesn't get that.

I mostly just threw out a number. I've currently only read into the different types to figure out the size of a truck I may need and correct terminology. Then looked into a reasonable budget. Just not looking for 10-15 mpg as it's going to be an daily commuter and I can sometimes average 100-150 miles a day. I recall my rental getting around ~20-23 mpg as I was impressed that it almost matched my car.
 

EmersonHart13

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Another thing going for the Ford is the huge crew cab, though all full size crew cabs are big enough for 5 people. You said 4-5 but is that 2 adults and 3 kids or 5 dudes? If its 5 dudes you don't want a tacoma or colorado.... The are noticeably skinnier trucks.
 

EmersonHart13

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LOL, I have an extended cab for that reason. So then a Taco or Colorado will work just fine for you.

Are you tall? I found the Colorado to be more comfortable at 6'6". It also tows more and hauls more than the Taco. Taco lasts forever and has great resale.
 

Rebel

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Dec 15, 2008
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Reno, NV
How many miles a year will you drive it? You can lease a new truck for really cheap
I did 18k in the last 10 months. Could split that between two vehicles but I rather just have a daily, then figure out what I want long term from the wrx.

I'm not sure about committing to a lease but I might play with some numbers. Was more interested in getting something I could pay off in 6 months or less. That could be not a bad option though to getting a newer truck then possibly buying it out at the end. Otherwise I'm okay with an older truck and trading up in a few years. A main goal is saving for a race car Tesla in two years. Work truck is a priority though.

I think I'll pass on any 4 cylinder. I'm sure they're great, but where the towing matters most will be going over the pass at 6000'-8500'. I still live at ~4500' so I don't think that'd be a good fit. Great info so far though! Definitely changed up my list a bit.
 

Bob Kazamakis

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A friend just bought a ccsb 3.5 ecoboost and has put 7500 miles on already. He’s in that mpg range for sure. Pretty sure it’s 21/22mpg. That’s with the 10 speed though.


I think I’d go for a cc Silverado with the v6 like [MENTION=10343]Bub[/MENTION] or. 4.8/5.3 truck. You won’t be close to that mpg with a v8 though. At least anything 6 speed auto won’t be (in my experience)
 

Bub

Pitter Patter
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Sep 4, 2012
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A friend just bought a ccsb 3.5 ecoboost and has put 7500 miles on already. He’s in that mpg range for sure. Pretty sure it’s 21/22mpg. That’s with the 10 speed though.


I think I’d go for a cc Silverado with the v6 like [MENTION=10343]Bub[/MENTION] or. 4.8/5.3 truck. You won’t be close to that mpg with a v8 though. At least anything 6 speed auto won’t be (in my experience)
:Nutz: and prices on the 14s used have been pretty good for someone who wants in. +1
 
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