Pickup truck recommendations?

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Tacoma.

I bought my Tacoma new in 2007 and have yet to replace a starter, alternator, pump, or any other major component.

198K on it now and still runs like new.

Very happy with it and have no plans to get rid of it...
 
Not coming out till 2019. I got a feeling it's going to be pretty pricey.
 
Originally Posted By: JTK
In my opinion, the problem with small pickups in Toyota they get about the same fuel economy as a full sized, half ton Chevy, Ford or Ram.


That was my thought on the Tacoma. Most of the local 2018 Toyota 4x4 were priced about the same as new 2017 rollover full size Titan and not much better mileage. I'd spend 33K on a full size 4x4 Titan rather than a compact toyota. Example: Titan crew cab 4x4 33K dollars
 
If you live in a high salt area do not buy a Tacoma! I have a good friend that works at the local Toyota dealer as a tec and he is constantly replacing Tacoma frames. I just went to visit him at work three days ago and he was replacing a Tacoma frame that was three years old! Yes I live in a high salt area but the rust I have seen on Toyotas is sad.

I own a 2012 Nissan Pathfinder that has the same frame as the Nissan Frontier this past summer I decided to get under my truck and undercoat it. My frame was spotless! No rust at all I considered not even undercoating the frame but I already bought the stuff so I did it anyway.
 
Have you thought of a full size Ram with the V6 and 8 speed auto? Gives you better fuel economy and space of a full size. I feel going to the smaller new pickups just doesn't give you a corresponding drop in price. Plus there are usually some really good Ram deals in the spring, I know we had a helluva deal in Canada last spring. A friend was able to get 35% off list for his 2017 Ram. Advertised was 30% off, he negotiated another 5%.
On fuelly, looks like 19mpg for the V6 vs. 16mpg for the V8 Hemi.
 
I'd go full-size, simply because they seem to be better built and get almost the same MPG with the base V6 engines and don't cost much more. Between Ram 1500, F-150, and the GM 1500 twins, I'd go GM, but I might be a bit biased.

If you go compact, don't get a Frontier. It's a terribly outdated truck/platform, the interior and ride quality are pathetic, and reliability isn't all it's cracked up to be,based on real world experience through work where they have a ton of them.
 
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Some of you may have read my posts about my 2017 Frontier and how I returned the first one because the build quality was so poor. I have now owned my 2017 truck for one full year. Other than the obvious errors and lack of quality from the assembly side of production the truck has been a decent ride.

My first truck had wiring harness issues, stripped radiator mounting fasteners, detached plastic interior trim pieces, etc.

My second truck had loose suspension fasteners and detached rubber grommets for the door wiring harness. The washer fluid pump was never attached to the harness on assembly and the parking brakes were never adjusted. Nissan builds these trucks in Canton, Mississippi, and the quality control is a laughable joke.

My only true recommendation and something that I wish I had done was to get the 6 cylinder engine. Get it with a manual gearbox if they offer it in your body style. Nissan had horrible issues with the ATF fluid mixing with the coolant on several production years on vehicles with automatic transmissions and in typical Nissan fashion never covered the damage.

I have the 2.5 liter QR25DE engine with a 5 speed manual gearbox and it is grossly underpowered. It works fine for me but I only use the truck for work commuting and hauling light loads around the house. No towing or off-road use at all.

 
Go for the gusto, and get a full size truck.
With the v-6 engines and just as good mileage, you are money ahead and the additional room and comfort cannot be beat. If you are really stuck on a compact...go with the Toyota, as it is true, that they last quite well, and are reliable unlike some models of Nissans. I drove my 95 Dodge ram 1500 for over 300,000 miles, and if I had not been rear ended by a trash truck on the ice, I would probably be still driving it. I now have my Cummins Ram, and it is my "Cadillac ride" , with great mileage since it weighs almost 8800 lbs !!
 
With your longer commute I would definitely consider one of the half ton diesels like the 2018 Ford F-150 or 2018 Ram 1500 ecodiesel.
 
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
If I ever get a new truck, the choices will be Ram or Ford. GM has too many foreign parts for me to consider now.


Obviously it can change some from year to year but using your formula you are really only left with Ford as I think I read the F150 has a little more USA made parts than the Tundra does now In 2015 the Tundra had more American made parts in it than any of the big 3 and was designed, engineered, and built in the USA.

USA Made
 
I've had good luck powertrain-wise with my Ram..I've often had lighting/electrical gremlins that were a PITA.
I've had to replace fuse-box which are now called Power distribution centers so that they can charge you lots of money for a new one. Also the front control module. Very pricey items. But I did get them cheap from junkyard so got lucky there. I've replace a multi-function switch 5 years ago. Having same symptoms now (blinkers, high beam issues) so I replaced it again last week. It didn't solve the problem this time so back to the drawing board. Then there was the wheel rust issues on these 3rd generation Rams. Started early on. The frames is still pretty clean though considering where I live. But I assume all brands have their quirks.
 
Originally Posted By: Muskieteer
With your longer commute I would definitely consider one of the half ton diesels like the 2018 Ford F-150 or 2018 Ram 1500 ecodiesel.

I have had experience running the smaller diesels in a commercial fleet. 3.0L Sprinters and 3.2L Transits. They get good fuel efficiency but unless you have deep pockets like a commercial fleet does, stay away. The 3.0L Ram diesel reliability has been spotty at best - rotating camshafts (not pinned), and carboning heads on early variants some of the issues that come to mind.
After warranty, they will burn a hole in your pocket with maintenance costs. No way to overcome the extra maintenance costs with fuel savings. And I found very poor tech knowledge/availability at dealers on these small diesels.
Forget about starting Sprinters below -20F, Fords were actually pretty good for cold starts.
Stay with a gasoline platform is my reco.
 
Originally Posted By: stenerson
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
You may want to check out the Honda Ridgeline:

https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/rankings/compact-pickup-trucks


My brother has owned 2 Honda Pilots which I think have the same chassis and has been very happy with them. It's a bit rich for my blood though, the ones at local dealers I've seen hover around 40K and up.


New body style has been out going on 2 years now, should be some nice used or off lease ones coming into dealers very soon.
 
Originally Posted By: Danno
Originally Posted By: Muskieteer
With your longer commute I would definitely consider one of the half ton diesels like the 2018 Ford F-150 or 2018 Ram 1500 ecodiesel.

I have had experience running the smaller diesels in a commercial fleet. 3.0L Sprinters and 3.2L Transits. They get good fuel efficiency but unless you have deep pockets like a commercial fleet does, stay away. The 3.0L Ram diesel reliability has been spotty at best - rotating camshafts (not pinned), and carboning heads on early variants some of the issues that come to mind.
After warranty, they will burn a hole in your pocket with maintenance costs. No way to overcome the extra maintenance costs with fuel savings. And I found very poor tech knowledge/availability at dealers on these small diesels.

Stay with a gasoline platform is my reco.


This story on the Ram ecodiesel was just posted. Reprogramming the existing Ram 3.0 diesels will probably lead to worse fuel economy and worse driveability.
Otherwise, they would have gone out with that programming to begin with.

https://www.tfltruck.com/2018/02/report-ram-ecodiesel-jeep-fine-recall-emissions-scandal/
 
I haven't driven the smaller trucks but on a long commute (usually) larger vehicles do better. Better NVH and all. That said, it's whatever feels good on the test drive. Me, sometimes I feel like my Tundra has no more space for the driver than my '99 Camry. Sure doesn't ride the same.

I'd think that the extra cost for a diesel engine would pay for a large amount of gasoline. Not sure I could recommend diesel at this time. If the OP is looking a non-four-door truck, I have to think a used RCLB would have some depreciation & likely would be way cheaper than a diesel version.
 
One advantage the full size pickups have over the Tacoma is ride quality. Not sure about the Tundra - maybe someone who’s ridden in both could comment. But I know the full size Chevy and Ford have the ride quality pretty dialed. Haven’t been in many Rams either. But one negative about my Tacoma is the ride quality on a rough road. Not horrible, but much less smooth than a late model domestic full size truck.
 
My son has a 2006 4 cyl Tacoma x cab 4X4 and its ride is surprisingly nice.
 
My wife wanted a diesel when we bought her Ford 7.3 and she loves the engine. Pay back isn't the issue and doubt if we would ever see one.
 
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