Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
(warning - Long post!)
Yep, I didn't think I'd ever do it, but it looks like it's on the horizon.
Back in 2015, I sold my beloved 4th gen 4runner (2007) in gorgeous Salsa Red Pearl (i.e. maroon) because it was inadequate to pull our small travel trailer. Oh, it COULD pull it, but the transmission got hot (230+) and it really seemed to be struggling. Keep in mind that we live in Colorado so going over an 11,000+' (3350m) pass is something we do multiple times during a trip. I decided a full size truck was best so I got a 2004 Suburban with the 5.3l V8.
The Suburban did OK (although it struggled at higher altitudes, especially after we upgraded to a larger trailer) and it definitely showed its age (bought the 'Burb with 136,000 miles on it.) In 2019, after the 2nd time the transmission crapped out, we decided to replace it with another full-size vehicle, my current 2018 F-150 with the 3.5 EcoBoose V6 and 10 speed transmission.
The F-150 has been a great tow vehicle and it has a lot of features I really have come to love including the 36 gallon fuel tank. We've owned it just over 4 years and 40,000 miles and probably hundreds of trips into the mountains, with and without the trailer.
But, with retirement looming, wife and I decided to move out of the Denver area (see the thread I started in 2020, https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/where-to-land-after-retirement.221353/ ) .
We've settled on Pueblo West, CO which is far enough to get us out of the Denver area but still close enough to see our grandkids on a regular basis. We've been house shopping and finally found a house we both love that is within our budget and has what we want. For me, that is a 3 car garage (I've been parking my truck outside since we moved to our current house, as a result my truck has significant hail damage that will need to be repaired.)
SO.....the house has the 3 car garage I insisted on. But here's the rub: The "depth" of the garage (front-to-rear) is 19.3 feet, according to the MLS listing.
My F-150 Crew Cab Short Bed truck is .... 19.25' long (231 inches) per a couple of web sites.
Will it fit? Possibly, if I very carefully back it in and put a heavy rubber stop on the floor I can get it into the garage. But that means I'd have to be VERY careful backint it in - every single time - or risk expensive damage to the house.
So I've decided that once we move (assuming our offer gets accepted) and get settled in, I'm going to get the damage repaired and then put the F-150 up for sale. All I need is a truck big enough to pull our ~ 4000lb camper. We don't plan on getting anything much bigger. Almost any mid-sized truck can pull that with ease.
I have mixed feelings on the transition. Much as I love the F-150 as a tow vehicle, and even though it is comfortable on the highway, if I'm honest I have to admit that it has always been too big for what I really need. Parking has always been a PITA. The width of the truck means that I have to park way out at the edge of the parking lot if I want to avoid door dings. The cab is absolutely cavernous - which is nice, but it is also way more space than I actually need.
Even the "short" 5.5' bed is longer than I can reach into from the tailgate.
I really have always felt more comfortable in mid-size vehicles. I've owned 2 Toyota pickups, 2 4runners, 2 (old) Rangers, and one Mazda pickup. I've also owned an R50 Pathfinder and a Mitsubishi Montero. Those mid-sized vehicles always felt more "right" to me than the full size trucks which always felt like big barges.
But herein comes the dilemma and the question: Which one? I haven't shopped for a mid-sized vehicle since 2012 when I got my last 4runner.
Much as I'd like to jump into another 4runner (I prefer the SUV body style to the pickup) the 5,000lb towing capacity seems dangerously low to me. So that leaves me the compact trucks:
* Ford Ranger
* Chevy Colorado
* Nissan Frontier
* Toyota Tacoma
Here are a few random thoughts on those:
Ranger: Don't know much about them except that they have a turbocharged engine. After 4 years of buying premium gas, I'm inclined to shy away from the Ranger for this reason alone. I'll admit they are gorgeous - about the best looking compact truck out there. And I have no complaints about Ford quality based on the last 4 years with my F-150. But the 4 cyl and premium gas requirement has me leery.
Colorado: Honestly don't know anything about them.
Frontier: I've owned ONE Nissan before (an R50 Pathfinder with a manual transmission) and never had any issues with it. In terms of price I could probably get this one the cheapest. But maybe there's a reason for that? I've heard people refer to Nissan as the "Japanese Chrysler" in terms of quality, fit and finish and it's NOT a compliment. Probably the least aftermarket support (not that I need much.)
And that brings us to the venerable Tacoma. You can't swing a dead cat in Colorado without hitting 10 Subarus and 9 lifted Tacomas. They seem to be quite popular and capable. I had previously sworn off paying the "Toyota Tax" but now looking at prices I don't see a whole lot of difference in 1 - 2 year old vehicles with < 20,000 miles on them.
Biggest intriguing thing about the Toyota is the possibility of getting one with a manual transmission. I absolutely HATE slush boxes but I have heard some not-so-good things about the 6 speed manual in the Tacoma. The other issue is that the manual seems to be only available in the most basic trim levels and I'm concerned that this wouldn't include the heavier duty cooling I'd need to pull a trailer. Wife CAN drive a manual (though she doesn't like to) so a manual could be an option if one is available with the other necessary setup to pull a trailer.
So at this point I'm looking for recommendations/suggestions. Most likely this purchase won't happen until next Spring. I still have to get the hail damage repaired on the F-150.
I'll post a separate thread in the Toyota section asking about the Tacoma specifically.
Yep, I didn't think I'd ever do it, but it looks like it's on the horizon.
Back in 2015, I sold my beloved 4th gen 4runner (2007) in gorgeous Salsa Red Pearl (i.e. maroon) because it was inadequate to pull our small travel trailer. Oh, it COULD pull it, but the transmission got hot (230+) and it really seemed to be struggling. Keep in mind that we live in Colorado so going over an 11,000+' (3350m) pass is something we do multiple times during a trip. I decided a full size truck was best so I got a 2004 Suburban with the 5.3l V8.
The Suburban did OK (although it struggled at higher altitudes, especially after we upgraded to a larger trailer) and it definitely showed its age (bought the 'Burb with 136,000 miles on it.) In 2019, after the 2nd time the transmission crapped out, we decided to replace it with another full-size vehicle, my current 2018 F-150 with the 3.5 EcoBoose V6 and 10 speed transmission.
The F-150 has been a great tow vehicle and it has a lot of features I really have come to love including the 36 gallon fuel tank. We've owned it just over 4 years and 40,000 miles and probably hundreds of trips into the mountains, with and without the trailer.
But, with retirement looming, wife and I decided to move out of the Denver area (see the thread I started in 2020, https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/where-to-land-after-retirement.221353/ ) .
We've settled on Pueblo West, CO which is far enough to get us out of the Denver area but still close enough to see our grandkids on a regular basis. We've been house shopping and finally found a house we both love that is within our budget and has what we want. For me, that is a 3 car garage (I've been parking my truck outside since we moved to our current house, as a result my truck has significant hail damage that will need to be repaired.)
SO.....the house has the 3 car garage I insisted on. But here's the rub: The "depth" of the garage (front-to-rear) is 19.3 feet, according to the MLS listing.
My F-150 Crew Cab Short Bed truck is .... 19.25' long (231 inches) per a couple of web sites.
Will it fit? Possibly, if I very carefully back it in and put a heavy rubber stop on the floor I can get it into the garage. But that means I'd have to be VERY careful backint it in - every single time - or risk expensive damage to the house.
So I've decided that once we move (assuming our offer gets accepted) and get settled in, I'm going to get the damage repaired and then put the F-150 up for sale. All I need is a truck big enough to pull our ~ 4000lb camper. We don't plan on getting anything much bigger. Almost any mid-sized truck can pull that with ease.
I have mixed feelings on the transition. Much as I love the F-150 as a tow vehicle, and even though it is comfortable on the highway, if I'm honest I have to admit that it has always been too big for what I really need. Parking has always been a PITA. The width of the truck means that I have to park way out at the edge of the parking lot if I want to avoid door dings. The cab is absolutely cavernous - which is nice, but it is also way more space than I actually need.
Even the "short" 5.5' bed is longer than I can reach into from the tailgate.
I really have always felt more comfortable in mid-size vehicles. I've owned 2 Toyota pickups, 2 4runners, 2 (old) Rangers, and one Mazda pickup. I've also owned an R50 Pathfinder and a Mitsubishi Montero. Those mid-sized vehicles always felt more "right" to me than the full size trucks which always felt like big barges.
But herein comes the dilemma and the question: Which one? I haven't shopped for a mid-sized vehicle since 2012 when I got my last 4runner.
Much as I'd like to jump into another 4runner (I prefer the SUV body style to the pickup) the 5,000lb towing capacity seems dangerously low to me. So that leaves me the compact trucks:
* Ford Ranger
* Chevy Colorado
* Nissan Frontier
* Toyota Tacoma
Here are a few random thoughts on those:
Ranger: Don't know much about them except that they have a turbocharged engine. After 4 years of buying premium gas, I'm inclined to shy away from the Ranger for this reason alone. I'll admit they are gorgeous - about the best looking compact truck out there. And I have no complaints about Ford quality based on the last 4 years with my F-150. But the 4 cyl and premium gas requirement has me leery.
Colorado: Honestly don't know anything about them.
Frontier: I've owned ONE Nissan before (an R50 Pathfinder with a manual transmission) and never had any issues with it. In terms of price I could probably get this one the cheapest. But maybe there's a reason for that? I've heard people refer to Nissan as the "Japanese Chrysler" in terms of quality, fit and finish and it's NOT a compliment. Probably the least aftermarket support (not that I need much.)
And that brings us to the venerable Tacoma. You can't swing a dead cat in Colorado without hitting 10 Subarus and 9 lifted Tacomas. They seem to be quite popular and capable. I had previously sworn off paying the "Toyota Tax" but now looking at prices I don't see a whole lot of difference in 1 - 2 year old vehicles with < 20,000 miles on them.
Biggest intriguing thing about the Toyota is the possibility of getting one with a manual transmission. I absolutely HATE slush boxes but I have heard some not-so-good things about the 6 speed manual in the Tacoma. The other issue is that the manual seems to be only available in the most basic trim levels and I'm concerned that this wouldn't include the heavier duty cooling I'd need to pull a trailer. Wife CAN drive a manual (though she doesn't like to) so a manual could be an option if one is available with the other necessary setup to pull a trailer.
So at this point I'm looking for recommendations/suggestions. Most likely this purchase won't happen until next Spring. I still have to get the hail damage repaired on the F-150.
I'll post a separate thread in the Toyota section asking about the Tacoma specifically.
