If you weren't going to buy a Tacoma

That ranger looks a lot like the Tacoma. In the front at least

 

I would have bought a 2015 F150 if it wasn't the first year for the Eco 2.7. My new Tacoma fits the bill for now. I sure miss the space of my old 150. But I had a 98 taco, and man have they changed.

 

F-150, not exactly mid-size but honestly they aren't much bigger than the tacomas.

 

The taco is the only mid size I would look at. But if it was a different truck I would go with a 3/4 ton duramx Chevy.

 

Huh? They're 2 feet longer and have WAY more room inside. I mean, it's not even close.

 

Crazy to think mid-sizes are closer in size to full sizes of yore...

 

A big part of those gains are due to several factors:

- Safety equipment - front ends have especially puffed up to protect pedestrians and passengers. Side impact protection is also vastly superior to old trucks.

- Larger cabins - more people are using trucks for transporting people, especially kids. Transporting kids now requires room for full child seats.

- Bigger people - people have gotten taller and (ahem) wider in the last 30 years on average. Vehicle manufacturers have had to add room to accommodate them.

- CAFE favors big trucks over small ones, sadly. Get rid of CAFE and tax gasoline instead and you'd see small trucks return basically overnight.

 

the new ford f150s look very nice and tempting!

 

It was already between this and the Colorado. If I was in the full size market, Silverado. Best cosmetics, and the Chevy V8's are tried and true in my family. I would consider the F-150 if they still had the Triton 5.4. My family has had great experiences with those as well.

 

SRT-8 Challenger... or a LS430 haha

 

I test drove a Chevy Colorado and a F-150 last week. No plans to buy anything anytime soon, but I was waiting for a vehicle that was being serviced at the dealer so I had the time....

Colorado: As much as I dislike GM products, I actually liked it. I have had issues with quality of the interior components before, but this one did not look too bad compared to the Toyota materials, fitment etc. If the dealer can throw in a lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty at no cost to me I might consider this as an option (Would actually go for the GMC rather than the Chevy; GMC just didn't have one on the lot to look at, but I have seen and compared them before)

F-150: Of the big 3 Ford has always been my first choice. I liked the F-150 better than the Colorado (maybe biased because of previous experiences). Interior is nice; solid. Ride is good. I am not a huge fan of the ecoboost engine, so will probably go V8 if I buy, but I will strongly consider this as an option.

RAM is not even an option for me.

Nissan is okay, but at this time not an option for me.

So, based on what is available out there, and if Toyota is not an allowable option I would go with the F-150.

 

I would get a Jeep

 

x2.

 

Looking at the Ford truck sizes above...my 68 Dodge D100 full sized, short bed, stepside pickup has a wheel base at 108" and with a low bed height, easy to load.

Can someone PLEASE sell a small pickup, with a low, easy to load bed? On some jobs, like moving a snow blower, the 68 Dodge does a better job due bed height. My 94 Toy Pickup was low enough that I could load a full size motorcycle by myself, with a four foot ramp.

Howard

 

2WD Tacos seem pretty dang low to me.

 

Actually the only "full size" of yore that is like the new mid-sizes is the GenI Tundra.

Toyota hit it out of the park with the GenI Tundra. I love the Tacomas, owned a '98 and a 2012, but the '05 Tundra I have now smokes them. If Toyota could match the 2005 Tundra with the 2016 Tacoma they would outclass the competition for another ten years.

 

Totally agreed. I would think that nowadays Toyota would do better to offer a Hilux and a truck sized like the first gen Tundra. I actually feel like remaining different from the American trucks would be an advantage.

Too bad CAFE favors footprint.

 

I just drove a friend's Gen 1 TRD OR yesterday. I don't want a 15 year old truck, but if they made that truck today, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

I was actually thinking about getting a good used one and completely replacing/upgrading the engine, transmission, and suspension just to have that kind of truck.

 

I hear some who live in the rust belt and own Tacos complain about rust and the fear of it ( especially the rusted frames ) Many of you do your own maintenance work too, but I hear very little or nothing about rust prevention. I have had a half dozen of these critters and generally keep then till they are ten years old here in the rust belt. RUST DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A BIG ISSUE. Before you change your oil for the umpteenth and often unnecessary time, inthe same time it takes to do it, once a year, ANYONE, even a neophyte can do much to mitigate rust.

The guy who showed me how, has more garages then most have cars, filled with show cars, some he runs in the winter and most decades, not years old. Absolutly rust free and good for his grandchildren. Some of these cars were run through Maine winters where salt is spread on the road more often then it snows. ( and we had more then 125 inches this year).

 

If I was not driving my Taco I'd go back to my VW roots, 4 Door GTi



then got get a $2,000 beater truck to haul crap with....