truck questions - 4x4 vs. 4x2, etc.

Good tips, especially confirmation of "fuck the short box". That's one of the reasons I've been looking at king cabs: 6' box standard vs. the long box crew cabs seems a lot more rare. I think a 4runner is a better option than a crew cab short box.

Ranger is tempting - I found one at that autobiz place IFO mentioned last year (yes, I know how to use the forum search function!) for ~14K (2008, 50k). I visited a few dealers this morning and found that the tacomas and frontiers do have more room in their extended cabs than the ranger. I have spotted a few frontiers in the 16K/17K range, which might be worth it vs. the ranger.

Also, thx for the 2WD tips - sounds like if I found the right truck (locking rear diff, manual) with 2WD I could live with it just fine.

I didn't see many F150s [HTML_REMOVED] 20K, but maybe I just haven't looked hard enough.

The hunt continues!

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/cto/2140250013.html

Don't buy my truck but this is what drives me nuts about small trucks. 2003 Dodge dually diesel 6spd quad cab with every option you can get and if i'm careful it pulls down 11.2 liters to 100 km or just about 21 mpg, towing my 6000lbs boat I'll average 15 mpg. I'm selling the truck because i just don't need it anymore but can't bring myself to buy a small truck that will get less mpg than the one i have, hell i'll bet i can give your subie a run for mpg.

The only problem with big diesel trucks is they're a large initial investment.

I'd invest in something like this though.\

http://gearpatrol.com/blog/2010/12/23/2011-gmc-sierra-all-terrain-hd-concept/

It should be as Ford Ranger=Mazda b-series. It has been that way for years.

WRONG..

you got that back-asswards..

the Mazda B series is now a rebadged Ranger..

WRONG..

you got that back-asswards..

the Mazda B series is now a rebadged Ranger..

but the mazda had a stainless exhaust

I just crashed my 2002 Impreza Wagon and ended up with a supercharged 2002 Xterra.

The Subie was fabulous for most of what I wanted to do; getting to the ski hill, not a daily driver though. In the summers it took a bit of a beating on logging roads to get backcountry for camping (and skiing) with some clearance issues. It was really fun to drive though, I really liked it and was sad to see it go. Last year we started ski touring and getting into the backcountry more often.

My brother and I (we share a car) decided we needed something with a little more clearance and found the Xterra for $9k, which was pretty good, with only 70,000km on it. It has a 3.3L V6. It's a big truck to drive compared to the Subie, makes it less fun on the roads. It also guzzles gas! The subie did about 10L/100km (450km on 50L tank) and this one does about 450km on a 70ish liter tank. It also says it prefers premium gas; I'll often put mid-grade in it. Good thing I don't use it as a daily driver, it's mostly for ski trips so the cost of gas gets split pretty good. It wasn't much more to insure versus the subie, maybe $200 a year. Storage space is good, but it wasn't a big issue with the Impreza anyways, the wagon was great.

Thing is, for backcountry skiing, if the road gets super gnarly/snowed out/needing lots of clearance, it usually means you can park and throw your skis on and start heading up by ski. Not really necessary to keep driving at that point. Sometimes the logging road approaches can be bumpy though.

I've only had the Xterra for about 3 weeks - a month, and I've been glad to have the extra clearance just once (headed up the Furry Creek FSR; bumpy and lots of rocks). My opinion now is that we went a little overboard and might have sufficed with say a Subaru Outback or Forester, perhaps a Rav4. I do envision towing a sled eventually though, so we'll see.

We were looking at 4 Runners, but it doesn't look like they made a manual transmission since 2000. I prefer driving stick, feels more in control, but it's personal preference obviously.

Before my 4x4 Tacoma Accesscab (super cab) I had a Subaru STi that was my go everywhere car. I also drove my dad's 2WD trucks from when I was 16 to 18.

Yes, a 2WD will get you where you need to go and with the right amount of skill, caution and appropriate planning it'll be fine in winter. However, a 4x4 is way, way easier and much less stress. Yes, they cost more money up front, but they also sell for more on the back end.

I went with an extended cab taco because
1. I wanted it to fit a bike wheel to wheel in the box
2. Drywall and lumber is often 8 ft and doesn't haul as easily in a short box
3. If I need room for more than 1 passenger I'll need something comfier than the 1/2 ass back seats in a truck
4. It's my truck so I'll never have to sit in the tiny ass jump seats

With a 2WD truck you're bound to have a day when you'll say "Boy, I wish I had 4WD right now". Will those days be plentiful? I doubt it.

I can say that even with studded winter tires on my Taco (I live in a rather hilly neighbourhood) my truck isn't as easy to drive in the winter as my Subie was (higher centre of gravity, weight distribution, etc).

Good tips, especially confirmation of "fuck the short box". That's one of the reasons I've been looking at king cabs: 6' box standard vs. the long box crew cabs seems a lot more rare. I think a 4runner is a better option than a crew cab short box.

My Frontier is the long box crew cab. I think they went to that length in '08 or so. Anything that new might be out of your price range. Driving it in the city sucks majorly because it is loooong, and they limit the steering range compared to the king cab. For city driving, it'd be worth stuffing the kids in the king cab. Kids are bendy anyway.

With a 2WD truck you're bound to have a day when you'll say "Boy, I wish I had 4WD right now".

you wont run into that problem if you know you only have a 2wd..

Thx Keefer, jitenshakun, treorwg, and everyone else. I knew I'd get relevant advice here vs. the truck forums for my kind of usage. :)

Keefer, I'm pretty happy with the subie too, for the last 5 years it's been good to me. I'm averaging roughly 10L/100km as well. A bit better on pure highway trips (say, 500+km a tank). Note that the legacy wagon has even less clearance (especially approach/depart) than the impreza wagon! I too plan on increasing my "backcountry" activity over the next few years (summer and winter), which is largely why I'm thinking I should maybe change vehicles now while the wagon is in near perfect shape. It probably won't be if I try to push it on FSR roads for a couple years.

Spoke to my father tonight and asked him for advice re: kids in the back. He LOL'ed and said "for christ's sake, when you and your sister were that age you sat side by side on the bench seat. there were no extended cabs at all. forget crew cabs. you had one seatbelt strapped around both of you. in a beaten dodge that had holes in the floor. they'll be just fine, might teach them to tougher the fuck up a bit." OK then!! Good point, it's easy to get carried away with needs vs. wants. :)

Currently still favouring a 'king cab' (i.e. super/extended cab) Frontier as a smaller truck option (truly sad that the mileage isn't better), and thinking that if I decide on the 4-door crew cab route I'd might as well go for a 1/2 ton F150 or RAM 1500 or whatever.

I do like the idea of getting a diesel that I could hold on to for a very long time. What kinds of initial investment are we talking about (with something recent enough to have gasp side curtain airbags maybe)? I feel like I know even less about diesel trucks. My dad says go Dodge for diesel, Ford for gas, and he spent his life working in trucks in the woods. But of course he himself drives a Toyota..

what about considering an audi allroad? height adjustable suspension for when you need it, awesome awd system, plenty of room for the kids and gear and a gorgeous car to boot.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/ctd/2136426934.html

The quality on the Tacoma is good. The panel gaps are perfect, the doors open/close nice, the interior is made from good materials. Inside, mine still looks brand new, with 160k, no wear on the seats, no faded plastics, leather on the steering wheel and shifter are still good, ive been asked if its "brand new" a few times.

In 160,000km its had 3 serpentine belts and front brakes (rotors and pads at 150k) 1 set of tires, and regular maintenance at Toyota other wise. Everything works like it should, no weird noises, no rattles, no vibrations, no leaks. It doesn't have the stainless exhaust like the new ones, about it.

They have had some issues but Toyota has corrected them with new revised parts installed free. The most common is 05/06 rear leaf springs for noise (clunking and squeaking) second would be a faint ticking sound under light acceleration, because of exhaust manifold design, also had a free replacement another is JBL sound system not working.