Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire How many have looked at smaller trucks?

I always drove small trucks. Last year the wife bought me a Tundra with the 5.7 ltr engine, TRD Rock Warrior pkg for an anniversary present. 16 mpg and it'll blow my brother's dodge ram hemi off the road. I'll never go back.

Hey, I went from a F250 SC LB 4x4 PSD to a 1/2 ton gasser, and I couldn't be happier.. But the OP's question was would it make financial sense to buy a smaller truck.

In his parameters, it would be hard to pencil out, in the best of circumstances.

One year probably not. 10 yrs probably so.

In gas alone I have saved almost half of the cost of the initial cost of the colorado in 18 mos. Granted I haven't taken plates and such into account but to me, that is small change. I also have not had to buy $700 worth of tires for the big truck.

I don't do probably.

Damn man, what did you buy her?! Please don't say a blender or iron!

Bob,

My buddy with the '02 six liter (2500HD 4X4 with extended cab, eight foot box, 4L85-E tranny, and 4.10 gears) took his into the dealership soon after he bought it new, looking to get the advertised power and fuel mileage. (And to get rid of that annoying detonation like sound which habitually comes from that engine)

They attempted a couple times to cure his complaints via reprogramming of the engine tuning.

When he went into the dealership for the third time, they promised to FIX it. He drove it for a couple weeks and was amazed. Better power. less annoying knock like sounds from the engine, and much better mileage.

He went back to the shop and asked what they had done.

The shop manager winked at him and told him he now had a Cadillac Escalade engine in his truck, via a simple computer tune.

He has gotten 17 mpg ever since and he was running 80 mph on the freeway 70 miles per day. Of course, the mileage drops a bit when he hooks three to five ton of trailer to the back bumper. But not to the levels you quote for an empty truck around town.

An engine computer tune might well be worth investigating.

Bob,

I still have a Colorado crew cab Z71 5cyl with 138K on it. The gas milage ain't that good, maybe 21 on the hiway. Its been all over the US & Canada. Its dang near as bad of a ride as a Jeep Wrangler. It handles like crap. I've only had to replace the plugs, water pump, clutch fan, and one coil.

I'd get a Ford or Tundra any day over this thing.

Even my Land Rovers get better milage, 23 in an LR3 and it weighs 5,300lbs!

I picked up a used Lesbaru Forester a few months ago, cheap. The F250 has been relegated to hauling the boat and dirt/gravel.

The lil' carpet munched mobile is good on gas(avg 24mpg), gets me where I need to go, is AWD, plenty of room for a couple big coolers and gear.

It'll get a cargo rack and mud tires this fall.

After you drive a good AWD, you'll find tires are the biggest scam on the planet. Traction control devices are more important. Once you change the weight distribution to tire width ratio on that Subaru, you'll screw the pooch too. You'll want to reduce floatation for places a Subaru goes.

I've slid off icey roads in a locked and cocked Jeep with studs where my wife had to crawl out of the drivers window and watched Subarus, Land Rovers, and Volvo XC90's drive right by without spinning a tire.

I've driven through rock crevices with street tires. I've come to realize the abrasion resistance is more important than tread that will pack up any how.

You first have to realize that 95% of the places you travel are some kinda improved surface or trail. True off road, tire tread makes a small difference.

How long you lived in Texas?

I've driven (most) every type of vehicle they make, all over the world in peace and war. If it ain't a tractor tire for mud, or a paddle tread for sand, it makes very little difference.

Solid axle suck too but I always seem to be amazed with what a toyota hilux can do with a machine gun and street tires.

MadMooner;
Good evening to you sir, hopefully this finds you well.

On the Forester subject, I'm sure you're aware the older ones had some head gasket issues that cropped up until '07 so I've been given to understand. I was also told that if the gaskets were still good at say 50,000 miles, they'd likely be OK.

When my good wife picked up an '09 Forester a couple winters back now, I was astounded how the thing handled slippery Okanagan winter roads that gave my '03 Cummins equipped 4x4 grief. Even though I've got the limited slip rear, there's still no comparison between the two.

As a by the way, last winter we stuck on our family favorite snow tires - Firestone Winterforce - which we've run on a bunch of our other rigs over the years - and it became even better in the snow.

Honestly after hunting season was over we pretty much parked the pickup for the winter as we didn't need it on bad road days like we used to.

To the OP, the construction company that my good wife has worked for over the last 25 years has been buying the plain vanilla Chevy work trucks with the 4.3V6 for years now - after trying almost every other make. I'd estimate they typically run between 40-50 pickups at any given time.

So a few years back they bought something like a half dozen Canyons for some of the Supers to drive. Sure enough over time they've proven to get no better fuel economy and a much worse repair record.

These are work trucks, but still it's another bit of anecdotal data if nothing else.

All the best to you all in the upcoming week and may all the vehicles in our lives behave.

Dwayne

The Honda CRV, like the Subarus, are a good compromise of economy and utility. Plus it comes with an integrated card table!

My hunting buddies all have full sized trucks so I don't see the need to buy one - yes I'm a mooch!

Sam I hear you, when I was entering the workforce making 6 figures was the holy grail.

You'd be fat and happy.


but that annual pay would buy 10 new trucks.

lots of folks breakin that 6 figure mark, particularly in dual income homes.

but chit, you can't even buy two trucks with a years income.


but inflation is mild, very mild


I hate me some lyin, cocksuckin politicians.

Hi Dwayne!

Yep, the 2.5's have head gasket issues. Pretty common deal. Timing belts every 75-100k as well as its an interference engine.

Mines a '98 with near a quarter million miles, but it has a fresh timing belt and the HG was already done. Quite clean as well for so many miles. I picked it up for a song and its practically paid for itself already with the increased gas mileage.


I've crossed enough PNW passes in the winter to appreciate good tires and I've heard more than a few people praise the Winter Force tires. It is currently shod with fairly worn Uniroyals. I hadn't seen a Uniroyal in years, didn't even know they still made them! Perhaps they are old?

Have a great week.

Whiptail;
Good evening sir, that looks like a fine mode of transportation you've got.

When my good wife was looking for an SUV, she almost came home with a CRV and in fact when we look for something with AWD for our youngest, the CRV will be in the running again.

They've got a really grand reputation up here in BC, with many being seen that have run 400,000km plus and are still going strong.

The only thing our mechanic mentioned about the CRV is to change out the rear differential oil once in awhile as it's apparently a fairly small capacity and can get tired and dirty after lots of use.

Anyway as mentioned by others, when combined with a roof rack one can get a lot onto and into these rigs.

Thanks for the post sir and all the best to you in the upcoming week.

Dwayne

bestest pard drives a SubieRubie, inherited it from his mom.

amazing the chit he hauls in that lil bugger, full gas cans, tools etc.

he's pretty well parked the F350 cept for true truck needs.


calls it his lesbo pickup

MadMooner;
Thanks for the reply and information on tires, etc.

We've run the Winterforce on a '90 Jetta, an '05 Corolla, our eldest daughter's '87 Cherokee and then as mentioned my wife's Forester. They wear OK and grip very well - maybe not quite as good as say a Nokian, but certainly a good tire for the cost.

After my wife picked up her Forester we started noticing how many were on the road up here - funny how that works somehow isn't it?

There are lots of the older body style still going and as you've found if maintained they can rack up the miles without too many issues.

Thanks again for the reply and again all the best to you this week.

Dwayne

Good evening to you too Dwayne,

Yes, my rear diff starting making noise when I made hard turns after just a couple of years. I brought it in under warranty and they "burnished the clutches" and changed the rear diff oil. The front desk person couldn't tell me what the procedure was so I looked it up on the web and they have a known service bulletin. They put it on the rack, started the engine, put in drive, and then held one wheel still to grind off the limited slip clutch(I didn't realize it had limited slip). I change the fluid every year or two now.

It's not a truck but it's good enough for most everything I do plus like I said my buddies have full sized pickups and they are always anxious to drive - I have a boat so I make up for it other ways.

Randy;
Good evening to you sir, I hope this finds you folks doing well this muggy July night.

I've showed this photo before, but this is our yard and driveway, which in Okanagan winter conditions can quickly resemble a bit of a luge run.


It's maybe not quite 100yds long and rises something like 50' from the house, so a fair grade.

Anyway after we stuck the new treads on her Forester, to test it she stopped half way up the driveway when it was at it's worst in January and then drove away without so much as turning a tire once.

Now I KNOW that I couldn't do that with the Dodge - again despite it's heavier weight, full on 4x4 system and limited slip differential.

Until she'd driven the Forester for a couple winters I really didn't understand how much difference the type of vehicle can make.

Anyway sir, despite being lumped in with some alternative lifestyle and diet folks by having a Subaru on the place, it's been a good solid ride for her so far.

All the best to you and yours this week Randy.

Dwayne