So I am looking at getting a small truck (not looking for offers, just advice since I don't live in Alberta). The main uses will be for occasional hauling and commuting.
I will probably be getting something used from between 2005 and 2009 based on how much I want to pay.
Four-by-four is not really important to me at the moment (it will used on main roads for the most part)
May be using it to pull a boat or trailer in the future.
Fuel economy is a big plus.
Passenger space and comfort in the back seat is important. We look after kids a lot and it is possible a child or baby seat will need to go back there at some point.
Safety is also important.
Will have to be an automatic (already have a standard and the wife refuses to drive it).
Obviously low-maintenance and overall reliability is always a plus (although I do tend to be OCD about regular maintenance schedules anyway).
We already have a car, but we are finding that due to our work schedules, we need another vehicle. It will be a secondary vehicle and not primary commuting vehicle. My wife and I are into furniture re-purposing and there are too many times that we need to rent or borrow trucks to haul stuff around since our only vehicle at the moment is a Civic, that will be the main purpose of the truck... as well as for commuting when we can't carpool to work.
Does anyone here have any personal experience with the above brands? I have kind of narrowed it down to the 3 mentioned above, but I would be open to hearing about other brands too. I did a little research, but I thinking hearing some first hand information would be helpful.
Thanks in advance.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Last edited by FlamesAddiction; 02-01-2015 at 11:33 AM.
How heavy of a load to do plan on towing? I'd imagine these "smaller" trucks might have a bit more trouble hauling in certain conditions.
Edit: Sounds like you'll be using it to mostly do city driving. For the few times you actually tow they can all handle the task fine.. I think these get around 6000 pounds towing capacity.
Last edited by zyzz; 02-01-2015 at 12:47 PM.
The Following User Says Thank You to zyzz For This Useful Post:
I had a 2007 honda ridgeline and loved it. It was between that and the Tacoma for me, and the family fit better in the Honda. With the trunk, it provided ample room for weekend trips to whitefish. It got about 20mpg, driving my usual 10km over the limit on the highway.
I used it to haul gravel, sand, and a pallette of rundlestone. The Lansdcape company was surprised. They said you can't fit a pallette in the back of a tacoma.
I did not like the maintenance costs. The timing belt cost $1200 to replace here in Calgary, but I used to take my truck to Eisinger in Kalispell for 1/3 the cost for maintenance.
When we bought a trailer I went with a 1/2 ton, and sold the ridgeline to my buddy. He loves it.
If I were to downsize and buy used, I'd buy another Ridgeline. However if I were to buy new, both the 2016 Tacoma and Ridgeline are getting a redesign, so I'd have to see. The new Tacoma is supposed to be more powerful and more fuel efficient. Not sure how it will stack up to the new Canyon, which looks pretty sweet as well.
Last edited by bossy22; 02-04-2015 at 01:15 PM.
Reason: Just realized I said both pilot and ridgeline.
The Following User Says Thank You to bossy22 For This Useful Post:
I had a 2010 Frontier, traded it for a couple of Rogues, missed it and bought another 2014 Frontier this summer.
The Frontier has a great engine (VQ 6 cyl), good towing and a car like ride compared to the Tacoma. Both are very low maintenance in my experience.
Frontiers don't sell well, so they are really easy to get deals on in my experience. My 2014 is the lowest model with king cab, V6 and RWD and was $22,000-ish new. My 2010 was second from the top of the line crew cab and it was about $34,000.
I've seen used ones really cheap, there was a silver 2005 in Shawnessey for $5000. It was on kijiji forever.
How about trying a North American Midsized truck? Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon are mid-sized, have North American truck making pedigree behind them.
How about trying a North American Midsized truck? Chevy Colorado and the GMC Canyon are mid-sized, have North American truck making pedigree behind them.
Frontiers are made in Tennessee, I think the other trucks are made in America too.
I've owned a 2006 Ridgeline since 2007. It's a great little truck I'm very happy with it and it's still going strong.
One word of caution though regarding towing. I've been towing a lightweight trailer (2300lb) which is maxing the thing out when you factor in weight of passengers etc in the truck, and the gross weight of the trailer.
Towing certainly is hard on a Ridgeline. I've noticed that the suspension, brakes, steering, and transmission are definitely being pushed hard.
For that reason alone when this thing dies my next truck will be a half ton, maybe even 3/4 ton.
I've never been impressed with the gas mileage, bu that could be a driver issue.
Overall its a great vehicle. Easy to maintain, lots of room, and the bed has no wheel wells so you can lay sheets of plywood/drywall flat no porblem.
I find it much more comfortable and roomy than the Tacoma's.
+1 for the Ridgeline. Have a couple friends that had them and loved them.
1 guy needed a full size and ended up getting rid of it, for work. Other guy got a work truck and didn't need it anymore.
Both had nothing but good things to say though.
My own pet peeve with the Ridgeline, old style door handles that lift up instead of pull (minor, but it drives me nuts that Honda hasn't changed it yet on the Ridgeline).
I haven't looked recently, but the mid size gas economy was almost the same as the full sized. And all were old models. But I'm hearing redesigns are on the way
The amount of room is fantastic. One of the handiest features is the full size trunk in the back as well. It can fit two golf bags if needed or 2 boys hockey bags full of equipment.
The swing and drop tailgate is very handy as well for accessing the box as well.
I have towed a tent trailer loaded with bikes, kids and camping supplies with no problem what so ever.
I'm looking forward to see what they come up with for a re-design for 2016.
Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline or Nissan Frontier
