Sorry about the bragging, us truck guys only get a handful of days per year where our vehicle is superior. The rest of the time, we're just paying more for gas.
I'm jealous, I usually love days like this when I can justify paying for bad gas mileage as I pull the poor saps out of the ditch. I had a minor vacuum problem today which meant I couldn't get into 4x4, I feel like one of those car people
Remember about 10 years ago on St. Patrick's day? we had about 3' of snow and the city literally came to a dead stop. I remember driving down McKnight at 8:00am with only one lane plowed down the middle and 5' drifts on each side. I got to work and nobody was there. Spent the day with a tow chain driving around pulling people out of drifts. That was such a fun day. There was a guy with a Jeep with tire chains on and a rimless tire tied to his front bumper pushing people out, he had a smile on his face that you wouldn't believe. Good times ... good times.
I might be making a snap decision here, but I've decided I want to start look at getting a truck. Something with an extended cab and 4x4. I'm tired of getting stuck in the winter, despite putting on snow tires.
So what are people's suggestions?
Well you live in Calgary, so I suggest that you will want to put a lift kit on that bad boy right away. And in addition to your lift kit, you will NOT want to re-aim your headlights so you can blind every single person that you drive behind.
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Remember about 10 years ago on St. Patrick's day? we had about 3' of snow and the city literally came to a dead stop. I remember driving down McKnight at 8:00am with only one lane plowed down the middle and 5' drifts on each side. I got to work and nobody was there. Spent the day with a tow chain driving around pulling people out of drifts. That was such a fun day. There was a guy with a Jeep with tire chains on and a rimless tire tied to his front bumper pushing people out, he had a smile on his face that you wouldn't believe. Good times ... good times.
1998.
I remember that as well. At that time I had this POS 1981 Bronco with a 351 I had sitting in the Alley I was turning into a full on bush wagon. This thing literally looked like a prop from a Mad Max film. I painted it with green truck bedliner, was way ahead of the auto fashion curve with blacked out wheels. I hadn't started the thing in months, but I decided to turn it into a gypsy cab / puller outer / track maker. I just locked up the front hubs (it had manual lockers) and spent the day playing good samaritan with my Golden Retriever along for the ride. That was a fun day, and the most I ever used low range in any vehicle in my life.
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I remember that as well. At that time I had this POS 1981 Bronco with a 351 I had sitting in the Alley I was turning into a full on bush wagon. This thing literally looked like a prop from a Mad Max film. I painted it with green truck bedliner, was way ahead of the auto fashion curve with blacked out wheels. I hadn't started the thing in months, but I decided to turn it into a gypsy cab / puller outer / track maker. I just locked up the front hubs (it had manual lockers) and spent the day playing good samaritan with my Golden Retriever along for the ride. That was a fun day, and the most I ever used low range in any vehicle in my life.
Haha, that had to be the best (non) work day ever. True Calgary spirit, people were helping each other dig out and push/pull out all day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vanisleflamesfan
Well you live in Calgary, so I suggest that you will want to put a lift kit on that bad boy right away. And in addition to your lift kit, you will NOT want to re-aim your headlights so you can blind every single person that you drive behind.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vanisleflamesfan
I also suggest that you will want to begin immediately parking diagonally across three or four spots.
Ya ya, idiots parking their Beamers halfway in handicap zones are okay though. A good chunk of the population of Calgary drives trucks and we get alone okay thanks for your concern. Enjoy Van Island, we're talking about Calgary.
I quite like my 09 Sierra 2500. Not that anyone in this thread would care, but it hauls a horse trailer quite nicely. And it's not too bad to drive in the city or that bad on gas mileage.
Haha, that had to be the best (non) work day ever. True Calgary spirit, people were helping each other dig out and push/pull out all day.
I do also remember the amount of people commuting on snow mobiles that day as well. I will never forget seeing 4 sleds bombing down Macleod Trail not far from Chinook Centre.
Just watched that, wasn't exactly an "off road test"
That road didn't look scary for a mid 80's sedan.
$55,000.00 USD lol, that's why you need to buy 2-3 years old.
Yeah, they're based in Colorado and they usually go up some mountain road for their off road tests. I agree expensive, that's why I rarely buy new as well.
I might be making a snap decision here, but I've decided I want to start look at getting a truck. Something with an extended cab and 4x4. I'm tired of getting stuck in the winter, despite putting on snow tires.
Never understood this. I've driven nothing, but economy cars, and have never gotten stuck in the winter.
Yesterday I had to help push a 4x4 3 separate occasions and help push a van out.
I think a bigger part of not getting stuck in winter is understanding your vehicles limits and not trying to ignore them.
Also, to the people getting excited about 0%, please compare financing at 0% and understanding what the cash discount price is. It may be cheaper to finance somewhere else and pay by way of a bank draft with interest instead of taking 0%. Sometimes it isn't, sometimes it is.
Lots of good feedback and suggestions. Thanks guys.
I've decided I'm going to do what my cousin suggested: go and test drive a few different models first. Why? Because every model and make of truck out there handles different. He doesn't want me to get set on a specific model or make, after doing research, and then finding I don't like the handling or how it "feels."
I figure that's good advise.
That's the right answer if you don't have preference...go drive them all with an open mind.
My Dad has a GMC and it's really nice, if you are looking at domestic
I don't care for the interior materials in the Ford but the rest is nice.
Dodge is a non starter for me...it's a step down from the other two IMHO
__________________ TC
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If you are putting kids in the back I would recommend a crew cab, not just a quad cab. I moved to the bigger cab with my new truck and the car seats fit WAY better, at least it you want to be able to have leg room in the front seats...
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To echo what 4x4 and Pylon said. The North American trucks are all good. Test drive them all and pick what you like. Toyota and Nissan haven't had any improvements in years, and they've been leap frogged by the domestics IMO. Nissan is supposedly redesigning the Titan for 2015 and is going to be offering a Cummins diesel as well...it will probably be upwards of $60k though.
I went with the F150 with ecoboost because I liked the look the best. The dodge and GM were both really nice trucks. It came down to personal choice. The Ram has an 8 speed transmission. And with the Hemi, and air shocks, it was a pretty nice drive and is supposed to be pretty good on gas. It sounds good too. The ecoboost sounds like toy.
I am noticing how much bigger the truck is. Getting out of my parking stall at work is a pain in the arse. Make sure you get the back up camera if you have to park in tight spots.
I had a Honda Ridgeline for 5 years before my f150. It was good on gas, and rode like an SUV. It was a decent truck. It was front wheel drive, with the rear wheels being activated only when you needed them. I didn't like the unibody though. I found it limited what accessories you can get. Also I found the box a little too short. It was just shy of 5 feet. I used it for a lot of landscaping, and could fit a pallet in the box no problem. The Tacoma and Frontier you can't. They're too narrow between the wheel wells. The Honda was good when my kids were little. It had plenty of room, and with the trunk in the back, it had a ton of storage that could be locked up.
