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i dont know about you guys , but the honda ridgeline being the truck of the year is a joke . how can a so called truck with only a 5000lbs towing cap even be called a truck ..to me a truck is something that hauls and tows and pulls , maybe they should have a 'pick up' class i mean how do you compare that to say a GMC 3500 diesel with a 16000 lbs plus towing cap not to mention what ford and dodge have to offer... nissan cant even come that close . not to be so partial to the BIG 3 but common a truck is a truck,,,,,,, these are my opinions and im sticking to them

To me, the Ridgeline, Avalanche, Cadillac whatever it is, Mercury whatever it is - they all fall into a non-truck category. Those are hybrid 'experiments'. Sure, they're built on truck chassis', but they have an odd 'bed' that doesn't seem very truck like.

I agree. For one thing, I think the Ridgeline is hideous. Second, it has unibody construction. Are you kidding me?!? Third, it's meant for suburban grocery getters who occasionally haul mulch. While I like Honda's cars, they have a history of constantly restraining themselves. Witness the Acura RL still hauling itself around with a V6 instead of an 8. Toyota caught Honda off guard when they upsized the Camry in '92, and took over the reigns as having the best selling car. Honda has never been able to retake that crown for good since. Honda was one of the last to come out with an SUV of their own, having sold rebadged Isuzu Rodeos for half a decade. And finally, their first-gen Odyssey was small and underpowered. They finally got the hint on what us big fat Americans want and made the 2nd and 3rd generation Odysseys much bigger.

From what I've read, Toyota will significantly up the ante with the next-gen Tundra. Question is, will they offer a heavy-duty version? Until they do, a lot of Americans will continue to look down on Japanese trucks as being made for sissies.

It looks to me like most trucks don't have full sized beds any more, even perennial favorites like the F-150. A friend of mine has an old F-150 that I borrow occasionally. You can put a full sized sheet of plywood in the bed of one of those.

Why buy a pick up truck with a small bed? They are not much good for real work, and I don't get the point of those for every day use. You end up with either your groceries out in the rain, or one of those silly hard covers that further limits what you can carry.

Heck I can fit more in my Yukon XL (same as a Suburban) with the seats down than most pickup trucks can fit. I don't haul mulch in it, of course. The last time I bought mulch, it took two full sized dump trucks to deliver it.

Bob - I had thought about buying an extended-cab 4x4 pickup next time I buy a truck, but then I got to thinking about it and came to the conclusion that the most useful truck I can buy is a regular-cab rear-wheel drive full-size bed (8' long) truck instead. Only then can I haul a motorcycle with it comfortably inside the bed instead of the rear wheel sitting on the tailgate.

Yong

If I were buying a pickup I would get a full size bed, also. Otherwise, what's the point? It is the most useful.

For my needs, the Yukon XL/Suburban is the way to go. When we go to Maine in the summer, I can haul six people and all their luggage and bicycles. And the people fit comfortably, too. My oldest son is 6' and he has plenty of head room in the third row of seats.

The other reason I like a big SUV vs. a pickup truck is that I can haul long items on the roof, such as ladders or rolls of carpet.

Bob - I agree that a large SUV has its advantages over a pickup, as does a minivan or a van. Something else a rear-wheel drive pickup truck offers over a 4x4 pickup is a lower loading height for the bed. Ever try helping a guy load a 700 lbs. tourer onto the back of a 4x4 F250 Super Duty? It's flat out dangerous.

Yong,

The big disadvantage is that all your new neighbors will want to borrow your truck!

Aren't you going to need a big trailer to haul all of your toys?

Bob - Yeah, you're probably right. From what I can tell of the neighborhood I'm going to move to, not many people drive pickups. They're generally in sedans, minivans, or SUVs.

FYI, I currently have a '94 Toyota compact pickup. People ask to borrow it on occasion (every other person in Southwest VA drives a pickup) and I simply ask "Can you drive stick?" Usually they can't, so they wind up not borrowing it. I usually drive it myself to help them out if I have time instead.

As for the trailer, I'll see. A F150 (or the next-gen Tundra) with an 8' bed should suffice for my needs plenty.

Unless you're towing sometime serious (boat, car trailer, or camping trailier), you might as well get a car and a light trailer. Most cars will tow 2-3000lbs, and really, how often do most people need more than that? I suppose the bike-in-puckup combo is better than bike-on-trailer-behind-car , but you should just ride the bike to where you're going. It's not like we're Harley riders. (I jest, of course)

Matt - I see your point. However, I feel more comfortable with the shorter length of a pickup truck compared to car+trailer. I drove 40' long buses as a college student, so big/long vehicles don't bother me. But still, driving a shorter vehicle is much easier in a metro area.

Edit - Oh, I forgot to add that making space for a truck that can act as a self-driven vehicle is a lot easier psychologically than a trailer that simply occupies space unless it's needed to haul something.

yjleesvrr wrote:Matt - I see your point. However, I feel more comfortable with the shorter length of a pickup truck compared to car+trailer. I drove 40' long buses as a college student, so big/long vehicles don't bother me. But still, driving a shorter vehicle is much easier in a metro area.

Edit - Oh, I forgot to add that making space for a truck that can act as a self-driven vehicle is a lot easier psychologically than a trailer that simply occupies space unless it's needed to haul something.

Completely true. Even moreso it depends on your parking situation, and how often you need the hauling ability. If you only truely need a truck say three times a year, you'd be better off with a car and renting a pickup (or trailer) when needed. You'd save *at least* enough in gas alone[0] to pay for the rentals. Plus, cars are more fun to drive!

I'm not criticising anyones choices, of course. It doesn't really matter to me what people buy. Unless it's some crappy old pickup moseying up a twisty road in front of me. Then I get steamed.

[0] If you're like me and drive 20k miles a year. I should really talk, either. I'm sure there are trucks (albiet small) that beat the 28mpg my car gets.

Matt - FYI, I'm also a business owner. There are a few times a month where I find my Toyota quite useful. We're expanding our office in the D.C. suburbs, so a pickup will come in handy. I am also set to close on a new house in August, so there are a lot of things I'll be hauling with my truck just for personal reasons.

A full-size truck in the next couple years will be very useful for me to have. Given my motorcycle habit actually, it may be many more years.

Edit - My Toyota compact pickup gets 30 mpg on the highway and 25 mpg around town. But it has a stick, so I contribute to its higher-than-normal mileage with judicious use of the transmission.

i think when it comes to cars and especially trucks i will continue to purchase AMERICAN ' GM and fords are very well made and i like suppoting our country especially when you read in the papers that GM and FORD are laying off people.. i think that if HARLEY was hurting and laying off i would probably 'break down' and buy one

For trucks, I'd agree in general save for a possible Toyota purchase. For cars? I have yet to forgive GM and Ford for the craptacular cars I drove in high school. Yes, I know they've improved, but Detroit cars have yet to match the smooth, refined reliability and operation of Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus, and to a certain extent Nissan. Never mind the comparison to my BMW.

I driven a LOT of rentals over the past seven years. Every Ford, GM, and Chrysler product I've driven seemed just a little, um, off.

I'm with Yong, I would rather have a truck or SUV than a trailer, simply because I have no good place to store a trailer.

Bob - you need the SUV because you have too many kids!

And beekerstersocal - my last Ford Taurus was assembled in Mexico; my last Chevy truck was assembled in Canada.

My last Camry was assembled in Ohio, as are our company Nissans.

The UAW can take a hike!

either way when you buy american especially cars and trucks they have a huge impact on the economy in a positive way
and the quality of how a vehicle is in the eye of the beholder
i feel that the imports [except most german] are bouncy thin and cheap weras my GMCenvoy xl is most pleasant and solid and i sure would rather be in a accident in that versus a toyota camery
also regardless of where there made the money goes to there homeland and i prefer to keep mine here were its needed but either way to each their own'...........

................................ these are my opinions and im sticking to them

Actually, if you look at where the majority of the money goes, it's where the suppliers manufacture the parts and labor assembles them. The difference isn't quite as large as you'd think. Anecdotal evidence aside, data collected and analyzed carefully shows that the Japanese on average make more reliable cars and trucks, Americans next, then the Europeans. European automotive reliability was surpassed by Detroit through the 90s due to the proliferation of electronics in such brands as Mercedes and the pressure put on Euro suppliers to cut cost by VW and, again, Daimler. Various long-term tests and statistics collected by magazines such as Car and Driver and Consumer Reports bear this out.

Plus, I'll take you up on your offer of colliding with you while you're in your Envoy while I take a new Camry with its more advanced crumple zones and plethora of airbags

Did somebody say TRUCK? Now here is a proper truck...400hp and 500 ft lbs of torque with the full Banks upgrades. I can tow my 35ft 5th wheel over the highest Colorado passes without breathing hard! Full size 8ft bed with 6 speed manual and 6 manly size wheels

Last truck I bought was a 2005 Ford F150. Bone stock, smallest V8, club cab (rear doors are only half doors) and a short bed. Has vinyl seats & rubber floor like a real truck should. Its a work truck, the bed just fits my survey equipment, I keep the instruments in the back seat.

Paid $17,000 for it. I got the F150 instead of a F250 to save $$ & gas, figure the F150 is a disposable vehicle, should last 150,000 miles, which is about 10-12 years. Gets about 13-14mpg around town with 2 big guys and all the gear. Unfortunately, as a half ton, its slightly over loaded, typical pickup payload is only about 1,600 lbs these days (gas, people, stuff).

It drives great, very smooth, its the best pickup I've had in years. Has about 20,000 miles with only fuel & oil so far.

My other 2 trucks are 3/4 ton suburban 4x4s. One an 89, the other a 2001. Both as tough as they need to be. And by the way, a trucks not a 4x4 unless it has high/low range gearing. These all wheel drive things without low range are for paved roads, not dirt.

I intend to look at the Dodge midsize truck. I saw somewhere they have a heavy duty version that gets 17mpg. That excites me.