looking at mid sized pickups

as far as used midsizes go my dad has an 09 dakota quad cab w/ almost 150k on it, 0 problems other than maintance, great little truck with a v8 (if you want that your stuck with the dodge IIRC), however they dont make them new right now, rumor has it a jeep wrangler pickup will be coming out in the next year or so to fill that slot in the Chrysler motors lineup. If it were me id be looking for 10 or 11 dakota (They changed the front end in 08) with a v8 and 4 doors, 4x4 and tow package. If you have any specific questions about the dakotas let me know i have spent enough time driving it i can probably answer for you.

that said, the bed IS short, my road bike just barely fits in with the tailgate closed, and none of my mountain bikes fit with the tonneau cover on it, and my full size RAM 1500 gets better gas milage with the HEMI. the midsizes dont actually save you anything on gas and you give up ALOT for the little bit of flexibility/maneuverability in parking lots.
 
shrpshtr325 said:
as far as used midsizes go my dad has an 09 dakota quad cab w/ almost 150k on it, 0 problems other than maintance, great little truck with a v8 (if you want that your stuck with the dodge IIRC), however they dont make them new right now, rumor has it a jeep wrangler pickup will be coming out in the next year or so to fill that slot in the Chrysler motors lineup. If it were me id be looking for 10 or 11 dakota (They changed the front end in 08) with a v8 and 4 doors, 4x4 and tow package. If you have any specific questions about the dakotas let me know i have spent enough time driving it i can probably answer for you.

that said, the bed IS short, my road bike just barely fits in with the tailgate closed, and none of my mountain bikes fit with the tonneau cover on it, and my full size RAM 1500 gets better gas milage with the HEMI. the midsizes dont actually save you anything on gas and you give up ALOT for the little bit of flexibility/maneuverability in parking lots.
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you know what - i've been looking at the gas mileage on most mid sizes and you're right. i expected them to get A LOT better gas mileage. but typically its only 1mpg better city/hwy.
 
Mahnken said:
I have a 2017 Ridgeline and love it. Drives like a car and is near silent on the inside. However, back seat is kinda cramped with a car seat, and the rear doors don't open as wide as I think they should. The problems I have with it:. I have to take out the car seat when I want to bring my bike with me to work for an after work ride. And it's fine if my wife, baby, and I are taking a road trip (trunk and back seat fill up quickly). But in February we're taking my wife's parents with us to Virginia, and in order for it to work I'm gonna have to buy a tonneau cover or a cap to be able to bring along luggage.
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yea - ive owned a bunch of trucks in the past. all full sized though. a good bed divider and a tonneau are 100% necessary.
 
Gnick said:
you know what - i've been looking at the gas mileage on most mid sizes and you're right. i expected them to get A LOT better gas mileage. but typically its only 1mpg better city/hwy.
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That realization was the last straw that pushed me into a full size when I was looking (about this time last year, ended up waiting to buy for various reasons that are irrelevant here). I couldnt bring myself to buy a toyota/nissan truck with the size of them, the ridgeline completely vanished from the truck market IMO (for my uses) when they redesigned it (not that i would have likely bought one before anyway), and the colorado/canyon just has such small back seats and beds that even my dog would have been tight in the backseat not to mention trying to manage carseat (wasnt even a thought for me but i understand how it could be). The 6.5ft bed (with a cover, mine happens to be a factory soft tri-fold) should be a requirement if you want to be able to haul bikes without buying a rack(but again, this excludes most midsize trucks with 4 doors), and the quad cab (smaller of the two 4door options from RAM) is roomy enough for an adult to sit in for an extended trip if necessary.


i just traveled this road over the last year, lmk if you have any specific questions and ill be more than happy to share my findings with you. More information is better (i think)



Mahnken said:
I have a 2017 Ridgeline and love it. Drives like a car and is near silent on the inside. ...
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on this note, i was pleasantly surprised how quiet the inside of modern full size trucks actually are, even my fiance thinks is quiet (its even quieter than her car). I think road noise/loud cabins are a thing of the past on most modern vehicles at this point (at least the ones left stock, my car will drive most people nuts if they ride even an hour)
 
shrpshtr325 said:
That realization was the last straw that pushed me into a full size when I was looking (about this time last year, ended up waiting to buy for various reasons that are irrelevant here). I couldnt bring myself to buy a toyota/nissan truck with the size of them, the ridgeline completely vanished from the truck market IMO (for my uses) when they redesigned it (not that i would have likely bought one before anyway), and the colorado/canyon just has such small back seats and beds that even my dog would have been tight in the backseat not to mention trying to manage carseat (wasnt even a thought for me but i understand how it could be). The 6.5ft bed (with a cover, mine happens to be a factory soft tri-fold) should be a requirement if you want to be able to haul bikes without buying a rack(but again, this excludes most midsize trucks with 4 doors), and the quad cab (smaller of the two 4door options from RAM) is roomy enough for an adult to sit in for an extended trip if necessary.


i just traveled this road over the last year, lmk if you have any specific questions and ill be more than happy to share my findings with you. More information is better (i think)





on this note, i was pleasantly surprised how quiet the inside of modern full size trucks actually are, even my fiance thinks is quiet (its even quieter than her car). I think road noise/loud cabins are a thing of the past on most modern vehicles at this point (at least the ones left stock, my car will drive most people nuts if they ride even an hour)
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what year is your ram? i ran across this one this morning

https://www.automotiveavenuesnj.com...5-st-four-wheel-drive-truck-1d7hu18n98s592436
 
i bought mine brand new in june, its a 17 quad cab (smaller cab) 4x4 w/ the hemi and 8 speed auto.

I actually walked in to order exactly what i wanted and they had this one that was 2 ticks short that they offered almost 25% off sticker for, made it a no brainer.
 
I'd recommend whatever you decide look for a 3 year old truck getting turned in from a lease. It will have less than 40k on it, (usually more like 30K) be (usually) dealer-maintained, and the lessor will have reduced your cost basis for you by 50% or more. Depreciation sucks in yrs 1-3.
Seconds on the comment regarding "midsize" falling short on MPG improvement vs full size. My 3.4L 4Runner struggles to get 20 highway and the Dakotas are even worse.
Good Luck!
 
w_b said:
I'd recommend whatever you decide look for a 3 year old truck getting turned in from a lease. It will have less than 40k on it, (usually more like 30K) be (usually) dealer-maintained, and the lessor will have reduced your cost basis for you by 50% or more. Depreciation sucks in yrs 1-3.
Seconds on the comment regarding "midsize" falling short on MPG improvement vs full size. My 3.4L 4Runner struggles to get 20 highway and the Dakotas are even worse.
Good Luck!
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yea - someone else mentioned the lease thing. How do you find that out though? all dealerships have used inventories, but they dont say anything about lease turn ins
 
shrpshtr325 said:
i bought mine brand new in june, its a 17 quad cab (smaller cab) 4x4 w/ the hemi and 8 speed auto.

I actually walked in to order exactly what i wanted and they had this one that was 2 ticks short that they offered almost 25% off sticker for, made it a no brainer.
Click to expand...
GOOD DEAL!
 
I had to test drive a Colorado for a customer concern. Has the 2.8 diesel clacking away under the hood. What a friggin turd to drive. Rated at 181 HP my guess is 100 hp. If you ever drove a '80's V6 this is the same feeling... NOTHING happens when the pedal is pressed. Who buys into this crap.
 
Dingo said:
I had to test drive a Colorado for a customer concern. Has the 2.8 diesel clacking away under the hood. What a friggin turd to drive. Rated at 181 HP my guess is 100 hp. If you ever drove a '80's V6 this is the same feeling... NOTHING happens when the pedal is pressed. Who buys into this crap.
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yea i've pretty much realized its full sized or tacoma. there are a couple frontier pro-x4's floating around that are kinda cool, but they are really just trying to compete with the tacoma.
 
Dingo said:
Yep! Tire vibrations, torque converter shudder, A/C freon leaks, radio/nav issues, cold start mis fire injector issues, worn camshafts/broken rocker arms, water leaks, leaky radiators. Just to name a few. Lease it or go broke owning it.
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2015 GMC Sierra slt
Replaced starter, ac clutch and last weak the the vacuum pump (no brakes at low speed). All under 60k miles. Good thing work foots the bill. Never again.....
 
GM really sucks, I mean really. Throw the whole bankrupt thing in there and I am walkin....
 
Gnick said:
yea - someone else mentioned the lease thing. How do you find that out though? all dealerships have used inventories, but they dont say anything about lease turn ins
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Just ask; if they are evasive, walk.
Always remembre YOU are the boss, not them.
 
w_b said:
I'd recommend whatever you decide look for a 3 year old truck getting turned in from a lease. It will have less than 40k on it, (usually more like 30K) be (usually) dealer-maintained, and the lessor will have reduced your cost basis for you by 50% or more. Depreciation sucks in yrs 1-3.
Seconds on the comment regarding "midsize" falling short on MPG improvement vs full size. My 3.4L 4Runner struggles to get 20 highway and the Dakotas are even worse.
Good Luck!
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i tried the lease turn in route and the used route when i was looking, they were going for ~$30k (trucks, at least full sizes, seem to hold their value very well relative to age and mileage) up most with 40-70k miles on them, and forget about the asking price if under 30k miles. this is why i ended up buying a new leftover off the lot when they offered me a good deal on it, full warranty and i get to know the entire history for the same price as a used truck with a bit of powertrain only warranty left? im in!!!!!!!.

as for the mpg on the midsizes, my dads dakota was getting 20 on his commute (probably about 75% highway) when it was new, i think its more like 18.5-19 now, but it also needs spark plugs and a couple of other tune up related things and has aggressive all terrain tires on it, so not a bad loss over 150k miles IMO
 
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i've been doing some research and looked at a couple crew cab mid-sized trucks. Car seats do not fit well in the tundra and frontier. I'm not a big guy (5'8") and i'd have to move my seat up. might have to go the full sized route and up my budget a bit
 
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