Need / want a pickup truck

[Industrial Toys]

When I bought mye first FORD 917 Flail Mower (1000#s, give or take) I had the dealership load it with an Engine hoist in my Employers Areostar Van. Took it out with a boom pole. I had a newly found respect for that feeble, four banger, manual trans and fourteen inch wheels, van after that.

 

[Diggin It]

I replaced the alternator at about 80,000 miles and I just had to AC done last week. The mechanic said that the way it's designed, the compressor or something else, I forget, rubs where it's mounted and wore a hole through the side of it. New factory ford parts and labor cost me $1,400, along with a rubber pad to stop it from wearing there again.

That would be either a warranty item or a manufacturing defect that would be on the company. I fought a similar battle in the late 80s over a Ford Van that needed a front end alignment when the dealer told me they couldn't do it without frame work that was going to cost $X and was not covered. I pitched a fit and convinced them that by admitting they knew they needed to do it on all vans for the first alignment, they proved it was a design defect.

 

[Milo]

....I've always resisted P/Us though due to the lack of interior/protected space for groceries, etc. I've packed my 95 Taurus wagon to the gills more times on rainy or snowy days than I can remember. In the back of an open P/U, much of it would have been damaged. If you put a hard cover over the bed, you lose the ability to carry taller items. For me, a trailer has worked out better, so far.

All that said, if I could find a reliable P/U (brand/model unimportant) in decent shape under $2500, I might bite. Can't be a fuel sucker or 5' off the ground where you need a ladder to climb into it though.

Always wondered why the El Camino/Ranchero concept didn't catch on better.

When I was looking to replace my 2004 Toyota Tundra with another 4wd truck of similar size, certainly no larger, I looked closely at Tacomas and the then new GM Canyon/Colorado. I also considered something like a Subaru Outback along with a small trailer but I haul stuff in the bed of my truck most of the time and I did not want to be pulling a trailer most of the time. I started comparing specs such as payload and towing capacity, power, ground clearance, approach angle, then one day sat down and really analyzed what would be most important and useful for me day in and day out. Yeah it had to have a bed, adequate traction and ground clearance to drive across my field and on my dirt road in the snow, but also I wanted comfort, nice ride quality, good handling, a quiet ride, and good mpg. Also interior usefulness for carrying stuff like groceries, my dog, rifle, camping gear, etc. I had to remove the little rear seats in my Tundra to gain enough interior storage.
The truck that checked all the boxes was an AWD Honda Ridgeline so that is what I ended up buying. With fully independent suspension the thing rides like a Cadillac, handles like a sport sedan, has plenty of power, plus gets 33% better mpg than the 6 cylinder Tundra it replaced. The interior is roomy, quiet, and the front seats are large and comfortable. There is room under the rear seats for something like a rifle case, golf clubs, etc. or they fold up individually which gives a lot of room. Then there's the large trunk under the bed which I use all the time.

Sort of like a modern day, heavier duty El Camino/Ranchero.

 

[Diggin It]

Didn't they make those for people who couldn't decide if they wanted a car or a truck? They still make them today just different looking, the Chevy Avalanche, the Honda Ridgeline, etc.

I'm not sure I consider those the same since they sit so much higher. The appeal of the ElCamino/Ranchero was the 'car' height. I found a late 70s ElCamino for sale not too long ago, but I didn't follow through due to the engine size. Not sure now, but I think it had a 454 or whatever that similar Chevy size was.

 

[Milo]

Ridgeline might sit a bit higher than an El Camino but lower than other trucks, about the same as a Subaru. Another thing I really like is the short hood which slopes down providing excellent visibility.

 

[ArlyA]

We've got a 2017 Tacoma which has been less than ideal... We plan to get one of those new rangers as its replacement.

 

[ericm979]

El Camino/Rancheros are the Mullets of vehicles: business in the front, party in back. The problem with them is that the beds are short and they have the carrying capacity of a sedan. Also the rear ends are light so they're bad in the snow. But mostly it's the small cab. Most modern pickups have double cabs so you can carry four or five people in relative comfort.

I've had an El Camino and trucks from Ford, GMC, Toyota. The current one is a Tundra. We test drove an F150 and I didn't like how the transmission always went for high gear and was slow to downshift and my wife did not like the ride. The Tundra was better on both fronts. Tundras hold their value well. I was looking for a good low mile used one but they sell for barely less than a new one. I ended up finding a new one at a good deal, in part because it had an unusual combination of options that most people would not want but was perfect for us.

One thing you often get with late model trucks is backup cameras and proximity sensors. They can be useful especially if someone new to trucks will be driving it. My wife would not drive my full size GMC but with the sensors she can park the Tundra in the tiny parking spaces they have in town or back it into the barn at the feed store.

The die hard Ford vs Chevy thing doesn't make sense to me. I buy what suits my needs at the time.

 

[Milo]

They get nicked for their mpg but if I were in the market for a full size truck, one that I was going to keep for a long time, it'd be a Tundra. The things seem to last forever.

 

[tookielee]

I've always resisted P/Us though due to the lack of interior/protected space for groceries, etc.

Always wondered why the El Camino/Ranchero concept didn't catch on better.

Answered your own question

 

[Industrial Toys]

A friend has something more of a Mullet than an ElCamino. It's some weird kind of Ford Van with a Flat Deck "thing" to pull a fifth wheel trailer.