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Mahes

Mahes

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So,

I could not find a Truck thread and so presume it would fall under cars.

My 2013 GT Mustang got totaled thanks to an illegal left turn on a light. I actually got back a descent amount given the age of the car. I started looking into a mid-size truck for a replacement. I was pretty dead set on a 2023 Ranger until I found out that the United States of America is not getting the new model that the Philippines, Australia, and Europe are getting for 2023. I could have sworn Ford was originally an American company but I guess that is gone now. So, I figured I would look at other companies that make Mid-Size trucks. Perhaps Foreign companies treat us Like we appear to treat them.

Was hoping maybe a few on the boards had some good suggestions as to what companies they have heard about or experienced personally with mid size trucks.

Thank you for any suggestions.
 
Burns

Burns

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Mahes said:
So,

I could not find a Truck thread and so presume it would fall under cars.

My 2013 GT Mustang got totaled thanks to an illegal left turn on a light. I actually got back a descent amount given the age of the car. I started looking into a mid-size truck for a replacement. I was pretty dead set on a 2023 Ranger until I found out that the United States of America is not getting the new model that the Philippines, Australia, and Europe are getting for 2023. I could have sworn Ford was originally an American company but I guess that is gone now. So, I figured I would look at other companies that make Mid-Size trucks. Perhaps Foreign companies treat us Like we appear to treat them.

Was hoping maybe a few on the boards had some good suggestions as to what companies they have heard about or experienced personally with mid size trucks.

Thank you for any suggestions.
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Toyota and Nissan are better quality manufacturers than Dodge/Ford/GMC and there is a good chance that a higher percent of the vehicle is made in the US, than a "US" brand.

Midsize is Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier.
 
Mahes

Mahes

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I was also looking at the Honda Ridgeline.

The main problem with this one is that it has no real off road packages. I am guessing that it is due to the unibody frame that would make real off roading not as practical. I doubt I would actually use a package all that much. Its more for a "nice to have if I need" kind of thing but I am not sure it is worth all the concern. I have seen Ridgeline videos that show it riding on rough terrain albeit not really rough. Also its towing weight is the lowest but again, how often am I going to actually tow something. What it does have is a nice smooth ride with a spacious interior that even comes with a kind of undercarriage compartment.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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Mahes said:
I was also looking at the Honda Ridgeline.

The main problem with this one is that it has no real off road packages. I am guessing that it is due to the unibody frame that would make real off roading not as practical. I doubt I would actually use a package all that much. Its more for a "nice to have if I need" kind of thing but I am not sure it is worth all the concern. I have seen Ridgeline videos that show it riding on rough terrain albeit not really rough. Also its towing weight is the lowest but again, how often am I going to actually tow something. What it does have is a nice smooth ride with a spacious interior that even comes with a kind of undercarriage compartment.
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Don't take that thing off road. It's not a pickup truck, it's a compact SUV aka car with part of the roof missing.
 
Burren

Burren

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Toyota Tacoma. I wouldn't buy a Nissan product. The only vehicle they put care and quality into is the GTR.
 
Mahes

Mahes

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lurker said:
Get a Rivian.

Road Test
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That is getting a little out of the price range. I am going that high I would consider getting the raptor.

Kind of looking at the Toyota Tacoma. Problems I see with this truck are the interior both looks and space, and the truck apparently rides a bit rough on roads. It does well enough off road but it actually scores pretty low on reviews compared to the other trucks.
 
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Haus

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I know multiple people around my parts who have Tacomas and have been really happy with them. Doesn't hurt that I'm in Dallas which is where Toyota motors North America is based.

Also, they're built here in the US, if that's a thing for you.

One question would be what tier of "truck owner" are you? Are you really going offroad? Are you really going to be doing big load hauling? Will you be towing a boat/tailer? etc... This more affect what type of truck is best for you.
 
Burns

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Mahes said:
That is getting a little out of the price range. I am going that high I would consider getting the raptor.

Kind of looking at the Toyota Tacoma. Problems I see with this truck are the interior both looks and space, and the truck apparently rides a bit rough on roads. It does well enough off road but it actually scores pretty low on reviews compared to the other trucks.
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If you are coming from a Mustang and used to that ride, then I doubt a Tacoma is going to ride anything close to that firmness. All my sports cars have had a much harder suspension than any truck I have been in (never been in a truck specify kitted for off road, though).

As long as you are confident you can straight up say no to a salesman and not make a purchase from emotions, you may want to just visit the various dealers and drive them all. Even adding in all the US brands, there are only 5 or 6 options in total? If you can go on a weekday, in the morning (early lunch hour), the sales guys are more likely to just be sitting around twiddling their thumbs (doomscrolling the internet) and ready to get out of the office. Tip: If you don't want a flood of sales phone calls, set up a google voice number to give out and a secondary email account.


While I was writing the above:
Thought maybe some of the other Asian brands might be getting into the truck market and wanted to double check, then remembered that I still had access to Consumer Reports. I didn't realize there would be much difference between the Tacoma and the Tundra, but Consumer Reports has the Tacoma in the middle of the pack, whereas the Tundra is second.

I have driven a 2010s generation Tundra and though it was very nice when compared to a couple of the same generation Ford F150s, but never been in a Tacoma (F150 interior, especially, was sub standard).

Here are the Consumer Reports ratings, I don't know how accurate they are, as I never used them for deciding on a vehicle:
2022-08-22 10.27.30 www.consumerreports.org f374b4383dfb.png
2022-08-22 10.26.57 www.consumerreports.org 6c740a693bbc.png
 
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Mahes

Mahes

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I am looking at mid-size. I do not need a full size truck. The Tacoma certainly looks nice. I will be test driving a few trucks,
 
Fucker

Fucker

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Tacoma is an ancient design, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your views. It was an ok design when new and still is ok. Built in Mexico now. That just leaves GM, Ford, Nissan. GM can't make anything anymore, and Ford's shit quality is infecting their truck lines. Nissan recently updated their Frontier....but it is still an ancient truck underneath. It wasn't all that good when it was a new design, now it is just plain bad. They are using the ZF 9-speed transmission which is a major pile of shit in every other vehicle it has been put in and it still hasn't been fixed. Honda makes an SUV based truck, but it is also using that shit ZF 9 speed.

IMO, midsize trucks have none of the positives of a full size truck and still bad MPG. Well, they fit in small garages whereas full size truck may not.

Toyota Tundra full size which you don't want but a good option if you can stand the BAD GAS MILEAGE. 2007-2021. Redesigned interior and fenders for 2014. Standard legendary Toyota quality and nice engine and transmission. Skip the 4.6L V8. Dual cab regular bed or crew cab long bed. I wanted a DC 2014+, but got a slightly older crew cab because it is mint and had a full service history. I've owned a lot of trucks. Last one was new 2018 F250. I like this one most of all. I don't care about MPG but 13 MPG city could be a giant PITA for some people.

If I needed something small but only needed occasional towing or wherever, I'd get a 4runner and a trailer.
 
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lurker

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Mahes said:
That is getting a little out of the price range. I am going that high I would consider getting the raptor.

Kind of looking at the Toyota Tacoma. Problems I see with this truck are the interior both looks and space, and the truck apparently rides a bit rough on roads. It does well enough off road but it actually scores pretty low on reviews compared to the other trucks.
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Out of my range, too. I just changed the oil on my 2003 Chevy Silverado w/150k miles on it. I hope it’s the last car I buy for myself so I’m not really up on what’s out there except I learned about the Rivian because a friend was going to get one. Good luck in your search.
 
Burns

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Mahes said:
I am looking at mid-size. I do not need a full size truck. The Tacoma certainly looks nice. I will be test driving a few trucks,
Click to expand...
I posted the full size for anyone else that may be curious how consumer reports rates them. The mid size trucks are also there, it's just that marketing from the manufacturer wants them labeled as compact trucks.
 
Mahes

Mahes

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I have to say that the reviews kind of surprise me.

I know the Ridgeline is great for road but how does it score so high with its weak off road capability. The Toyota Tundra is a ways better than the F-150. My dad swears by Ford so it has influence on me but if Toyota really is that much better in full size then that is something. Also surprised at the breaking for the Ford Ranger given that was one of the complaints of the Ridgeline was the soft breaks.

Really wish they had an off road option for the Ridgeline as it really seems to be the all around best option. As I said, I would rarely use it, but it seems silly to me to own a truck but have to be concerned off road.
 
BrutulTM

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What do you want a pickup for? If it's just for hauling shit home from Home Depot you can rent a pickup truck from UHaul or in some cases directly from Home Depot for like $20 plus mileage, and it will have a bigger bed than some mini-pickup. Unless it's more than a few times a year it will be way cheaper to drive some sort of car (maybe even with some cargo space of its own) and just rent a pickup when you have something bigger to haul. I say this as the owner of several full sized pickups.
 
Fucker

Fucker

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Mahes said:
I have to say that the reviews kind of surprise me.

I know the Ridgeline is great for road but how does it score so high with its weak off road capability. The Toyota Tundra is a ways better than the F-150. My dad swears by Ford so it has influence on me but if Toyota really is that much better in full size then that is something. Also surprised at the breaking for the Ford Ranger given that was one of the complaints of the Ridgeline was the soft breaks.

Really wish they had an off road option for the Ridgeline as it really seems to be the all around best option. As I said, I would rarely use it, but it seems silly to me to own a truck but have to be concerned off road.
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Honda Ridgeline is the Honda Pilot, but with a bed. I had one with 6 speed. Nice enough around towner, throw a few bags of soil in the bed type of vehicle.

I don't go off road, so I don't care if they are capable or not.

Ford beats Toyota Tundra in terms of MPG and ride quality. Toyota beats them all by a huge margin in reliability. The 2007-2021 Toyota Tundra with 5.7L engine is a solid truck and old tech which is what I wanted. 2014 new interior and fenders, same everything else. You can put modern head unit in them for Carplay and Android. The biggest downside of Tundra is the epic bad MPG. 13 city.
 
Springbok

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I just bought a 22' Frontier Pro 4X as my offroad truck. I test drove many other trucks (Ram Rebel, Tacoma, Tundra, F150 newer Ranger, etc). Bear in mind this is just a toy for some land I bough in CO but here were my thoughts...

In the midsize segment, the Frontier was the best on road, has the best interior and to my eye looks the nicest. It's smooth and feels good to drive on the highway. Off road, the size lends itself to doing things you may end up regretting as the Pro 4x is not a TRD PRO model, or a Raptor equivalent - it's a basic Frontier with better suspension and nicer looks. The Tacoma was to me the worst truck I drove when looking for something. It's rough, the transmission is extremely weird in shifting, and the interior was pretty dated. That said, I understand they last forever and have great warranties.

Full size trucks were another animal entirely - I sold my older Silverado a few years ago and have since bought several cars (new defender M550i M4 Comp etc) but I was still pretty amazed how far big trucks have come in the fit, finish, ride quality and amenities. The Ram in particular was an awesome truck for the $. The new Tundra is nice, but still falls short of the American trucks in what you get for the $ and the ride quality was comparable to my Frontier. Ultimately, I chose Frontier because of the $, what I'd be using it for (trails, lugging around water tanks, etc), and the size. I also park the truck outside and keep the defender and M4 in garage. For me, the Frontier/Tacoma debate is no debate at all really after driving both a fair amount. However, if it's the only vehicle you'll have and use as a daily I'd suggest a 2019+ Ram.

My $.02
 
Mahes

Mahes

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BrutulTM said:
What do you want a pickup for? If it's just for hauling shit home from Home Depot you can rent a pickup truck from UHaul or in some cases directly from Home Depot for like $20 plus mileage, and it will have a bigger bed than some mini-pickup. Unless it's more than a few times a year it will be way cheaper to drive some sort of car (maybe even with some cargo space of its own) and just rent a pickup when you have something bigger to haul. I say this as the owner of several full sized pickups.
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This is as much my wife as it is me wanting a truck. I am done with sports cars and we have a 2009 fit for gas mileage. My wife drives a 2019 Subaru Crosstrek( A very nice car). I love the varying opinions on brands.
 
Mahes

Mahes

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Sweet,

Thankyou President Biden for the 10k towards my new truck in the near future.
 
Kobayashi

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Here's my opinion on mid-size trucks:

Haven't driven the Ranger or Colorado enough to form an opinion.

Tacoma: If you're on the taller side, definitely test drive first. I hate the cabin area, my head was almost touching the headliner when I got the seats in a comfortable position. I hate driving this truck - bad sightlines, jerky engine/trans.

Frontier: The engine is kind of a pig, but I don't hate the transmission as much as most people. Turning radius kind of blows. Decent overall.

Ridgeline: My favorite in the segment that I've driven. Ride is a lot smoother and not as truck-like on account of the unibody. Infotainment system blows, driver assist features want to kill you - either turn off the lane keep assist or buy one without.

Gladiator: If buying new, this is one of the few vehicles that you can actually get a deal on. The first year or so, these were super hot, but demand has fallen off a cliff. Only worthwhile if you like the Jeep plusses (like being able to take off the doors or having a soft-top) and are willing to put up with the minuses (noise, ride, etc).

I personally really want a hybrid Maverick which is probably smaller than you're looking for. However, I'm going to wait until they've finally worked out all their bugs and have no interest in paying a premium over sticker, so, I'll probably waiting at least a few more years.
 
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