Truck Shopping - Update: now with build, bikes, and colorado

[Yambers]

I will never do a black vehicle again. Mine vehicle is black, the wife's vehicle is black, and one of the daughters vehicles is black. They show EVERYTHING!!

 

[I_squared_r]

I will never do a black vehicle again. Mine vehicle is black, the wife's vehicle is black, and one of the daughters vehicles is black. They show EVERYTHING!!

I had a black 2016 Hyundai Azera and it looked nice. Funny thing is that tourists in manhattan always tried to get into my car because they thought I was an uber. Thats another thing to consider when living in a large city lol

 

[ripler]

I'd say Gladiator with the new EcoDiesel. Good mileage, good towing capacity. Aftermarket parts is huge and affordable. Might be more expensive but it will hold it's value more than the others. Cons, buying DEF.

The diesel Gladiator actually gas less towing capacity than the gas version, due to cooling, it's only rated for 6K, my Rubicon is rated 7K and the sport with max tow package is 7650

 

[Floridaman79]

I'm partial to chevrolets. I was just born a chevy guy and probably won't ever change. I was just wired that way. The good news is that truck shopping is super easy for me. I just pick out the color of silverado I like

 

[Troch1]

I'm partial to chevrolets. I was just born a chevy guy and probably won't ever change. I was just wired that way. The good news is that truck shopping is super easy for me. I just pick out the color of silverado I like

Some days I would kill to be that singularly focused...it would be so much less stressful! Then again, what would I do with all of my time if I didn’t need to incessantly research everything?!?!

 

[Floridaman79]

Oh I do lots of research, just in stuff I can't afford!

 

[AZMark]

I've had 3 Toyotas for the past 15 years without a single mechanical issue in 120-150k miles on each so I think they are hands down the best trucks for reliability. That said, I do not think you will be very happy towing a 24' boat with fuel, gear, and guests in a Tacoma.
Your tow is short and NY is flat so you'll probably get away with it OK, but if that situation changes or if you want to go far then that's a lot of weight for that engine to pull.
The lakes I go to are farther (15-90 miles) with some big hills, but my prior 4runner struggled with a 21ft and it has slightly more torque with the bigger engine than Tacoma.
The chassis/handling will be fine with any of the vehicles you're considering for towing a boat. Travel trailer, not so much.

 

[AZMark]

I love the way a black ZR2 Colorado looks, but despite the engine choice, it only is rated for 5000lbs. I guess the raised suspension isn't stable enough so it loses 2000lbs capacity. The same thing happens to the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon - 4500lbs with the raised suspension. The interesting thing is that the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro is best in class 6400lb towing capacity - somehow only losing 400lbs capacity when raised.

So it is tempting to find a certified preowned Toyota Tacoma TRD and use that to tow a 24ft boat. Currently I only tow my boat a whopping 1 mile to the ramp and there isn't hills. But idk what the future will bring.

I'm moving away from the Ranger and Gladiator because of cost. I can't find these preowned because they are still new. I could buy a certified preowned Tacoma or Colorado and leave money for a boat upgrade..

I don't know anything about the Colorado or Gladiator, but Toyota doesn't like to lift their offroad versions much from the factory. They just put much better shocks along with wheels/tires and all the electronic offroad gizmos. Dealers will go ahead and throw a 2-3" spacer lift on them, it would probably come with a much lower towing rating if the factory did that.

 

[adrianp89]

Just curious, what is budget?

 

[I_squared_r]

Just curious, what is budget?

I want to stay in the 40's. My credit union will do 2.84% apr 72 month (maybe less, I haven't checked). So i'll put down enough money to reduce the loan to approximately $450/month. There seems to be a high demand because Toyota doesn't provide many incentives .. only $1k cash on Tacomas (except TDR Pro).

I was able to check out a blacked out TDR Pro and that truck was really cool! I also went to see a Colorado and Ranger. Although those trucks weren't well equipped, the overall styling and feel was disappointing to me. The interior and exterior styling feels like tame family vehicles. In contrast, the Tacoma feels like something made for adventures.

I did find a 2020 Tacoma TRD Off Road, 4k miles, with some options for $39k. That is really tempting for me, but i'm not ready to sign the papers. I'm going to sell my Pathfinder and Superjet, pay off my boat, and then go buy something. But I think i've made up my mind.

 

[adrianp89]

Curious why the Gladiator is out on price. A Sport S can be had right now for 34k. An Overland is in your budget at 42k.

 

[Liftr]

I just bought a Gladiator Sport S. 8 speed automatic.
3 piece convertible hard top, LED lights, rear safety package, tow package, stereo upgrade, bedliner, and it cost $39K.

It will tow over 6 thousand pounds. You need the “Max Tow Package” to get up to #7,650 pounds.
That gives you a rear end ratio of 4.10. My 3.73 gear is giving me 19 MPG in early mixed usage.
It has 38 inches of legroom in the back seat. I think that is the largest in the group.

 

[I_squared_r]

Curious why the Gladiator is out on price. A Sport S can be had right now for 34k. An Overland is in your budget at 42k.

Oh you're right. I found this Overland near me and it's $49k, but Jeep is giving $5k cash for buying it. So it's $44k and that matches up with a fully loaded Tacoma TRD. I'll go check out the Gladiator in person this week.

 

[adrianp89]

I don't remember the dealer, but I have heard multiple times there is a large Jeep dealer in the NY/NJ area with some of the best deals of the country. Prob worth looking into if you go that route.

 

[ripler]

If you want to buy a Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator I would suggest joining Tread Lightly, its 100/ year and once you are a member for a month you can request an affiliate number which allows you 1% under invoice as a starting point for negotiation.

 

[adrianp89]

If you want to buy a Jeep Wrangler or Gladiator I would suggest joining Tread Lightly, its 100/ year and once you are a member for a month you can request an affiliate number which allows you 1% under invoice as a starting point for negotiation.

They are doing employee pricing right now.

 

[ripler]

They are doing employee pricing right now.

They don't offer employee pricing on higher end trim levels, you can use the Tread Lightly on any trim level I think, at least I was able to use it on my Rubicon.

 

[Dixie Highway]

If I was considering a 24’ boat in the future, I’d strongly look to a full size truck. While it’s true a mile tow each way is no big deal, what if you want to tow that big new boat to Florida for a week? I fully understand the appeal of a mid size truck, especially in NYC, but honestly a full size isn’t THAT much harder to drive and park than say, a Gladiator. Dollar for dollar you’ll be getting a whole lot more truck than a Tacoma for the same $45k, and you’ll have that extra safety margin for towing. Fuel economy won’t be that much different either, this is from someone that has owned and driven myriad different trucks both mid and full size. I typically rent trucks when I travel for work, honestly your observed economy will likely be within 2-5 mpg depending on engine choice and driving habits.

 

[2kwik4u]

If I was considering a 24’ boat in the future, I’d strongly look to a full size truck. While it’s true a mile tow each way is no big deal, what if you want to tow that big new boat to Florida for a week? I fully understand the appeal of a mid size truck, especially in NYC, but honestly a full size isn’t THAT much harder to drive and park than say, a Gladiator. Dollar for dollar you’ll be getting a whole lot more truck than a Tacoma for the same $45k, and you’ll have that extra safety margin for towing. Fuel economy won’t be that much different either, this is from someone that has owned and driven myriad different trucks both mid and full size. I typically rent trucks when I travel for work, honestly your observed economy will likely be within 2-5 mpg depending on engine choice and driving habits.

Came in to say this.

Once I moved from a mid-size/compact to a fullsize I'll never go back. The interior space, and tow/haul capability can't be understated, and the total cost of ownership is literally within a few dollars of each other. ESPECIALLY when you buy "off lease", and let someone else take the depreciation hit for you. I got a fullsize pickup for under $40k with 36k miles on it. It gets almost the same mileage as my buddies Colorado, but has far more interior space, and bed space. The cooling, braking, and suspension systems are more capable, and better suited to "work hard often".

The drawback is they don't fit in parking spaces quite as easily. So if storage, or parking are an issue for you (in NYC I can certainly see that being the case), then a mid-size "kinda helps".

Some Dimensions for reference:

Chevy Silverado
220in Long
81in Wide
78in High

Jeep Gladiator
218in long
74in Wide
76in High

You're talking about 2in shorter, 7in narrower, and 2 in less tall........a "mid size" isn't really that small!

 

[jdkaeser]

The diesel Gladiator actually gas less towing capacity than the gas version, due to cooling, it's only rated for 6K, my Rubicon is rated 7K and the sport with max tow package is 7650

I have the 3.6 in my Ram 1500 with 3.55 gears and it has a 7160 towing capacity. That being said it is hard running pulling my 19 footer. Granted I am bit of a lead foot! Mileage is around 10 - 12 while towing. The diesel my be rated lower on the Gladiator but it isn't in the Ram. Also it has 442lbs of torque, and torque is where it is at while towing! I would not tow a 24' with my truck and it is rated to do so. It would be to taxing on the tranny. I just did a 1000 mile and a 1800 mile trips with my 19' and it made me think it's time for a V8 or a diesel.