Pickup Trucks for Women (Experiences/Opinions)

mtngal

Don't get me started on some of my favorite topics, or I'll go on too long. Actually I was interested in what you had to say. I didn't realize that GM did such a major redo on their pickups that year - they didn't change much on the exterior styling. It is sad that they lightened the vehicle that much.

I've had compact pickups recently, (no longer own horses) and even they have changed significantly recently. My dream is to someday retire, buy a full sized pickup and a 5th wheel trailer and go explore North America for a couple of years. I'd love to see New England in the fall, and Alaska in the summer, Florida in the winter and all points in between. So I'm trying to keep up with what's going on with full sized pickups.

mullins87

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you are talking about the change from the '88-'99(?) bodystyle to the current one. I was referring to the change from the old '87(box style like your '76) to the rounded '88-'99 bodystyle. I haven't had any experience with the current GM vehicles as I gave up on them some time ago.

leomort

Anyone have a 4x4 Taco w/ 4cyl automatic? How's the small four cylinder do in this truck?

Leo

mtngal

I don't have the 4x4 or the auto, but I do have the 4 cylinder. With a 5 speed it is adequate for my needs, since it will go 65 mph (no faster though) in 4th gear uphill. I doubt if it would maintain that speed with an auto, especially with the extra weight from the 4x4 system. I would not go with an auto in a Tacoma with less than a V6.

As you know, I'm not a fan of the Tacoma. Mine is currently in the shop with a very dead radiator (the truck is only 18 months old!). Service person said that he had never seen a radiator with a blockage he couldn't get to move at all, and he figured there was no point in rodding it out because it would probably break before it moved. So I get to buy a new radiator.

tomh12

Before you agree to replace the radiator on your truck, you should find out if anyone who has serviced your truck added the wrong anti-freeze to it. This can cause the anti-freeze to "gel" and block your radiator. Has the dealer done all the oil changes/service work, or have you had other places change oil, etc.? Your dealer should be able to tell if it has blockage from "dex-cool" being mixed with regular anti-freeze. Just my $.02 worth.
Tom

mtngal

The dealership said that the blockage acted more like cement than gelled anti-freeze. The service person said he had never seen anything quite like it - he couldn't budge the blockage at all (something you would be able to do if the fluid had gelled). I usually use a local mechanic rather than the dealership for most of our servicing, and did have the radiator flushed late summer/early fall at 30,000 miles. It is now at 62,000 miles and hasn't had anything additional added to it.

The story does have a happy ending. The service department talked to the Toyota extended warranty people and they will cover the replacement radiator. We'll go to pick it up Saturday (I won't be on the Bakersfield side of the hill until then). I'm very happy with the service we are getting. I am very glad that I have the opportunity to shop in Bakersfield - everyone is so friendly and you get such great service all over the city. A wonderful change from the LA attitude!

tomh12

Glad for the resolution. Something is rotten in Denmark with that radiator blockage. I would ask the dealership to cut into the thing and find the blockage just to satisfy my curiosity. Or, at least haul the thing to your own mechanic and see if he can figure it out. Good luck.
Tom

PF_Flyer

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leomort

You have the 4x2? That has a little smaller 4cylinder than the 4x4, I think? Hmm might have to go test drive a 4cyl 4x4 Taco and see. Don't know if we can afford a new Taco 4x4 w/ V6. From what I seen they run about 2K more than V4.

Leo

mullins87

V4 Taco???

leomort

The 4 cylinder 4x4....I think it's the 2.7L in the 4x4 version of Tacoma.

What's the correct term? an inline 4 cylinder? Thus and I-4?

Leo

mullins87

Sorry Leo, just picking on ya'.

mtngal

Definitely test drive. Assuming that the 4x4 has a larger engine, it will have to handle the extra weight etc. of the 4x4 system. That could mean that it would drive the same as my smaller engine 4x2. If that is the case, then it would be fine with a manual, but questionable with an auto. And it also depends on how you are going to use it. If you don't have to climb steep mountain passes at freeway speeds it might be OK. That old Nissan of mine had no tranny problems for the first 10 years I owned it. It was only when I moved to the mountains that I started to burn up trannys.

leomort

Jim,

I figured you were teasin'

Leo

leomort

I wouldn't mind a manual, but it will probably be an automatic so the wife can drive.

I live in western Pennsylania so no mountains to climb. I would use it as my daily driver--60 mile round trip, plus my hunting vehicle but not towing anything.

I might have to take a serious look at the 6 cylinder then.

Figure, I keep my vehicle 8-10 years so it might be worth scraping up the extra$$.

Leo

mtngal

Also make sure you can live with those seats. I understand they improved them for 2002.

mtngal

When I bought the Taco I had every intention of keeping it 8-10 years, and replacing the Wrangler next. However, it isn't going to work that way - I hate the seats enough to want to dump the Taco as soon as I can afford to. The Wrangler is going to have to wait for a few more years. Since I love it and would be replacing it with another, newer one, it isn't a problem. Just have to figure more maintenance costs as things wear out.

KCRam

I went to college in Pittsburgh in the mid 80s, so I know western PA very well. No mountains, but that side of PA is very hilly. I only had to drive a stick out that way once (my cousin's 1981 Accord), but that was enough. Double-downshifts were the norm, not the exception when a road hit a minor hill. If you're going to have the weaker 4-banger, the automatic will be easier on you too.

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leomort

small world! I drive into Pittsburgh, Oakland to be more specific, every day for work. 30 miles one way. Yep, it can get hilly around here. It can be tough on us manual users. But since the wife has a significant influence on our next vehicle purchase, it will more than likely be an automatic.

leomort

I don't know if any seats can be more uncomfortable than my seats in Toyota Paseo. They're ok for the 1hr commute to work, but much longer than that and your back feels it. But I'll definitely take a careful look at the Taco's seats.

I might do what your doing, and see if I can wait until sometime next year to buy. But a '94 Toyota Paseo w/ 186k+ miles, starts to make me consider getting a new vehicle this year. Hmm. we'll see if Toyota runs any of those special financing later this year and play it by ear.

Leo

mtngal

Sounds like you are in the same boat I am. I find the 2000 Taco's seats have no back support at all. And I also have a problem that my head is forced forward because I'm short and the head restraint is tilted forward just where the back of my head hits it. My 6' husband doesn't have that problem, so make sure that the seats are comfortable for both you and your wife. I haven't looked at the 2002, so those redesigned seats may have corrected both problems.

When I took it in to the dealership for the radiator, I asked if there was a more comfortable seat they could replace mine with. They said they outsource their seats for leather (or whatever).

On the other hand, it is cheaper to keep fixing things on your '94 unless you start having tranny problems. I'd probably still be driving that '88 Nissan hardbody if I hadn't started having tranny problems - everything else wasn't that bad to fix, the truck ran great and the seats were far more comfortable.

leomort

You're right in that it's cheaper to fix the '94 Paseo than buying a new vehicle and having payments. Recently, the car has started burning oil about 0.5 quarts per oil change (every 3,000 miles for me). I'll see how the car does during inspection/emissions this May.

Isn't it addicting to look at all those new cars when at the dealer?! Get me thinking about a new vehicle.

Leo

mtngal

Have you got that right! Looking at all those new cars is addicting. This past weekend when we were looking at the Ranger the dealer had a 3/4 ton diesel parked right in front of it. Sigh! I don't think my other half will look at anything else now. I, on the other hand, love looking at all those new cars and trucks, even if I'm only mildly interested in them.

It doesn't sound good, but are you sure that you don't have a leaking seal somewhere? We started using oil with the Nissan and tracked it to a leak, not an engine problem. Of course it was one of the more expensive seals, but still less than a new engine or a new tranny.

Saturday I'm going to drop him off to pick up the Taco while I get an oil change and tire rotation done on the Wrangler. I'm afraid he might come home without the Taco and with something else. It might be an interesting Saturday!

leomort

I haven't bother to track the problem with the oil leak. About 140K, mechanic said one of the cylinder has low comprension. Change timing belt at 160K because water pupm problem...they found the head gasket appear to have leak. I've been keeping an eye on the antifreeze level and it's not using any so the head gasket and antifreeze aren't mixing. It's now at 186K. The burning oil occured around 180K. Any idea what seals would be leaking? How expensive is it to fix?

Leo

mtngal

I'm not a mechanic, but I think you should be trading it now rather than later. It sounds like you might have multiple problems - all of them expensive. One of my coworkers suggested a problem with the rings or valves or something along that line.

I can't remember which seal it was on the Nissan we had replaced - it was over 5 years ago when it was my husband's work truck. It seems to me that it was around $800 then.

Good luck with it!

leomort

The burning oil might be to the head gasket finally starting to give. The toyota mechanic said it wasn't unusual to have low compression in one of the cylinders w. cars over 100K. Low pressure probably due to valves or rings or something like that. So you're probably right.
Oil problems are never a good thing.

Thus my thoughts about getting a new truck this summer/fall. Keep an eye out for the special financing. Think they usually have those good rates around Labor-Day time frame.

Leo

mtngal

Or maybe cash back. That's sometimes a better deal than special financing. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you make it that far.

Are you going to leave the bed open or put something over it? I love having a shell on, but it is limiting. I sort of suggested leaving the next pickup we get open and hauling the dog in a crate instead of the shell/back combination we've been doing now. From his reaction, I don't think that will happen! The funny thing is that I had to talk him into getting a shell for our first pickup (a GMC S-15)! It was an old camper type top, much heavier than today's fiberglass shells. Ours has windows with screens - very useful for keeping the dog comfortable but still not letting him get his head all the way out the window.

textruckr

Of all of our vehicles, my wife's favorite (hands down) is "her" '94 C-3500 crew cab dually, 454 (TBI) and NV4500 5 speed. She is into showing cattle and she regularly hauls either an 18' or 20' steel gooseneck trailer (she avoids pulling our bumper pull like the plague).
She likes the higher vantage point (ride hight), the firmer ride, and the fact that she has enough power to get all of her little darlings safely to the show arena. With smaller loads (2 or 3 heifers or smaller steers, say) she will use the 1/2 ton with the bumper pull - but it is not the same, she says.
What would she like to have other than that truck? One with a diesel. She likes the Ford F350 SD/Powerstroke. Her favorite pickup body style is the Dodge Ram 1994 to 2001. Pity they don't make a REAL crewcab, that is what she would really want (with the Cummins, of course).

Texas Truck - r

leomort

After our discussion, I had some thought later that night. It didn't make sense to me that Paseo would start burning oil.

The head gasket doesn't seem to be leaking like the Toyota mechanic thought when changing the water pump. It looked like some antifreeze was along the outsider rim of the head gasket. But I kept an eye on the antifreeze level this whole winter and nothing during the winter or another additional 26K.

The compression problem can't be help, at least not any expense I want to get into. So gotta expect some wear and tear at 186K+

So back to the original problem: why the burning oil? Afterall, oil problems aren't to be taken lightly. So after all else fails: I read the owner's manual. Found out the my car only holds 3 qts of oil with filter. Also reconfirmed where the fill mark was on the dipstick. So I pulled out my Grease Monkey receipts (it's a quick lube place out here). Guess what? Found out that Grease Monkey has been overfilling by 0.5 qt! No wonder I had burning oil! I'm not going to be taking my car to Grease Monkey any longer.

So at least I eased some concerns about my car failing very soon. Regardless, I will be needing (or wanting) a new vehicle by the fall of next year. Yeah, I'll have to keep an eye out for the cash back or special financing when they come out.

For the bed of the pick-up. I was think of some type of spray in bed liner and adding fiberglass tonnaue (sp?).

Leo

leomort

Funny, my wife also likes/prefers pick-up trucks. My next vehicle is more than likely going to be compact pick-up truck. This would be my first pick-up.

Leo

mtngal

If it were me I would probably get rid of the bumper pull and always use the gooseneck. Having pulled (and maneuvered) both, I can certainly understand her preference! Does she have 4x4?

I remember once going to a horse show in Waco (I can't remember the name of the farm, but it was one of my favorite places) with someone else. We both drove (she drove a car, I drove the 3/4 ton pickup with gooseneck trailer). Since we had the car we left the truck hooked up to the trailer. At the end of the 2 day show we were the only ones that got out without being pulled out with a tractor - it had been pouring most of the time, the ground was soaked but since the truck was parked before it started raining, and due to how the weight is distributed with the gooseneck, we drove off with little problems. It was the only time while I was living in Texas that I REALLY wanted 4x4.

Leomort - around here the plastic bedliners are very popular. Many dealers install them in all their trucks. I've never bothered with one - either because I wasn't hauling stuff that would scratch on a regular basis, or when I was in Texas I had a truck that had been used for a camper and was sort of beat up anyway.

textruckr

I don't mind the 5X14 bumper pull. When you couple that lil' puppy up behind the 1/2 ton SWB truck, I can back it in circles. It has proven to be pretty useful when backing into some pens where we pick up cattle. Even our bull has ridden in it several times (and for an adult Longhorn, it was tight!) when we had to get him from a ranch where he was "working" and we couldn't load from their chute (no room for BIG horns). Besides, I can also use the BP behind the Old Suburban every now and then. That way I can justify owning a BUV (Big Utility Vehicle) over in the "I Hate SUVs, Why Don't You" thread
8-D
Was that horse show (facility) just north of Waco on State Hwy 6? There is a large Arabian outfit there.
I have gotten stuck, but it was in our driveway and I was able to pull the whole rig (CC and gooseneck) up to where it was dry with the tractor. I prefer 2WD as 4WD sacrifices some towing capacity - and when it comes to pulling I prefer to have excess capacity.
Leomort - you really don't have to limit yourself to a compact, try some of the mid-size trucks like the Tundra and the Dakota. They have just enough more elbow room to add tons of comfort and with the optional small V-8's you can tow a light load (3000#) safely at interstae speeds.

Texas Truck - r

leomort

Unfortunately, the Tundra's start at $26K w/ V6 and go up from there. Out of my price range. As to the Dakato, I don't know if they're all that reliable. Those V8 also suck down the gas.

Leo

mullins87

From what I have read on this board, and others, the V-8 mileage won't be that much different than the V-6. You can get a truck for well under the $26k Tundra. What options do you want on your truck?

leomort

Looking at compact 4x4 Extended Cab w/ automatic.

Are you talking about the v6 in Dakota or Toyota?

I think the V6 and V8 in the Dakota get similiar mileage, at least on their stickers. Don't know about real world actual mileage. MSN carpoint indicated pretty lousy mileage w/ 4.7L V8 in the Dakota.

Financially, I don't want to go above $25K out the door price for a pick up. Lower would be nice too.

Leo

obyone

I did a search on new trucks in the $20-$25k range here on edmunds. It returned 43 results. Here's the link:

http://www.edmunds.com/new/pricerange/2000025000/truck/index.html?id=lin0391

mullins87

My BIL has a Dakota with the V-6. He only gets about 18mpg, I get better than that with my F-350! I don't have any personal experience with the Tundra, just what others have told me. The reason why I asked what options you want, its the options that makes these trucks so danged expensive. The are some dealers around here, Ford, Dodge and Chevy, that advertise their 1/2 tons for around $15k. Of course, they are fairly base, but they do have auto, air and stereo/cassette. I believe the Ford dealer is selling them for $13,500, Chevy dealer for $15,500, and Dodge dealer (I think) $17,000. If all you want is a truck to use occasionally, do light hauling/towing - mainly daily driving - and you don't care about whether or not you have the flashiest truck around, then these deals can't be beat. IMO

leomort

Thanks for the post. I think that I get the V6 Tacoma Extend cab 4x4 for $25K out the door or the V4 for $23K out the door. I thought Toyota were more expensive than the domestics, but after looking they aren't that much cheaper. The domesitc would be the better buy used.

Leo

leomort

Since I was also going to use the truck as my daily commuter, I was looking at the compact just for the reason of better gas mileage. Plus I'll only do occassion hauling/light duty stuff. Looking at this truck aslo becoming my hunting rig

Leo

joan6

I'm thinking about buying my first truck. Need something reliable for weekend driving and hauling from Home Depot, etc. I'm looking at the Tacoma and Nissan - both extended cabs. What's the best value for the price? Any suggestions and/or feedback?????

mtngal

This is just my personal opinion - yours may be totally different. But I wouldn't choose either one. I don't like the styling of the new Nissan Frontier, even though I used to own a '88 Nissan Hardbody that I finally sold in 2000, with 290,000 miles on the original engine. The only reason I sold it was that the 4 banger with an auto didn't like my new home in the mountains - I burned out 2 trannys in a year. We looked at the new one and didn't like it.

I ended up buying a 2000 Tacoma ext. cab and I hate it. The seats are very uncomfortable if you drive for more than an hour (my daily commute is an hour and a half). Now, having said that, it has gone 63,000 miles in 19 months with only two problems - a tranny problem that disappeared and a weird radiator problem, radiator replaced under the extended warranty. It gets 28 mpg on my mostly highway commute, and the 5 speed coupled with a 4 banger has enough oomph to get up steep freeway grades faster than many cars - I can usually keep it at 70 mph if I downshift to 4th, while many other cars can only do 50. It handles nicely around 75. And as soon as I can afford to (it is depreciating faster than I can pay it off) I will get rid of it.

At the moment I'm really undecided what to replace it with (since I can't afford to dump it yet, I'm still thinking about it). I'm thinking of a FordRanger/Mazda pickup, a full sized pickup or a Forester (a 4x4 would mean that I wouldn't have to drive my now getting elderly Wrangler in the winter just to get out of my driveway - I can keep it for just weekend wheeling).

007spv

I am the proud owner of a 2000 F-250 Super Duty, 4x4,ORP,Lariat,V-10, SC,LB. I LOVE this truck! As a matter of fact, as long as Ford makes them, that is ALL I will ever own!

mtngal

Sounds like a great truck! What's your gas mileage? I've always wondered what the V-10 really gets.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose the V-10 over the diesel? I've been thinking of getting a 3/4 ton truck, but was thinking more in terms of the diesel. What made you choose the V-10 over the diesel?

cspaulding

an '02 F250 Crew, lariat package, diesel. Almost 20 mpg. of the lot with 50 miles on it...should just get better from here on out. Owned 2 weeks, put 1500 miles on, some pulling last weekend (load of hay - 120 miles) - wonderful!
Chris

wpalkowski

'01, F350 XLT, CC, LWB, 4x4, Auto, V10. 3.73 ls rear end. 11-12.5 mpg highway, ~10 mpg city, towing (~9500 lbs) 7-8 mpg. All time best ~15 mpg but not very often. Not my daily driver, but it's so powerful and I find it so much fun to drive that I make up a lot of excuses to user the truck when car would suffice.
I don' t tow all the time, don't like diesel exhaust, or fuel odor, didn't want to worry about extra diesel maintenance, and I'd have to own the truck about 20 years before I have enough miles on it to ammortize the $4k price difference of the PS diesel. So, for me the V10 was hands down choice. It was a $35K truck, I didn't buy it for the mileage.

KCRam

the current issue (Sept/Oct 2002) of Truck Trend has a nice article about women and their pickups. It features a very good friend of mine (Andi Vogt, although the article misspelled her last name) and her Cummins-powered Ram 2500.

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dustyk

A few comments about the Dodge Dakota.

The 3.9L V6 EPA is 16 city, 21 highway with the standard 4-speed automatic transmission.

The 4.7L V8 (287cid) in the 6010 GVW Club Cab with 5-speed automatic transmission is 15 city, 20 highway EPA.

The EPA ratings are derived from a fixed driving cycle test that's used to judge all measured vehicles. The reason why the small difference in EPA ratings between the V6 and 4.7 V8 in the Dakota is in part due to the newer designed 545RFE, 5-speed transmission. It is more reactive and effective thereby providing increased performance and gas mileage.

Also, you will note across the manufacturers of trucks that there is not a great difference of gas mileage between various power plants in the same truck. The manufacturer's of trucks assume that the person who bought one will be using it for it's intended capabilities. To ensure that the vehicle can perform adequately under load the engine/drivetrains are tailored to a level of performance. For example, on a number of trucks the smaller engines get higher numberical axle ratios, which will provide more power from the weaker engine but also decrease gas mileage.

I looked at a number of trucks the past year or so and finally ended up with a Dakota Club Cab Sport Plus. It has the 4.7L engine, 545RFE auto, 6010 GVW package (comes with the large off-road tires), and 3.55 axle ratio. My worst gas mileage -- strickly around town, lots of short trips, stop & go -- has been 15.7 mpg. The best highway has been 21.87 mpg. My to-date average is 17.6 (2900 miles). Both Tacoma and Frontier owners that I know are getting better overall, around 18-20, but I can assure you that the 4.7L V8 in a Dakota is vastly more powerful and faster than both.

Comparatively, I, or I should say my body, found the Dakota to be the most comfortable of the mid-size and small trucks. Without having the actual dimensions in front of me, the Dakota seems roomier than a Tacoma, and even more so than the Frontier. I and my passengers have been very comfortable on long drives. My Dakota is also very quiet.

I drove the Tacoma and I liked it. The Tacoma did not meet my fitness of purpose, however. I needed a truck that I could fit a large ATV into and the Dakota was the only one under a full-size pickup that had the width and the length with the tailgate up. I thought the Tacoma had more than enough power. I remember the seats being stiff, bellowy and a little snug. I didn't think in my test drive they were uncomfortable, but I only drove the vehicle 20 miles.

I really would have liked to buy a Nissan truck, but the Frontier just was too small. Even the 4-door version was out of the running. They ride stiffer and are not as quiet. I've had one Nissan product and it was the best and most reliable vehicle I've ever owned ('93 Sentra). Others I've known have had the same result, car or truck.

Reliability would not necessarily be in the Dakota's favor if based on their 19 year history. Since 1999 they have improved significantly, however. The engines are strong (albeit, torquey) and durable. Intake manifold leaking (V6 and older V8) has been fixed and has not surfaced as a problem on the new 4.7 engine. The manifold is a different design anyways. There's been some concern about automatic transmissions. However, in my personal survey of 31 Dakota owners, only one reported a transmission problem and that was a manual transmission. At a check of the three local transmission repair shops over an 11 month period, I saw only two Dakota's in for transmission repairs and they were both manuals as well. (There were lot's of S10s and Explorers, however!)

I would bet that the Tacoma would be more reliable and the Frontier even more so. However, I don't believe that Toyota trucks have the same level of reliability as their cars. We own a Toyota Avalon and have occasion to be at the dealer's. I've noticed that the majority of service work seems to be on the trucks. In fact, I've seen two Tundra's there getting new transmissions under warranty! Brakes seem to be another problem for Tundra's, and Tacoma owners have a number of complaints as well. I have yet to discover one quality or assembly problem with my Dakota. Others that have purchase a Dakota in the past few years seem to be reporting far less problems. Of course on this subject its like rolling the dice. Our Avalon has not been a stellar vehicle and a good friend of mine who has a Tacoma has really had some major quality issues.

Anyway, good luck with your next purchase.

Regards,
Dusty

Sylvia

WOMEN AND TRUCKS
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KCRam

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mtngal

Great article! While I may have sold our last true pickup last summer, I've replaced it with another Jeep Wrangler (Jeeps are for girls, too!) and when we finally retire we'll get a diesel 3/4 ton and a trailer. A pickup and a Jeep - what more could a girl want?