Towing Truck?

alpha

I need to get some opinions on the best truck for me to pull a load of about 2500lbs daily. I currently own a Tacoma and need to go bigger. I want to go as inexpensive as possible, under these prerequisites:
Used truck
4 real doors
Diesel or gas?
Nothing fancy with interior

I will be driving around Texas daily and want something that will last for quite some time.

v12power

In a used truck you really only have two four door options, Ford or Chevy. I have a 2003 Dodge with four doors, and while it is slightly smaller than the Chev or Ford, it is completely functional for large adults.

2500lbs could be towed by ANY truck, that is nothing. Chevy has a 1500HD four door that comes with the 6.0L gas V8, that would be a good choice. The chevy trucks have the nicest ride by far. The drivetrain should last a very long time. In a Ford, you have to go to an F250 or 350. If buying a Ford, I would find an example with the 7.3L turbo diesel, I have one with 240k miles on it still going strong. These are excellent trucks. I am not a big fan of Fords gas engines ie; the 460 and 351 V8's. The newer 4.6 and 5.4 V8's are much better but low on power. The V10 is a big gas hog, I wouldn't go there. Like I mentioned, no Dodge four doors until 2003. I do like the new Dodges the best with their Cummins diesels. That is by far the best engine ever offered in any light truck. I have owned several of each brand and say that based on experience.

Give us a little more info, let me know what you think of what I have thrown out so far.

mullins87

Yep, with the 4 door prerequisite, you're limited to Fords and Chevys. Tell us more, such as your intended budget.

kg11

Any truck, including your Tacoma will tow that load. But with 4 real doors and cheap get the F150 base model. With the deals they're making on the "Heritige" (old style) models you might look at new ones.

mullins87

What about a Sport Trac? Or something similar.

kg11

If economy is a consideration and you only need room for 4. I used to tow 4000+ with my '95 Tacoma with 500 lb in the bed. There are at least 3 small-midsized trucks that would do.

kip

catam

If you are planning on towing this load daily then buy a truck that has significant extra capacity. The small-midsized trucks will tow 2500# but i would be very concerned about long term reliability towing that weight daily. If you do go that route I would highly recommend sticking with a manual tranny and plan on periodic clutch replacements.
Make sure any truck you do buy has the towing package, esp. aux tranny cooler (if auto)
The other thing you will want to consider is brakes, at 2500# your trailer may or may not have its own brakes, if it does, great just keep them in good working order. If it doesn't I would stick with a newer full size truck that has 4 wheel discs.

hotrodlincoln1

you should determine how long you plan to keep the truck and how many miles you're going to put on it. A diesel truck will cost significantly more to purchase, but will get better mileage empty and much better mileage towing. It will also last longer. So, if you're going to be keeping the truck for long, or running up a lot of miles, you are better off with a diesel. Otherwise, you might want to stick with a 1/2 or 3/4 ton gasser.