VW Touareg - MSRP starts around $48K for the gas engine model, the V6 TDI Comfortline is around $53K, I'd pay that, it's worthwhile
Mercedes M-class
BMW X5 - I've run out of patience with their on-line pricing thing
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3/4 ton diesel - single rear wheel - daily driver?
- Thread starter frekeyguy
- Start date
VW Touareg - MSRP starts around $48K for the gas engine model, the V6 TDI Comfortline is around $53K, I'd pay that, it's worthwhile
Mercedes M-class
BMW X5 - I've run out of patience with their on-line pricing thing
Or you could stop trying to be the Marlborough Man, or the cowboy or the construction worker from the village people and just buy a wagon or hatch. The saddest thing out there of course is any truck with a 6 foot box, no one is fooled.
I can put 10 foot long lumber inside my saab and 8 foot inside my accent, without having the tailgate down. If you need to haul motorcycles around on a regular basis, get a trailer. If you need to haul 4X8 sheets once a year, rent a truck. Even any of the SUVs mentioned above are more useful in the real world than a pickup...
I can put 10 foot long lumber inside my saab and 8 foot inside my accent, without having the tailgate down. If you need to haul motorcycles around on a regular basis, get a trailer. If you need to haul 4X8 sheets once a year, rent a truck. Even any of the SUVs mentioned above are more useful in the real world than a pickup...
invictus43
Well-known member
Well..you really can't get a bike into an SUV...BUT..with a trailer..for me, that's a better trade-off. I simply hated my pick-up. Some people love them..I just don't see the point. My Highlander towed 3500lbs, got about 10L/100kms on the highway, was a wonderful driving vehicle in dry, rain or snow, lots of interior space..that's really quite an ideal vehicle.
There have been a number of issues with them that I've heard, but I don't know whether it amounts to more or less than the issues with just about anything else. Go find some forums for those vehicles and see what they have to say.
I have a 2007 diesel F350 single rear wheel as my non-motorcycle transportation. If I had to drive the truck as a daily commuter, it would be seriously impractical. Luckily, because I live in California, I ride my motorcycle to work almost every day.
Some practical considerations if you are seriously considering a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup (the 3/4 and 1-ton single rear wheel trucks are identical except for usually suspension components - stiffer springs, more leafs in the pack, etc.):
-The truck gets terrible mileage in the city (about 23-25L/100km), but semi-decent mileage on the highway for a big truck (13-14L/100km).
-It's a crew cab (but thankfully a short bed), so the wheelbase is about 13 feet - total length is around 21 feet.
-Handling-wise, it has solid front and rear axles, so it rides like a tank, especially when you aren't carrying anything in the bed.
-For maintenance, an oil+filter change requires about 15L of oil. My truck is old enough not to require DEF, but there are fuel filters you need to change regularly.
-Any serious work that needs to be done is labor intensive and therefore expensive - for my vintage truck, one Ford tech told me that sometimes they will remove the entire truck cab to make the repair easier.
-Parking is awkward - the truck won't fit into a stall unless other people park properly (mirror to mirror is approximately 9 feet wide) and I can't make a u-turn on a city street unless the road has at least 3 additional lanes (ie: in order to make a u-turn from the left turn lane, the oncoming traffic road would need to be at least 3 lanes wide). Anything narrower results in a 3 point turn.
-The truck weighs almost 8000 lbs with fluids and me as the driver - a lot of parking structures have weight limits
-The truck is 81" (almost 7 feet) tall which also prevents you from entering many parking structures. I've come within an inch or two of the roof in a few parking structures
-The bottom of the side windows is above the roof-line of many cars. When you change lanes, you have to make sure you angle your mirrors down to check for any cars below the door line (especially on the passenger side). When I first got the truck, I almost lane changed into cars that were driving next to me because I didn't have the mirrors adjusted properly.
The main reason I have this truck is because I have a large truck camper. As much as I love my truck, I would be hard pressed to justify the cost and expense of owning it without the camper. If you don't need the tow/hauling capacity of a 3/4 or 1-ton truck, I don't recommend it as a daily driver.
EDIT: Oh, also, don't crash into anyone else. They will almost certainly be killed.
[video=youtube;pLzYLlCmNcE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLzYLlCmNcE[/video]
Some practical considerations if you are seriously considering a 3/4 or 1-ton pickup (the 3/4 and 1-ton single rear wheel trucks are identical except for usually suspension components - stiffer springs, more leafs in the pack, etc.):
-The truck gets terrible mileage in the city (about 23-25L/100km), but semi-decent mileage on the highway for a big truck (13-14L/100km).
-It's a crew cab (but thankfully a short bed), so the wheelbase is about 13 feet - total length is around 21 feet.
-Handling-wise, it has solid front and rear axles, so it rides like a tank, especially when you aren't carrying anything in the bed.
-For maintenance, an oil+filter change requires about 15L of oil. My truck is old enough not to require DEF, but there are fuel filters you need to change regularly.
-Any serious work that needs to be done is labor intensive and therefore expensive - for my vintage truck, one Ford tech told me that sometimes they will remove the entire truck cab to make the repair easier.
-Parking is awkward - the truck won't fit into a stall unless other people park properly (mirror to mirror is approximately 9 feet wide) and I can't make a u-turn on a city street unless the road has at least 3 additional lanes (ie: in order to make a u-turn from the left turn lane, the oncoming traffic road would need to be at least 3 lanes wide). Anything narrower results in a 3 point turn.
-The truck weighs almost 8000 lbs with fluids and me as the driver - a lot of parking structures have weight limits
-The truck is 81" (almost 7 feet) tall which also prevents you from entering many parking structures. I've come within an inch or two of the roof in a few parking structures
-The bottom of the side windows is above the roof-line of many cars. When you change lanes, you have to make sure you angle your mirrors down to check for any cars below the door line (especially on the passenger side). When I first got the truck, I almost lane changed into cars that were driving next to me because I didn't have the mirrors adjusted properly.
The main reason I have this truck is because I have a large truck camper. As much as I love my truck, I would be hard pressed to justify the cost and expense of owning it without the camper. If you don't need the tow/hauling capacity of a 3/4 or 1-ton truck, I don't recommend it as a daily driver.
EDIT: Oh, also, don't crash into anyone else. They will almost certainly be killed.
[video=youtube;pLzYLlCmNcE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLzYLlCmNcE[/video]
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invictus43
Well-known member
Seriously..can you beat it for $19k??
I am 100% opposed to your thinking.
A pickup with a back seat can and will do anything an SUV can...but in my opinion, an SUV can't haul stuff the truck could.
If buying a truck I would only buy big....i mean king or crew cab, and 8 ft box. However, I work in the construction industry, and use trucks for their intended purpose.....My own 3500 series diesel van hauls 2000-3000 lbs almost daily.
For what Frekey wants to do, a 3 valve 4.6 Ford F150 would do the job (if looking for a used truck) or if shopping new, a new Eco Boost would be the most ideal. He has no need for a huge truck for periodic towing and hauling....here I am advising to buy Ford...and I am not even a Ford guy,LOL. Hard to argue with mpg though.
ChaserChris
Well-known member
I love driving a big diesel 3500 Crew cab, but thats me 
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