Truck vs...?

I have a minivan for hauling the family, a Camry to commute to work and a F250 to haul everything else.

Really depends how often you need to haul stuff and what you need to haul. I need the pickup to pull my boat, a SUV doesn't have suspension enough to handle the load. It's also handy when you need to pick up a pallet of pavers, most SUVs will just end up with a broken axle.

Bemused ✉
May '16

fujixt1 - No matter how logical everything else is you mention, "because I want a truck" wins every time. If it's just that simple, give in to what you want.

However if you really want to be practical, Bemused has the right idea. A 30+ mile daily commute isn't compatible with either of those. If you want a commuter, get a Honda Fit. If you need something to haul on weekends, buy a cheap high mileage truck.

I have a Honda Civic that's 4 doors and almost as good MPG as the Fit. I'm getting just a hair under 40 MPG. Then Bubba D. Truk for weekends is a ridiculous '99 GMC Sonoma with 245k miles on it and cost all of $625. Old Fords and Chevy trucks have all the value out of them, if it dies you're not out much. And just about any use is a bonus.

GC ✉
May '16

There's a new Chevy Colorado diesel that is rated to get 30mpg on the highway. I have a Altima that is averaging 35mpg.

My other vehicle is a crv that is getting 27mpg. I would replace my crv with a truck or bigger SUV.

fujixt1 ✉
May '16

Sorry 1988 many so called american vehicles are built in mexico and canada. Honda, Toyota , and hyundai all have built plants here and much. The new honda ridge line was designed and engineered in california and is assembled in Alabama. Buy the vehicle that suites your needs but dont base american made on the premise that the old american companies are that anymore.

Jdem ✉
May '16

Get the truck. I'm guessing your wife wouldn't want to drive anything that was used to cart manure around anyway. ;o)

Tracy ✉
May '16

Have you considered a nice SUV with a small dump cart like trailer for those weekend jobs? I would love a Tacoma TRD but the poor gas mileage would kill my wallet (100 mile roundtrip daily commute.)

We now have a CRV and I'm considering getting a 4x8 ft folding trailer from Harbor Freight. I only do renovations on my own house. I used to have a minivan and the largest load was a few sheets of drywall/plywood. The small trailer would handle those with no issues. Anything larger and I'll just pay for delivery.

emaxxman ✉
May '16

Bubba D. Truk is a SONOMA? I figured he was at least a Silverado/F150. You should have named him Opie D. Truk (-;

ianimal ✉
May '16

I have a Crv currently but it's an awkward size. Big enough for luggage but to small for most other things.

I am looking into a dodge 1500.

Thank you for all your great comments.

fujixt1 ✉
May '16

Idk...i see a bunch of dodges on the road that have to be less then 10 years old with major body rot. Same with ford.

Darrin ✉
Jun '16

Correct Mark, but it seems certain brands have their issues in certain places. I am very interested to see what happens with ford and the aluminium bodies. Think they will peel paint like the expedition hoods did? When salt and calcium gets on aluminum it turns it to white dust

Darrin ✉
Jun '16

The body on my '02 Sierra was fine. I took very good care of it. Frame, brake lines, rotors all seemed to have excessive rust. Had one brake line blow out, in the most inaccessible place too. Also had an intermittent issue where the battery sys would completely discharge and the truck would go dead while driving. Software update ($100) solved that.

I also went through three sets of rotors. Drove it at least once a week, so that shouldn't have been an issue. Only had 100k miles when I sold it. Other than these issues, truck was great, and it was only in its last years that I had them.

MeisterNJ ✉
Jun '16

My buddy has a 2002 GMC 2500HD ext cab that he uses to commercially plow and salt. Brake lines were a every 3 year item for him. His rockers have been gone for a few years, and just now the frame is getting sketchy to the point he is looking to get rid of it. He never once washed the truck. I would say 14 years is a darn good life for a salt truck that was never once washed. The truck runs and drives like almost new. I think he only has 120k on it, but it was only ever used to plow, salt, and tow.

When I do brake lines on my trucks, if I plan on keeping them, I pay up and get a full stainless kit, never have to worry about them again

Darrin ✉
Jun '16

"I would say 14 years is a darn good life for a salt truck that was never once washed."

Is a salt truck subjected to overall salt loads in excess of the general driving public? The salt isn't damaging when it's in solid form, only in solution. The roads probably have a much lower concentration of salt solution when the salt trucks are operating than they do when they're done, obviously...

ianimal ✉
Jun '16

My truck always picked good times to break down...

Brake lines popped right before my dad/brother were going to borrow the truck for a hunting trip out west. I took it for a quick spin (glad I did) and it let go over by the theater in Mansfield coming down that slight hill to the light... e-braked it into the parking lot and had it towed home so we could repair it quickly.

One other time I was loaded up with junk to go to the dump, got a few miles from home and the fuel pump died. Had to offload everything to another truck, and another tow home for repairs.

Good thing I have "free" roadside assistance through the AMA.

Mark Mc. ✉
Jun '16

But a salt truck isn't driving around in the fully-concentrated, salty, slushy mess for days or a week afterwards like commuters are. I realize that it "seems" logical that salt trucks would be subjected to more salt damage, but I don't necessarily know that it's true.

And this is only for the specific case of trucks that are used exclusively for salting/plowing, then put away until the next storm. If they are commuters as well, then yeah, it's gonna get beat up worse, obviously.

MNJ, you're the chemistry guy... what do you think?

ianimal ✉
Jun '16

Ha, I was going to say you're stepping into my chemistry/ChemE territory ianimal. I would say that a salt truck is a little more prone to corrosion than your daily commuter. No matter what, the salt is getting wet and the salt truck is probably getting a higher concentration.

Re: salt only works slightly below the freezing point....., well, sort of. Some of the salt will migrate to the water that isn't yet frozen, concentrating the salt in the unfrozen water until it becomes cold enough to freeze. Kind of like when you put a beer in the freezer and it isn't frozen through.....the alcohol concentrates in what isn't frozen yet. It's also called freeze distillation for those of you at home who want to create liquor. Works well to create a real drink out of hard cider.....

Getting back to the truck...

So, a salt truck is driving around in snow and slush where the 'salt water' is more concentrated, and often driving over areas that have already been salted previously if the storm is a big one, and many times that is in the early morning before mr. commuter comes along. But of course by then there is the potential for more slushy concentrate...until the plow comes along and pushes it to side of the road, which by then the salt truck is back in the yard because they're plowing the road clean.. Unless of course that same truck is doing the plowing. Now it's another ballgame because that truck is now plowing the shoulder where mr. commuter isn't presumably driving so they're getting another even more concentrated dose. Unless you're ianimal who is probably shoulder surfing in his Jetta past all the SUV's spun out.

That's my pseudo scientific, no data to prove it, take.

Sorry for the google-dangeresque post. I need a shower.

MeisterNJ ✉
Jun '16