Thoughts on Chevy Colorado or Ford Ranger

[Milo]

I won't call it mountains but it's fairly hilly in Preston County. Thankfully there's not much traffic on this road so usually you don't meet an opposing vehicle, I do probably a 3-5 times a week in my case. When you do, the one with the less distance to a driveway backs up.
The thing is there are also a lot of gravel and unlined paved roads that are just barely wide enough for two cars or midsize trucks, anything larger and one needs to slow way down and pull into the ditch. The few times I drove full size trucks on these roads it got old very quick.

 

[Hay Dude]

These pics are of the only road that leads to my driveway, which in most places is not wide enough for two small vehicles (Corolla, Wrangler, etc) to pass so one has to back up. The only places two Colorado size vehicles can pass are at the few pull-offs or when one pulls into a driveway to let the other one by. My Ridgeline is a big vehicle on roads like this I sure wouldn't want any larger.

Hell that looks like a superhighway in my area.

 

[Oaktree]

I'd get a 1/2 ton truck. You can tow more, do more, carry more. There really isn't much gas mileage difference. I remember two people went to see their mother, five hours away. One was in a rice burner truck, one was in a 1/2 ton supercab. Both got 22 mpg, but who had less truck?

That advice would have made sense 20 years ago when the small trucks were little more than feather haulers, and full size trucks hadn't grown to the monsters they are today.

What was the full sized truck which got 22 mph? Was it 4wd? We’ve run GMs for years but have been switching over to Tundras. 18 mpg is all that I have ever gotten, and that was rare. The Tundras are worse.
I can get 23 easily with my Colorado, and that’s with 10 ply tires.

I hope for your sake the tundras are better now than the ones from the late 00s were. Had one for a company truck at my last job and it was the biggest POS that ever darkened my driveway. Sure am glad I wasn't the one covering the repair bills on it.

Shame to hear of your problems with your Colorado...I was considering one of them for when my Dakota finally gives it up (hopefully years away).

 

[Oaktree]

We sometimes forget just how much better the selection is these days. Other than high prices, it's a great time to be looking at trucks.

Well, yes and no. If you want a loaded, crew cab truck with all the bells & whistles yeah a lot to choose from. Lotsa luck if you're looking for a basic model with few frills or something other than a 4-door one.

 

[tacticalturnip]

My biggest pet peeve in the truck market right now is the departure from the traditional 'suicide' door extended-cab, to a small standard door. I've never had a standard cab pickup because growing up I spent too much time in the middle of a bench seat, tools, junk, and even some trash filling in the space behind the seat and on the dash. Even before children I well understood an extended-cab's usefulness; storage, extra space, a place for the dog when the wife is with me. Plus, opening the front and rear door gave me so much space to fenagle oversized objects into the back of the cab. So, when Dodge and GM realized I was pretty into that design they decided that I could piss off, and added a pillar. I'm sure Ford will eventually follow the trend, but they're too focused on the electric vehicle market and quality control recalls at the moment.

Well, now it's too late, my oldest will be a 6'+ teenager before I know it; I'd be more than willing to dump him into an S-10 style jump seat, but they don't make those either. So know it's either let him enjoy being comfortable, or start waterboarding him, and the missus has issues with the latter. For some reason.

Maybe my rambling made you laugh, maybe you're ready to call CPS, I don't care. Let's all take a moment of silence to mourn the loss of the traditional extended-cab.

 

[Milo]

Personally I dislike suicide doors because how difficult it was to load a shopping cart full of items in the back area when parallel parked beside another vehicle with just enough space to fit the cart between. Which was every time I went to the grocery store.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I'd open the driver door, open the rear, and shut the driver door. Maybe my parking spots weren't as narrow?

 

[Milo]

That's the way it must be done, it's not a huge deal but conventional opening doors just work better all around IMO.

 

[sd455dan]

6'5"

I hit my first one some time in high school; now it's an almost daily event.

Now, I was 6'6", but that's a different story...

The best riding truck I've ever owned was my old RAM; it was smooth and quick ride, especially for a stock crew-cab truck.

My best riding truck and By FAR was my 77 Jeep Honcho.
I gave a friend a ride in the rough that was at the time selling new Nissans and the first thing he did was brace his hand on the ceiling to keep himself in the seat as we went through a major washout. After articulating through it painlessly, he said I didn't know any 4x4 could ride and articulate like this and if We had been in a brand new Nissan 4x4 we would definitely have lumps on our heads right now. He said my dad is looking for a 4x4.
About a month later saw his dad driving around in a same year newly acquired Cherokee Chief.

 

[tacticalturnip]

My best riding truck and By FAR was my 77 Jeep Honcho.
I gave a friend a ride in the rough that was at the time selling new Nissans and the first thing he did was brace his hand on the ceiling to keep himself in the seat as we went through a major washout. After articulating through it painlessly, he said I didn't know any 4x4 could ride and articulate like this and if We had been in a brand new Nissan 4x4 we would definitely have lumps on our heads right now. He said my dad is looking for a 4x4.
About a month later saw his dad driving around in a same year newly acquired Cherokee Chief.

I presume you got rid of it at some point; ever kick yourself over it? You don't see many old Jeep trucks around; like the old IH trucks, it's like they all rusted out.

What an awesome little truck, and I say that as someone who has only been able to admire them from afar.