I've owned mostly trucks all my adult life. The one time I actually loaned one to someone, she let herself get distracted by her damn cell phone and totaled the truck. I'd had that truck (F-250 diesel) for 20 years and it was used to carry a camper for most of that time, so yes it was needed. The insurance settlement paid for a 3 year newer Tundra that I'm driving now even though it's turned out to be a money pit.

My plan has been to hold onto the Tundra and use the money that would otherwise be going to new truck payments and full insurance to fix some things up around the house before I sell it (I want to GTF out of Oregon ASAP), and then buy a new truck when I retire in another couple of years. I probably wouldn't buy another camper, so a half-ton or even mid-size truck would be fine (the experience with my now 20-yo Tundra notwithstanding, a new Tacoma is on the short list).

But I'm starting to think now that an SUV may be a better option. Once or twice a year I go overnight camping someplace and need room to lay down and sleep at night, and a pickup is great for that (my back "just says NO" to tents and sleeping on the ground any more). 95% of the hauling I do for people could be done just as well in an SUV, and an SUV with a fold-down back seat would be almost as good as a pickup bed for sleeping in for a couple of nights.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
There is probably a decent argument that 60% or 70% of people buying trucks (excluding businesses) don't really need one.

This has been my experience. There isn't much I need to haul that my compact SUV can't handle. The only time I carry a lot of stuff is when I go shooting, and for that I'd like to have it enclosed. However...

Hyundai just introduced the Santa Cruz (designed in California) which is a mini-truck version of their Tucson SUV which might just fit my needs. It is sort of a trucky-car as opposed to the Ford Ranger cary-truck.



It even has a storage space, with a drain, under the bed that you can use as an ice chest

Take a Ford Maverick, in a Shelby Edition would be best..