Opinions on best bang for the buck in a new truck?

Toyota Tacoma four door. Get either the PreRunner or the 4X4. Can’t go wrong with either.

I asked my husband since he just bought a truck at the end of December (after doing a lot of research and shopping around) and he said:

If you are going to do a lot of towing/hauling, the Dodge Ram with the Cummins Diesel engine is really good and worth it.

If it’s going to be more of a passenger truck with some towing/hauling here and there, he’d recommend the Ford F150 (crew cab). He said the Chevy Silverado gets slightly better gas mileage, but the F150 can tow more. So then it’s a matter of which one matters more. He said the gas mileage in the F150 and the Silverado are close.

He also said you can look to try to get a previous year model that is new, because it may cost considerably less than the current year (so buying a 2010 instead of a 2011).

Thanks for the opinions.

The F150 is in the running, but I wasn’t to pleased with a Ford probe I had for a few years. OTOH, since the F150 is one of the most popular trucks on the market, I would think that the quality would be pretty high as well.

I have considered the Tacoma, but last I checked they were pretty darned pricy.

I’m also considering the Nissan Frontier as well as the Dodge Dakota. Both smaller than the traditional full sized truck, but they also sport towing capacities that are right up there with their full sized brethren.

I am surprised to find that the gas mileage of the full sized models is not that far off of the compact models.

I cannot tell you about other trucks, but I do have a Dodge Dakota quad cab. It is a 2001. We bought it used in 2003. It now has over 100,000 miles on it. Just routine maintenance and a few other minor problems within the last two years. The most recent was a headlight solenoid not major machanical.

@YoBob There’s a reason the Probe is no longer being made. ;) Good luck picking a truck. It can be a hard pick. I watched my husband look at many trucks when he was trying to find the one he liked best. He made a decision at least a half a dozen times before really making a decision.

GMC makes a good truck for the buck, especially if you can research factory to dealer incentives ($ factory gives dealerships to discount and move inventory), rebates (more factory money as incentive to buyers, take the discount but not the cash) and incentivized interest rates (factory subsidized rates to attract people who couldn’t qualify for that low of rate with banks or other brand financing).

If you’re looking for small trucks then yeah, the Tacoma is a champ. If you can, buy a pre owned truck that is factory certified because it will come with a warranty longer than the one offered on brand new trucks and certified vehicles often get better interest rates from banks.

@YoBob The Probe was a dressed up Mazda and not well dressed either.

The F-150 with the Ecoboost engine has LOTSA power and gets GREATS gas mileage. Get ready for mid to high 30K’s though with Crew Cab and normal options.