[appophylite]

So my parents and I finally took a good look at our cars and realized that both are putting on age and we decided that we'd get two new cars. They are looking into an SUV of sorts for themselves. Now, we live in the hills outside of the city limit so its a bit isolated and we kind of have to take care of a lot of things ourselves which means more hauling and towing than we did when my parents lived in the city.I figured, I'd buy a nice truck as the car I'd get so that we'd have a good vehicle for towing/hauling without having to do it with my parents new car, and when I move away from Fairbanks, I'll probably just leave it with them for their use. In recent days, we looked at and test drove a Honda Ridgeline, and a Toyota Tacoma but since my parents were looking at a new '09 Jeep Grand Cherokee as their car of choice, Dad has become increasingly enamored by the thought of my purchasing a Dodge Dakota/Ram.

My question is, can anyone who has any experience with trucks (particularly any one of these), lend me their insights and recommendations so I can have some info and opinions to play with before I get back home from work and start making a serious decision?

 

[obobskivich]

I've had and seen great things from Toyota and Dodge trucks, can't say a thing about Honda (I personally hate Honda as a car though)

now, between Toyota and Dodge, I'd probably be a bit more partial to the big Dodge trucks (my uncle has the Ram 2500 with the V10 and a lift, its a good work vehicle for him, and fairly comfortable to drive/ride in to boot (nothing like trucks from the 1960's or 1970's, or commerical vehicles today))

now, a friend has the GMC Sierra 2500 (roughly the GMC analog to that Dodge), and its much more "civil" to drive (its also not lifted, but the ride height difference isn't "massive" between the two), although they've had repair problems with it (I don't know if this indicative of poor quality with the brand, or just their specific truck aging (its ~12-15 years old, and has seen good usage over that time))

the Toyota is a fairly durable/"tough" vehicle as well, has a decent ride/drive, etc (I've known a few people with Toyota trucks, hardly ever hear a negative, used as everything from daily drivers to lodge trucks)

honestly I'd have no problems with owning any of the vehicles above (I've driven most of the trucks discussed), aside from the fuel cost/size (for me, its impractical, as I don't use the vehicle to work, I'm content with a mid-size SUV (like the Jeep Cherokee or Ford Explorer))

a few things I would strongly suggest you purchase as upgrades/options/etc on your new truck:

4x4 - this is a must imho, being able to put power to all four wheels is a great "ability" (even on smaller vehicles, and even on AWD/traction control vehicles (like Audi's with Quattro)), if the vehicle needs to work, this can be a help there too (do realize that 4x4 will usually decrease total towing capacity, in the sense that a 4x4 vs a 2wd of the same vehicle the 2wd will have a higher rated tow capacity)

crew/kingcab - simply because a "normal" cab is too small for hauling things that can't go in the back, for example people, groceries, etc (its just nice to have more cabin space, being able to recline the drivers seat and whatnot, even if the "extended" cab just means some jump seats in the back, it makes the front two seats more comfortable)

one other thing I would consider, depending on how heavy-duty the workload of this vehicle is (if you're doing farm/ranch work, or contractor work, blow this suggestion off, because it'll just result in a ruined vehicle, but if you're just hauling around dogs or towing a horse trailer every so often, you might consider this): get a hybrid truck/SUV vehicle, like the Chevy Avalanche, its nicer for being a "people mover", but can still haul stuff around (again, if this is a serious work truck, you'll probably just trash the interior and bed liner and ruin the vehicle, whereas a "real" truck will take the abuse a bit better)

hope this helps!

 

[grawk]

Either the toyota or the ridgeline are a good choice because that dealer is good. They can get you the good remote start, and their heaters work. I bought my pilot there, and I was happy with them. The ridgeline works well on fairbanks roads and is a good flexible vehicle. The Toyota is bulletproof. Can't go wrong with either. The only thing the dodge has going for it is the dealer supports the icedogs

, unless you spend time driving to barrow.

In short: ridgeline is more civilized, but a good truck. Tacoma is a great truck, but not as comfortable. Dodge is a piece of poo but they give money to support local hockey.

I used the honda 4wd to get up the worst roads in fairbanks in winter (and more importantly early winter and breakup) without trouble. It works well, and drives well. Spend the money on a second set of rims and some good blizzaks or michelin X-Ice, but otherwise, it's fine. I'm sure toyota and dodge are both fine as well. Good tires matter way more than 4wd for fairbanks in early winter and breakup.

 

[obobskivich]

hmmm, block heater, forgot that one (nfc how cold it gets there, I live in the US!

(yes this is a joke, either take it as such, or leave it alone))

I would be wary of remote start (you're not supposed to idle a vehicle with nobody in it, at least here, its illegal), and whats your big issue with dodge? (if its the typical "i hate american cars, american cars are crap", don't even bother talking to me)

 

[appophylite]

Thanks for the responses guys

Yeah, Alaska being Alaska, block heater, 4-Wheel Drive and Remote Autostarts are necessities. If the dealer will do it, I'd also get the dealer to install ArcticLeash and a tonneau cover. Definitely planning on going for the crew cab because the truck will be my driving car whenever I come home from the North Slope, and seeing as I often ferry friends and family around, four door cabin will be nice to have.

Right now, the way it stands I'm pretty much first choice since I'm buying the truck, but Dad is looming behind my back because he'll probably use it when I'm not in town, and he's going to get it full time when I'm out of here. The way I'm currently leaning is:

1. Honda Ridgeline
2. Toyota Tacoma
3. Dodge Dakota
4. Dodge Ram / Toyota Tundra

@obobskivich: Thanks for the response. Yeah, the Dodge option pretty much spawns from the fact that my Dad is considering getting the Jeep Grand Cherokee from our Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler dealer so we might get a better deal if we got the truck from them at the same time. If we did swing with a Dodge, it would almost certainly be the smaller Dakota because the Ram would be serious overkill for our purposes.

I honestly wouldn't be too wary of remote starters. They are extremely common up here in Alaska as very few people want to walk outside at -40 to -50 just to key start their car while the car is all frozen up and rock solid and then rush back inside. We've been using them on our current cars for 8 year now with no problems.

@grawk: The Ridgeline is our favorite overall. One of my coworkers just bought an '08 2 months ago and Dad's secretary got one herself just 1 month ago. We were seriously considering pulling the trigger on in the weekend before I came up here for work, but unfortunately, Dad didn't get the deal he wanted from the dealer. It's a shame too because my colleague asked the same amount we did without an included trade-in and got it, but they wouldn't give it to us. Did you have any experience with the Anchorage Honda dealers when you used to be up here and know how good they are? We were seriously considering trying to see if they will give us a deal and then we'd just drive it up to Fairbanks.

Anyone else with input, please feel free to respond and post your opinions/validations. I'd love all the opinions I can get!

 

[obobskivich]

ah the dakota is a piece of crap, I'll just bluntly say it, so if thats the case, I would go with the Toyota (both the Tacoma and the Tundra are good trucks IME)

with remote starters, I know they're a convienence (and I know nothing about laws/culture living IN alaska), but I also know law enforcement doesn't really love them, and its a big safety issue, but if its no problem in your area, just ignore me (remember, I live in a big metro sprawl, you can't leave a car alone in certain areas in daylight and expect it to stay there)

one other option, and I don't have an issue with seeing this flamed down:
Jeep Wrangler?

 

[davidhunternyc]

Whichever one of these trucks has a headphone out, get that one.

 

[appophylite]

^^^ LOL at that. Should have expected that coming...

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif one other option, and I don't have an issue with seeing this flamed down: Jeep Wrangler?

I actually was considering a Wrangler at first but the idea of driving a Wrangler did not sit very well with my Dad and seeing as he's probably going to get the car in 2-3 years when I leave, I'm pretty much down to something he and I both agree with.

 

[grawk]

Auto Service Center is the only dealership in fairbanks I dealt wtih. I think you're gonna have a hard time getting much of a deal on either the toyota or the honda compared to what you can get from dodge because totoya and honda aren't in the process of going bankrupt

. I weren't able to get an arctic leash on the pilot, because it wouldn't fit, so there's a good chance that'll be true for the ridgeline too.

 

[Rassilon]

I'd also take a look at the nissan frontier. i have 2008 kingcab (a 4 door crewcab is also available), and am pretty happy with it. it was also super cheap at the time. It drives nice, looks good, the v6 has tons of power. i use it to haul my bike to the track (a cbr600RR), and it works perfectly.

The ridgeline is really nice. my boss has one, and is quite happy.
Its a bit pricey compared to the nissan or toyota, the bed is too short for my needs, and its only available with automatic transmission (i will not buy ANY vehicle with an automatic). Other than those 3 factors, i would have gotten the ridgeline.

The tacoma is nice as well. definitely a good solid truck. I was seriously considering one, except that nissan was offering bigger discounts at the time (last august).

I wouldnt even consider the dodge. its just junk compared to the japanese trucks.
If you want something big, the Ram with the cummings diesel is great, but anything else is garbage.

 

[Deulce]

toyota engines last longer, trust me, all those other brands and especially ford were meant to break down quick so u could buy a new one.

good luck with car repairs

 

[cash68]

You should consider AVOIDING a brand new vehicle, and buying one between 1-5 years old. You won't get hit with depreciation, you won't support overproduction, and it'll be more green than a new prius.

Any new car puts a huge environmental toll on the planet due to production, manufacturing, shipping, etc.
YouTube - Hybrid and SUVs are both crap for our planet

 

[3DCadman]

I have a Ridgeline and I absolutely love it. It got me thru 2 Michigan winters just fine. The full time 4X4 system is fantastic.

I also pulled a new 24 foot Forest River Surveyor last summer. That weighed 4000 lbs. It did a pretty good job with it, but felt a wee bit underpowered. Still pulled it nicely though. Very smooth.

 

[obobskivich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deulce /img/forum/go_quote.gif toyota engines last longer, trust me, all those other brands and especially ford were meant to break down quick so u could buy a new one. good luck with car repairs

I've never had an issue with american cars, be it Ford, GM, or Chrysler originated


....so unless you have some on-paper proof of these claims (including "the engines are designed to break down quick so u could buy a new one"), lets quit with the elitism, eh?

 

[Rassilon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by obobskivich /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've never had an issue with american cars, be it Ford, GM, or Chrysler originated ....so unless you have some on-paper proof of these claims (including "the engines are designed to break down quick so u could buy a new one"), lets quit with the elitism, eh?

how about pretty much every reliability rating (ie, consumer reports, etc)?

Its a pretty well established fact that Honda, Toyota, Nissan are CONSIDERABLY more reliable and well built than the big 3 american makes.