best truck for 4 person family

[J Macnab]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I thought the tahoe was a gas guseler!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

J -- you think a Tahoe is a gas gussler yet a couple of posts back you mentioned Lincoln Blackwood. Wow -- we not only went over your 30K limit but gas mileage is now not an issue either. I want to be your tow vehicle dealer. Got a heck of a deal for you. Humvee -- low miles, only saw desert use -- no rust.

 

[booger man]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

went to the lake with 2 other boats ,me with 04 screw 4x4(5.4 3:73 gears,) pulling my 17ft sylvan fish & ski 115merc ob and 25hp ob kicker) & trailer brakes,buddy jim with his 2000 chevy extra cab 4x4 with the small v8 pulling his 15ft bass boat 50hp johnson ( no trailer brakes),and other buddy rick with his 2003 dodge half ton hemi 4x4 and his 17 ft bayliner with v6ib ( no trailer brakes)...well we got a ridge to get over called 3mile hill that you start at a dead stop if you don't hit the light ,we started the hill ,chevy ,dodge ford,and topped the hill ford dodge chevy...on the flat road ricks hemi does fly at 60+mph but i pull him on the hills ...on the trip home we all stopped for gas and jims chevy got 15mpg,i got 13 and ricks dodge got 10 .jim and rick never weighed thier boats but mine comes in at 4675 lbs without the 25hp kicker and 1/4 full boat fuel tank and no tackle...remember i got my truck so when i do get a larger rig the truck can handle it(my old 2000 ford f150 extra cab with the 4.6 ,got shoved all over by this boat,hot brakes,30mph hill climbs etc.)but if your only haul your boat 1 or 2 time a month why get a monster gas hog when you don't need to ....a friend ron has a 22 ft ski boat (with trailer brakes)that he pulls with a 2001 dakota but he puts it in the river in the spring and pulls it out in the fall the truck is over worked but only twice a year,the rest of the time he gets decent fuel economy and the little truck works for all his needs. plus trailer brakes is the key to a easier load on the tow vechicle,just cause you can get it moving ,doesn't mean you can stop it..

 

[J Macnab]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

Thats what i am planing to do what your frined ron does. We have the boat in the water but will only take it out about once every month to clean it. <br />But some times we will go to different lakes south of us, so make that twice a month. I am looking at some smaller trucks and found a 06 Ridgeline for 27k but still want good mileage now the price doesn't matter the fuel economy matters

 

[JRJ]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

For interior room in a pickup, I haven't seen any with more space than a Dodge Mega cab

 

[craze1cars]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

With a 5,000 lb boat in tow AND a family of four, I wouldn't be l1ooking at a Ridgeline at all.<br /><br />Fuel economy in a truck to haul a 5K lb boat is a pipe-dream. You're just gonna have to pay at the pump. So focus on getting the best deal at purchase time. 1/2 ton truck is the minimum size for your needs.<br /><br />Frankly, I think GM has it going on right now as far as bang for the buck. Not the most state-of-the art equipment out there, but it's reliable and functional. And DIRT cheap since GM is having such problems. Bought my Chebby 1500HD crew-cab 4x4 6.0L with average options (power everything, but no leather or sunroof), for $25,600 plus tax BRAND NEW after all rebates. That's almost $11K below sticker. That's cause NOBODY wants to buy GM products right now, they're dealing like mad...take advantage of it.<br /><br />Here's the best way to get a good deal on a new GM product according to ME: <br />Seek end-of-year models (last years Tahoes and Avalanches are REALLY going cheap now that they're re-designing, look for as many rebates as humanly possible, do not have a trade-in, and pay CASH.<br /><br />The imports can't touch those deals....you'll be paying a LOT more up front. Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[J Macnab]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

How about the avalanche? is it good? fuel economy? room? towing?

 

[Triton II]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

In Australia, we have a ute called the Holden Rodeo which is a badge engineered Isuzu i-350. It's a 3.5 V6 with 2500kg (5500lb) towing capacity, is available as a dual cab and in 2WD or 4WD.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

Originally posted by J Macnab:<br /> How about the avalanche? is it good? fuel economy? room? towing?

It's as "good" as any other Chevy truck product since their last restyle somewhere around 1999, plenty of room, economy is the same as any other 1/2 ton pickup (in other words...economy HA!), enough towing capacity for your needs in the 1/2 ton version, plus they offer a 3/4 ton version if you need more.<br /><br />You just need to do some test drives, get some prices, and make a choice for yourself. There is no answer to questions like "which truck is best." They're all very similar because they all compete with each other for the same market.<br /><br />If you do some research, you'll learn that EPA ratings on just about every single 1/2 ton truck, foreign or domestic, is 14/19...give or take 1 mpg here or there. Again, buying a truck based on fuel economy is a pipe dream right now. So I'd ignore that particular qualification of yours and just buy the truck you like the best for a good price.

 

[Skiuseme]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I just bought an 04 avalanche. Its my wifes Vehicle. It sits on the chassis of a surburban but it has a different suspension. I am about 5'10" and i can comfortely sit in the back without getting cramped. you can find them pretty cheap coming off lease. ours was 14,000 miles, all options except leather and navagation, and only cost us $25,000. It tows our boat great. We have an 2003 Searay Sundeck 200 weighs about 5500. Has pleanty of power and stoping power. go drive one youll love it.

 

[John_S]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I have an '05 Pathfinder, and happy with it. Given your 5000lb tow, plus family and cargo, it is near or may even exceed its limits. It has a 5K class III/IV, or 6K with weight distribution. I think you need the full size Titan or Armada or equivelent. Rear seats can get annoying on 2 or more hour trips. Trailer Boats mag did a review on the '05 Pathfinder and a shootout with '06 Mid-size SUVs, including a Pathfinder. The other contenders in that shootout did have V8s, though. Overall, I thought their reviews were fair.

 

[Jefff]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I'm purchasing a Jeep Commander. You either love or hate the design. It's roomy and is rated for 7200 lbs with the 5.7L HEMI engine. Lets not talk about gas mileage, but it does have the same engine as the Dodge RAM truck. My wife likes it because it doesn't feel like we're driving in a truck.

 

[Gfriedman]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

Originally posted by craze1cars:<br /> With a 5,000 lb boat in tow AND a family of four, I wouldn't be l1ooking at a Ridgeline at all.<br /><br />Fuel economy in a truck to haul a 5K lb boat is a pipe-dream. You're just gonna have to pay at the pump. So focus on getting the best deal at purchase time. 1/2 ton truck is the minimum size for your needs.<br /><br />Frankly, I think GM has it going on right now as far as bang for the buck. Not the most state-of-the art equipment out there, but it's reliable and functional. And DIRT cheap since GM is having such problems. Bought my Chebby 1500HD crew-cab 4x4 6.0L with average options (power everything, but no leather or sunroof), for $25,600 plus tax BRAND NEW after all rebates. That's almost $11K below sticker. That's cause NOBODY wants to buy GM products right now, they're dealing like mad...take advantage of it.<br /><br />Here's the best way to get a good deal on a new GM product according to ME: <br />Seek end-of-year models (last years Tahoes and Avalanches are REALLY going cheap now that they're re-designing, look for as many rebates as humanly possible, do not have a trade-in, and pay CASH.<br /><br />The imports can't touch those deals....you'll be paying a LOT more up front. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I think right there is just about the best advice in this thread. go for whats economical. <br /><br />they cant give away the Chevy's/GMCs right now which means its in your best interest to be buying them! getting a brand new one year old model is the way to go. when the 07 suburbans come out they are not going to be able to hand out the thousands of left over 06s! you will get a crazy deal on one of those.

 

[amartin_25]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I've been very happy with my '03 4Runner...with the V6 it is rated for 5,000#. I've had highway mileage of 22-23 mpg and regular in-town mileage of about 19 mpg. (I typically run 87 or 89 octane and am not especially light on the gas pedal)<br /><br />The newer ('06) 4Runner with the V6 and equipped with the weight distribution hitch is rated around 6,400#. When the lease expires on my '03 in a few months I'll be looking to re-up with the '06 or '07 V6 with the intent of pulling 5,000# dry weight boat and trailer along with associated family, dogs, toys, and cooler.<br /><br />As for room, the backseat is reasonably comfortable for full-size adults with additional room in the way-back for cargo. I'm 6' and have no issues with headroom nor legroom (of course I'm in the driver's seat 99% of the time).<br /><br />You can get in a new base SR5 or Sport for high-$20s to very low $30s.<br /><br />Best of luck with your search.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: best truck for 4 person family

I would never tow a 5000# boat with a 4-runner unless it was a short distance and flat. The engine may be powerful enough to tow it but brakes and transmission aren't going to be up to the task.<br /><br />The boat before my present one was 5000# which I always pulled with a 3/4T Suburban. I had to tow it once with an s10 Blazer...not safe!