i've got a partner (same guy that has the dak quad cab like mine) who still has his windstar. another former employee has the chevy truck i was talking about. it's at least a 2002, maybe on 03, and i'll ask both of them about their towing experiences this weekend. another sailing friend in new mexico tows a mac 26x with something different as well (i'll ask). the guy with the chevy 4 door short bed, really wanted a quad cab like ours, but changed his mind at the last minute (financing issues?), and i'll get that from him too. i do know the weights of the two trucks are similar, as is the ford f150 and even the dodge ram 4 doors, but the chevies always get just a little better mileage than other brands, maybe not toyota though. i guess i was confused here, in that i thought you had a ceiling of $5k for a vehicle. if you DO, forget the other trucks and look at dakota quads with the 4.7/4spd/3.55 setups. the ltd. slip doesn't matter here as it rarely rains and never snows much. you might need lsd and/or 4wd. dunno. might as well get it as it adds a bunch to resale and usability (think steep boat ramps in the rain), but they do have a bit more maintenance too. if you have $10k or better, go with a toyota. ANY toyota. unless you need 8k# towing or something. over 200-300k+ miles, you just canNOT beat a toy. noway, nohow. ain't gonna happen. i'd even use a tacoma v-6 as they are tough as nails. however, not all of us like the styling or the maker or whatever of a particular truck, so to each his own. i looked for a year, narrowed it down to several trucks in late 99, and i chose the dakota quad, ordering it exactly like i wanted it, even though i had unlimited - literally, unlimited - funds to choose my truck at that time. it's been a jewel, and i wouldn't change a single, solitary thing about it, but i would've bought a toyota tundra (smaller one), if they had been around in 99 in a 4 door, even at the much higher price they brought. no question.
my daks even black, and hundreds of carwashes later the paint's still perfect on the thing, and it's never been hand or machine waxed, not even once - just polished annually and i use car wash 'sprayed' wax-protector on it. looks brand new, purrs like a kitten, tows like a dream, and wails like a banshee when i want it too. but hey, that's just me...
i'll ask those guys and get back to you. they take meticulous records, as uncle sam hates, and audits accordingly, just about all of us 'independents' in the oilfield. nobody likes us, although we make less money, throughout our careers, than a chicken inspector or a good bartender. boom-bust cycles are no fun.
questions to think over: do you need a backseat in your truck? does it need to seat 1-3 adults often or just kids and occasional 'stuff?' do you want to step up into a truck or just slide into the seat more like a car? do you anticipate hauling other trailers/vehicles or 'big' stuff in the bed? will you perform most of the maintenance in your driveway? how long/many miles would you likely keep it for? snow? rain? hail? in your area. your wife's comfort issues? kids messy? envision a truck topper (camper) at some point? daily target mpg unloaded?
with the dakota quad cab as your mean-average, you can go up a bit into the larger, full-size trucks/suv's (toyota highlander is a great one) or smaller with a tacoma. however, both directions will take you up in price quite a bit. for the difference, as s'dog suggested, you could have a dakota-type truck AND a car, if you have the room.
that 4.7 liter 4 or 5 spd tranny combo, with a decent rear end for mpg, is a magical thing at that 4k#+ weight level, running at about 2k rpm over the road at 65mph or so. it just is. several makes and models have the combo, but what do you really want to spend?
jack b
in midland, tx usa
'if my ship went down with a young heart broke, would you feed my dog, would you call my folks' - bill ervin 'remember me' - singer songwriter, purveyor of pernicious pub tunes par excellence...
