Discussions

Ok ebrandonites.  
It’s time to change my farm truck, she’s been around a lot of years and is getting rusty. Ram1500 hemi 4x4 has been a great truck.  
Unfortunately I do need a truck for work (wish I didn’t), small farm, must be able to tow small 16ft gooseneck cattle trailer and have a decent payload capacity. There’s too much choice.  
I don’t think ev’s in their current development are going to cut it which is a shame, plus they’re too expensive.  
What are your recommendations/experiences for no frills pickups that are going to get the job done please and last me 20 years and recommendations for dealers.  
I’m worried that the newer smaller motors being developed might not be strong enough in the long term.  
 
Edited by Farmergeorge, 2023-08-28 00:25:07

That type of regular towing, a diesel may suit you better but the price of a newish diesel is ridiculous, unless you can find a GMC/Chevy halfton with a 3.0L diesel.  
I have a 2019 GMC 1500 with a 5.3 V8 I've been happy with but I don't tow anything heavier than a boat or skidoo trailer. The newer turbo 4/6cyl engines I have my concerns with as well for longevity.  
I have heard the Toyota Tundra is quite a workhorse pickup ( pre-2021 model year with the 5.7 V8) that is rock solid and ready to work, fuel mileage isn't great but if you're coming from an older hemi you may be used to that already.

Are you looking for new or used.

Undecided. I thought used fit my budget but even used prices are ridiculous. My current truck cost 10 cents a kilometre over 15 years per its purchase price.

I've been driving my Tundra for about 6.5 years now, it is a 2014 with the 5.7L V8. It's been good to me so far. I recently did my first repair aside from regular maintenance at about 205,000kms.  
 
I've done the brake pads once, oil changes every 5k kms, and recently had the cam chain tensioners replaced as one was on its way out and causing a rattle at idle. That is a known issue on these trucks. Some do it, others don't, it's hit and miss.  
 
Fuel mileage isn't great, on stock tires I was averaging about 14.2L/100km, and obviously if you decide to run bigger tires it will only get worse (I'm averaging about 19L/100km on 35" tires)  
 
I've done a fair bit of towing with it, everything from small utility trailers to snowmobile trailers to a 26' enclosed loaded with furniture. It towed everything nicely, I never had any concerns with it's ability to handle what I had hooked up to it. I could definitely feel that enclosed behind the truck but it pulled it down the highway and around town fine.  
 
Overall, I'm quite happy with the truck and wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.  
 
Hope this helps with your decision.

don't buy from Kelleher Ford...we bought new, and they are the worst for fixing problems...since they were bought by a conglomerate a couple years ago, their service is bad..will never buy from them again.

I dealt with McLaughlin's GM in Neepawa for a truck and they were great to deal with and great after sale service. Was very impressed and we dealt with Jackie was a no pressure sale and provided all the information we asked for. We will deal there again  
Best of luck

Agree, bought one truck there, sales manager made us feel like idiots the way he wrote out an offer on our sale, we almost and should have walked away at that point but needed the truck at the time.  
 
Also getting warranty fixes done there have been a hassle, a known issue they refused to repair, had to take it to a different Ford dealer for work which was done swiftly and without question. Celebration ford in moosomin is well worth the drive to deal with, have gotten a few vehicles there now as I cannot spend another nickel at Brandon's dealer unless absolutely necessary.

Thank you everyone for your input and experiences. I priced out a few new trucks. Learned a few things about different cabs and box options. Holy mackerel even the most basic 1500 4x4 is out of our price range so we sure won’t be getting a new one . I had no idea how unaffordable these trucks had become. They’ve almost become a fashion accessory rather than a work vehicle.  
I reckon I’ll keep searching for that elusive clean used truck that fits our needs. Luckily my old one although rusty is still running good at 340000 kms so I’m not in a rush.

Something like 90% of the pickups in the roads now days are used for hauling once a year or less. The other 364.5+ days a year they are a family vehicle and/or lifestyle choice. And the F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in North America.  
 
I keep hearing that there is demand for a smaller, basic pick ups like how used to be available, because people like yourself kinda want those, but they haven't been offered in years.  
 
I wish you luck in your search! Hopefully you'll find something suitable at your price point.

Yes I priced the basic pickup with vinyl seats and basic interior etc but with hitch rails, taxes and fees it’s still 60 grand after trading my old one and they are supposed to be on sale. I can’t pay that and take the depreciation hit . You’d think higher interest rates would hit the price but nope apparently. Guess I’m lucky I can still drive the old one . I’ll just have to be patient and wait to find the right used one.

Have you considered an auction for government vehicles? They are generally more basic without so much accessories. Might be worth looking into. I suspect that nowadays, between GM, Ford or Dodge, they are probably all about the same quality.

I actually haven’t. In my experience as a mechanic auctions can be hit or miss. You can get a great deal or end up with a crock of junk. I’ve always found fleet vehicles to not always have been maintained or looked after as well as suggested, often quite disappointing . We used to buy and resell ex police BMW motorcycles. They weren’t looked after nearly as well as we were led to believe. It’s all a trade off I guess but being self employed I’ve got to buy a great vehicle within a budget and there’s no room for mistakes. Buying used is usually a patience game waiting for a decent deal .

It definitely is a waiting game! We pay cash for used, so it's a firm budget. We've taken as long as 18 months for the right deal, and that was pre-pandemic. The average for us is usually about 6ish months. I hope you won't have to wait that long. Our vehicles will need replacing in the near future, and I'm loathing it at the current prices.