I'm in the market for a truck, and y'all know things well being what I know.

Here are my criteria:

Full size (rear vents and room in backseats for kids)
Low towing needs
~$40k could go up to 45 if needed for the right truck (will trade in current vehicle, but the 40-45 is factoring that in)
Reliability is big. I don't want to have to take it to the shop a bunch beyond basic maintenance, and want it to last 10+ years. I'd prefer sub 40k miles even though I know some trucks can easily hit 200k.

Context: Avg 8-10k miles a year, mostly city. Some towing and of course will do some hauling in the bed my current crossover can't get.

I've done some looking (see previous thread) and really liked the Nissan Titan Pro-4X & Platinum Reserve. I don't need the bells and whistles, but I do like them.

I've been concerned with Tundra, Ram, and GMC products, so outside of Nissan I leaned Ford, but my knowledge is admittedly very limited. I'm not in a rush, so I could wait closer to end of year for a better deal.

Lead me oh wise ones.

You need a 2-3 yr old f150 Lightning. Price: $35k +/- & 0-60 in 4.2 sec.

I'm looking into that. I've seen similar threads on Reddit with people strongly recommending a Ridgeline. They're ugly, but seem to check the boxes.

I assume you are aware Ridgeline is mid-size so you would give up some cabin space, particularly in width. Also, bed space will be a bit smaller as long as you are OK with that.

Agreed, that's why I posted here first. They just replied first. Aside from (deserved) Ridgeline hate and one Lightning suggestion, I'm waiting for answers.

~2021 Toyota Tundra crewmax should slot right in to where you want to be at <50k miles and ~$45k

You could probably get a newer or more bells/whistley Nissan Titan - also a fine choice.

The Ford Lightning is a great suggestion if you don't need it for extended mileage trips or towing. Buddy of mine has one and loves it - he powers our whole swim team tailgate tent city with it and uses it extensively around town. Great for his use case.

Love my Lightning

Full size, tows great around town, 0 maintenance. Plenty of them with 100k plus

My truck (Tundra) is my glorified gun wagon. I shoot competitions and need a bit of space for all the gear.

I would consider the Ridgeline and wouldn't give a damn about other people's opinions. Its a Honda, it drives nice and will last, gets reasonable gas milage.

I don't think its ugly, I think its goofy looking. But I know it would get the job done for what I use a truck for.

I have a 24 Ridgeline and love it. The older models are ugly but I like the look of the new ones.

Back seat vents, huge weatherproof trunk under the bed. I use that trunk for everything. Groceries, guns, camping. The spare tire and jack is there too. Surprisingly good gas mileage. Fits in my garage so it will last even longer in Texas heat.

Hit 25k miles last week and not a single issue. PM me for questions. F the haters.

A bunch of us recently bought new Ram trucks. Theres an ongoing thread here. I love mine and the others seem to be happy. I have a friend that has 170k or so on his 5.7L and its a 2016. He's had no issues

Yea I'd definitely recommend you give Ram a serious look. Ordered a Ram 1500 Laramie Night Edition in 2022 from Mark Dodge (Lake Charles) and have loved it and so far (knock on wood) no issues other than two minor recalls. My brother has a 2017 with about 190k miles on it, no issues.

'23-'25 Powerboost. Seems like the 3.5 issues are all worked out. Gets above average mileage around town and will tow anything you want.
I bought a '23 a year and a half ago with 60K for $33K.

I've been lucky. I had (3) 3.5s from '13-'19 with about 400k combined mileage and never faced cam phasers and never even had a check engine light come on. I traded the last '19 because I thought I was pressing my luck on the cam phaser issue. Love the Powerboost. I get about 22mpg combined city/hwy and better if just in the city.

I haven't been in all the other trucks but it seems like the interiors may have passed Ford by. But, I have no issues with mine.

LeftyAg89 said:

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Yea I'd definitely recommend you give Ram a serious look. Ordered a Ram 1500 Laramie Night Edition in 2022 from Mark Dodge (Lake Charles) and have loved it and so far (knock on wood) no issues other than two minor recalls. My brother has a 2017 with about 190k miles on it, no issues.

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So many people on this forum have bought there. Place is nails!

Ridgelines are pretty great for what they are. You can get a fully loaded NEW one for 40-45 with the way they are currently sitting on lots. NA v6 is pretty bomb proof. The platform has been around for years and it is probably the most trouble free truck on the market. It has quirks, most of which I really like. It drives well, easy to get in and out. Hauls bikes and drums and what ever I would need. The under bed storage is really cool. If you have a flat with stuff in the bed, you would have to remove it to get the spare out. Weird. They are a steal on the used market right now as well.

Bulldog73 said:

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I'm in the market for a truck, and y'all know things well being what I know.

Here are my criteria:

Full size (rear vents and room in backseats for kids)
Low towing needs
~$40k could go up to 45 if needed for the right truck (will trade in current vehicle, but the 40-45 is factoring that in)
Reliability is big. I don't want to have to take it to the shop a bunch beyond basic maintenance, and want it to last 10+ years. I'd prefer sub 40k miles even though I know some trucks can easily hit 200k.

Context: Avg 8-10k miles a year, mostly city. Some towing and of course will do some hauling in the bed my current crossover can't get.

I've done some looking (see previous thread) and really liked the Nissan Titan Pro-4X & Platinum Reserve. I don't need the bells and whistles, but I do like them.

I've been concerned with Tundra, Ram, and GMC products, so outside of Nissan I leaned Ford, but my knowledge is admittedly very limited. I'm not in a rush, so I could wait closer to end of year for a better deal.

Lead me oh wise ones.

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You're describing a 5.7 Tundra or possibly a Nissan Titan. Both are going to give you unmatched reliability.
And neither will have all the bells and whistles most drivers want. I do miss my ventilated seats from my 2013 FX4 when I switched to a Tundra TRD Pro. I do not miss the maintenance trips once it hit around 115-120K miles and it seemed like every other month something was going wrong.

The older Tundra backseats are massive. Enough for a family of four and two min-sized dogs to vacation with or go to the ranch. Got mine years back, around 45K+ miles for around $45-$46K, I think?

I can also say with my earlier ecoboost, once you upgrade the tires and go with a larger size, and mileage gains are moot. Mid-teens, about what my Tundra gets. Maybe a mpg or two better, but not much.

Yeah, the old tundras are nails. I have one and it's never had a single issue. My TRD Pro was $62k. The price keeps ticking up. I have a buddy with a 2024 TRD Pro and he paid over $80k!

I have been on a couple of these threads regarding the Titan and I do love mine. I had a 2012 F150 Lariat which was great for 170K miles, but when it was time for something new, I just could not justify the cost of lightly used Sierras, Silverados, or F150s to get what I wanted on the interior. The old Titans were not attractive, but I genuinely like the look of mine (2023 Platinum Reserve White with the grey on the bottom). The seats are significantly more comfortable than my F150 or the Sierra, I have all the bells and whistles I could want (car play, heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel, nav, bluetooth, big back seat, rear AC, tool boxes above the wheel wells, bakflip cover, etc). I bought it in early summer of 2024 after my 2021 Titan was totaled, and it was a year old with 5,000 miles for under $50K. Hard to beat from a bang for the buck scenario.

nealan said:

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Yeah, the old tundras are nails. I have one and it's never had a single issue. My TRD Pro was $62k. The price keeps ticking up. I have a buddy with a 2024 TRD Pro and he paid over $80k!

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That's my girl, but she's white with black accents - proper Stormtrooper set up. I also took the colored lettering off the TRD Pro stickers on the bed.

Just rounded 90K miles. I still have aspirations to drop a Magneson 2.6 supercharger in there.....but we'll see.

nealan said:

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Yeah, the old tundras are nails. I have one and it's never had a single issue. My TRD Pro was $62k. The price keeps ticking up. I have a buddy with a 2024 TRD Pro and he paid over $80k!

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Drive a 2014 1794 with 175,000 miles and it may outlive me.

Yeah, I have a 16 year old that's driving this truck now. My plan is to take it back from him when he graduates from high school and keep on driving it !