Help: buying a new truck

[Tbob]

Hey guys,
I was hoping to get some opinions on trucks (I know this could be a dangerous question) lol.. I'm going to be buying one at the end of the summer and could use any help or advise you all might have. I'm looking at a crew cab short bed (I'll be having to park this puppy in Seattle). So I like the looks of the
1. Toyota Tacoma
2. Nissan Frontier
3. Chevy Colorado
4. GMC Canyon.
It's also going to be my hunting rig and road trip truck. It's also going to need to be 4x4.
    So what do you guys like or dislike? Anyone have any first hand experience with any of these and maintenance issues? Of course I'm looking for very reliable.
   So far for me, the Tacoma is waaaay expensive. I know everyone says it will hold its re-sale value, but I don't plan on re-selling this truck so that doesn't really help me out justifying spending that much.
I'm leaning a little towards the Nissan at this point. I like the way it looks and it seems a little smaller for city driving than the Colorado or canyon, but that's just by my eye, I haven't looked at the actual specs yet..
   So what would you guys get?

[JakeLand]

Toyota = reliability and resale

[Snakeriver10]

To me it sounds as if your looking for a great dealer over a great truck.  Based on what you listed though the Toyota is superior with a superior price tag!

[KFhunter]

I went with the Colorado crew cab short box trail boss z71

I had some issues starting at 500 miles that was a serious pain in the butt and almost caused a lemon law case.  The issue was fully resolved by the dealer tech who discovered a loose wire in the fuse box causing havoc.  The wire was fixed and the truck has been flawless and I'm now at 25,000 miles.

likes:

21-22 mpg on the factory Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac tires, they've held up well too. 
wifi - I did a 5,000 mile road trip with teens and kids, that wifi was pretty awesome
turns sharp!  turning radius seems very tight I love it
comfortable for me, after 500 mile days I was still feeling good.  The seats are getting complaints from others though, so make sure they fit you.

dislike
transmission tries to keep in too low of a gear in the woods so it falls on it's face some, then downshifts too late then gases to pick it back up.  I use the manual shifter a lot in the backroads
AC doesn't blast you out with cold.  I get in a hot truck I want instant COLD air and it's hohum



any questions ask, I'll tell it like it is

[KFhunter]

The new Colorado's have nothing in common with the old Colorado's except the name.

[JeffRaines]

I've had a 2015 Tacoma and now a 2017 Colorado Crew Cab.

The only reason I got rid of the Tacoma is because is was an Access cab and there was no way a carseat was going in there, which hampered me from taking my family on scouting trips with me over the summers.

I don't really have any complaints about either one, the Tacoma was great, and so far my Colorado is great.

The gas mileage on the Tacoma was terrible. It was a 4 cyl and I was getting around 20/21. I regularly get 26+ on the highway in the Colorado. Its a truck, and I get it isn't going to get great gas mileage, but it sure doesn't hurt - especially if its going to be your daily driver as well.

The Tacoma is also really noisy(road noise). Not sure if thats an important issue for you or not, but it seems like a lot of people care. My Colorado is pretty quiet in comparison.

I don't think you can go wrong with either one of those. In my research, it doesn't seem like the Nissan has gotten a significant update in a long time. You can google more info on that.

Another thing I found was that Toyota dealers are pretty cut and dried on their prices - don't expect to walk out of there with a 'deal'. They might wiggle a little on the price, but thats it. The Chevrolet dealers are much more willing to play... you still gotta work them, but they'll wiggle more.

RE: Colorados - KFHunter hit it on the head. The colorados disappeared for a few years in the states... 2013-2015. With that said, I'd be willing to bet most of those Colorados that superdown is referring to is the older ones. The 2015 models are only 2.5-3 years old at this point... and in my extensive research I didn't see too many negative reviews from the 2015-current model year.

[meatwhack]

Toyota without a question. No other trucks can compare with Toyota reliability. I've driven multiple toyotas now for the past 20 years and have always had excellent reliability. The only time Toyota has strayed from being a great vehicle was with their 3.0 V6 other than that all of their engines have been excellent.

[Tbob]

Loving all the opinions! Please keep em coming! It definitely helps!

[Scheindogg]

Check out consumer reports. You'll notice that all toyotas have green (the best) ratings on just about everything in every category throughout all models back to 06 (how many years it goes back) you'll notice trucks like the Colorado, sierra have very good ratings for this year and last but before that all models start having major engine AND/or transmission problems. Showing how the colustomer loves it but they just don't hold up. You may also notice the last 2 years of the Tacoma have had (predicted) reliability ratings because no one likes the latest generation of transmission on it. If I were you I'd get a '14 tacoma lightly used or wait until the tranny issue gets fixed and toyota is back to their reliable self 

[Taco280AI]

The 3rd gen Tacoma transmission isn't a reliability issue, it just kind of sucks in how it shifts/when it shifts/when it doesn't shift/when it should shift. It's basically just stupid and doesn't know what to do.

[Scheindogg]

The 3rd gen Tacoma transmission isn't a reliability issue, it just kind of sucks in how it shifts/when it shifts/when it doesn't shift/when it should shift. It's basically just stupid and doesn't know what to do.

I'm personally not calling it a reliability issue, but consumer reports is giving it a bad predicted reliability rating. They could very well be wrong.
Also- if you drive stick then no prob just get a new taco whatever year you want

[Taco280AI]

One potential long-term issue is the fact that many, including mine, came low on transmission fluid from the factory. Is how I got a free 6 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.

[thinkingman]

Do a quick search on this forum for Toyota reliability.
Pm me if you'd like for some actual information.
Chev/GMC would be my pick of the ones you listed.

[Scheindogg]

Do a quick search on this forum for Toyota reliability.
Pm me if you'd like for some actual information.
Chev/GMC would be my pick of the ones you listed.

Do you have a chev/gmc that has lasted 10+ years with zero engine/transmission work?
Just wondering..

[Woodchuck]

Do a quick search on this forum for Toyota reliability.
Pm me if you'd like for some actual information.
Chev/GMC would be my pick of the ones you listed.

Do you have a chev/gmc that has lasted 10+ years with zero engine/transmission work?
Just wondering..

Yes I do.