Every time I look back at Big Red I find it hard to believe that those days are rapidly coming to a close. So many memories and trips taken with Red, so many hours of paranoia and fear not at all rational and many days and nights spent in the wilderness. It’s hard to believe in my mind that it might be coming to an end next year when I retire Big Red and get a new truck.
It’s possible – and maybe quite likely – I could get another year out of Red especially with some maintenance and parts. Change the transmission and transfer case fluids, replace the belts and spark plugs. Get new shocks and struts, replace upper ball joint – already done the lower ones, the bushings and some of the other equipment. It probably would be fine for a while there after and that’s the frugal thing to do. But I make good money, I’ve had Red for 14 years now, and I want something smaller and easier to drive I think – that’s better on gas. But I also like the big truck for hauling all my gear. Want something new and modern so I can drive out west – Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri – explore and I’m not sure I trust Big Red even if I get caught up on the maintaince. It’s kind of a rust bucket now and it will be even worse after a harsh winter.
At one level I’m set on getting a Toyota Tacoma 4×4. Something small but with a six foot bed for camping. But easy to take down the trail and get it tight campsites. But with so much gear these days could I fit everything in the cap? Things would be so much tighter than in my big jacked up truck. I might get the off-road package as I don’t want to mess with a lift kit but also want good stable performance for rough forest roads but maybe not rock climbing. Truth is that I rarely bottom out my truck though it’s certainly possible to high center even a lifted truck on a snow bank in the remote Adirondacks. Trust me I know from first hand experience.
That said, I’ve been reading about the latest generations of Toyota Tacoma 4x4s and while they are pretty solid, reliable builds, they have had more issues lately with the latest generations of engines and 8-speed automatic transmissions. The Tacomas you can still get with a six-speed manual transmission and I think I’d would almost prefer that for both winter driving and going through the mountains for engine breaking. I really want to spend more time in West Virginia, the Appalachians and the Adirondacks in the coming years. The Tacomas are also assembled in Mexico with cheap Mexican labor though the quality is supposedly high but I do prefer supporting union labor. And there is the question of tarrifs.
Other issues I’ve heard is that they aren’t real fuel efficent despite their small size. You might as well get a full size truck some argue. The seventeen gallon tank means more stopping for gas, especially when climbing mountains and rough dirt road in remote country which sucks as you have to plan more ahead so you don’t run out of gas.
Another option I’m considering is getting a 3/4 ton long bed 4×4 work truck either a Chevy or a Ford. I kind of prefer no frills and even those trucks have nowadays have cruise control and air conditioning. Just a regular cab, they heat and cool faster and have less room for clutter plus so much room for camp gear and it would be useful some day when I settle down to my homestead. But fuel economy and size are issues. Want something small enough and economic enough if I eventually am forced to commute by automobile again. Big Red just ain’t easy to drive except on the open road. Also maybe this kind of truck is best bought used from state agency or power company surplus or other fleet vehicle. Save a lot on depreciation and there are certainly a lot of fleet vehicles like this available used.
Maybe I should look at the domestic manufacturers again. For the most part except my extreme anxiety, Big Red has been good and reliable bar the wheel bearing but that’s ordinary wear. But you hear such bad things about the domestics these days with their modern fuel savings for government compliance designs. They say cars have only gotten worse recently, especially the domestics. The 3/4 ton trucks have fewer compliance restrictions and are built heavier, so I feel like they’re a better option if I choose ultimately to go domestic. But bad on gas if I decide to go that way. And big and hard to drive down narrow trails and in the city.