That would be hilarious if Rumatt ends up with a Miata after all. :)

I really did want to love the Miata. If a) I fit more comfortably in it, and b) I liked convertibles, I probably would have gotten one.

Who knows, maybe I'd learn to love a convertible? :dunno: but I generally like everything sealed up nicely.

I was thinking about a BRZ, but if I'm happy driving then E46 daily, I fail to see the point.

You should get a truck!

EDIT: I should say, I can't wait until I have another excuse to own a truck.

For those hating on the Ridgeline bed size (which I am too, BTW) it's not all that much shorter than the other compacts. If the Ridgeline is unacceptable, the other compacts really are too.

https://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/new-h...-ta-1752608164

Yeah, it's only 5 1/3 feet long, but that's only 10 inches shorter than the Colorado. And it's wider and the wheel wells are out of the way. There are some loads (like certain ATVs) that would fit in a Ridgeline but not in a Colorado. Are the loads you're carrying more square or rectangle?

You know what full sized truck would fit in my garage? A ram 1500 with the Standard cab and the 6'4" box. 209" long, and comes with an LSD.

The Ridgeline bed is also very shallow, and I imagine the payload isn't great with what I'm quite certain are going to be soooofft springs.

Full disclosure I have honestly suggested that my father swap his Ram for a Ridgeline. Of course in that scenario he'd still have ready access to my full sized truck.

I only harp on little trucks because I grew up with an s10 in the family and stuff was forever too big for it. Getting into the Ram was a game changer. Yes it drives like a school bus, but that's fun in its own way too. It's not like this is going to be your only vehicle.

Do you get this? I don’t.

True story witnessed in person yesterday.

Bren, all valid points.

What truck do you have again? Specs?

Ram 2500 diesel. Not a truck you want or need, but it makes cool big rig noises. :)

Similar to this:

http://image.fourwheeler.com/f/83321...lead_photo.jpg

Do you have an 8' bed with a crew cab?

Ram doesn't let you do that with the 1500

Regular cab trucks are awful

Seems so to me too.

What's the bed size in yours?

No, it's the crew cab with a 6 foot bed. His is the same, though the new trucks have a little more room in the back seat area.

The 8' would be nice on occasion, but that does start to push my threshold for size. We debated with the new truck, and came very close, but they are hard to find with the right options.

Realistically, I've found most furniture and whatnot doesn't exceed 6 feet, and when it does you leave the tailgate down and tie it up. I also have the benefit of an 18' trailer. ;)

So it would fit in a Ridgeline just fine with the tailgate down. :D :stickpoke

Perhaps. The new Ridgeline is a significant improvement over the old one.

Which is why I said you should buy one. At least with that you can tow the utility trailer you'll need to fit most of the larger loads. :)

Don't even bother with a Ridgeline. While they're nice for what they are, get a REAL truck, not some vehicle with a minivan chassis.

That said, get a used 1/2-ton with 4WD. Preferably a Silverado with the Z71 Off-Road Package or similar. A beater rig for when the weather turns really bad and for chucking firewood on the bed without having to worry about denting it.

I LOVE driving my truck. If it didn't get such crappy mileage, I would drive it more. Its added height and amount of metal surrounding me gives me a sense of safety/security, however false. While it handles like a sloth on Valium, it's the only vehicle I love driving in the deep snow (more than a 12 inches). I like taking it with me up to the ski resort, because I can haul my skis and snowboard without having to worry about getting the interior wet due to the melting snow from the bindings. My buddies and I park our vehicles slopeside, which means I can ski or ride down to my truck, pop off my bindings, walk 10 feet to the back, stash away my gear, break out my folding chair, grab some coldies and enjoy tailgating with my friends.

Here's mine:

http://forums.carmudgeons.com/pictur...8&pictureid=99

Iirc, I only paid $7k for it about 10 years ago, and had 155,000 miles. Everything worked then, and everything works now. If you take care of it, it should last you at least 250,000 miles. I know many who have full-size GM trucks with high mileage. My headliner is drooping, and I've thought about fixing it, but what for ?? It's a beater. I only take care of the important things like the drivetrain, tires, brakes and the A/C.

You could sell the p-car and buy this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/263281010767?rmvSB=true

and this:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-Chevro...dZ78fa&vxp=mtr

and still pocket some cash. Could you leave the truck at the lakehouse full-time?

2014 and newer now have the 6 speed transmission, the extra gears do give a nice bump to the MPG's

I'm over sports cars...

I could leave it there, yeah. That would be the plan.

Do any of you have experience with GM's G80 locking diff? It seems like a bit of a nightmare. It's an open diff until one wheel starts spinning at 100+RPM, then it suddenly locks. Great for getting you out of mud (if you're too lazy to press a button) but it seems terrible for driving in rain or snow.

It's the main thing making me not excited about a colorado.

My 2500HD had a G80. It was surprisingly effective, but you're right that it's not as elegant as a real limited slip diff like my current truck has.

Does Chevy not offer a real LSD on the Colorado?

Did it kick in on the street when accelerating in the rain or around a corner? Or did the e-diff handle that?

Nope. Not from what I can tell.

They claim the G80 functions as a "light biased limited slip" in normal conditions.

I had one of these in the rear of my Wrangler. It was entertaining.

http://www.offroaders.com/tech/image...ght-expand.jpg

That’s cool! Love the uprated rims.

E-diff? What E-diff? My truck didn't even have traction control! :lol:

It worked okay in the rain, but it was a 3/4 ton pickup. You weren't zipping around corners in the rain.

Matt seems to be going through similar fleet questions as I. My need for a truck is far less than him, though. I was very close to pulling the trigger on an older Range Rover full-sized a few months ago, but now that we are buried in home repairs, that's looking less likely.

I did some hourly rentals at Home Depot recently.

1. F250: Perhaps the most awful vehicle I've ever driven. Words could not describe how harsh the ride, how awful the steering and on and on. It did the "job" fit 4x8 comfortably and 12' beams go over the top and are not even visible above your windshield. I don't have that level of need very often. Stuck in traffic as well, nerve-racking. Tiny dead end street that I live on, again nerve-racking.

2. Ford Transit Van, 10' bed: Surprisingly good. Much better ride and some actual steering feel/connection. Pretty decent auto box. Still RWD I think.

Does Enterprise not rent trucks in the Northeast? The local Enterprise here has a few nicely loaded F150's Silerado's and Rams

Yep, I recommended that on page 1

Renting a truck sort of works if you know in advance that you'll need a truck on a given day, and if you have a way to get to and from the rental place, and you're okay waiting around and filling out paperwork, and...

In other words I think it would be OK if you were planning on doing a home reno project or moving a bunch of stuff on a given day, but other than that it's pretty inconvenient.

I actually contemplated renting trucks to tow to and from big autocross events a number of years ago. It looked financially like it could be a decent deal (taking into account insurance, repairs and maintenance on a vehicle I owned) but the inconvenience killed that idea pretty quickly.

In my case, I only need a truck a couple times a year (this year it was a graduation party rental pick up and the ATV purchase). Everything else the wagon can easily handle. We have an enterprise about 15 mins from my house. I make a reservation, leave my car in their lot and bring it back when I'm done. They'll also pick you up and deliver the truck for free, which eliminates the need to get there. Plus they have full size pickups, cargo vans and smaller pick ups, so you have the option to get the vehicle that best meets your need.

If I needed a truck on really short notice, I'd go to the home-depot, but a 2*4 and rent theirs. (Or if I'm being honest, I'd call my co-worker with a truck or my father in law and grab theirs).

I mean, that's great that it works for you, but I'm 30 minutes from the nearest Enterprise and I can only imagine how far Matt's lakehouse is from one.

The Enterprise lot in our town is is partially enclosed with a barbwire fence. The trucks are stored in this lockable area, and I assume I could leave my car in this pen when renting. I didn't ask about leaving my car, but did have them pick me up and return me after renting as they are only about 3 miles from my house.

The price is completely outrageous, but honestly? You should buy this.

https://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/c...344636892.html

That is very cool.

That's right near me too.

I wouldn't want a garage queen though.

Why are these special?

Oooh, wow. That is awesome.

https://customstickershop.us/wp-cont...jeep-thing.jpg

You could wait until next year for one of these:

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/wp-...-5-864x520.jpg

Jeep people are right. I really don't understand.

Funny. I saw that in the jop feed.

http://forums.carmudgeons.com/showthread.php?t=140978

That is pretty dam cool with the manual.

They didn't make very many Comanche light pickups, and finding one with the 4.0L and the stick is really uncommon.

Does it work better than any other light pickup from the late 80s? I kind of doubt it, which is part of the reason that they didn't sell many of them. But it's pretty cool.

The Comanche was "weird" because it was uni-body rather than body-on-frame, and it had a solid front axle rather than IFS. Nothing else that size was anything like it.

Or this

https://hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cd...p012_027jp.jpg

Or this

https://hips.hearstapps.com/roa.h-cd...p012_027jp.jpg