I'm looking for a good dd truck that only needs to tow 5k loads. I just got rid of my xj and got a sami buggy. My trailer weights approx. 2k and I'm estimating the buggy at 2400lbs Now that I no longer needing to be able to tow much weight and gas the way is....I figure time to let the the chevy 2500 go. I'd like to come back down to a 1/2ton or something that gets better than 12mpg for a dd. I'm trying to keep it under $15-18,000. I figured just about any 1/2 ton out there is going to be able to tow that, but just wondering what you'd go with for the price range? Are any of the older Tundra's worth it?

1) Go weigh your buggy
2) If you own the 2500 outright or are nearly finished paying it off, you will come out money behind, especially if your budget is 15-18k.

You get 12mpg now, Is there a 1/2 ton out there right now that will make 20mpg? Most I've seen get 15-18mpg. Not that much of improvement.

1) Go weigh your buggy
2) If you own the 2500 outright or are nearly finished paying it off, you will come out money behind, especially if your budget is 15-18k.

You get 12mpg now, Is there a 1/2 ton out there right now that will make 20mpg? Most I've seen get 15-18mpg. Not that much of improvement.

x2.

There really isn't much additional to say other than that every 1/2t pickup I have owned (all mid to late '90s stuff FWIW) has gotten right at 14-16 mpg. You could regear your 2500 for a lot cheaper than buying a new truck if you want to try to increase your fuel mileage a bit.

I hear ya...like everyone else it's just killing me in fuel. I'm trying to think of everything I can to reduce $$$ at the pump. Getting a cheap beater for dd is an option, but I really don't want to be paying on truck while it just sits most the time. I've only owned the truck for 2years and still owe a good bit on it and that's why I was thinking of trading in for something that gets a little better mpg. I appreciate ya'lls input, while 14-16mpg isn't a huge improvement now over the life of the truck as a dd i'm figuring it will help with out monthly expenses. Are their any 1/2tons that you would go with as opposed to others that would serve as daily driver duty/tow rig. Thanks for everyones comments.

If it were me, I'de go find a $500 beater that gets at least 25mpg. They aren't that hard to find, hell, man up and get a scooter if you must.

Spending a chunk of change on a DD and only gaining only 2-4mpg is going to put you money behind.

aight...I see where this is going. It's just hard to pimp a 87 rusted honda or a scooter everyday to work. :flipoff2:

No it's not. Just wait until fuel gets really expensive. I work with a guy who owns an FJ40 and a mint FJ60 with an LT1, he rides a scooter every day and only lives 3 miles away.

If I had the storage space for another vehicle I'd happily cruise around in some $500 beater and save my Dodge for when I need it, even if I still owed money on it.

aight...I see where this is going. It's just hard to pimp a 87 rusted honda or a scooter everyday to work. :flipoff2:

At some point you'll realize your wallet is more important than your image.

That point is different for everyone, and most people realize this sooner or later.

At some point you'll realize your wallet is more important than your image.

That point is different for everyone, and most people realize this sooner or later.

point well taken

At some point you'll realize your wallet is more important than your image.

That point is different for everyone, and most people realize this sooner or later.

Unless of course if your wallet can support your image.:D

Keep the truck. The cheapest vehicle to own is the one you already have. And by the way my dad's 100k mile 2001 1500 with 5.3 gets 19-21 highway cruising 65-70, empty.

Buy a beater motorcycle and just ride that. You can get a used Jap sport bike for pretty cheap. I bought a new Buell just to save money and miles on my SD. I figure between the small payment, cheap ass insurance and only paying $10.00 for gas every 2-3 days makes up for the money I would have spent driving my SD daily. Hell for what your additional payments will be on a truck you could go buy a new bike.

I say keep the truck and find something a little cooler to drive/ride to keep your pimp status. A bike will do that over a beat up Import with better mileage. What about when you decide to sell your buggy and run something bigger? Then you'll be looking for a bigger truck or you'll be on here asking if a 1/2 ton can haul whatever it is you end up scoring next.

:mr-t: pimp status is a must...a bike is definately better than scooter, but i wouldn't last more than a week before I'd be splattered on somebodies windshield. Can't look cool if i'm dead...or I guess I could...it's all on the way you go. :mad3:

I guess the search is on for a dd. You guys are right....wasnt' what I was wanting to hear though, but somehow I figured i'd end up with another car to dd around anyhow.

:mr-t: pimp status is a must...

I understand you can hold your pimp status on a scooter if you own a small dog and place it in a purse. :confused:

:smokin:

1) Go weigh your buggy
2) If you own the 2500 outright or are nearly finished paying it off, you will come out money behind, especially if your budget is 15-18k.

You get 12mpg now, Is there a 1/2 ton out there right now that will make 20mpg? Most I've seen get 15-18mpg. Not that much of improvement.

we're getting better than 20 with our '07 GMC

we're getting better than 20 with our '07 GMC

Which engine and model?

Then again, much does it cost owning (how much did you pay/paying) a truck around 1yo. That needs to be considered when looking at saving money.

I have a GMC CC 1500 4x4 that I avarage 17-19 with in CO. I use it to tow my 4Runner with a 16' trailer. Power is OK when going up the passes to Moab etc. I really like it for my DD as it is comfertable and still does OK at teh pump. I looked at the new Tundra real hard because of the added power, it does have that. Once I looked at the price and what I would be giving up for towing 4 times a year I decided to keep my truck.

I also looked at the 2500 and really like them, either gas or diesel, but with the mileage for the gas one and the cost for diesel I decided against both of those too.

Look at how much you tow and work from there. I bet you can get a 1500 for your price easily now a days and get better mileage to boot. Of course selling your 2500 will be the hardest thing to do. Good Luck.

Don't forget that a cheap DD will bring down the truck's insurance.

There are plenty of brand new 35mpg+ cars available for under $15k, and you can keep the pimp status in some of them. And if you're hurting for space, a smart fortwo doesn't take up much more space than a bike!

aight...I see where this is going. It's just hard to pimp a 87 rusted honda or a scooter everyday to work. :flipoff2:

If you want to be pimp master mmmkay, go buy a street bike. You can get one that looks like all the others (they all look the same) for 3K. Ride that to work.Keep the 2500.

Or if your really hard up, sell the 2500 and the Sammy. It is damn near impossible to pimp a Sammy anyway.

I would have a lighter trailer built and tow the sami with the half ton. OKIE has pictures of his rigs on a single axl trailer that wieghted in at under 1000lbs or so. He towed it with a half ton all the time.

Rich

I would have a lighter trailer built and tow the sami with the half ton. OKIE has pictures of his rigs on a single axl trailer that wieghted in at under 1000lbs or so. He towed it with a half ton all the time.

Rich

Why?

Even if his buggy weighs in at 3,000lbs, he's still only talking 5-6,000lbs of weight to tow around.

Almost any half ton out there is going to have NO issues towing that.

The one thign to consider, is if thats ALL you'll be towing with it..

I am building a sub 3000lb buggy, and keep thinking of getting something like a tacoma to pull it on a specialized trailer.

But I keep coming back to the fact that sometimes I need the bigger truck. Once or twice a year I borrow my dad's tractor with bucket/forks/chipper on it. Its 7000lbs itself, so 9k on the trailer. Or I haul home some other junk, or put 3000lbs in the bed of my truck (usually landscaping materials or building materials).

So, just consider everything before you jump, present and possible future needs..

aight...I see where this is going. It's just hard to pimp a 87 rusted honda or a scooter everyday to work. :flipoff2:

Cheap ugly beater + $100 worth of quality window tinting = economy on the down low :grinpimp:

82 chevy burban with 6.2 diesel and it gets just over 20 and I only paid $550 cash for it and use it to tow my sami around. I am currently building another trailer that is smaller with tandem axles and a lot lighter to drag than the 16 X 7 Top Hat that I use now.

Alright, I'll beat this dead horse some more... :D I've had my 06 D-max powered 2500 for almost 2 years now. Still $22K left to pay. The odometer just clicked over 13K. Yes, that's "thirteen thousand" after 2 years. Most diesel pickups have that many miles by the time they get their first bath and many run over 100K at 2 years old. Why so few miles? Because my 94 Geo Prism with 166K miles handles basic transportation on a daily basis and I only pull out the Silverado keys when I need to haul or tow something. Why didn't I buy a gas powered 2500 since I don't drive it much? I figure that by the time all the maintenance, repair, upkeep, insurance, licensing, and fuel costs are considered the Prism has already saved me enough money to pay for the diesel upgrade on the 2500. Yes, that means I got a FREE diesel upgrade by keeping the car when I bought the truck! And guess what the next 2-3 years earn for me? A FREE upgrade to a NEW truck rather than buying something already half worn out. After that? I'll probably need to trash the Prism and buy the new Chevy Volt electric car that should be on the market by then, but I'll still have a like-new diesel powered 2500 that's paid off and easily handles all my towing and hauling needs for the next 20+ years.

Yeah, I'm laughing all the way to the bank in my crappy little DD sedan. To hell with "image" that you can't deposit! Gas will cost $6 per gallon in 4-5 years, better start planning for it now!

I pull 19-21 on the highway with my reg cab short box Z71, plenty of power for towing your typical trail rig.

Hey man thread is back. I hear all of what your saying. The image thing was me be sarcastic. It's just i'm used to rolling around in a 04 crew cab 2500 full loaded and its sucks have to go back down to a piece of crap beater car for my 90% driving duty just b/c some damn towel head wants to slow down the oil tap and the gas prices go up. Anways. What I was trying to get it is my trailer is only weighted to tow 7,000 lbs. So in reality I guess I would have been fine w/ a 1/2 from the get go, but I got a killer deal on a 2500 that I never had to worry about towing with. But the current crap w/ gas prices....i was thinking about trading the 2500 in to get a nicer looking beater car that get's great mpgs and then get an older 1/2 truck to serve as my towing duties. Kinda killing 2 birds with one car payment deal. So I was just wanting to see what others where doing and there experience w/ the 1/2's and towing. I know the 1/2ton thing has gotten beaten to death and we all need a diesel...but i'm just leaning towards serving my purposes better. End of rant. Keep the advice coming though...i like the opinions.

im with yall my cummins sits in the drive way for haul duty, my ta sits under the shed along with my ls1 power cab truck and my lifted xj which is my back up ride and my lifted mj the other backup ride and i drive a beat up 91 honda because of fuel mileage i dont care what everyone thinks of me cause if they live around me they know i could drive a different car everyday of the week but i like the beater we even put a tow hitch on the honda for the light loads lol

I tow with a Titan. Does an ok job but mileage is only 14mpg. My dad has an 04 2500 for tow duty that stays in the garage while he drives his geo metro around at 30mpg. The titan does run on Flex fuel so I'm atleast getting my fuel for ~.30less/gal that reg unleaded.

Have you looked at a honda ridgeline? hah I hate to say it but its rated to pull 5k and gets 15/20 mpg.

I would keep the 2500. Those are :grinpimp: trucks.