Engine is gone on car. Does anyone drive a truck instead of a car?

Jody

Active Member
My mechanic has a great truck for me that he is going to sell cheaply. I know that it's going to cost a lot in gas, but I don't have much money right now and I wanted to get something I feel safer driving in the winter in. Do any of you drive trucks? If so do you like it? I would not have a car payment and I wouldn't have to use all of my income tax to buy a new one. It's a dodge dakota with an extended cab. I trust my mechanic. He actually bought the truck for himself but has decided he didnt really need it. He also personally knows the previous owner and knows that he drove the vehicle every day. I haven't even driven a van in a long time. Not sure how different it is to drive a truck.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I know that Dodge's are supposed to be good trucks. Yes a truck is going to be a lot different for you than a car. I dont know what sized car you had but a truck that sized is going to feel like you are driving a bus for awhile. Tony drives a van for work and when I have to drive it I always feel like I am in some sort of space ship..lol. It takes me 40 acres to turn the thing around but Tony can park it on a dime. I think the truck that Billy got while he was waiting for the insurance company to pay off his car from the accident was a Dodge Ram extended cab. That thing was huge but he managed to drive it just fine. If he managed Im sure you can.
 

Jody

Active Member
its not a real big truck, the guy said it was a smaller ore. I know it's red and it runs, and it has a shell on the back of the pickup part. I hope I have a new vehicle tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Fingers crossed for you, Jody. We have a work Ford F150 work truck and I enjoy driving it on occasion. I like "sitting high" and looking down on the little cars. :) DDD
 

1905

Well-Known Member
I drive a Toyota truck. It's kind of small, compared to a Dodge Ram, that's what difficult child drives. I'm small and I love it. I feel reallly safe in it. My only problem is I need a pillow behind me and another one to sit on. The seat doesn't go up or forward enough but that's just the one I have, and you can use a pillow or something. You will love driving a truck!!! I'm excited for you.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I actually forgot (duh me) that I own a truck...lol. Its a baby truck though. 1989 Toyota pickup. Old as the hills and only has one small bench in the front with room for two people. It was my Dad's truck and I got it when he died. Now Tony drives it. When something happens to it we are going to get it bronzed like you do your baby's first shoes...lol.
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
I kept backing into people when I had my truck. My insurance was a nightmare. I loved my truck, because it was just like a car (Honda Ridgeline) and we do a lot of work around the house. But the blind spots were murder.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
The "shell" on the back makes driving the truck harder. I've had it both ways - and a truck with a clear and open back end makes for great visibility. With the "shell" (we call it a "cap"), your visibility is more restricted like a cargo van would be, and you need to rely on your mirrors more.

I've driven most of the "normal" vehicle styles on the road at one time or another (i.e. not semis and other "special license" vehicles), and... the most important thing is to start on quiet streets. Don't try and drive this thing on a major roadway at rush hour, until you've had a few hours behind the wheel. Take it to an empty parking lot, and practice stopping, turning, parking. Get a feel for your blind spots and how it handles. It won't take long and it will feel "normal".
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
For years I used to drive a Ford Expedition. It was a HUGE SUV, based on a Ford F-150 frame. I LOVED it. The thing was huge, but very easy to handle even for a half-pint like me. The only issue I ever had with it was "mounting" for which I used a rubbermaid footstool, the running board and interior handle, and "dismounting", for which I used to jump from the running board and free fall to the ground.

IC's advice to take it to a parking lot or smaller roads to get used to the handling, stopping, sight lines etc. is good. It won't take you long to get used to it.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
Jody--

Based on some of your posts, I get the feeling that you are on a really tight budget. If that's the case, don't be too quick to dismiss the extra gas cost for the truck. The truck is going to have much lower mpg and is going to have a much larger gas tank.

In my household, I drive a small car and husband drives an SUV, and we drive about the same number of miles very week. In an average month, I spend about $125 on gas....while husband spends a whopping $350! My 10 gallon gas tank runs about $25 to $30 to fill....while husband spends $70 to $75.

That extra $225 a month on gas (an extra $40 to $50 per fill-up) is really going to impact your budget. And really, that is pretty much a car payment...

Make sure you do the math before deciding on the larger vehicle.

Good luck!
 

Jody

Active Member
I passed by the lot today on the bus and it is a very cute truck. Lol, that's pretty much all I know about vehicles. Thanks for the advice, and input. Hopefully he will call me with good news and it's a go. My old car that has been having engine problems, was really bad on gas, and I was having to put two things of antifreeze in it just to get it to move. I definately will go "test drive" somewhere, before I get on the road if I do. I hope he calls soon.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
A Dodge Dokata isn't really a huge truck, it's more of a mid-size as trucks go. And some of them get pretty good gas mileage too. My daughter drove something similar for years and had no trouble getting around in it, even though it was a stick shift. The only thing I can think of that might possibly be a problem is that some of them can be a bit difficult to handle on snowy or icy roads because the back end is so light. Where I live a lot of people solve that problem by putting something really heavy in the back of the truck bed in the winter, a couple of sand bags or several concrete blocks, to weight it down.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
I guess that wasnt an issue with my toyota because it came from VA where it saw enough snow. Im sure that Dodge is bigger than my toyota but what Daisy said is true about trucks getting less gas mileage. Even though my toyota is older and a very small truck it gets worse gas mileage than my Ford Focus. I think they have the same size gas tank too. I think I get about 7 or 8 miles per gallon better gas mileage in my Focus than I do in the truck.
 

Jody

Active Member
That is a really cool website. I checked the Dodge Dakota and it gets about 5 miles less a gallon, but I think it's really about a 2 1/2 mile or so difference with the problems my car was having. Definately not a gas saver by any means, but also not as bad as I thought it would be.
 

trinityroyal

Well-Known Member
Jody, if you do end up getting the truck, consider using cat litter instead of sand bags for weight in the back end. Cat litter provides much better traction under the wheels than sand if you ever find yourself stuck in the snow.
 

Jody

Active Member
Thank you Trinity. This is one of those reasons I just love this board. I learn so much from all of you!!! That tidbit might really come in handy. I do use kitty litter on my front door step for the ice, its paw friendly for the dogs too.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
If you use cat litter for traction, be sure not to use the scoopable, clumping kind. That gets slipperier than all heck. You want plain, old fashioned, clay cat litter.
 
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