Buying a car

[El Chupacabra]

I guess this is the thread to ask in. Although I could have asked in the Truck thread or Bobby’s used car thread and if those are better places please direct me.

I have been half heartedly looking for a truck for a dozen years or so. Rationalized I got by with a utility trailer, borrowing or renting not to fully justify the purchase. Anyways serious now. I have bought one vehicle that wasn’t a private sale. Looking for a full-size gaser with an extra cab 4x4 and at least a six foot bed, eventually adding a camper. Budget is about 15k, but I could stretch to 20. Preference is Tundra, F150, Silverado. Any advice here welcome.

Long winded intro, thanks for bearing with me. With my budget, I want to buy a car from N. Carolina South to find an older model with no frame rust and drive it home. Thinking to just book a cheap flight to Charlotte and try to find a car using all the available online searches. This seems much more time crunched than I am used to. Wondering what has worked for folks traveling to buy a car.

IMHO if adding a slide in camper, buy a 3/4-ton or 1-ton, unless your camper is going to be a bare bones shell, no water, no plumbing, no bathroom, no heater, no fridge.

People will tell you (including on this forum) that a 1/2-ton will be fine holding a 2000 pound camper, or that their full featured camper only weighs 800# and "it doesn't even squat." Don't believe it. Buy a heavier duty truck if putting a large load in it. If you don't know what the difference is between a half ton and 3/4 ton, Google that first - there's a lot.

[cat in january]

Thanks for the advice, I was looking at load capacities thinking a half ton would work

[singlecross]

Here in the NorthEast, I’d start looking around for snowbirds that are aging out of taking their truck/camper to Florida for the winter. Ask around RV parks and repair places. Buy the truck and camper as a package and save money and headache with compatibility issues.

I agree with at least a 3/4 ton truck with rear airbags if you can. I can’t imagine my Lance on a 1/2 ton. I’ll keep my eyes/ears open for you.

[El Chupacabra]

Also, regarding slide in campers: if you're not sure what you (and significant other - don't overlook what their needs/demands may be) want in a camper, go window shopping at your local RV dealers before buying a truck. Maybe all you want is a bare bones shell, somewhere to sleep and get out of the weather, and will be driving up rough dirt roads for miles to camp at trailheads before climbing peaks - - so a very light version of a FWC or a Go Fast type shell would be perfect, so you could get a 1/2-ton then - - which will drive nicer, use less fuel, and be a better daily driver if that's important.

Or maybe you want a television, queen bed, and a lot of creature comforts, and your camping style is more reservations at campsites with paved spaces. Or maybe it's winter focused and you want a lot of insulation, heated tanks, good battery system with an on board generator...

Lots of variations that may lead to lots of different truck choices.

[WizardOfRoz]

Just to add to what El Chup said. You might be able to get away with a half ton, if it was configured correctly from the factory, payload wise.

Otherwise just skip the 3/4 ton and go for the 1 ton. You'll get generally an extra 1000lbs of payload. We struggled to find one that had the amenities that we wanted that fit our 3/4 ton. Did ended up finding one but having the extra payload would have made the search easier.

I'd also recommend (personal preference) the 8ft or long box. Every time I've used the truck for "truck stuff" the 8ft would have been great. In addition to truck stuff, 8ft box for the camper will give you many more options as well.

[El Chupacabra]

Just to add to what El Chup said. You might be able to get away with a half ton, if it was configured correctly from the factory, payload wise.

Otherwise just skip the 3/4 ton and go for the 1 ton. You'll get generally an extra 1000lbs of payload. We struggled to find one that had the amenities that we wanted that fit our 3/4 ton. Did ended up finding one but having the extra payload would have made the search easier.

I'd also recommend (personal preference) the 8ft or long box. Every time I've used the truck for "truck stuff" the 8ft would have been great. In addition to truck stuff, 8ft box for the camper will give you many more options as well.

All good advice too -- a couple comments --

If a single rear wheel (SRW) truck, there is often very little physical difference between a 3/4-ton and 1-ton truck -- perhaps rear overload springs, perhaps just a different set of numbers on payload and tow capacity from the factory, but the frame, transmission, axles, etc, are all going to be the same or very very close. (DRW trucks are all 1-ton, and that is a big step up in payload capacity -- if you're looking for a really big truck camper, like with slide-outs, you'll be looking at DRWs, and you won't be doing much offroad driving.) SRW 1-ton trucks may not be all that common in the used market, and depending on what state you live in, 1-ton trucks sometimes are taxed differently than 3/4-ton (annual registration) -- I think CA does that. NV, where I am, doesn't.

I personally agree on the 8-ft bed for a slide in camper -- much more interior space. OTOH, there are more short bed (6.5' ish) trucks on the road, and more short bed campers out there too -- so if you're shopping used for both the truck and camper, you might find more availability on both in the short bed versions. A lot of campers made for short bed trucks have rear wrap around designs that hang off the end of the truck, giving more floor space. Downside to those designs is if you want to use a hitch mount bike rack, you need a long extension, and that might be a lot of stress on the hitch -- or require a super beefy hitch. Those rear wrap designs also look to me like a bad idea in winter conditions -- wouldn't all the road spray and slush pack up in there?

The long bed is really nice if you will use the truck bed for carrying big/heavy stuff when the camper is unloaded. It also kinda sucks for parking, so if you don't really need or want it, the shorter bed trucks are easier to live with for a daily driver.

Finally, long bed trucks often have bigger fuel tanks than short bed, and that's a nice thing to have for traveling. My old GMC Sierra had a 8' bed and a 34 gallon gas tank; my new old Sierra (same engine, same body style, etc) has a 6.5' bed and a 26 gallon tank. At around 10-12 mpg loaded with a camper or towing a trailer, having the 34 gal tank was a lot nicer in not worrying about having enough fuel on road trips in rural areas -- with the 26 gal tank, I now bring a 5 gal gas can with.

[m2711c]

if you're looking at smaller trucks, or for a simple, lighter slide-in in general, then you might want to take a look at the Capri campers... cowboys love 'em.

https://capricamper.com