Hunting Vehicle

[Where's Bruce?]

they are spendy, but you don't "need" a brand new one, lots of reliable rigs that aren't new. I had a 91' Toyota that was under 13k new, still bummed I sold that a few years ago.

I just got a Colorado zr2 a couple days ago, and it's sick, traded in my 18' taco trd offroad for it, and it's a huge upgrade in fun and capability, and is all around better for my needs.

I also may have a lead on an early 90's Toyota standard cab 4x4 with the 22re with 130k miles, if that works out, the price is too good not to, it's not pretty, but that's the point, they are awesome woods rigs around here with the overgrown brush choked roads, and they go pretty much anywhere.

there are lots of good options, and plenty of reasonable great hunting rigs for 10k or less, a 40k dollar rig will not get the freezer anymore full than a reliable 5k dollar pickup, and one you won't care about scratching up (I don't care about scratching any of them up, haha) i'm not buying a rig that hinders me on where i'm willing to go because it's pretty, that defeats the purpose of a hunting rig.

a friend of mine who owns the bow shop drives a Subaru, and it looks like it has a little lift, and he has some aggressive all terrains on it, cool little rig really, and i'm sure it does what it needs to in the woods. what it gives up in ground clearance it makes up for in short wheel base, he can drive through stuff most stock pickups can that are longer.

lots of good options, I don't have any real answers not knowing the type of driving you do, all of our vehicle needs are a little different.

pickups are handy in the woods, but you can improvise if you don't want to spend the money.

I agree. I have never purchased a truck new and never will. Let someone else pay the depreciation. If the truck is perfect then every little door ding and fingerprint is gonna bug you. You'll be parking at the outer edge of the lot. Get a decent used truck with some imperfections so you can treat it like the glorified wheel barrel it is.

 

[roosiebull]

I agree. I have never purchased a truck new and never will. Let someone else pay the depreciation. If the truck is perfect then every little door ding and fingerprint is gonna bug you. You'll be parking at the outer edge of the lot. Get a decent used truck with some imperfections so you can treat it like the glorified wheel barrel it is.

certainly wisdom in those words. I bought my 18' Tacoma new, and will never buy brand new again, i'm just not a good candidate for that for what I do. luckily being what it was, I got more on trade in than I owed, but the first few months of brand new isn't my thing, takes some of the fun out of the new rig, haha.

I often think about leasing, but I just have a feeling I would get whacked with fine print, don't understand it well enough to trust it. I don't beat up rigs, but I do use them.

 

[jfs82]

View attachment 179965
You definitely do not need a truck. All the meat off my bull is inside my little rav4 plus all the gear a person could ever need to hunt.

I got a new Rav 4 hybrid to split the diff of normal work life and hunting. AWD, plenty of space, 38 mpg, solid clearance... I am considering buying a second set of wheels to pop on and off that are more dedicated to forestry roads.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

certainly wisdom in those words. I bought my 18' Tacoma new, and will never buy brand new again, i'm just not a good candidate for that for what I do. luckily being what it was, I got more on trade in than I owed, but the first few months of brand new isn't my thing, takes some of the fun out of the new rig, haha.

I often think about leasing, but I just have a feeling I would get whacked with fine print, don't understand it well enough to trust it. I don't beat up rigs, but I do use them.

I bought my diesel 2014 Ram 1500 Limited online in 2015 with 30,000 miles on it. got for $3400.00 under blue book. It was a mall cruising puddlesniffer but had every option on it and I saw its potential.





Had the Iowa dealership ship it directly to my offroad shop and transformed it into a badass backcountry brute.













Pop my Kodiak Canvas truck tent on it and I am good to go.

Buy used...beat it up!

 

[roosiebull]

Bruce, I remember you buying that, you have the right idea!

 

[Squamch]

you are correct, it's been awhile.. my first one was a 92', last one was a 99' which did lift up.

I had to put a new engine in my 92', and then I hit a deer with it on the way to the river, then i busted the back glass out trying to fix it and sold it to a buddy who drove it all over hell.

that was the first rig i had that i really liked, i ran 31x10.50 baja claws on it, and it was an excellent woods rig. i did almost roll it once, had to have a taco hook up to the back of me, as an anchor, and another buddy hooked up to the front with his 1 ton, and i was in my rig in 4lo trying to help the program along.... all could have been avoided if i had just put it in 4hi right when i started getting crossed up, but left it in 2 wheel and slid my back end off the side.

you are right about the S10 frames, but it was never an issue in the one i had or others i was around, but it was ugly. it's not as bad as my 18' tacoma trd i just traded in, where the exhaust pipe drops way down up by the cat, that is a fire hazard design.

the first spring i owned my 18', i was running all over the logging roads in the spring, when nothing is dry, everything is lush and green, and when there was tall grass in the road, i was always smelling burning grass, finally figured out why..... it was annoying having to be so careful where i park in September, when everything is dry. can't believe they would design an offroad pickup that way.

i will say, the new colorado zr2's fixed the problems the s10's had (unless you want to run big tires, that's still a problem, haha) i haven't had the colorado long, but it is best case scenario for my needs, their suspension is unreal, and they are geared perfect for running around the hills, and don't seem to lose grunt in 4hi like most rigs do. the ride quality on and off road is crazy. i'm bad about keeping rigs, but i can't see getting rid of this one as long as it stays reliable, it's the perfect pickup for me.... it really is built for off road driving, but really fun to drive on pavement too. the only compromise there is with that pickup is some fuel economy, but it's a good compromise, i like the instant power it has. they didn't miss much detail building it for an off road capable rig. it's set up way better for towing than my taco was too

I'm a 1-2-3 gen Toyota nerd, those trucks are my jam! I tend to be a little abusive though, so first gen Tacos are just starting to get into my price range for a truck that gets entirely used up.
Have GM addressed the bending hole in the Colorado frames? I read a bunch of reports of the frames bending right where it necks down behind the cab, apparently there's a massive hole in the frame there, which weakens the web of the frame big time. Other than that they do look like excellent trucks. Dual E lockers is pretty nifty too, how beefy is the front driveline though? Locking up the steering end is a good way to pop alllllll kinds of parts, especially with Joe public who doesn't know that hammering on it while turning is harder on it.

 

[_Scooter_]

I'd love to have a truck again, but living in Oakland and having to deal with parking, going into SF now and then and the MPG, the Outback is more practical. Plus, my 2017 Outback is paid off, so there's that. Do not want a car/truck payment and I don't care about 0% financing for however long. A car payment is a car payment, and the cost of new trucks is ridiculous. No payment is better than stretching something out to 80 months that you can't really afford.

I'll never buy another Toyota. Had a 2016 Tacoma and started having transmission issues with it a few months after I bought it. Trans would slip into neutral randomly while driving, downshift hard when slowing down coming up to lights, stop signs, etc. Had to take it in 4 times before Toyota agreed to check the trans fluid level (sealed unit, no dipstick and PITA for the dealer to check). Ended up being 1.5 quarts low from the factory (apparently they didn't take into consideration the transmission cooler and filled it with the same amount of fluid that the standard trans without a cooler takes), and I guess this happened to quite a few of the new Tacomas from that year. They wouldn't replace the transmission or extend the warranty and basically told me to kick rocks, so I traded the truck in for another Subaru (my third Subaru). I have sat in a Crosstrek and in the models with a sun roof my head hit the sunroof bezel. My Outback has more head and legroom than the Tacoma did. If I was going to get a new truck I'd get a Chevy Colorado. Way more leg and head room in the cab, more power and overall a nicer truck than the Tacoma.

The truck was super nice though with the shell and removable padded sleeping platform I built with gear storage below that couldn't be seen from the outside if looking in, but with a rooftop box on the Subaru I can do most things with this car except for actual 4x4 trails. With that said the Subaru has really surprised me in it's capability. Inadvertently got into some really nasty stuff on some BLM land out near Death Valley last year. Stopped by the BLM office out there before hitting the trail and was assured the OB would be fine. Definitely got sandbagged. Subaru's X-mode was really impressive, especially on a steep descent with loose gravel, but still have nightmares about that trip, thinking there was no way I was going to get the car out of there.

I have thought about just buying an old beater truck and using that for trips.

 

[_Scooter_]

If you're gonna go hard in the Subie put plates under it. Then go nuts. Buy a cooler that fits perfectly across the back seat. They already have massive understeer in poor traction while.braking so hanging one out back seems like a rough idea to me.


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Agree. Might make more sense to get a rooftop box to free up some space and put the cooler in the rear cargo area.

 

[FLAK]

My work truck is a 2016 Colorado (36K miles) and I will not put it in 4WD anymore unless I get stuck. It is almost impossible to get it back in 2WD. Last time I was actually on my way to the dealer (in 4WD) when it finally decided to do what I asked it to.

 

[_Scooter_]

I love my truck, but why would you want a car payment if you do not need it. Unless you have the cash to blow, throw some tires if needed and a rack on top and get hunting. Sure you may not get to go everywhere and take everything but it will be nice to have the money to spend on tags and trips vs truck payments every month. New cars are fun for a few weeks until you see the next one you want...


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Exactly the way I see it. No car payment means I can work less, which means more time outside. Throw in a new truck payment on top of all your other expenses and you're more stressed and probably have to pick up OT and work more to cover the payment. Same with people that buy houses they cant afford. Spend all your time commuting and working to pay for something you can't really enjoy doesn't make any sense to me.

I sucked it up by living cheap and paid off all my worldly debt in a little under 3 years ($87k). Most was student loans followed by a car payment and just a little credit card debt). Now I'm debt free, cant take random days off now and then and still able to cover the rent and put money in the bank while saving up for a house. Done are the days of buying vehicles and other big items on credit. If I don't have the cash, I simply don't buy it. I still use credit cards for the points (then use the points for flights, hotels, etc), but pay off the cards every other week on pay day. Heading out to Front Sight in October for some shotgun and handgun courses and used points to pay for the lodging.

This whole pandemic has really been an eye-opener. I sleep so much better at night not having any revolving debt and a looming car or truck payment each month. If someone can afford a truck payment right now but has a reliable vehicle that's paid off my suggestion would be to take that money and put it into an emergency fund. Before you know it you'll have several months of living expenses and in the even you got laid off, furloughed or your hours cut (which is happening to a ton of people these days) you wouldn't be stressed to make that truck payment each month, and could possibly even enjoy that time off and go out into the woods and go hunting while you're looking for a new job because you have that emergency fund saved up.

 

[BrianSmart]

they are spendy, but you don't "need" a brand new one, lots of reliable rigs that aren't new. I had a 91' Toyota that was under 13k new, still bummed I sold that a few years ago.

I just got a Colorado zr2 a couple days ago, and it's sick, traded in my 18' taco trd offroad for it, and it's a huge upgrade in fun and capability, and is all around better for my needs.

I also may have a lead on an early 90's Toyota standard cab 4x4 with the 22re with 130k miles, if that works out, the price is too good not to, it's not pretty, but that's the point, they are awesome woods rigs around here with the overgrown brush choked roads, and they go pretty much anywhere.

there are lots of good options, and plenty of reasonable great hunting rigs for 10k or less, a 40k dollar rig will not get the freezer anymore full than a reliable 5k dollar pickup, and one you won't care about scratching up (I don't care about scratching any of them up, haha) i'm not buying a rig that hinders me on where i'm willing to go because it's pretty, that defeats the purpose of a hunting rig.

a friend of mine who owns the bow shop drives a Subaru, and it looks like it has a little lift, and he has some aggressive all terrains on it, cool little rig really, and i'm sure it does what it needs to in the woods. what it gives up in ground clearance it makes up for in short wheel base, he can drive through stuff most stock pickups can that are longer.

lots of good options, I don't have any real answers not knowing the type of driving you do, all of our vehicle needs are a little different.

pickups are handy in the woods, but you can improvise if you don't want to spend the money.

Thank you!! This all makes great financial sense to me right now! However, I did find my 'dream' truck recently!! Lord Save Me from my own foolishness!

I have taken this little RS through some wonky logging roads this past season for late season archery elk, and yes, the turn around ability is wicked nice.

I really do appreciate your comments and thoughts!

 

[BrianSmart]

My work truck is a 2016 Colorado (36K miles) and I will not put it in 4WD anymore unless I get stuck. It is almost impossible to get it back in 2WD. Last time I was actually on my way to the dealer (in 4WD) when it finally decided to do what I asked it to.

That has to have been really frustrating!

 

[BrianSmart]

Exactly the way I see it. No car payment means I can work less, which means more time outside. Throw in a new truck payment on top of all your other expenses and you're more stressed and probably have to pick up OT and work more to cover the payment. Same with people that buy houses they cant afford. Spend all your time commuting and working to pay for something you can't really enjoy doesn't make any sense to me.

I sucked it up by living cheap and paid off all my worldly debt in a little under 3 years ($87k). Most was student loans followed by a car payment and just a little credit card debt). Now I'm debt free, cant take random days off now and then and still able to cover the rent and put money in the bank while saving up for a house. Done are the days of buying vehicles and other big items on credit. If I don't have the cash, I simply don't buy it. I still use credit cards for the points (then use the points for flights, hotels, etc), but pay off the cards every other week on pay day. Heading out to Front Sight in October for some shotgun and handgun courses and used points to pay for the lodging.

This whole pandemic has really been an eye-opener. I sleep so much better at night not having any revolving debt and a looming car or truck payment each month. If someone can afford a truck payment right now but has a reliable vehicle that's paid off my suggestion would be to take that money and put it into an emergency fund. Before you know it you'll have several months of living expenses and in the even you got laid off, furloughed or your hours cut (which is happening to a ton of people these days) you wouldn't be stressed to make that truck payment each month, and could possibly even enjoy that time off and go out into the woods and go hunting while you're looking for a new job because you have that emergency fund saved up.

Man alive! Did you listen to the Gritty podcast about spend less, hunt more?! This is exactly what he did (Dave Ramsey style) and he is speaking the same as you!

I've been very good with my money, have recently switched jobs (after 25 yrs in the same gig) and believe it is secure, even with this pandemic. However, I get what you're saying - the 'debt' is always looming overhead. All I have in debt is my house right now and I've pretty much burned my little car down. I could put the 2200 into it for head gasket, water pump, timing belt and she'd rally pretty good.

Decisions decisions!! Thank you for these wise words!

 

[BrianSmart]

If you go with anything but a truck, I would suggest getting a Rocketbox/Cargobox of some kind. I keep my camp setup and soft duffels in it. Save the interior for cooler and hard cases. Can easily remove when not needed. For me, it has added versatility for hunting out of small and mid sized SUVs.

Thanks! I've been starting to think about those Yak rack baskets, and a trailer hitch for a rear 'holding area' too.

I've been driving this little '05 since '07 and, well, would like something newer. I know I'll keep it for a long time, another 13 years....but the damn payments!! ;-)

 

[BrianSmart]

I dealt with a similar situation. I had a Jeep TJ for my dedicated hunting rig but it was worse than owning a boat! Kept breaking down on me on hunting trips. I've gone on hunting trips to new areas and encountered some pretty bad roads and conditions. I always like to over prepare/have a more capable hunting rig just to be safe. I ended up getting a used Chevy Colorado ZR2. Decent mpgs due to being midsized pickup (much better than my last lifted 1/2 ton). Comes from factory with front and rear locking differentials! Really awesome for those nasty trails. Also had factory 2 inch lift kit, awesome suspension, and other off road goodies. I'm loving it so far!

See...that's the thing....my Subbie works just fine....however, it's coming up on needing some work done, and I found my 'dream truck'....so there's that...

I drove a friends that's similarly outfitted and man, the upgraded suspension sure is nice!

 

[BrianSmart]

I hauled my camp, girlfriend, and a Bull Elk out with my VW Rabbit. Hair and horn sticking out every hole but it worked.

I did the same with a small Muley last year....the stink was horrible, but my stepson had a great story and great memory!!

 

[BrianSmart]

Just get a truck. Geez.

You sound like my buddy!! He's a crackup....'come on! Just tell the guy you'll be in MT on Tuesday to get it!" ;-)

 

[BrianSmart]

I agree. I have never purchased a truck new and never will. Let someone else pay the depreciation. If the truck is perfect then every little door ding and fingerprint is gonna bug you. You'll be parking at the outer edge of the lot. Get a decent used truck with some imperfections so you can treat it like the glorified wheel barrel it is.

The one I found recently is really kitted out and since it's a couple years old, with really low miles, I'm really tempted....

 

[BrianSmart]

I'd love to have a truck again, but living in Oakland and having to deal with parking, going into SF now and then and the MPG, the Outback is more practical. Plus, my 2017 Outback is paid off, so there's that. Do not want a car/truck payment and I don't care about 0% financing for however long. A car payment is a car payment, and the cost of new trucks is ridiculous. No payment is better than stretching something out to 80 months that you can't really afford.

I'll never buy another Toyota. Had a 2016 Tacoma and started having transmission issues with it a few months after I bought it. Trans would slip into neutral randomly while driving, downshift hard when slowing down coming up to lights, stop signs, etc. Had to take it in 4 times before Toyota agreed to check the trans fluid level (sealed unit, no dipstick and PITA for the dealer to check). Ended up being 1.5 quarts low from the factory (apparently they didn't take into consideration the transmission cooler and filled it with the same amount of fluid that the standard trans without a cooler takes), and I guess this happened to quite a few of the new Tacomas from that year. They wouldn't replace the transmission or extend the warranty and basically told me to kick rocks, so I traded the truck in for another Subaru (my third Subaru). I have sat in a Crosstrek and in the models with a sun roof my head hit the sunroof bezel. My Outback has more head and legroom than the Tacoma did. If I was going to get a new truck I'd get a Chevy Colorado. Way more leg and head room in the cab, more power and overall a nicer truck than the Tacoma.

The truck was super nice though with the shell and removable padded sleeping platform I built with gear storage below that couldn't be seen from the outside if looking in, but with a rooftop box on the Subaru I can do most things with this car except for actual 4x4 trails. With that said the Subaru has really surprised me in it's capability. Inadvertently got into some really nasty stuff on some BLM land out near Death Valley last year. Stopped by the BLM office out there before hitting the trail and was assured the OB would be fine. Definitely got sandbagged. Subaru's X-mode was really impressive, especially on a steep descent with loose gravel, but still have nightmares about that trip, thinking there was no way I was going to get the car out of there.

I have thought about just buying an old beater truck and using that for trips.

Is that a cat bed in here?? ;-)

Thanks for the heads up on the Outback.....have been looking at those too. Saw one recently with a roof basket and some meaty tires....looked pretty sweet and I've had great luck with my Subbie.

 

[_Scooter_]

Man alive! Did you listen to the Gritty podcast about spend less, hunt more?! This is exactly what he did (Dave Ramsey style) and he is speaking the same as you!

I've been very good with my money, have recently switched jobs (after 25 yrs in the same gig) and believe it is secure, even with this pandemic. However, I get what you're saying - the 'debt' is always looming overhead. All I have in debt is my house right now and I've pretty much burned my little car down. I could put the 2200 into it for head gasket, water pump, timing belt and she'd rally pretty good.

Decisions decisions!! Thank you for these wise words!

Never listened to that podcast, but have listened to Dave Ramsey for a bit in the past. Funny thing is I discovered Dave Ramsey AFTER I got myself out of debt, and they way he describes doing it is really close to what I basically did on my own, the main difference being the credit card usage. He doesn't believe in credit cards. I used/use credit cards to actually repair my credit score, with the only caveat being you absolutely CANNOT use them irresponsibly otherwise you're going to get screwed. I think they're a great tool to help fix a bad credit score, establish a good credit history and utilize miles and points.

I left Colorado about 5 years ago and came to California as a travel nurse. Ended up staying here and taking a staff position because RN's here make more than double what they make in Denver, and Denver ain't cheap anymore. Was smart about how I spent my money, rented a tiny little shack (literally was an uninsulated in-law unit in someone's backyard) for a few years, didn't buy a snowboard pass for 3 years, and my vacations only consisted of road trips and camping. Didn't fly anywhere, etc. I also didn't kill myself by working tons of OT, I just didn't spend much and anything extra I had went toward the debt. I Ppid off like $87k in a little under 3 years. Also have like 4 months of an emergency fund saved up now, and the goal is to have 6 months saved u pretty soon. A few years ago my credit score was literally under 600. After doing a bit of research and talking to people who know way more about money than I do (that wasn't easy since people really don't like talking about money/is a very personal subject), my credit score is now over 800. Learned how to play the game and use credit and credit cards to my advantage, never carry a balance, never buy anything I don't have the cash to pay for (and just use the credit cards to keep a good credit history going and to get the points). I pay off my card every other week as soon as I get paid from work. I really was a moron and very irresponsible financially, so if I can turn things around, pretty much anyone can. With that said I also don't have kids and I'm single, so it was a lot easier for me because I don't have the expenses that come along with having kids, could pick up and move somewhere that paid more, and was able to make some pretty crazy temporary financial sacrifices that a spouse may not have been in agreement with.

Recently got approved for a mortgage but cant bring myself to buy a crappy little house out here in a crappy part of town to still be close to work, and don't want to buy in a nicer area that would literally mean a 1.5 hour commute because of the awful Bay Area traffic. Plus I want to move in the next couple years anyway, maybe back to somewhere in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, etc.

Decided to go back to school for a graduate degree. I've always wanted to go back to school but haven't because I dont want anymore debt, but after looking at what nurses make in those states I listed above compared to what an Nurse Practitioner makes in the same areas, the cost of the graduate degree is pretty much in line with how much more I'd make in one year as an NP compared to an RN.

I hate having debt. It's been very liberating paying it all off. I sleep better at night, when an unexpected expense comes my way it isn't that big of a deal because I don't have other revolving debt that a lot of my pay would already be allocated for, and the emergency fund is just extra insurance. I just wish I would have done this 10 years ago.