As more than 6,000 new trucks are being sold every day in the U.S., truck business is booming. If you’re thinking about buying a new truck, there are a boatload of options that are going to be offered at competitive prices. If you’re looking to use your truck for your business, you need to a truck buying guide to find one that’s perfectly suited to your daily needs.
Here are five things to look for when you’re on the hunt for a new truck.
1. Consider Your Usage
Before you choose what type of truck you need, consider what your needs are for that truck. Knowing how you’re going to use it is essential to eliminating the most out of left field choices for a truck.
IF you’re the type who will have to haul heavy loads on the weekends or plan to use it for its utility, you need to make sure there’s plenty fo space. Large payloads or huge hauls means that you’ll need a massive truck bed that’s built to handle your loads.
For truck owners with big families, the size of the cab needs to take precedence. Carrying your family around town on the weekend or to a campsite means that everyone needs to be accommodated. If you have big pets or any livestock, they’ll need space as well.
2. Do You Have Anything to Tow?
While some people buy a truck so that they can pull their friends’ cars out of the snow in the winter, others get one so they can pull tree trunks from the ground. Depending on how much power you need, you might need to get a vehicle that has serious towing capacity.
A truck like the Ford F-150 has the capacity for towing up to 10,000 pounds. However, the equally popular Toyota Tacoma can only handle about 3,500 pounds at any time. While you may think you can use any truck for the job you have at hand, it takes a certain type of truck to do a certain type of job.
Your engine size and the amount of power your truck has will make a difference in determining your towing capacity. If you want to tow a small camper or trailer, you might need to have more power than you considered to begin with.
A small truck might offer you just 4-cylinders, which is what you get from a lot of sedans on the road. While you’ll save a lot of money on gas, you might need to up to ante a little bit.
For heavy haulers with big loads to carry and tow, consider a V6 or a V8 engine to get the power you need.
3. Mileage Matters
In a world with a quickly changing climate, fuel efficiency matters more than ever. With budgets tightening for everyone, having a fuel-efficient vehicle can be a great ace in the hole if gas prices spike suddenly.
Many trucks have terrible gas mileage, so if you’re doing a lot of city driving, you might be lucky to get more than 20 mpg. However, if you’re doing lots of highway hauling, you can expect more than 30 mpg from the best trucks on the road.
Do your homework before you hit the dealerships. Ask around to what your friends get with their trucks. Normal wear and tear can lower your fuel economy so you should check how their gas mileage really feels on a day to day basis.
If you’re curious what mileage can mean for the latest batch of vehicles being released, check out this link to learn more.
4. Two-Wheel or Four-Wheel Drive
Knowing your purpose with your truck will help you determine how many wheels you need to handle the workload you’ve got ahead of you. While a 4×4 truck will set you back more money than a two-wheel drive truck, there’s no questions about what you should get if you live in certain climates.
While a two-wheel drive truck will be able to get you through some of the more standard bouts of mud and snow you might face, it won’t be good everywhere. If you live in the mountains, you’re going to need a 4×4 truck to get you through the ice and snow you’ll face.
If you live in a rural area, you know the struggle of trying to get out of your driveway in bad weather. Sometimes you could be driving through a parking lot and find yourself stuck in a snowbank out of nowhere. Rather than having to get someone to tow you out, a 4×4 could give you the opportunity to tow other cars out.
Beware when driving 4×4 because your gas mileage will be impacted. You could burn through your fuel much faster when you’re using it for an all-wheel-drive application.
5. Extra Features
Every driver has some extra features that they need in a car. Metalheads, jazz fans, and classical music lovers alike crave a high-end stereo that can quickly and easily pair with their music devices. People who hate the winter but love their hometown need heated seats to feel comfortable all year round.
For contractors, a high-end navigation system that’s built into the dash panel could be helpful in getting from one worksite to another. It’s also helpful if you’re hired for a job out of town and need to find the nearest hardware store in a hurry.
Along with all of the practical things you’re looking for in a truck, make sure it has all of the other extras that excites you about getting a new vehicle.
Everyone’s Truck Buying Guide Looks Different
No two people’s ideal truck buying guide will look the same. With so many different vehicles available for so many different uses, you need to find a truck that fits your business while adding value to it.
If you’re looking to get the most out of a vehicle you’re trading in for your new truck, here are some options to get you started.
