Hello all

New to the forum and first time truck buyer/ford buyer.

I will be starting my job as a homebuilder (general construction) in September this year and I need a truck for work. I really can't decide between an F150 or a Toyota Tacoma. And worse, I can't decide what the right trim/spec level would be even if I did opt for one over the other.

Right now I'm leaning towards a Tacoma because my relative works for Toyota and he can get me 11% off any spec trim plus 10% off any option plus $1000 so something like a Tacoma TRD Sport/Offroad with tech pack, LED headlights, doublecab, 6ft bed, hard tonneau cover and side steps comes out to about $34k after discounts or $37k with 4WD. If I just go with a base spec SR with no options I can get it for like $28k though I imagine this will be a horribly boring thing to drive back and forth every day.

I looked at an F150 and was surprised to see how expensive these trucks are by comparison especially when you select a supercab or crewcab and a 2.7l ecoboost. I find that the more options I am putting the less "work truck" this thing is becoming and the price is skyrocketing even with basic additions which is then making me second guess things and say "ok well, if I'm going to be paying $40k for the truck with nothing but XL pack and ecoboost, I guess I should add a few things and use it as a daily-driver for my family too". But then the price becomes absolutely ridiculous like 60k+

I really don't know what to do and I've been going around in circles for weeks now trying to figure it out.

Can someone help me decide which spec/trim makes most sense to get for an F150 so I can compare it with what I can get in a Tacoma? Like if I will use it for both work and personal, should I get a supercab? 101A pack? Trailer pack? heavy duty payload etc? Or should I just get a super basic Regular cab, 3.3l v6, 100A and pay $30k for it and then use my wife's car for personal (she wants to buy a mustang)?

I don't plan to do any offroading and I dont know if we will ever tow anything - she wants to get a small holiday trailer so we might end up towing something like that in future but maybe not.

Thank you for any help you can provide

 

Both are good trucks. I drove an F150 XL without a single option for 10 years and it served me well. F150s are so expensive because they are optioned well beyond work truck levels.

A Tacoma is cheaper than the F150 but a lot smaller inside. Have you sat in one? If you are tall you may not fit inside. That is the main reason why I’m not driving one.

Since you need it for family an F150 may be your best bet. Suppress the urge to option and buy a base truck or better yet a late model used truck.

 

I have owned Tacomas, Tundras, and F150s. First, I love Toyota and have owned several in the past 14 years. I did leave Toyota and bought a F150 in 2013 and regretted it (had a bad repair that I had to fight Ford over for several years). I am now waiting on a 21 F150 to be built. Tacomas are smaller on the inside and are not going to have the hauling and towing capabilities of a full size. I left Tundra because they guzzled gas. I am currently in a 4Runner that I love but it is missing features and I need more space for my 3 kids (all 3 were in car/booster seats when I bought it). Why back in a F150 after I said I would never buy another Ford? Gas mileage, space, safety features available, technology and met everything that I wanted on a vehicle with the exception of it being a Ford and dealing with Ford Dealerships and the price.

What I did was sit down with a notebook and made 3 columns (Must Have, Want, Negative). Then I went online and looked at the brochures for Ford, Chevy, Toyota, and Dodge. I put everything I saw that met those columns and then went back to the brochures to see which one met had all my Must Have and most of my Wants with a few of my negatives. Ford won.

 

You're a contractor in the United States. Do you want to show up to customers homes in a Ford or a Toyota?!

 

You might want to put some time in with the new job, to get a feel for what you need, then decide.

There's a reason most contractors are driving Transit vans...

 

Problem is I don't have a car right now which isn't a problem because I'm home-bound with Covid but come Sept I'll either have to buy something used and hope it doesn't have technical issues or have figured out what I need prior to starting. I asked the company I'm working for and they suggested to buy a pickup as all large materials are delivered to site directly (i.e. lumber, bricks, etc)

I looked at a Transit but couldn't justify the cost. It has no other use/utility other than being a hauler and its cost is absolutely ridiculous for something with the Transit's awful reliability record. I'd rather get a Mercedes Sprinter which at least has an excellent reliability record but that's even more expensive.

 

You can't go wrong with an xlt f150. Best middle of the road option.

Or grab a STX to save a few grand.

 

It's ok, whatever vehicle I will get will be sure to be waving miniature american flags

 

Get a 5.0 STX. Looks good and is about 40-42k for a 4x4. 2021 f150 prices are high right now.... it’s subtle but has a new redesign which keeps the price high for a little while.

 

I have not, never been in a pickup truck before! Here's my issue with suppressing the urge to option it - by the time I add even basic stuff like supercrew and 101A and ecoboost engine the price is north of $42k. Add in an STX appearance pack and it's $44k/$45k so then you compare it with what I can get from the Tacoma with the discounts available to me and it makes it really hard to justify. I suppose I could just compare the absolute base spec of both but then they don't come with basic needs like reversing sensor etc

That's part of the problem. I've never had a truck before, I have absolutely no idea what those columns would or should have...

If you were spec'ing a truck for work and utility use as a family driver (since the other car will be a 2 door mustang) what *should* you put on it? Should I have a super crew? should I have the XL with 101A and forget about the ecoboost? Should I put the STX package on it etc?