Buying the Right Used Truck

As new truck prices rise, it makes sense to start looking at the used truck market, but it isn't always easy to find exactly what you are looking for. Plus each manufacturer seems to describe their trucks differently, so it's hard to compare trucks across brands. At Tustin Auto Center, we want to find you the right vehicle for your needs so here are a couple things to think about as you compare trucks.

Truck Bed Size

The pickup truck bed, sometimes call the box, is incredibly useful for many different things. From hauling equipment and materials to holding a camper or goose neck trailer, they are the biggest difference between a truck and a car or SUV. They are available in a few different lengths, depending on the make and model of the truck, but generally fall into three different sizes. If you are looking for a more detailed breakdown of the differences between truck box configurations, LiveAbout breaks them down. Here is a summary of the most common box sizes though, which include short, standard and long.

• Short Bed – On average, a short bed is 5 feet 8 inches long.
• Standard Bed – On average, a standard bed is 6 feet 5 inches long.
• Long Bed - On average, a long bed is 8 feet long.

Truck Payload

When you are looking at used trucks, it is important to know what you are planning to use it for. Are you planning to haul heavy machinery? Will your payload, the weight of what is in your truck, ever exceed 3,000 lbs? These are some of the questions that will decide if you need a light duty or heavy duty truck.

Light Duty – Light duty trucks, like a 150 or 1500, deliver payloads between 1,500 to 3,000 lbs. On average, they can haul a maximum of 12,000 lbs. These weights are maximums, so check if you are looking at a smaller truck or one with a larger cab.

Heavy Duty – Heavy duty trucks, like a 250, 350, 2500 or 3500 series, deliver payloads up to 6,500 lbs and can tow a total of 20,000 lbs.

Regular Cab

A regular cab truck has a two doors and a single row of seating. The front section of the truck is limited to maximize towing and hauling capabilities.

Extended Cab

The smallest of the two row trucks, extended cabs offer 2 or four doors and a small second row. Generally the front doors are full sized while the smaller second row doors, if offered, feature a concealed handle and a rear hinge to allow access to the back seats. Here are the manufacturer specific names for the extended cab:

• Chevrolet & GMC: Double Cab
• Ford: Super Cab
• Nissan: King Cab
• Ram: Quad Cab
• Toyota: Access Cab

Crew Cab

A crew cab pickup truck offers four full size doors. This style of truck is the easiest to get in and out of and offers the more passenger room and is best if you plan on hauling your friends and family more than a big payload. Here are the manufacturer specific names for the crew cab:

• Chevrolet & GMC: Extended Cab
• Ford: SuperCrew
• Nissan: Crew Cab
• Ram: Crew Cab
• Toyota: Double Cab

Extended Crew Cab

An extended crew cab pickup truck offers four full size doors. It also offers the most passenger space of any configuration and should be considered if your passengers regularly include five adults. An extended crew cab will limit your bed options though. Here are the manufacturer specific names for the crew cab:

• Chevrolet & GMC: Crew Cab
• Ram: Mega Cab
• Toyota: Crew Cab Max

Conventional or Unibody Truck

A conventional truck offers multiple cab and bed configurations for the same model. A unibody truck, like the Hyundai Santa Cruz or Ford Maverick, is built with a continuous body and offers only one bed and cab configuration. Unibody trucks are generally for customers looking for more of an SUV, but prefer some storage that can easy be cleaned if it becomes dirty or sandy.