Pickup trucks as daily drivers...
Discussion
My brother had a Navara, thought it would be good for the camping holidays he often goes on with his family.
He got rid of it in 5 weeks, he said it was unbearable as an every day driver, it was too wide, too juicy and could never find anywhere to park it. In addition to the boot being too big and a pain in the ass to get anything in and out of.
Basically it's like having a transit as a daily driver
Ended up buying a civic estate and getting a roof box when he goes away.
He got rid of it in 5 weeks, he said it was unbearable as an every day driver, it was too wide, too juicy and could never find anywhere to park it. In addition to the boot being too big and a pain in the ass to get anything in and out of.
Basically it's like having a transit as a daily driver
Ended up buying a civic estate and getting a roof box when he goes away.
I have a navara as my daily and I think it's great.
Admittedly I've put a top on the back but it can turn it's hand to anything from motorway cruising to shifting a half ton of logs.
Yes it is big but unless you're in the middle of a city, parking isn't a problem It's not that much linger than an estate.
It can also carry a full drum kit and pa or 3 pushbikes all whilst carrying 4 passengers.
Much better as a daily than a van imho.
Admittedly I've put a top on the back but it can turn it's hand to anything from motorway cruising to shifting a half ton of logs.
Yes it is big but unless you're in the middle of a city, parking isn't a problem It's not that much linger than an estate.
It can also carry a full drum kit and pa or 3 pushbikes all whilst carrying 4 passengers.
Much better as a daily than a van imho.
keirik said:
I have a navara as my daily and I think it's great.
Admittedly I've put a top on the back but it can turn it's hand to anything from motorway cruising to shifting a half ton of logs.
Yes it is big but unless you're in the middle of a city, parking isn't a problem It's not that much linger than an estate.
It can also carry a full drum kit and pa or 3 pushbikes all whilst carrying 4 passengers.
Much better as a daily than a van imho.
I bought a D22 Navara new in 2004, still got it to this day and it's still tramping on, I got used to the narrow boat like steering and manoeuvrability very early on, forward think where I'm parking if I drive into the city, but apart from that I wouldn't change it for anything.Admittedly I've put a top on the back but it can turn it's hand to anything from motorway cruising to shifting a half ton of logs.
Yes it is big but unless you're in the middle of a city, parking isn't a problem It's not that much linger than an estate.
It can also carry a full drum kit and pa or 3 pushbikes all whilst carrying 4 passengers.
Much better as a daily than a van imho.
Snug top is fixed on the back with six bolts so very easy to turn it into a pick up if needed.
Tyres go for 40k miles, original clutch and brake pads still on after 145k miles, what's not to like?
alabbasi said:
The open bed may not be that appealing in the wet weather climate of England and as nobody owns guns, i suspect that it would be just a matter of time before someone will walk up to your truck while you're sitting in traffic and walk off with whatever you have in the bed.
If only somebody would invent a lockable bed cover for my truck 
I have 3 pick up trucks.
2 are daily drivers, one is a toy. Never had an issue,
I had an overbored p100 with a skimmed and ported head, lightened flywheel and a 38dgas off a capri. It was a laugh for a while but as an 18 year old living in freezing scotland it gets a bit tedious your only vehicle not having being suitable for when you get your hole.
An f150 lightning or ram srt is on my bucket list though.
An f150 lightning or ram srt is on my bucket list though.
Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Tuesday 13th February 20:39
HD Adam said:
alabbasi said:
The open bed may not be that appealing in the wet weather climate of England and as nobody owns guns, i suspect that it would be just a matter of time before someone will walk up to your truck while you're sitting in traffic and walk off with whatever you have in the bed.
If only somebody would invent a lockable bed cover for my truck I have 3 pick up trucks.
2 are daily drivers, one is a toy. Never had an issue,
HD Adam said:
If only somebody would invent a lockable bed cover for my truck
I have 3 pick up trucks.
2 are daily drivers, one is a toy. Never had an issue,
More power to you. One of my super duty pickups has a fiberglass bed lid like that. It's alright, but you're not going to be able to move a fridge or anything sizable once it's installed. It's kind of a solution looking for a problem as it removes just about all the practicality from the pickup bed. I have 3 pick up trucks.
2 are daily drivers, one is a toy. Never had an issue,
A van would be 10 times more practical than a truck with a bed lid.
Edited by alabbasi on Tuesday 13th February 21:23
I have a classic pick up which is often used to shift heavy or bulky loads, or sometimes just a whole heap of stuff. Problem I find with a pick up versus a van, is that everything needs to be tied down to stop it blowing out, which becomes a real pain. Depending on the load, it can be more like securing a flatbed lorry load as opposed to just throwing crap in the boot of an estate and going off somewhere. Takes time and a whole load of rope.
The other downside as a daily is unless you have a crewcab, interior space is extremely limited, especially if you want stuff to stay dry. At least with a van, stuff that must stay dry can go in the back, with a pick up it must go in the cab, and that will be a problem as soon as you start carrying passengers.
Overall I can see why a van is preferred in the UK to a pick up, although certain modern pick up crew cabs here do tend to attract a particular breed of driver.
The other downside as a daily is unless you have a crewcab, interior space is extremely limited, especially if you want stuff to stay dry. At least with a van, stuff that must stay dry can go in the back, with a pick up it must go in the cab, and that will be a problem as soon as you start carrying passengers.
Overall I can see why a van is preferred in the UK to a pick up, although certain modern pick up crew cabs here do tend to attract a particular breed of driver.
We have one at work, has a back on and a tow bar. Apparently a life saver on superbikes for rigging on the crap surfaces we have to work with. Not too bad to drive but 32 MPG on a motorway run (!) and failed to get up a snowy hill the other day. I burnt 32 gallons in a week the tail end of last year without a heavy load in the back or a trailer on 95% motorway running.
I quite fancy the idea of the new Mercedes X-Class with the V6 diesel lump as our main family car. I reckon it'd be just the ticket. Or the Ranger Raptor, as long as it arrives in the UK with an engine that isn't s
te. We have a Volvo V70 at the moment which would be superior to the truck in many ways, but a pickup is a very useful thing to own! And my inner child really wants one.
Or the Ranger Raptor, as long as it arrives in the UK with an engine that isn't ste. We have a Volvo V70 at the moment which would be superior to the truck in many ways, but a pickup is a very useful thing to own! And my inner child really wants one.
I got a navara late last year through my ltd company, it’s my first pickup but I’ve driven various vans for work over the years.
It’s growing on me, it’s a tekna so it’s got a decent spec, heated leather, led headlights, decent stereo etc.
It’s as comfortable as a decent family 4x4, with the slightly jiggly ride you get from things that can carry a tonne but aren’t doing it currently. It’s hugely better than the pickups I was driving for work 15 years ago.
It’s a 2.3 twin turbo diesel, and mine is automatic so it’s not exactly a rocket ship. 0-60 in 10 seconds is fine for what it is.
Practicality is great, I got a lockable roller cover on the bed so it’s easy to load big things or just treat it like a really long boot. You also don’t need to worry about loading dirty stuff as you can just hose it down afterwards.
Handling takes a bit of getting used to but it’s capable once you learn to trust it. It’s got high profile tyres so crap roads don’t really effect it, and switchable 4x4 has been great in snow.
I’m getting just over 30mpg day to day doing mainly short journeys. Seems fine to me, my other car does about 19mpg.
Parking can be awkward as it is pretty long but it has cameras all round and sensors so it’s not too bad really.
It’s not hugely longer than a Range Rover, and is about the same width.
I may need to go off-road for work and it’s capable enough for the things I’ll be pointing it at. It’s certainly got good ground clearance.
Overall the longer I have it the more I find it a great useful vehicle. It’s as comfortable as a decent car, fast enough that you don’t need to think about it and super practical.
Plus as I’m vat registered it was really cheap! What’s not to like?
It’s growing on me, it’s a tekna so it’s got a decent spec, heated leather, led headlights, decent stereo etc.
It’s as comfortable as a decent family 4x4, with the slightly jiggly ride you get from things that can carry a tonne but aren’t doing it currently. It’s hugely better than the pickups I was driving for work 15 years ago.
It’s a 2.3 twin turbo diesel, and mine is automatic so it’s not exactly a rocket ship. 0-60 in 10 seconds is fine for what it is.
Practicality is great, I got a lockable roller cover on the bed so it’s easy to load big things or just treat it like a really long boot. You also don’t need to worry about loading dirty stuff as you can just hose it down afterwards.
Handling takes a bit of getting used to but it’s capable once you learn to trust it. It’s got high profile tyres so crap roads don’t really effect it, and switchable 4x4 has been great in snow.
I’m getting just over 30mpg day to day doing mainly short journeys. Seems fine to me, my other car does about 19mpg.
Parking can be awkward as it is pretty long but it has cameras all round and sensors so it’s not too bad really.
It’s not hugely longer than a Range Rover, and is about the same width.
I may need to go off-road for work and it’s capable enough for the things I’ll be pointing it at. It’s certainly got good ground clearance.
Overall the longer I have it the more I find it a great useful vehicle. It’s as comfortable as a decent car, fast enough that you don’t need to think about it and super practical.
Plus as I’m vat registered it was really cheap! What’s not to like?
David87 said:
I quite fancy the idea of the new Mercedes X-Class with the V6 diesel lump as our main family car. I reckon it'd be just the ticket. Or the Ranger Raptor, as long as it arrives in the UK with an engine that isn't ste. We have a Volvo V70 at the moment which would be superior to the truck in many ways, but a pickup is a very useful thing to own! And my inner child really wants one.
I know someone that ordered an X Class last year but pulled the order when he realised it is just a Navara with better badge. Nothing against the latest Navara’s but I hope they are better than the last ones (1st gen threw engines and second gen snapped). Or the Ranger Raptor, as long as it arrives in the UK with an engine that isn't ste. We have a Volvo V70 at the moment which would be superior to the truck in many ways, but a pickup is a very useful thing to own! And my inner child really wants one.Ford Ranger or VW Amorak on the other hand, great trucks but both huge when it comes to parking.
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