Those big Yankee pickups....

[Polarbear]

What are those big pickups with 2 rows of seats like to live with? Which make is best?

I quite fancy trying one out but just want to narrow the field down a bit. I really wanted an old Land rover but the missus wants creature comforts and my crap being kept out of the passenger compartment, hence a pick up but has to have four seats.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[stinkwheel]

My boss had an L200 and had nothing but problems with it.

Cost him a fortune in repairs. Also in fuel.

Most of my farm clients use toyotas.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Evil Hans]

Colleague of mine had an L200. Bag of shite. Had to trade it when the block cracked.

I've got a Landy 110. Awesome vehicle, but in many ways also shite
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[Polarbear]

[Rob Fzs]

I've got a ford ranger and it was alright for abit, but then started having intermittent faults, so it'll be going soon

Unless you're going offroad alot, you're probably just better off with a good estate car
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30> Yamaha RD350 YPVS F2 > Kawasaki ZZR 600 D1 > Yamaha TZR 250 2MA >Suzuki TL1000R > Yamaha TDR250 > Honda 929 blade > Suzuki SV1000 > Honda H100
Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

[Conzar]

[Rob Fzs]

[Polarbear]

[andyscooter]

gaffer has a Toyota hilux

it has 4 seats but two doors and a cover on the back of it (ifor Williams)but he only sticks food for sheep and dogs in his

spends most of its life being abused and towing stuff

bodywork is tatty but starts drives and stops like new still

also used it to tow a fully laden lwb sprinter with tyre repairing/replacing equipment and two bikes that was also towing a large catering trailer up a muddy hill
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[stinkwheel]

They also did a version of the hilux called a "surf" with a fully enclosed back.

Poor mans landcruiser.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[BTTD]

I liked the idea of double cab pickup for the utility, but in the end went all sensible and got an estate car. I started looking at the second hand prices + VAT + rear cover + realistic fuel costs and I concluded it didn't make sense for me.

My favorites from online research were the Toyota Hilux and the VW Amarok. Chap I used to share an office with had an older Ford Ranger with a high top cover for his two dogs. One was a rhodesian ridgeback and the other was something largish as well. He didn't have too many problems with it, had to change out the glow plugs at one point iirc.
He loved the fact that he could hose the back out after a muddy walk.

[J4mes]

When you say Yankee pickup do you mean like a dodge ram, ford lightning or something with a 6 litre cummins in it?

Or do you mean domestic double cab utility pickups like the navara, l200 etc?

I have an Amarok. I drove the L200, Navara and Ranger and it was the best of the bunch. Its got leather, sat nav, heated seats, cruise, electric everything so in that respect it is as well equipped as most cars but it doesn't drive or ride like one at all. The ride is quite bouncy with nothing in the back, but I drove it all the way to Austria and back without any comfort or fatigue issues really.

I used to have a Disco 3 which was the best vehicle I'd owned for ability on/off road and comfort but the reliability of it was terrible hence the change to something else.

Why anyone would comprehend a 110 as a daily vehicle is beyond me, unless you're a sheep farmer.

Amarok is expensive though, so it depends on the budget.

If you do want a rolling coal cummins, I've no idea!

[stevo as b4]

My only question is who in the UK that isnt and doesn't want to look like total cunt needs or wants a vehicle the size of a Dodge Ram.

I can't imagine that they are very handy for dealers being local, and running costs should be horrendous. Let the Yanks keep all their oversized ugly and poorly built shit instead of sending it here.

[ScaredyCat]

I really don't get the L200 / Navara - the look massive and then you get in and there's fuck all room inside.


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Honda CBF125 ➝ NC700X
Honda CBF125 ↳ Speed Triple

[Andy_Pagin]

How about a Ford Explorer? Basically a 4 litre Yank pickup truck with a massive Station Wagon (Estate Car) body bolted on top. The boot area is enormous and being a Yank there's no compromise with back seat passenger room. I've had two, abused both of them and found them reliable. You can just about cram one in a UK sized parking space, parts are about as expensive as a Mondeo's and dirt cheap if you import them from the USA. Eg. Full electric door mirror assembly twelve quid from an auto spares place in Los Angeles, including shipping!
Fuel consumption is about 17mpg around town, 20-25 on a careful run, which sounds awful but them it is a two ton truck with 210bhp on tap.
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the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[doggone]

The most popular farm pickup is the Isuzu Dmax, they are big awkward things to park but otherwise a reasonable car that can do other stuff.
The mpg is around 35-40 on long runs but 30 in more typical use.
Can tow 3.5 tons which is not the case with Toyota and Mitsubishi.
None of them are as good of road as a Defender, with off road biased tyres they are better but there's too much sticking out at the back and you can soon get grounded.
There are various options for the back - you can have it look like an estate car but the rear bit is completely separate for smelly or dangerous stuff you don't want in the cab.

[Wonko The Sane]

[BTTD]

My uncle had a Chevy Silverado with the twin wheel rear axle and 6 litre diesel. The thing was massive, too big for the UK roads. With a fifth wheel in back he used it to pull a massive trailer caravan, and it had a three ton payload which he used when building a house up some mountain in Spain.

[Polarbear]

Point taken chaps. Back to something with 4WD that isn't the size of a small house but can take all my work gear and the dog.

I tried a small van and got it stuck on a riverbank the second time I went to a boat so 4WD is a must.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[stevo as b4]

What about one of those Japanese 4x4 people carriers with removable seats etc? They seem to have a cult following as they were never really sold much outside of Japan and places like Australia, so a good import is worth a few quid.

I'm sure some of the Japanese crew cab 4x4 pick ups are decent enough, but the larger yank tanks look like junk to me. Who wants to tow a huge truck style trailer with a red neck truck anyway. I'd rather just get a crew cab 7.5ton truck instead personally, even though they aren't very car like comfort wise or to drive.

[andyscooter]

this is the shape of my gaffers one

https://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb129/andyscooters/T_5975_zps44xcdcns.jpg

but his has a top on the back
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Polarbear]

[doggone]

A lot of them do that style, it's more for keeping tools etc secure inside but there might be a tiny seat you could fit a child in.
The variants widely sold here aren't that big - you soon get used to it.
Actually it's only the last 5 years or so they have all got a bit bigger, but more capable especially for towing.
If you are used to driving a big van like Transit or more the size is similar.

[Rob Fzs]

[Matt B]

I had an '09 L200 double cab, the newer shape one, not the old square style.

It was a great truck but they are dog slow as standard and running around town you will be really lucky to get 35-40 mpg out of one. I had mine remapped - 220 bhp & 350 lb/ft made it a lot nicer to drive and did not affect the economy at all. As said, they do not drive like a car. It's a bouncy ride that takes a bit of getting used to and they are relatively noisy. As for reliability I never had a problem with mine.

I took one of the new NP300 Navaras out for a test drive last week. They have gone over to coil springs on the back now and I wanted to see if it changed the ride. Still bouncy and I wasn't that impressed.

I've been half heartedly looking for another pickup, hence the test drives. The conclusion I've come to is that they are a compromise to live with and I don't think I can make that compromise again. I would be more tempted to look at something along the lines of a Pathfinder or an X-Trail now - 4x4 capability but with a bit more practicality and comfort.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.