Auto trannhy and shortbed

[abdiver]

I am not wanting or mean to insult any one or second guess you I am just asking a Question. I am in the market for a new truck I have had trucks all my life. I usually keep a truck for a long time.

It would appear to me that a truck with a quad, auto transmission would be good if not great, for a city dweller that wants an all around vehicle. The short bed would more naturally go with the quad as to help keep the overall length to a more normal range, easier to park in the city.



Thanks

I would like your thoughts regarding this



Question #1, Why do so many buy a short bed instead of an 8' box?



Question #2, Why do so many buy an auto transmission instead of a manual transmission?



Question #3, Why do so many buy a Quad cab Vs a Reg 2 door?

 

[WHazelwood]

1. Easier to park & manuver

2. Wife likes it.

3. Grand kids have a place in Papa's truck.

4. You'll love it.

Hard to keep from grinnin when you're driving it.

"Mostanything"

 

[TSpecht]

1) That's an excellent question. I drove both and didn't notice a huge difference. I never have to parallel park, so that might be one place it'd make a little bit of a difference, but either way it's a battleship. I opted for the 8' bed because I prefer to not have most lumber and other junk hanging off the back of the tailgate. It varys by person, so you might need to drive both in a confined space and see if you'd prefer one over the other.



2) I really have no idea here, I thought the idea was to buy a heavy duty truck, and towards that end I went with the NV5600 6 speed manual. I suspect this is the best way for longevity, since when the clutch does wear out it's less expensive to change a clutch than have someone tear down a transmission and rebuild it (as you'd have to do with an automatic). Plus it's just fun rowing through all 6 gears, with practice I don't even find it to be a hassle in city driving, just look ahead a little bit and you should be able to consistently predict what the people in front of you are going to do. Then again I'm used to this since I've only ever owned 1 automatic and I drove a manual transmission in some ridiculous city driving since I got my license about 9 years ago. The manual isn't for everybody, but the extra control it gives alone is worth it IMO.



3) My previous truck was a regular cab Chevy. Nearly every day I found myself wishing I could have either more stuff or more people in the truck in relative comfort (yeah the back seat isn't the biggest, but from the limited time I've spent in it, it's not *that* bad). I feel it's more useful if there's a chance you're going to go someplace you want to keep things locked up or out of the weather, or have people with you. I suspect that's pretty much the reason most end up going with the quad cab vs. the reg. cab.

 

[Bertram65]

I live in a conjested area, I have to park in a garage every day, the short bed and consequently shorter wheelbase is not only easier to fit in a normal space, but it also has a tighter turning radius making it easier to maneuver around in a garage. I haul stuff but the short bed is big enough for me and if it is long I let it hang out or put it on a utility trailer. The weight capacity is more important to me than the length, I frequently haul things that weigh a lot but are not very large, such as a palet of tile.

The 48RE has so far proven itself to be a very good transmission. The majority of people like the convienence of the automatic, I can shift but when I am in traffic the automatic is king especially if I am towing, heavy slow stop and go traffic.

The quad cab is very usefull, I have had a few extended cab trucks, there always is something that needs to be inside that can fit in the extended cab. The new quad cab is awsome has the usefulness of it's own doors with the size of an extended cab, try putting a child's car seat in a truck with the rearward opening doors, it is brutal. Resale is also much better, I would guess the resale difference between a regular cab and quad cab is more than the initial cost difference. It also has a ton of storage under the rear seat for, jumper cables, tow straps, mag lights, ect...

 

[NLamke]

Question #1, Why do so many buy a short bed instead of an 8' box?



Question #2, Why do so many buy an auto transmission instead of a manual transmission?



Question #3, Why do so many buy a Quad cab Vs a Reg 2 door?

#1, I bought a short bed because, it's easier to manuever (trails, parking lots, etc,,) AND is less likely to get high centered while hunting in nasty terrain.



#2, I will never again own a truck with a manual transmission, it's just my preferance, but I don't like to have to think about shifting when I'm trying to close the gap on a big buck and grabbing for my rifle at the same time



#3, You can fit four hunters in a quad cab, and any one of them has the same chance to jump out and shoot



Hmmm, only a couple more months till Bear season! Oo.

 

[DocDetonancour]

Seldom need the longer bed, and the truck looks better. Had the manual last time and like the Auto, especially around town. 2 door is almost a thing of the past. resale, and utility, and looks etc. IMHO Doc

 

[gsbrockman]

Answer #1: The SWB suits my needs... . personal use truck generally, with only occasional trailer towing. I rarely haul very much in the bed itself.



Answer #2: I have the 6-shooter, but I would not hesitate trying the 48RE. I'm 40, and rowing the NV5600 can get tiresome in heavy city traffic / construction zones.



Answer #3: Re-sale, extra cab space... you never know when your needs could change. If you've ever owned an extended cab or 4-door truck, you'll never go back to a regular cab.



Greg

 

[abdiver]

"I thought the idea was to buy a heavy duty truck, and towards that end I went with the NV5600 6 speed manual. I suspect this is the best way for longevity, since when the clutch does wear out it's less expensive to change a clutch than have someone tear down a transmission and rebuild it (as you'd have to do with an automatic). Plus it's just fun rowing through all 6 gears,"



TSpecht, I agree I see by your sig that you have the truck I want Only now if I order one I will get the new untested transmission. I am thinking of either keeping my old truck a couple more years or buying a 2001 4x4 6sp shortbed Seems most every truck I have found are automatics Manual trannys are rare.

 

[JStraw]

#1. It all depends on your needs and what/ how often you utilize the bed size



#2. Heavy duty isn't determined by what type of transmission you have. I've driven alot of HD equipment and trucks with auto's as well as stick. The advantage of an auto is it lets you focus your attention away from having to make / adjust vehicle movement to putting it 100% on your load. But, thats my take on it.



#3. No brainer.