If you’re just hauling arcade games and pins, I’d recommend a van. I use my wife’s Toyota Sienna for all my buying selling and trading. Keeps things out of the weather and it can fit 2 pins. Toyota makes an AWD Sienna van. If you need a truck for hauling in the bed, I’d personally recommend Toyota trucks

Work trucks are great to me what is silly is all the people driving pick ups that don't need them. OP asked about "best truck" on a pinball forum so I figured I would put my 2 cents in about the van idea - nothing more or nothing less. You guys that need or use your 4x4 pick up yes they do make sense but for most drivers that don't need them they are a massive waste of fuel & money.

As far as "going in the snow" two or 4 wheel drive both stop the same and basically corner the same. A 4x4 will get you going but they are no better or safer than a two wheel drive on the highway. I see more 4x4's in the ditch than cars most of the time I travel in the Winter because people driving them think they are something they are not. Don't kid yourself about them making a huge difference unless you are driving on unplowed roads or off road in the mud.

I've driven trucks and minivans for hauling stuff, and frankly the minivan is a much better pin hauler. I put three in my old sienna. Decent gas mileage, and they're pretty cheap used from the rental market. Trucks are good for tall stuff and big boats/trailers. I would have said lumber but 4 x 8 sheets of plywood fit in the minivan just as easy as a truck. Refrigerators, not so much.

It is in the Off-Topic section and nowhere did OP say this was just for hauling pinball machines !!!

Chevy, GMC 2500 HD 4x4 duramax diesel, and drive it until it rusts to the ground. Major torque, i pull a 25ft boat and don't even know it's back there.

I miss my 2014 Toyata Tacoma TRD - 4x big time.
I should NEVER of gotten rid of it EVER!

However my Ford F150 Lariat - "Paycheck Eater" is pretty darn comfy in comparison.
Haven't had an issue with it other than High price of fillups and LOUSY gas mileage.

He also didn't say he lived on a farm or wanted it to work construction. In any event guys that love their pick up will never understand but people who have owned both rarely ever go back to a pick up. I use my full size van to tow my camper with my generator and other gear safely stashed inside the van. I leave thousands of dollars of construction tools in my van when not using it to move machines (or when camping) and never have to worry about anything growing legs.

In fact this afternoon I need to go unload it from my last construction project at my sons (a month ago) to get ready to go grab 3 pinball machines on Friday. That will be an overnight trip with a night in a motel and if I was using a pick up truck I would have to move 3 pinball machines into my motel room to keep them safe overnight. No way will I ever own another open truck!

Pick up trucks are great for hauling trash to the dump or moving a refrigerator but for pretty much everything else a van wins hands down in my book.

Toyota all the way! Longevity + resale value = best truck for me.

Or perhaps you are a zealot for vans and don't want to hear anyone else's opinion. We get it you believe in vans, great, but plenty others have chimed in with other opinions and you just ignore it. Don't want a van day to day. Don't want to haul brush, demo material, or have to make dozens of trips because a van doesn't have the weight capacity. There is more to life than just moving pinballs and guess what, my truck hauls pins. Oh, and this notion of being able to leave them inside the van you can do that with a truck just need a shell. I have left pins in a truck over night when I had access to a truck with a shell, no issues with rain or snow. For everything you list as pro van I can come up with an equally compelling reason for a truck. End fo the day it won't matter because all you want is a van and that is not what the op asked for.

Ford Trucks, buy any of them as long as it has the 5.0L V8. The Ecoboost turbo engines are JUNK. Those 5.4 3 valve Triton engines that blew spark plugs are a long time gone. Rust issues are still a problem. 3.7 V6 is the same family as the Ecoboost engines and they ALL have serious timing issues due to poor design. If for some reason you do like/want and Ecoboost, run FULL synthetic oil from day 1 and change it every 5000 miles, it should be OK. FORD is completely off in the engineering department and their oil change intervals on ALL of the Ecoboost products.

GM/Chevy trucks, I personally don't like any of these. Transmission issues, leakers, and terrible rust issues. V-6 is horrendous. Dexos oil requirement is for FULL SYNTHETIC oil , anything else is a crap shoot on these engines.

Dodge/Ram, I honestly have to admit these are the most reliable NEW trucks out there right now of the big Detroit 3. However, don't walk away, RUN from ANYTHING with the 3.6L V-6. The Cummings Diesel is the best of all of them. Ford & Chevy can't touch the Cummings. If you buy a Hemi, use nothing but Synthetic oil.

With ANY of the domestic trucks, plan on ball joints AND tie rods generally between 80 - 100K miles

Nissan Titan.....horror stories a plenty.

Toyota trucks are very reliable, but a bit under powered.

Honda Ridgeline, new style, like them very much. Very Solid truck

This is all basic overviews coming from a repair shop owner.

Buy something without that dumb Start/Stop button. I don't want my vehicle shutting off at a stop light. I don't want to have to remember to push another button to disengage that every single time I start the vehicle. I hope every manufacturer wises up and moves away from that. I generally only buy Toyota (we own 2 Sienna minivans). We just bought our new 2018 Sienna a few months ago, it's awesome. Not sure I could recommend the Tundra (terrible fuel economy), or the Tacoma (known to have bad frame rot up in northern states with salty roads).

I hate Ford, but I know so many people around me that have F150s, they all run fine and get good fuel economy. All the new F150s have the Start/Stop technology though.

My only regret about buying a van is not buying a van sooner. Currently I own a Chevy van and a dodge truck.
Like them both but I would definitely sell the truck before the van.

Dodge trucks are the most reliable?. Be serious. In my small town at a dealership there are 5 Dodge mechanics and one Toyota mechanic.

Yup, I've about had it with certain relatives of mine always making fun of my 2 Siennas - like vans are not "cool". I'll own a van the rest of my life.

Great. Got your opinion. For the 4th time. I think we know you are pro-van. Move on.

Do you like to also tell people not on the internet what to do?

I question this as well. My experience with them is that the cummins diesel won't die, but the truck will fall apart around it. FCA products tend to have a poor reputation for reliability as well.

3/4 ton Chevy vans actually have the same weight capacity as a 3/4 ton Chevy pick up. I use my van pretty much everyday for everything - demo work - hauling - camping - etc. I think you are the one not wanting to hear what van people are saying. Great idea putting a cap on your pick up to haul a pinball machine or two - my van will haul 4 fold down head machines or 7 removable head machines (if stacked properly) I would like to see that in a pick up with a cap!

Regardless of what anyone says pick up people love their pick up trucks and van people love their vans. After owning both I very much prefer the lower deck height of a van, the side door, the 10' long bed inside instead of a 6 or 8' pick up bed, etc. And I can buy two new vans for what most people spend on one pick up truck. Plus insurance is about 40% cheaper for most people because people are not stealing as often or wrecking vans as much as people who own pick up trucks.

I can’t believe there’s a heated battle about vans vs trucks on a pinball forum thread asking about trucks.

When I was a mechanic the worst cars I ever worked on were Fiats. Mopar was bought by Fiat. Nuff said.

Exactly my point!

I am bored again today so I am just having some fun here. For those of you that don't know me it is often said I should change my Pinside name from "too-many-pins" to "too-many-post".

Well now that I have had my fun here it is time to get serious and get back to work. Van people keep enjoying your vans and pick up people keep enjoying your pick up trucks. No right or wrong either way just different ways of thinking. But as I have already said - too many times - after owning both I would never be without a van again and I have not owned a pick up in nearly 30 years.

Both are trucks - just one body style is much better than the other. Enough said!

Your solution for someone wanting a daily driver vehicle is a 3/4 ton cargo van? You are even more off your rocker than I thought. If we are going with such nonsense why not suggest a box van? Why haul 4 pins when you can haul 20? Why not just up to a semi so we can haul entire arcades in one go? Talk about someone taking a question to an extreme. Think I will go start a thread asking if I should get an electric or gas stove so you can sell me on a commercial wood fire oven that will cook a dozen pizzas at once when all I want to do is heat up my Papa Murphys.

Hail the van.

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Odin the OP specifically said in his first post that he specifically wanted 4X4 but too many pins is a broken record going on and on about how great vans are.
Unless you buy an aftermarket conversion (Quimby/etc) vans aren’t 4x4.
As I previously stated vans Suck Big D when driving in snow and winter conditions even if they have decent weight over the rear axle. Too many pins should change his pinside ID to I love vans!

Exactly! Throw a mattress in the back and you’ve got a bedroom on wheels!

They are all shit now. I was a Ford guy, and they were awesome trucks. When my 2000 F-150 needed a bunch of work after 180k miles, I decided to upgrade to a 2007 F-150. What a mistake. They had ruined everything I loved about that truck. It was cheap and chinzy. Brakes cost a fortune because the hub was a sealed unit, so the rotors included the bearings. If the rotor goes bad, you need bearings, and if the bearings go bad, you need a whole new rotor. I always assumed that was just to keep the parts flowing. But they were wicked overpriced. I traded it in after 120k miles of misery.

When I shopped for a truck to replace it, they were all garbage. None of them felt like a truck anymore, and the prices were absurd. Even when Chevy was giving 20% off, it was still massively overpriced. So I ended up going with a Honda SUV. I'm happy with it so far (just over 60k miles).

Well, if it bothers somebody that much, the pinside way is to report the incident to the moderators instead taking matters into their own hands. People that tell others to "move along" seem like they are on some kind power trip and end up making themselves look worse than the original offender

This is excellent information. All you need to know in one post.

i owned my 2000 silverado for 15 years, i will own my 2014 silverado for 15 years. i sell brand new gmc and chevrolet pickups now, because they are the best trucks on the market.

Sort of like the power trip you are on telling another user how he should handle things? Pot calling the kettle black?

I'm not telling anybody what to do. I simply stated the rules as they are on pinside.

And believe me, I have been made aware of them.

If it's not diesel, buy a car or van

I hear you!
I know you spend a lot of time here as many of us do but mr “ I love vans” has a history of rambling BS posts. Don’t you remember last year when he started a thread about the huge warehouse find he had “purchased” or was in the process of negotiating a deal for? Mods ended up locking the topic because for weeks he just kept posting long winded crap about the deal but wasn’t willing to post pics or prices cause he didn’t have time for dealing with pic collectors or tire kickers.

GM’s 5.3 is the toughest most bulletproof engine on the planet.

I’ve been driving one in many different platforms since the early 2000’s, in Avalanches, Silverados, Tahoe and Suburbans, to Florida and back too many times to count as well, NEVER an engine failure beyond one starter.

Currently have an 03’ Yukon XL with 237,000 and a 14’ Silverado Crew Cab.

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Oh and for Toyota people saying this and that...
here is a random picture I took while waiting for Chinese food. Nice cracked/Rotted frames are all too common in these trucks.

They all can rot away, but more often than not Toyotas do prematurely. The rest of the truck looked fine.
I would personally never buy or drive a Toyota truck and their styling is hideous to boot, look like trucks for insects.

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Still working on the balance of that warehouse deal. So far 78 machines saved from just sitting or having Lloyd (coinopwarehouse) buy them and ship them out of the country. 50 plus have gone to happy customers and the rest are still here with me. Another 10x40 unit to empty this Fall but that is another topic for another day. And yes I did use my van and trailer to get all of them home!

There is an IGNORE here on Pinside if you don't want to hear what I have to say. I know sometimes I talk too much but when I am bored sometimes I end up replying to too many people on one topic. Love me or hate me I don't really care. The only thing for sure is I am too old to change. But seriously I have some work to get done so I have to get away from Pinside for a few hours. Maybe I'll stop back later just to keep the haters happy!

Yeah, I remember now. Also remember the numerous threads I have been ejected from.

But when somebody tells me to move along, I want to stick my fist into the computer screen and give them a bloody nose.

No one builds a pickup like Detroit. Chevy and Ford then dodge. That being said, if crysler does anything right, it’s build pickups trucks. Keep them clean if you live in the rust belt.

One of the reasons I am on Pinside at all today is I am waiting for several "tire kickers" to reply to my PM's about machines I currently have listed for sale here on Pinside. I love people in a big rush that want machines and weeks later they still can't find time to come get it. I am getting sick of so called buyers when listing machines online!

If you want something come get it - if not don't waste my time with a dozen questions, needing more pictures, making low ball offers -etc. But that seems to be the norm here on Pinside!

Not sure I agree anymore. When diesel was the price of gas sure. Growing up my father had diesel jettas, passats, and even a bmw, but now? Diesel on my truck would have required a zr2 (didn't want due to the lower towing) or a quad cab (didn't want to the short bed that dealers order). It was also a 4k premium over the v6. Diesel gets 29 on the highway, v6 gets 23. On the other hand the diesel costs more to maintain and diesel itself is 40 cents more a gallon around me right now. Just do not see the value. Oh, and the diesel won't come with the 8 speed auto just a 6.

What does this have to do with truck opinions? go make a new thread where you rant endlessly and eventually get locked because you never deliver.

I did deliver to 50+ happy customers. But regardless of what I say you seem to want to pick a fight with me so there is no need to try to rationalize with an idiot!

Got a 2018 Dodge Big Horn and we love it. Go drive one.

You are right, I should clarify. Of the big 3 , I believe Dodge/Ram trucks since 2014 to be the most reliable of NEW trucks. The older doge rams are some of the biggest POS on the road. These damn Fords are blowing timing at 90K and have huge carbon issues on the engine valves.

This hard for me to say because I am 100% a Ford truck guy.

Toyota>Dodge is also correct.

It IS a damn good engine and reliable. Now if GM could pair a good transmission and 4 wheel drivetrain that was just as good, they would leave everyone in the dust.

I am a used car dealer and have been for my whole life. It sucks but it is what I do. I don't buy fords or dodges. Ford circles the problem and outlines it in blue and if it says Dodge you should. Fords have tranny problems and their engines need repairs they are very expensive. When you need to replace an engine it has to be within a few years or the same year as the one you have because they purposely design differences to make it difficult to swap engines. Chevy, you can use pretty much any year as long as it is the same style engine. Dodge just doesn't stay together. Their engines are weak and they don't last. Mod one and it will come apart. Chevys engines are bullet proof. The older trucks were better but Chevy is still the better truck. If you buy one always have the displacement on demand disabled as it causes problems down the line and it doesn't save you any fuel mileage. The bottom end on a LS engine can take 1400 HP without modification. You cant do that to a ford or dodge.

Tacoma has the highest resale value of any vehicle sold in America. Second is Tundra, third is 4Runner. Jeep Wrangler isn't a bad choice either.
If you want a full size pickup, I'd go Chevy Silverado. Just like how they look. Out of my price range, went for the 4x4 Tacoma Off Road.

Don't forget that Tundra pulled the space shuttle. That's the kind of nerdiness that will go a long way in the pinball community.

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Fiat has not gotten their hands on the Ram division even though they are majority owner of Chrysler. Chrysler cars are horrendous shit out of the factory.