First Truck

[hmmhunter]

Hi,
I am turning 16 and looking for a first truck. I am going to buy a small boat between 15 and 19 feet with an outboard engine. Although it is light, I still need something that can tow. My price limit for a truck is $1500. What would be a good truck/SUV that has reasonable fuel mileage and the ability to tow a small boat?

[MikeCStig]

Although it depends on how light the boat (combined with the weight of the trailer) actually is, my gut is saying a full sized truck would serve you best. That said, the fuel economy issue could prove to be pretty tricky. Chevy C/K 1500s and Silverado 1500s are ok, but I've seen a lot of rust issues on them.
Older Dodge Ram 1500s are solid, but you would want one with at least a 318 ("magnum" V8) which is a pretty thirsty engine, but it pays off when you're going up a hill with a light trailer and not bogging down. A great find would be an older Ram 1500 with the 5.9 Cummins diesel. Fantastic towing power, and as with most diesels, better on fuel than its gasoline alternative.
Last but certainly not least, the ever popular Ford F150. You can't really go wrong with those. What can I say? When they're well taken care of, they're virtually indestructible. Also the straight-6 engines in the pre 1995 models pack a surprising amount of low end torque and aren't quite as thirsty as the V8 options.
In your situation, those are the 3 options I would be choosing from, leaning more toward a Ford or dodge.

[hmmhunter]

Thank you for the advice, I will keep my eye open on that, I have seen a lot of Ford F150's available lately. What is your opinion on an SUV like a GMC Jimmy or Chevy Tahoe from the 90's?

[MikeCStig]

A Jimmy might not be quite heavy enough to tow a boat that size, but a Tahoe or a suburban would probably do the trick. The thing about matching towing vehicles with the load to be towed is if the lighter the truck, the more likely the trailer is to sway. So if you bought a Jimmy and you wind up buying a heavy boat, the trailer would start to dictate the direction of travel at a certain speed and things would get dangerous, so you'd be forced to drive really slow, clog up the road, and piss off everyone stuck behind you.

[hmmhunter]

Alright thank you, will keep my eye open, I am glad I got advice. It has changed my options a lot (in a good way) and now I don't have t worry about it as much.

Thanks

[getmyauto]

How about a used Tacoma? That was my first truck and it was the best. Your $1500 budget may get in the way though...Can you come up with more cash?