I have a 2011 F-150 EcoBoost that is my only vehicle (If you don’t count the JD tractor) and has been for 21 years. It gets 18 MPG hauling a trailer. So this is such a girl thing, but one of the things that means NOTHING in the scheme of a truck, but I love, is that I keep the back seats up for groceries and stuff and there are hooks under the back seats when they are up for grocery bags. Ha! I’ve slept in my truck (more than once), I haul my gooseneck horse trailer with it, and I run errands in it. I would never go for a diesel because the maintenance is too expensive and demanding, fuel costs are much higher, and I just plain don’t need it. But I love my truck. When I first bought my ranch, I was stuffing bales of shavings into a VW Jetta and could get maybe 10 in there—front seat, back seat, trunk. It was hilarious. But this eco-boost F-150 just runs and has been MINIMAL maintenance in the scheme of things. I also don’t commute so don’t have tons of miles on it, but I do have over 100K at this point.
Your experience is your experience, but my truck and trailer have been worth their weight in gold.
Let’s see: countless shows, lessons, trail rides. I was able to haul my own horses on a 1000 mile move, saving major shipping costs. We’ve used it to move houses 3 times. I’ve used it to haul hay. We’ve used it for large equipment. And, I’ve had several major medical emergencies where I had to get a horse to the hospital stat- that ability is priceless.
Plus, with the appreciation on trailers these days, I could sell it used for more than I paid for it new.
ECUs have been standard in cars/trucks since the late 1970s. If your truck is newer than that, 100% chance it has a computer.
Ah yes forgot that part! Our truck and daily driver vehicles are exactly one model year apart, both have the same safety tech, and the truck is nearly 2X the cost of the daily driver for insurance (for the same coverage). It’s ridiculous. Coverage for our truck for 2 adult drivers with no accidents in 5 years is roughly $2400/ yr, and yes I shop around regularly. We also need to put new tires on it which we are estimating will run $1200-1400. Trucks are expensive.
Following since I’m also planning to trade in my sedan for a truck within the next year. I only have one parking space at my apartment so the one vs two cars decision was made for me, but I don’t think maintaining two vehicles makes sense for me anyway. I like the idea of an SUV and a euro trailer but the SUVs I’d be comfortable towing with don’t actually offer many benefits for cost/size/MPG over a half-ton truck. Planning on a short bed for sure to keep the size in check, and I actually like all the modern safety features @George_T_Mule wants to disable so a new or newer used model is important to me. Currently leaning towards the F-150 with ecoboost but haven’t started seriously shopping so that might change.
I did at one point back in the '80s ihave a 3/4 ton Suburban. It towed the trailer really well, seated enough people so I could take my whole clinic staff out to lunch in it, and got 14 mpg with or without the trailer. The negative for my commute was that it would not fit into my hospital’s parking deck so I had to park outside much further away in one of the ground level lots.
So be sure to factor in your work parking situation if going the single vehicle route.
Yes, but there are major differences. The “old-school” ECU is simply a micro-controller that looks at the intake air, the engine temperature, and the throttle body valve opening, and compares it to a predetermined “map” to determine the appropriate fuel flow. And, for the most part, that’s all it does. It is one module that usually resides in the passenger-side foot-well. And yep; that technology replaced the carburetor back in the late '70s/early '80s, and has grown in complexity over the ensuing decades.
Newer cars, since maybe 2010, are very different in their use of computer technology, in that everything, and I do mean everything in the car is controlled thru a central computer, which operates operates via data communications on a “Control Area Network” data bus; aka the “CANBUS”.
What does this mean? Absolutely, your engine is still controlled by an engine control module, but it gets all of its data thru the CANBUS. There is no throttle cable/linkage, just a digital encoder on the foot pedal, and a servo motor on the throttle body. The cars computer looks at a bunch of parameters, calculates how far the throttle should open, and sends data on the CANBUS. And not just to the throttle; also to the transmission and fuel pump, and stability control, and . . .
This is nominally a good thing, as it allows engineers to design more efficient engines.
However, the CANBUS also controls other car systems. Wanna turn on the heater or AC? CANBUS. Wanna roll down the window? CANBUS. Want to lock or unlock the door? Open the trunk or rear hatch? Put down the tailgate? Open the gas tank fill cover? Run the wipers? Move the seat position, the rear-view mirrors? You got it; CANBUS.
All’s well until something glitches, and then the whole shebang can go haywire. Thankfully, the CANBUS is a fairly robust platform, so this doesn’t happen very often, and when it does it self corrects for the most part. However when it does fail, it absolutely requires an interface to the CANBUS, the appropriate diagnostic software, and a fair bit of savvy (or a warehouse full of replacement parts ala the dealership service department) to correct the problem.
Bottom line, newer “drive-by-wire” vehicles are electronically complex devices, with tons of electro-mechanical sensors and actuators replacing the basic mechanical components of yore. And they are far more challenging to work on; impossible without the right software tools. The only option for Joe_average_home_mechanic is to start in replacing components until the problem goes away. Sometimes successful, sometimes not, always expensive.
This being why You want an extended warranty on your new car. Or at least a dedicated savings account with ~$10K in it, and a spare vehicle.
The safety features are OK; I keep the collision avoidance features enabled, and turn on the stability/traction control for wet or icy roads. What I object to are the nagging driver monitoring systems. "DingDingDing; Keep your eyes on the road.“DongDongDong; you’re out of your lane.” And at least my '22 Subaru will actually grab the steering and attempt to steer you back into whatever it thinks is an appropriate position. And the ASS is simply annoying, altho I understand it is an EPA mandate, and all of the new cars have it.
Quite honestly, I would never have purchased the car had I realized how persistent these Nannies are, and I would have sold it after the first 1,000 miles had I had been unable to get rid of the built-in back seat driver. Phooey on that :-P.
When I go to re-home that car, or probably if I ever have to take it into the Dealership for warranty work (hopefully never), I’ll spend some time and un-cage the Nannies. The dash cover has to come off, and several connectors need to be re-arranged or removed; takes me about 1/2 hour, now that I know how.
I’m aware they are more complex. I personally tuned my 2012 diesel. But unless we’re looking at classics, computers are still in there and are critical to how the cars runs.
Keep the Honda until it’s not reliable. I agree framing trailer in terms of nice vs need to have. I loved having mine but over time it made no sense to keep it. Got what I paid for it (12 years old). I still have my F250 because it’s paid for and trucks have gotten crazy expensive. Maintaining it and an SUV isn’t a great financial decision but it works and I have a tow vehicle/hay hauler in a pinch so I’m keeping until I can’t get it to pass inspection. When the Honda dies reassess. Because…life happens.
I can see you wanting a truck for future needs but why use it for daily driving when you have a car that by your own admission is driving just fine??
Buy a vehicle you can safely tow a trailer with, use it sparingly until your Honda just won’t go anymore. What you save in gas will most likely pay on meager coverage on the Honda if you don’t want to insure it comp & collision and just do liability.
Vital, since it won’t run at all without its ECU. But on an older car or truck, I can go to a junkyard, or even eBay, buy a used ECU, plug it in, and drive away.
No way on your 2012 truck, or AFAIK any of the newer vehicles.
One is “serviceable”, the other simply is not, at least not by mere mortals.
It amounts to a major shift in paradigm for car ownership. Just be aware of this.
Correct. With knowledge though, it’s not such a huge limitation. I can flash my truck whenever I like, and VIN match etc.
Same as learning how to rebuild a carb or whatever. Takes time and dedication to get the hang of it.
The point of the euro is you don’t need a truck sized SUV/ SUV on a truck chassis to tow it. The euro trailers have different tow vehicle requirements due to the differences in brake systems, weight distribution, and overall weight. 3500-5000lbs tow capacity is plenty for 99% of the Euro trailers in our current US market.
FWIW our 2018 F150 Ecoboost (with the Nannies) gets 16-18mpg with conservative driving around town, not towing or loaded in the bed. That is significantly worse than pretty much all SUVs barring the massive ones: Suburban, Expedition, etc. Cost wise, our truck cost about $5K less than our SUV (Toyota) and they were purchased about 9 months apart. The truck had nearly twice as many miles as the SUV at each respective vehicles time of purchase. IMO, the SUV still has the cost benefit over a truck even in todays crazy market.
This. I use a highlander to tow 2 large Warmbloods, up and down the back of ski hills, with no issues. That’s my daily driver and it fits into the underground garage no problem.
In my opinion, the best thing about the euro trailers (boeckman in my case) are the braking systems. The inertia braking system in genius, not have a brake control and having to fluff around with all that stuff is amazing!
I’m aware of that. But a fully loaded 2 horse euro trailer still comes out to at least 4500 lbs. I’d want minimum 5500 lbs towing capacity to account for that with a bit of a buffer and that limits the choices pretty substantially. The different braking systems are fine, but I live in a hilly area so I’m actually less concerned about the braking power and more concerned about having the power to haul up a steep hill. Maybe I’m on the conservative side, but I don’t want to find myself maxed out halfway up a hill with two horses in the back. I can get twice the towing capacity in a truck with basically the same cost and MPG as an SUV that would haul 5500 lbs. I could be wrong, and I’m open to hearing from someone that’s doing it, but I’ve done a lot of research and the truck seems to make way more sense.
Which Bockmann model do you have? The two horse models I’ve looked at weigh ~2400lbs empty, and the Highlander’s max tow capacity is 5000lbs. That just seems like you’d be maxed out almost immediately with two horses and any tack/equipment. Does the standard advice of leaving a buffer under max tow capacity not apply to the euro trailers?
We currently have two older vehicles; DH’s 2012 Toyota Tundra with about 130,000 miles on it. Until he met me, his truck lived in a garage and was meticulously maintained. With a one car garage now, it has to be in the elements but is still meticulously maintained. I have a 2013 Subaru Impreza with 135,000 miles on it. We plan on driving both until they become unreliable in some way.
We are leaning towards a hybrid truck for our next one, possibly the hybrid Tundra. Car wise, possibly a hybrid as well, my only must have on a car is all wheel drive.
I’d say if you can still rely on your Honda, keep it until you can’t. I also agree on not putting the truck before the trailer unless it’s going to be your daily driver and don’t do the hoopty option.
I found going this route was much cheaper than getting a truck and trailer, and much more pleasant to drive when not doing occasional towing.
If you’re not traversing the Rockies regularly this sort of setup is fine, and for what it’s worth, my Bockmann is way more horse friendly and it’s so easy to show out of and safely load and unload by myself. And the rear door converts so I’ve also used it to move furniture, get hay…you name it. I’ve towed the trailer with a V8 Grand Cherokee, Lexus GX, Tacoma, GMC Yukon, and a Hyundai Palisade.
My Ram 1500 is my daily driver and pulls my two horse Hawk easily. It is a spacious and comfy ride, and I get about 21 mpg on the highway, 18 combined. I can’t imagine not having a truck, since that’s what I’ve always driven.
I would never want to be without a truck and trailer. Ever. I wouldn’t want to have to wait to find someone to haul an injured or sick horse to the vet, (which I’ve had to do several times, and never at a convenient time). Or, as happened twice, be without a way to get my horses out when the neighborhood was being evacuated due to fires.
Not to mention a spur of the moment invitation for a trail ride.
Buy the truck.
