What You Need to Know Before Buying Your First Truck

Whether you’re a new driver or an experienced one there are different things you want to know before buying your first truck.

Are you tired of the limitations of your sedan? Do you want to haul larger cargo in a trailer, and your SUV just doesn’t cut it? It’s time to buy a truck, but buying this vehicle is a whole lot different from the other vehicles you’ve purchased in the past. Let’s take a look at some of the things you want to know and ask about trucks when you’re shopping.

What do You Want the Truck to Do?

Pickup trucks are made to be much more capable than the SUVs and sedans you’ve been driving. These vehicles are built to carry, haul, pull, and push everything in their path. Will you take your truck out on the trails for some fun? If so, you’ll want one that’s made for off-road driving with 4WD. Do you need to pull a massive trailer behind your truck? Consider the towing capacity and make sure it works well for your needs.

Are you ready to explore the great outdoors or become a full-time resident of RV parks? Buying your first truck is a great way to enjoy the flexibility needed when you pull up and park your camper and then take your truck into town for the items that you need. Pickup trucks can handle a lot and do everything for you. There are even a few models that have a hybrid or electric powertrain to give you the fuel savings you desire during your drive. Figure out what you want your truck to do, and then you’ll be on your way to understanding what truck is right for you to drive.

How Comfortable Do you Want the Truck to Be?

After you’ve figured out the capability portion of what your truck will offer, you’ll need to consider the comfort features. If you’re heading out on the road to see the country with your camper attached to the hitch ball, you’ll want a truck that’s extremely comfortable. This means you’re spending hours at a time behind the wheel of this truck and need it to be a place you can sit all day. Higher trim levels can make your truck more comfortable for you.

Where Will You Drive Your New Truck?

The truck you want to buy is most likely larger than the SUV or sedan you’re moving away from. When you’re buying your first truck, you’ll want to think about where you drive every day. If you spend a lot of time on city streets, a massive three-quarter or one-ton truck might not be the right choice for you. You’ll probably want to look at some of the smaller midsize trucks when you’re in the city a lot. On the other hand, if you’re heading to the wide open spaces of the open road; a larger truck could be exactly what you want to drive.

The Truck Lingo is Much Different from the Car Lingo

There are many terms you’ll hear and need to understand when you want to buy a truck. Some of these are:

Payload Capacity

This is the amount of weight the truck can carry in the bed and cab combined.

Towing Capacity

This is the amount of weight the truck can tow. Different towing packages increase or decrease this number. You’ll hear the term fifth-wheel, which is a towing setup located in the center of the truck bed.

AWD and 4WD

You might have heard of AWD if you’ve driven SUVs, it’s possible you’ve heard of 4WD as well. These terms simply mean that all four wheels receive power from the engine. Most cars are FWD, and many trucks start out as RWD models, which only send power to two wheels.

Short Bed

When buying your first truck, you’ll want to know if you have a short truck bed. These beds are usually under 6 feet long.

Standard Bed

The standard bed length is 6-feet 5-inches long and gives you plenty of versatility to carry cargo.

Long Bed

If you need to carry full sheets of drywall or plywood regularly, a long bed could be right for you. This bed length typically means you’ve got a full 8-feet of length. Some beds are wide enough for the plywood to sit between the wheel wells.

Standard Cab

This type of cabin isn’t found as often as before in new trucks, but some still offer a standard cab. This cab has two doors, one row of seats, and room for 2-3 passengers inside.

Extended Cab

Some trucks still have a pair of small rear doors and extremely small rear seats that are only good for passengers occasionally. These trucks do offer some cargo flexibility with the rear-hinged doors.

Double Cab/Quad Cab

This cab is larger than the Extended Cab and has two rear doors that aren’t full-size doors but are front-hinged. This cab type has a bench seat in the rear but doesn’t often offer good legroom for your passengers.

Crew Cab

When you’re buying your first truck, you’ll find a lot of Crew Cab trucks. These trucks have two full-size rows of seats and doors to give you room for 5-6 passengers in your truck.

Heavy-Duty

Typically, heavy-duty trucks are three-quarter and one-ton sizes and offer higher towing and payload capacities.

Light-Duty

A light-duty truck is a half-ton truck, and this is the most common truck in the market.

Midsize

The midsize trucks are smaller than half-ton models and offer various capabilities. Usually, the smaller the truck, the lower the numbers for towing and payload.

Should Your First Truck be New or Used?

When you’re buying your first truck, buying a pre-owned model could be the best way for you to get a great deal and enjoy the capabilities desired. Most new trucks have higher price tags than ever before, which means a used model could be where you find the sweet spot of the truck you want to buy. Take a friend with you that understands trucks and let them help you figure out which pickup is the one you’ll want to drive every day.