What truck-Family

[Jmnhunter]

wife got a new to us Explorer, makes me have the itch for a upgrade from my current 2000 F150 ext cab. Although, going to a payment right now doesnt sound fun...

Our current plan is to potentially upgrade in about 3 years after our daughter gets out of daycare and starts school (gain some money back into the account)

But, my question is, does anyone with a family of 4 and a dog stick with a extended cab now days? I figured our oldest will be in a booster seat and our youngest will only be in the carseat for a few more years after we try to reach the 3 year from now milestone

Extended cabs are cheaper and finding the 6.5' box opens up a bunch of options vs a crew cab with a 6.5' is now only ford and some of the newer chevs?

 

[Jappenz617]

I have 3 kiddos and drive a 06 Ram Quad Cab. I’ve had it through their childhood. You will probably have to put your youngest in the middle of the backseat to help save on room for front seat passengers. For years I wished for a full crew cab but we made it work. It’s doable but at times it will feel cramped.

 

[Robertsj22]

i had a ram crew cab and had problems with it so i traded it off for a new chevy colorado. needless to say i should have been kicked in the nuts. the colorado with two car seats in it is miserable. I think the small truck experience will not last much longer

 

[stealthy_bowman]

I stuck with the F150 crew. Just more practical with a family of 4. Plus I find myself not only shlepping my own kids around, but their friends too, thus the extended is really not an option.
My buddy, also with a family of 4, went with the extended 3 years ago thinking he really didn’t need the crew any more since one of his kids went off to college. To this day he wishes he went with the crew and bitches about it all the time.

 

[JLS]

We've had a 2004 Dodge Quad Cab for about 8 years now, with three kids. I'll be selling it very soon and plan on buying a Toyota Tundra Double Cab. The Crew Max cabs are certainly nice, but I want a 6.5' box so I can sleep in the back if necessary. A roof rack should allow me to fit all of my junk in the back and on top.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

We went with the quad cab f150. The back seat is a bench. All other brands had a scalloped middle seat which means arguments on who sits there. The Ford also had the most legroom and flat floor. With the mileage full size trucks get, it's hard to justify any SUV or crossover of similar size. I'm not sure I'd try to make an extend cab work unless I'm saving a significant amount of money to go towards my dream truck.

 

[NYyotekiller]

Extended cab was a no-go for me when we had our kids. I had a pristine 2004.5 Chevy 2500HD Duramax and had to get something different because the infant car seat just would not work when it was rearward facing. The new trucks might have more room than mine did so I'm not sure if they might work for you or not.

I ended up trading for a Chevy 2500 crew cab with the 6.0 gas motor because the diesels were out of this world high resale. Now we have a ton of room for two kids in car seats and three dogs.

You could go with the 3/4 ton trucks as they don't have the 5.5' box's, only the 6.5' box options. better resale than the 1/2 tons as well.

 

[sluggo6850]

Ford does make a quad cab with the 6.5' box. Kind of long but the best of both worlds.

 

[mplane72]

Ford does make a quad cab with the 6.5' box. Kind of long but the best of both worlds.

Yep, I got one. Had a 4 door with 5.5 before. Big difference in ride and packing with the 6.5 box and extra 12" of wheel base.

 

[LuketheDog]

The extended cab Tundras have a big back seat, plenty big for car seats or adults. That being said, I went with the CrewMax and don't regret it when the kids can't kick the back of the seats in front of them from the car seats. For hunting and fishing I just fold up the rear seats for extra cargo space and don't miss the longer bed too much.

 

[NEWHunter]

Bought a 2018 F150 supercrew with the 5.5 ft box and a 2.7L. My Dad has the same truck with 6.5 ft box and 3.5L. He gets better gas mileage. I should probably join that class action suit . . . but I digress, we have two kids, 5 and 7, and are glad to have the extra room. Couldn’t imagine less space with a dog.

Look at the front seat configurations too. We went with a bench front seat for additional room. The front middle has storage under the seat and when the front middle seat is folded down it doubles as a rest and also has more storage in the seat back. The option offers as much storage and function as a console but with more versatility.

 

[Ben Sellers]

Bought a 2018 F150 supercrew with the 5.5 ft box and a 2.7L. My Dad has the same truck with 6.5 ft box and 3.5L. He gets better gas mileage. I should probably join that class action suit . . . but I digress, we have two kids, 5 and 7, and are glad to have the extra room. Couldn’t imagine less space with a dog.

Look at the front seat configurations too. We went with a bench front seat for additional room. The front middle has storage under the seat and when the front middle seat is folded down it doubles as a rest and also has more storage in the seat back. The option offers as much storage and function as a console but with more versatility.

I have the same truck with the 5.0 v8. Surprisingly, I’m getting 20.6 mpg consistently. I can fit 3 car seats across the back for my herd. It seems to be a good family truck so far.

 

[elkhnter]

Have a 2002 F250 extended cab and a 2014 F250 Quad cab. Like them both or I wouldn’t keep them. For room, the quad wins hands down. I can’t imagine going very far in the extended cab with 2 kiddos and a dog in the back. The extended cab is the hunting truck, plenty of room for gear for 2 guys.

 

[fishing4sanity]

Back in the old-days we drove a two door Bronco, then a Chevy extended cab, those were both a PAIN dealing with carseats and kids. Now, I have a F-150 crew cab, lots of back seat leg room and when hauling grandkids and their carseats, it's much easier than the old-days. Go with the crew cab.

 

[Focus]

Bought a 2004 F-150 crew cab new and still have it. Its got the shorter (5.5’ box). My kid drives it. His brother drove it before he left for college. He wishes he still drove it.

I had a 2013 F150 crew cab with the longer bed (6.5’). The turning radius on it was horrible!

I now drive an F-250 crew cab with 6.5’ bed and it turns just fine.

To address the OP’s question (I think)... crew cab pickup is the way to go with a growing family. Before you know it you’ll be hauling hockey gear (or whatever sport they pick), plus dead critters plus all manner of home improvement purchases.

Whatever you do don’t get the 6.5’ crew cab F150.......unless they’ve really improved upon the turning radius in the last five years.

 

[LCH]

I almost bought a new truck this summer. Decided instead to get a 2015 Jeep Cherokee and keep the old truck(s). Haul the family in comfort, save gas most of the time, drive the old rust bucket when I need utility more than comfort.

Oh, and saved $30k+

 

[Jmnhunter]

Whatever you do don’t get the 6.5’ crew cab F150.......unless they’ve really improved upon the turning radius in the last five years.

Dang, thats too bad as thats what I would get, I wont be able to downsize to a 5.5' bed;

LCH makes a good point, we now have a explorer, just need to install a hitch to haul the boat around and I just keep the old brush-scratched-payment-less truck to haul the ice house and other trips

 

[MT_Chad]

We are a family of 4 plus a dog, I went to a suburban. I do have a 64 gmc dually i use for pickup duties though. Suburbans can be had for less than a crew cab pickup generally on the used market, especially 3/4 ton suburbans. I wanted the burb mostly so i can keep my dog in a heated and cooled environment. For goose hunting especially I love the burb, it keeps all our gear and my dog in a heated cab and it pulls the deke trailer no problem.

 

[Jmnhunter]

thought briefly about those,theres enough yard work done throughout the year that not having a truck bed would be a PITA, along with hauling a wheeler with the ice house;

anyone have a Silverado 1500HD or the rare Dodge Ram 1500 Heavy Duty? seems like those are easier/cheaper to find with all the amenities, albeit gas suckers with the 6.0, and the used ones are 150k+ in mileage

 

[tzone]

wife got a new to us Explorer, makes me have the itch for a upgrade from my current 2000 F150 ext cab. Although, going to a payment right now doesnt sound fun...

Our current plan is to potentially upgrade in about 3 years after our daughter gets out of daycare and starts school (gain some money back into the account)

But, my question is, does anyone with a family of 4 and a dog stick with a extended cab now days? I figured our oldest will be in a booster seat and our youngest will only be in the carseat for a few more years after we try to reach the 3 year from now milestone

Extended cabs are cheaper and finding the 6.5' box opens up a bunch of options vs a crew cab with a 6.5' is now only ford and some of the newer chevs?

I have pile of kids. One in a car seat and one still in a booster seat. If getting a ford a crew cab is a must. I have the 5.5' box and I'll never get one again. Way to short and I can fill it twice a week and every weekend.