# Truck, Camper, Trailer Combo



## Norivername (Jan 12, 2020)

Good morning!

Hoping to hear from your mistakes as I start making my own (well, too late with the kid thing, but I mean, this newest set of mistakes)!

I have a 2019 Tacoma, a 16ft 2-spot Triton snowmobile trailer, an NRS E-150, 2 kids, and 2 dogs.

So, the Tacoma is/was essentially because of gas mileage, but now I'm looking to put a camper on the back (Yoho Scout, 958 lb. dry, Yoho | Scout Campers) for a full rig.

Can I pull off 4 people, two dogs, a trailer, loaded camper, loaded boat with a 2019 Tacoma SRO (over the passes in Colorado) or do I need to move up to a Tundra?

Any thoughts--logistical or comical--appreciated!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

You're asking a lot out of that little truck. That's a nice little camper, but once you get it loaded up with everything you'll need for 4 folks and 2 dogs (which I imagine would make for a tight ride in the cab too) you'll likely be looking at an additional 800 to 1000 lbs depending on what you bring, and then there's the raft and trailer. As long as you don't mind chugging up passes at 35 MPH you'll be fine. 

Personally, I'd be thinking about Cummins or Duramax diesel... They make a nice Ram 1500 Diesel that would fit your bill, super mileage and plenty of power, not to mention a larger cab, more capacity and less maintenance than a gasser. Granted, not a Toyota, but Toyota doesn't have a diesel offering. 

My 2¢,YMMV


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Stick shift or automatic? Either way passes will be slow going. Sticks handle flogging better than autos IMHO especially in the heat of summer.


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Drove 2004 and 2013 Tacoma over passes in Colorado, the road to Sand Wash many times with fully loaded trailer and inflated 18' Aire cat, 4-5 people on board, no issues
I would give consideration to:
Leveling and balancing your loads....so many times I see trailers flying down the road at crazy angles
Good tread and proper inflation for all tires
Pack the bushings on the trailer
The Yoho Scout camper is cool, but not aero dynamic, make sure your trailer tongue is long enough for entry into the camper
Drive like you are towing ('cause you are!), use your gears and enjoy the drive!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

jamesthomas said:


> Stick shift or automatic? Either way passes will be slow going. Sticks handle flogging better than autos IMHO especially in the heat of summer.


Toyota hasn't had manual tranny's available for many years now. It's damn near impossible to get a truck with one these days, or a car for that matter.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

2tomcat2 said:


> Drove 2004 and 2013 Tacoma over passes in Colorado, the road to Sand Wash many times with fully loaded trailer and inflated 18' Aire cat, 4-5 people on board, no issues
> I would give consideration to:
> Leveling and balancing your loads....so many times I see trailers flying down the road at crazy angles
> Good tread and proper inflation for all tires
> ...


You bring up an interesting point that always makes me go "Huh?".. Why don't people use the proper drop or rise receiver so they tow a level load ? Towing at an angle puts strain on the suspension, and adds a huge amount of wind resistance to the load when underway. It's not like they are all that expensive, but having the proper attitude to the trailer saves money too.

As well, another good point. The camper has the aerodynamics of a brick.. More wind resistance..


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## paulster (May 27, 2011)

I had a similar dilemma, except my Toyota was 24 years old with 220k miles. It would get the job done, but was redlined, creeping, getting terrible mileage, and just stressful. I really didn’t want to deal with the size and mileage of a big truck and it felt to me that new Tacomas (2 years ago) weren’t much improved in 23 years. I wound up with a Chev Colorado diesel - tows 5k lbs effortlessly (rated fir about 7,800) and gets -24 mpg average. Expensive but effective solution and my Toyota probably only had another 25 years of light duty life remaining anyway....


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Even the most current Tacoma isn't that great for fuel economy compared to the competition....whatever economy it had will go out the door with a camper and a trailer behind it. There are rumours of the Tacoma getting a hybrid option soon...but not great.

I've been truck shopping for two years and get frustrated and stop looking every time I start seeing current prices. Still looking for the holy grail of reasonable price, good economy, good towing and storage space, and reliable. Its frustrating as hell that all of the 1500 trucks with a diesel basically have a crew cab and super short 5' bed. That is basically all that the Ram Ecodiesel comes in and most of the small Ford and Chevy trucks with a diesel are the same.

For what its worth... my 2006 Tacoma with the 4.0l V6 does just fine up hills even towing a heavy Dory behind it... but it sucks the gas down fast. Even lightly loaded it gets 16-17mpg at best. Maybe another MPG if I take the topper off and go with an open bed. Towing a raft trailer it gets 12-13mpg and with my Dory behind it it gets 10-12. At that rate, it sucks a tank dry in 180 miles. At the end of the day though...it gets the job done and anything I buy to replace it that would have better economy will be $10-12k (or in reality more like $20-30k) more expensive...and that buys a lot of gas.

I have a 99' Ford f250 with the 7.3l diesel powerstroke and it has like 286k on the clock. When its working its great and gets decent mileage... but it has left me stranded on the side of the road more then a couple times...several of them catastrophic and big repairs like blown up transmissions. I do like the truck though...and kind of want to spend some money and get it more bombproof and reliable.

Lately I've been looking at Chevy 6.0l V8 2500 Service/Utility Trucks. Economy isn't great even lightly loaded, but towing heavier loads it evens out a bit. They are actually reasonable in price. Diesel 2500-2500 options seem to be hovering around $40k used with over 100k miles...which is just ludicrous. Trucks are fucking expensive these days...a baseline 3/4 ton work truck with no options is like $42k and up... if you want some creature comforts.... $50-70k.

I think you'll be allright with all of that as long as you have the room for the family. Tundra is a decent truck...but its basically the worst truck to drive for economy in its size class these days. They have updated the looks a bit...but it still has the same engine it had a decade ago. I think there might be some upgrades coming down the pipeline that involve better economy...but I'm sure it will come with a steep price tag.

If I was buying new and could afford it...I'd look at the Ford F-150 with the Powerboost hybrid engine in it. Good towing, good economy, lots of creature comforts. Comes with a $60k+ price tag though.


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## azpowell (Aug 14, 2014)

Absolutely loved my 3.5 ecoboost Ford. That little truck got decent mileage unloaded and had the payload/towing capacity to do whatever you wanted to do... with the twin turbos it gave no shits what elevation you were at, and towed large loads wonderfully. drive a 6.7 f350 dually now and love it but the fuel mileage is shit since the EPA's regulations... long gone are the days of 20-25mpg's out of a diesel, with all the filtration on the exhaust I'm lucky to get 14mpg's... with the plastic jugs of DEF and the shitty mileage I wonder how much the EPA actually thought this one through...

Anyways I'm a +1 on the ecoboost f150


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## Jim Bob (May 19, 2020)

We just downsized from a 3/4 ton Cummins to a 2.8 l Duramax Chevy Colorado. If you want to stay in the same truck size but are worried about payload and towing capacity check it out.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Jim Bob said:


> We just downsized from a 3/4 ton Cummins to a 2.8 l Duramax Chevy Colorado. If you want to stay in the same truck size but are worried about payload and towing capacity check it out.


I've been driving my 2018 Colorado with the Duramax in it now for 60,000 mi, and I absolutely love it. The problem is with the 6-ft bed I'm not sure that you'd be able to fit a camper in it. Running around empty I get between 30 and 35 mi to the gallon depending upon the day, and there's no shortage of power..


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## 2tomcat2 (May 27, 2012)

Another vote for F 150 EcoBoost; bought used, 2018 with low miles (not any more!); it absolutely handles a fully loaded utility trailer, with inflated 18' cat on top, 5 adults in the
truck...also pulls our 12' box, Flagstaff MAC pop up with 15" wheels, sees a lot of out of the way places in the Colorado high country


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I never understood the logic, put an undersized motor in a truck, stick to hair dryers on it and hope it lasts... Almost every F-150 I've ever seen falls apart in between 100 and 150,000 mi if you can get that out of it. Every once in awhile, granted there is one that lasts a little bit longer than that, but then the interior has fallen apart and even things like the emblems fall off of them. It might be a sales point if they were cheaper than everything else like they used to be, but these days they're not. When you compare them to the offerings from almost anyone else, except for Nissan whose quality is on par with Ford, it's a no-brainer. For the same amount of money you can get something that lasts 300,000 mi, or you can get a Ford.. My two cents, your mileage may vary, and in some cases apparently does lol


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## Toysx2 (Dec 29, 2012)

MNichols said:


> Toyota hasn't had manual tranny's available for many years now. It's damn near impossible to get a truck with one these days, or a car for that matter.


I have a 2020 Tacoma with a 6 speed manual transmission.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Really? Then I've been lied to 😂. By a Toyota dealer...the reason our 4 runner has an automatic transmission


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Tacoma and the 4runner have diverged a lot over the years.... share some stuff but mostly are their own thing. They don't even share the same engine anymore...4 runner still has the 4.0 V6 instead of the newer 3.5l one that comes in the Tacoma.









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Wish manuals were a heck of a lot more common these days though. A couple of the more fancy brands got rid of MT's in their cars but brought them back a few years later in limited models and they sell super well....so feels like plenty of desire for them. Seems like most of the trucks are moving towards fancy and complex 10 speed auto slush boxes and stuff lately.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Although thankfully, the automatic transmissions in the past 10 years have become a whole lot more reliable than they used to be... What gets me, is it's damn near impossible to buy a tow vehicle like a ram 3500 or a Duramax 2500 and get a manual transmission with it? Why is that?


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Americans are lazy and don’t want to shift. Long term a clutch is a hell of alot cheaper to replace than a automatic trans.


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

I have never seen a manual transmission fail unless it was being mercilessly flogged.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

jamesthomas said:


> Americans are lazy and don’t want to shift. Long term a clutch is a hell of alot cheaper to replace than a automatic trans.


Amen, not to mention the control One gets from a manual transmission


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

jamesthomas said:


> I have never seen a manual transmission fail unless it was being mercilessly flogged.


And even then, they're still good to the last drop lol


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Yep, you can usually get em home no matter what. You might have to skip 2nd or 3rd but you can get home.


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## TennesseeMatt (Jul 21, 2005)

I'll leave this article: Please Stop Ruining Your Tacomas

Matt


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## paulster (May 27, 2011)

A point that no one has mentioned: how often do you plan to run your truck loaded the way you describe? Your truck will do what you've described, just slowly while sucking lots of gas. If you like the Taco otherwise and only run a load that big a few times per year, it seems like spending the $$$ to replace it is a steep price to pay. If you do want to spend the $, the Duramax Colorado will handle the load, can be had with a 6 ft bed that will easily hold a camper, and can be parked in a normal size parking spot.


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

+1 for F150 with the turbo ecoboost.


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## Heywood (Apr 12, 2019)

I haven't kept up but tacos have notoriously shitty leaf springs. I wouldn't put any camper in the bed without first upgrading the rear suspension. Otherwise you will be bottomed out, riding a wheelie and swaying a lot which will affect your performance. I have towed with a taco and it does okay but we got an older ford expedition (v8) and it is so much better and I think safer. If you can find an older model v8 that seems reliable enough for towing. Having a second (or third) rig dedicated to towing has been a good solution for us. Still have the smaller rigs for daily driving and highway driving and the towing rig sits in the drive until we need it.


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## rowingo (Mar 20, 2018)

consider a rental car company used truck. recently snagged a ram 1500 5.7L hemi from Enterprise car sales, because they were offloading their rental fleet due to COVID impacts on travel industry. MUCH better at pulling the loaded trailer, dogs and peeps in the back seat. gets quite a bit better gas mileage than my 2009 Tacoma. 20+ mpg on ram (pretty heavily loaded) vs 13 mpg on tacoma loaded up.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

rowingo said:


> consider a rental car company used truck. recently snagged a ram 1500 5.7L hemi from Enterprise car sales, because they were offloading their rental fleet due to COVID impacts on travel industry. MUCH better at pulling the loaded trailer, dogs and peeps in the back seat. gets quite a bit better gas mileage than my 2009 Tacoma. 20+ mpg on ram (pretty heavily loaded) vs 13 mpg on tacoma loaded up.


That's certainly an option, and Dodge is certainly a great choice, but I traveled for 7 years, flew all over the US, and I know what I did to rental cars, I wouldn't want one that I had driven


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## MTKirsch (Apr 29, 2008)

I have a 2006 V6 4Runner with 200,000 miles. It tows my 15 foot raft, with 3 other family members and 2 dogs, just fine over mountain passes in the West. As long as you don't care about being able to go 80 mph uphill at high altitude, your Tacoma will do perfectly well.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

MTKirsch said:


> I have a 2006 V6 4Runner with 200,000 miles. It tows my 15 foot raft, with 3 other family members and 2 dogs, just fine over mountain passes in the West. As long as you don't care about being able to go 80 mph uphill at high altitude, your Tacoma will do perfectly well.


How did you put a pickup camper on that? Is it on the front end of your trailer?


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## MTKirsch (Apr 29, 2008)

The 4Runner doesn't need a camper shell--it is already enclosed in the back.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

, Okay! The reason I asked was the OP wanted to carry a pickup camper along with everything else, adding another 15 to 1800 lb to the equation from what you're running


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## Rwoods (Jul 29, 2016)

A gasoline Tundra won't cut it. You need a diesel. I do the same thing here in Colorado. Floyd hill, engine braking, berthhound pass, etc.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Rwoods said:


> A gasoline Tundra won't cut it. You need a diesel. I do the same thing here in Colorado. Floyd hill, engine braking, berthhound pass, etc.


Everybody needs a diesel, I went diesel 20 years ago and have never looked back.


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## Mrfish78 (Apr 20, 2021)

Norivername said:


> Good morning!
> 
> Hoping to hear from your mistakes as I start making my own (well, too late with the kid thing, but I mean, this newest set of mistakes)!
> 
> ...


If you keep the Tacoma I would highly recommend looking into pop up campers for the back of that vehicle. More versatile and much lower center of gravity for going on un-level roads and better 4 wheeling capabilities. Still as lite as the Yoho camper. Even if you upgrade to a 1/2 ton full size pickup the pop up camper would still allow for more exploration in the mountains due to the lower profile and center of gravity. Good luck.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

Well, I won't deny that a diesel may be the answer but I have a All Terrain Campers, pop up camper on my 2017 Tundra and pull a raft trailer with out any problems. Plenty of power in my opinion. I did put rear air bags on it to reduce sag but in my case I think it's a good set up without the expense of a diesel.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

My buddy just bought a Colorado with the desiel and he's a tundra guy. He won't stop talking about it and has listed his tundra for sale. He runs those crazy expensive fold over camper trays things that mount over the topper and he won't stop talking about those either. But he's only two with two dogs no kids and pulls a custom built sotar. So I guess the solution is to be rich and then it doesn't matter if you get good mileage or not! I personally like 3/4 tons and won't drive a Ford just cause Henry was a dick.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Pinchecharlie said:


> My buddy just bought a Colorado with the desiel and he's a tundra guy. He won't stop talking about it and has listed his tundra for sale. He runs those crazy expensive fold over camper trays things that mount over the topper and he won't stop talking about those either. But he's only two with two dogs no kids and pulls a custom built sotar. So I guess the solution is to be rich and then it doesn't matter if you get good mileage or not! I personally like 3/4 tons and won't drive a Ford just cause Henry was a dick.


Although a very smart dick LOL.. He brought a lot to the USA in many ways, sadly all this changed back in the 80's.. 

I don't know about being rich, I bought my Diesel Colorado Z-71 here locally in Salida CO for $ 31K with 3000 miles on the clock. It's been a super vehicle for me, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. I'm actually craving a Z-72, but I love the 71 so much that I'm not really willing to part with it just for an off road suspension.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

That's a score! But when you have a young family or a just ok job (like me lol) 30k's more than 15k for a 2014 2500 with 110k miles lol! Your rich!!! Yay! My real rich friend just paid 79k dollars for a truck! Thats just wrong! My parents paid 22k for their house! Just having it all with a big family is hard (travel wise)


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Pinchecharlie said:


> That's a score! But when you have a young family or a just ok job (like me lol) 30k's more than 15k for a 2014 2500 with 110k miles lol! Your rich!!! Yay! My real rich friend just paid 79k dollars for a truck! Thats just wrong! My parents paid 22k for their house! Just having it all with a big family is hard (travel wise)


I completely agree, but when you factor the costs down the road into the equation, and given as you point out that trucks are going for north of 70K dollars... 

I did a breakdown of what my Ram 2500 with the Cummins costs to operate, mostly running around empty, and my wife's Ram 2500 which tows a horse trailer for 95% of it's miles, my truck costs just over a buck a mile to operate, my wife's truck hits 1.90 a mile towing a 3 horse slant load aluminum trailer. That's not including the cost of tires for the trailer, which at 200 bucks each add up fast..

My Colorado however, at 35 MPG running around empty, with 60K on the clock, costs .32 a mile.. My 2004 Ram has 300K on the clock and gets 21-23 MPG, my wife's 07 with 200K on the clock gets 21- 23 MPG empty, and 18 MPG with the trailer. Both are 6 speed manual transmissions.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

I know your right!! You gotta pay is the bottom line! I am not mature enough to get past the purchase price!! Iam old enough to remember cheap trucks and gas so it just seems crazy lol! but if you had no brand loyalty and were just going off what was best the deseil Colorado wins unless you gotta pull giant stuff. And now I know your rich!!!! You have horses lol!!! Man if I could! So tired of hiking lol!! But as far as kids and boats and camping and getting there...get two big cheap tents! I splurged and got a big hot tent and the kids love it. The wife loves the fire and the dogs can be muddy and you don't have to have a big spot for camper and when your done you put it in the boat and that parts done too. Or out it on the horse and have a great elk camp!!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

LOL, I would be rich if I didn't have horses... Or expensive hobbies like Boating, 

I'm retired and watch our spending like a hawk, Horses are my wife's life passion, and the sole thing she spends money on. Over our lives, we've slowly aquired our toys, and the rule is, if we want something new, we have to cover it with selling something old. We have no children, and are both the last in our lines, so nobody to leave anything to when we pass. Party now, and when I'm in my 80's, I'll pinch the pennies of whatever's left as I'll be too worn out to want to do anything LOL.

My mindest is to buy things of value, as opposed to junk, and keep it for the rest of my life. One reason I never owned a Yugo LOL. As @ElectricMayhem so very aptly points out, "Buy once, Cry once" but then you're done with it. Buying crap that doesn't last, and is strained doing the work you need it do to just doesn't make economic sense to me.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

What's a note on a vehicle these days? I haven't financed one in twenty years? Could a young guy pay a mortgage and and buy a new truck too? Long for the old days in that respect but don't really miss carburetors and vent wings lol!


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Hey now, don’t be dissing vent wings.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

I think it'd depend on your credit rating, but the last loan I took was 3.5%


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Here's my new day shuttle. Finally fixed her up after 35 years of abuse and neglect. Bought her when I was a kid and built a dozen smokey motors for her. Comes standard with "whistling vent wings " and "gas and exhaust fumes" !! Top speed of "oh shite she's shaking bad slow down!" Remember!?!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

That's beautiful ❤❤❤

Love that series!


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## jamesthomas (Sep 12, 2010)

Vera nice. Kinda low slung And very cool.


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## Pinchecharlie (Jul 27, 2017)

Thanks! I'll trade ya for a 2022 Colorado with a diesel lol!!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Pinchecharlie said:


> Thanks! I'll trade ya for a 2022 Colorado with a diesel lol!!


Lol, I bet you would.. I own the 2018 model, remember, I'm retired, not rich


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