Choosing the Best Used Truck for Your Needs: Raleigh Edition

What is the best way to get more for your money when shopping for used cars for sale near Raleigh? You’re already off to an excellent start with CBS Quality Cars. Still, there’s something else to consider: the value of investing in a used truck that makes every moment in the driver’s seat more engaging and every task more manageable. What do we mean?

Americans are passionate about their trucks, with demand for quality used trucks mile-high from coast to coast. Our extensive selection of used trucks reflects that demand, with best-selling models from every major truck brand. Models like the Ram 1500, F-150, Silverado, and Sierra share the spotlight with their heavy-duty counterparts and modern alternatives like the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz. But how do you choose the best truck for your unique needs? We’re here to help!

#1 Traditional or Nontraditional: Body-on-Frame vs Unibody Platforms

One of the first considerations when shopping for a used truck is whether you’re looking for something traditional or nontraditional. Until a few years ago, nontraditional options were nonexistent in the truck segment because models like the Honda Ridgeline and Hyundai Santa Cruz didn’t exist. Today, however, it’s a different story as automakers like Honda and Hyundai offer alternatives that give us the best of both worlds. How so?

We consider traditional trucks to be those built with body-on-frame platforms, meaning the truck’s body is mounted separately on a robust and rigid chassis that carries the truck’s powertrain, such as with the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Chevy Silverado, and GMC Sierra. Given their stronger frame, these models offer true truck-like handling and capability, often with higher towing capacities and more competency off the pavement. Alternatively, brands like Honda and Hyundai offer alternatives with unibody-based trucks like the Ridgeline and Santa Cruz, meaning that the truck’s body, floor plan, and chassis are constructed as a single unit, resulting in these models handling closer to modern SUVs.

Unibody-based trucks are typically more fuel-efficient and feel remarkably easier to handle due to their lighter frames. However, this comes at the cost of their ability to handle off-road terrain and their capacity to tow heavier loads, not to mention a higher cost and complexity to repair in the event of damage. Considering this, it’s critical to ask yourself if you want a truck in the traditional sense or could benefit from a unibody-based truck that’s more efficient yet capable enough to haul modest-sized loads in the bed and pull a small trailer.

#2 Full-Size or Heavy-Duty: How Will You Use Your Truck?

While the Ridgeline and Santa Cruz are modern marvels, many truck fans keep with tradition and opt for a body-on-frame platform because they need this level of performance and capability. This leads to other questions like, “How will you use your truck?” and “How much do you plan to tow with your truck or haul in the bed?”

Midsize trucks like the Jeep Gladiator, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, and Ford Ranger are small but mighty. Their smaller footprints make them agile and easy to maneuver. Yet, they’re also impressive workhorses with towing capacities anywhere from 3,500 to north of 7,700 lbs, depending on the configuration and powertrain. This makes them ideal for drivers who want an agile and efficient truck that can adeptly tow a small trailer, like a pop-up camper or fishing boat.

Climbing the truck lineup to full-size options like the F-150, Ram 1500, Silverado, and Sierra means higher towing capacities and larger payloads. Most full-size trucks offer a maximum trailering capacity between 8,000 and 13,000 lbs, with gas powertrains yielding higher payloads than their diesel counterparts. The same is true in the heavy-duty segment, from the Ford Super Duty and Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 to the Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD, offering single and dual-rear-wheel options that push their towing maximums north of 36,000 lbs and guarantee smooth fifth wheel towing.

#3 Technologies and Features: Innovative and Functional

Once you figure out the type of truck you need, the real fun begins as you start narrowing your search. As fellow truck lovers, we value automakers that offer innovative and functional features that improve every experience in the driver’s seat. Still, some do a better job of this than others, so we’re here to figure out the best of the best.

Think of how much you rely on your truck, from navigating your weekday commute to hauling a heavy load in the bed or towing a trailer. As you shop for a used truck, consider how automakers improve your every day with trailering technologies, connectivity tools, driver-assist features, and functional elements. For example, Chevrolet trucks like the Silverado and their GMC siblings like the Sierra are renowned for their Multi-Flex Tailgate, which can play the role of a tailgate, a work surface, a full-width step to access your bed, a load stop for longer items, and much, much more. Chevrolet and GMC continue to heighten this functionality with features like integrated steps in the rear bumper.

Likewise, Ram is well-known for its RamBox Cargo Management System. The system adds functionality to the Ram truck lineup by optimizing the space above the wheel wells for storage, transforming them into exterior cargo bins. Weatherproof and lockable, these bins can function as toolboxes, charging stations with auxiliary power outlets, or even coolers for storing drinks with integrated drains for easy cleanup.

Beyond functional, think about how automakers like Ram, Ford, and Chevrolet integrate modern technologies to make your life easier behind the wheel. Depending on the year model, you’ll find Ram and Ford trucks have technologies that eliminate the stress and hassle of navigating a trailer in reverse by making it as simple as turning a knob. Chevrolet trucks like the Silverado have an in-vehicle trailering app that lets you run pre-departure checklists, monitor trailer diagnostics, and more without leaving the cabin.

#4 Price and Value: Brand Reputation

Buying a used truck doesn’t have to be a compromise between getting what you can afford and driving home in a truck you want. Instead, consider the truck’s price relative to its tangible value and the brand’s reputation. That tangible value is apparent in the luxury found in models like the Ram 1500 and GMC Sierra. It’s also readily seen in the trailering technologies and functional features prominent in the Ford, Ram, Chevrolet, and GMC fleets.

The idea is to consider what you’re getting for your money and what the return on your investment will look like when it’s time to trade. Ram, Chevrolet, GMC, Toyota, and Ford have outstanding reputations because their trucks are well-equipped with innovative technologies, functional features, and modern design details. Yet, some brands do a better job than others. How so?

Toyota and Jeep have stellar reputations that lead to high demand for their models on the used lot, which also means slower depreciation rates and high resale values. Because of this, models like the Tacoma, Tundra, and Gladiator hold their values incredibly well and are widely appealing regardless of their age and mileage. People are willing to pay a little more for these trucks because of the brands’ reputation, especially those looking to venture off the pavement and enjoy Raleigh’s beautiful terrain.

More for Your Money

Raleigh is one of the country’s most charming and vibrant areas, with a pristine landscape that makes for a beautiful backdrop everywhere you travel. Getting the most from that landscape starts by finding a truck that fits your needs, from functional to financial, and offers the most for your investment. You deserve a truck that does double duty as a weekday road warrior and weekend adventurer.

As you shop our selection of high-quality used trucks, consider these four factors: the type of the truck, its size, its functional features and technologies, and the brand’s reputation. With a little bit of know-how and an understanding of what each brand offers, our method will help you determine the ideal truck for your needs. Whether you need a traditional body-on-frame truck like the F-150, a unibody model like the Ridgeline, or a heavy-duty road warrior like the Silverado HD, you can find your favorite truck at CBS Quality Cars.