Buying 1st truck - advice on bed length

[PetePA]

All I have to say is...

 

[BlueHemi1500]

If the truck you are looking at buying has the 6.4 bed do the following tests/exercises:

• Go and make U-turns at various intersections - see if you are comfortable to make these turns
• Go to a mall parking lot and try parking/car lot at the dealership works as well
• If you have a garage measure its depth and height vs. the truck being purchased
• Load the entire family and go for a ride, and make sure everyone is comfortable
• Loading height is a big deal if you are going to carry items in the bed
• Parking garages try using and parking in a few
• Think of other potential/common driving maneuvers/activities that the truck will need to perform

I have a Laramie with the 5.7 but I needed a truck quickly my wife's van died so there was not much to time or to decide or look. The 5.7 bed meets my needs 95% of the time and the rest of the time I have hauled with the tailgate down and spent lots of time to secure the load well.

Good luck with the decision and welcome you will find lots of information here to study and learn from.

BlueHemi1500

 

[Willwork4truck]

Maybe only a few care but its hard to find an ultra light truck camper to fit the shortbed, not that 1500’s can carry a camper anyway.

Years ago there used to be smaller no nose 6’ campers but they've gone the way of the dodo bird.

Sure you can get a nice fiberglass canopy in either length.

I bought the short bed cause thats all they had. I agree that the 9” really doesnt make parking harder, it does help with carrying lumber or other items like bikes. It does “balance” the look of the truck well, if you are into looks.

Overall, 1500 trucks seem to be more overpriced station wagons now.
Oh, I guess most readers here never rode in a SW…

 

[mikeru82]

It does “balance” the look of the truck well, if you are into looks.

Looks are subjective. I think the short bed makes the truck look more balanced.

Overall, 1500 trucks seem to be more overpriced station wagons now.
Oh, I guess most readers here never rode in a SW…
View attachment 187556

I ride in a station wagon just about every day ...

 

[Willwork4truck]

Looks are subjective. I think the short bed makes the truck look more balanced.


I ride in a station wagon just about every day ...

Yep, there are a precious few left.
My first was a 56’ Buick Century wagon. 322 V8, factory air, PS, PB, PW, PS, Dynaflow transmission, got 15-20 mpgs. We have not improved that much in nearly 70 years.
The front bumper weighed about half what my Prius did…

 

[GM26J]

I like the combo of the Quad cab and the longer bed. Looks right, east to load longer lumber, and parking isn't an issue. The only question is back seat room enough for the size of kids. Might try taking them along to jump in the rear seats of a Quad cab. It's honestly a decent amount of room.

 

[mikeru82]

I like the combo of the Quad cab and the longer bed. Looks right, east to load longer lumber, and parking isn't an issue. The only question is back seat room enough for the size of kids. Might try taking them along to jump in the rear seats of a Quad cab. It's honestly a decent amount of room.

You will also want to consider that kids grow LOL. They might fit fine now, but, depending on their age, they might out grow the space in just a couple of years. This exact scenario happened to a friend of mine.

 

[HSKR R/T]

I like the combo of the Quad cab and the longer bed. Looks right, east to load longer lumber, and parking isn't an issue. The only question is back seat room enough for the size of kids. Might try taking them along to jump in the rear seats of a Quad cab. It's honestly a decent amount of room.

I've sat in the back of a quad cab, definitely not what I'd consider a "decent amount" of room

 

[CalvinC]

I Think that whether a quad cab offers enough space is dependent on what it’s for…

For a quick trip to the store? School drop off? Etc. probably.

If it’s your road trip machine, no one will be happy back there. Kids in car seats won’t fit (I tried) and while legroom is better than expected, the seat back is so upright older folks will tire of it quickly.

As a kid I spent lots of hours and miles crammed into the back of an extended cab pickup with siblings. There’s better options today.

 

[Idahoktm]

Looks are subjective. I think the short bed makes the truck look more balanced.

Yep, the 6'4" bed just looks too long.

 

[PurpleRT]

I’d go 6’4” Crew cab. Unless parking in your garage is going to be an issue. Skip the quad altogether.

Function > Form.. the side profile still looks good on both although the portion of the 5’7” look slightly better.

Had the 6’4” bed had the rambox option on a 1500 I would have went that route myself and enjoyed the extra space in the bed with my everyday use. Between the Retrax canister taking up space, jobbox, cooler and tote I carry when on the road i have no additional space.

 

[Davidbt]

Yep, the 6'4" bed just looks too long.

View attachment 187563

The 6'4" bed certainly looks best to me.

 

[Idahoktm]

The 6'4" bed certainly looks best to me.

Please make an appointment with your eye doctor. Something is wrong with your vision.

 

[RVTRKN]

Looks are subjective. I think the short bed makes the truck look more balanced.


I ride in a station wagon just about every day ...

looks are secondary, function is what I want.

I like the combo of the Quad cab and the longer bed. Looks right, east to load longer lumber, and parking isn't an issue. The only question is back seat room enough for the size of kids. Might try taking them along to jump in the rear seats of a Quad cab. It's honestly a decent amount of room.

Quad Cabs are not going to have a good trade in value, I made that mistake when I bought a 2016 Quad cab Tacoma with the long bed. I later found out that you could get a crew cab with the long bed in a tacoma, but you had to look hard to find them, but it was after my purchase anyway.

 

[skyhawk42]

I like the longer bed. I had a Chevy with a 6 foot bed, then a cord with a 5 1/2 foot and missed the longer bed big time. When I found this one on the dealer lot with the longer bed I knew it was the better choice for me.

 

[Rock Crawler]

I think we lost the OP.



Agree the longer bed looks good. Long and low land yacht.

 

[strinos]

I think we lost the OP.



Agree the longer bed looks good. Long and low land yacht.


View attachment 187593

I’m here! Was buried in work the last few days. I’m checking out the truck this weekend and am leaning toward buying it if it’s in good shape. Like someone said - better to have and not need than to need and not have.

We have a family SUV and I have a commuter car for tooling around town and commuting into the city (from NJ suburbs) the 1-2 days I work from the office. And I’ve planned to park outside in the driveway, so space at home isn’t a problem either.

Worst case, if the bigger truck is not for me, I’ll search for one I like with the 5’7 and put this one on the market.

Thank you all for the feedback. Great insights. Really appreciate it!

 

[dajogejr]

I think we lost the OP.



Agree the longer bed looks good. Long and low land yacht.

That’s a good looking truck RC. But with the roads around here…you’d be searching for your oil pan…

 

[WXman]

Apologies if this topic has been beaten to death. I’m new to the forum and the truck community at large.

I’ve never owned a truck and am set on buying a CPO 1500 laramie crew cab. I found one that seems perfect, but I am torn because it has the 6’4” bed, which I understand is rare with the crew cab.

I am weighing the trade offs between the utility of a larger bed and the potential unwieldy size when it comes to everyday driving. I live in the suburbs and don’t need a truck for work or hauling, but rather for recreational activities like hunting, road trips with three kids and all our crap, and the occassional trip to Lowe’s/HD.

I know the differences on paper, but would love to hear thoughts on the real differences in driving experience between a 5’7 and 6’4. Is it significant? Just a matter of getting used to?

And again, apologies if this topic has been drained. Thanks in advance.

I've had several midsize 1/2 tons with the 5' beds, several fullsize 1/2 tons with the 5.5' beds (5'7" in the case of Ram), and currently I'm driving a fullsize 3/4 ton with a 6'9" bed. Our main useage is camping and boating trips with the family, though sometimes I do pull heavier equipment and use the truck to get household jobs done.

Let me say this... when on a family camping trip the longer bed is SO nice. It's amazing how much more you can fit in the truck. An additional foot can mean the difference between the cooler fitting or not fitting. It can mean the difference between getting the tailgate closed so the bed cover can be closed or not. It has been SO nice having just a little extra room in the bed.

If you need to park the truck in a residential garage, go with the "short" bed. But if you will be parking the truck outside go with the "long bed" option because you will LOVE the additional utility and ability to take things along with you in a secure fashion.

 

[RVTRKN]

It only takes one time to wish you bought the long bed. An example of this is my exodus, from the Left coast. I had a 2300 sq/ft home packed into a moving van, a 12' cargo trailer and my 8' bed. I had the 12' trailer packed to the roof with house hold goods with my Harley encased in plywood. My 3500 with the 8' bed had my refrigerants, nitrogen, recovery tanks, torch sets and other pressurized vessels in the 8' bed packed in tight, thank god for the 8' bed. With a 3500 SRW crew cab and 8' bed parking can be challenging, but I always found parking. I always park in the rear of parking lots were no one parks, and pick last of the parking slots that give you a better exit strategy. A 1500 with a 6.4' bed is a dream for me after owning 2500's and 3500's with 8' beds.