Need help with Overland vehicle choice. (1 Viewer)

[Retired189]

First off, I'm new here and am very much looking forward to learning from the members here. Thanks in advance.

I'll be retiring in the next year and am planning to full time overland in central/western USA and Canada. I'll be travelling with my girlfriend and my dog. I'm looking at using a crew cab short box pickup pulling a 20-25 ft travel trailer weighing 4000-7000 lb empty (Note: I'm not into truck campers or motorhomes). I plan on boon docking as much as possible and setting up the travel trailer as a base camp and using the truck for day and occasional overnight trips farther into the back country. The truck will be set up with a canopy to sleep in as I'm not into roof top or ground tents anymore. I plan on keeping the truck as my last vehicle which will be at least 15 years.......hopefully . The truck will be my tow vehicle, daily driver and soul source of transportation so it must be as reliable as possible which brings me to my dilemma, which I hope the members of this forum can help me with. Note: I have basic mechanical skills and will have a basic set of tools with me, but I won't be able to do anything but minor repairs and maintenance when I'm hundreds/thousands of miles from home without a secondary source of transportation.

The three vehicles I've narrowed it down to are:

1. First gen V8 Tundra - $10-15k Canadian (I'm in Canada)- preferably a 2005-2006 as they have a 5 speed transmission and more hp than earlier years. PROS: 5000 lbs curb weight, Toyota reliability, mid size, being older it won't hurt as much when it gets trail scratches or damaged. CONS: Relatively low max tow rating (6500 lbs) when compared to other full sized trucks, They are all getting old 15+ years which means it "may" need more upkeep than a newer vehicle, hard to find one with less than 100,000 miles, I would want to modify it for overlanding (ie. alot of money into an old vehicle), 2 - 3 inch ICON lift and upper control arms, new aluminum front and rear high clearance bumpers, winch, front and back lockers, air bags, 33 inch tires. I'm guessing at least $15-20k Canadian $ into an already old truck?
2. 2014-2019 Ram Power Wagon - $40-60k - PRO's: already has most of what I would want for overlanding (great articulating suspension, front and back lockers and disconnecting sway bar, winch, tires) but will require air bags, has more power for pulling the trailer than the Tundra. CONS: 7200+ lb curb weight 1300-1500 lb payload (Tundra actually has higher payload at 1600 lbs), My biggest concern here is that I've never been impressed with Dodge/RAM's build quality but am open minded about it. However I don't want to be having to worry about trying to find a reliable repair shop or fight over warranty in a different country than where I bought the truck (I use to export trucks from Canada to the USA and Chrysler/Rams warranty on Canadian vehicles didn't transfer to the USA) but it may have improved in the last few years, So I would really appreciate any members feedback and their experiences with them.
3. 10+/- year old GM HD diesel pick up (I'm not a Ford guy) - $20k - 40k PROS: Diesel fuel economy, easy to get worked on most places, awesome tow vehicle, huge payload and towing capacity (when compared to the other 2 vehicles). CONS: Curb weight 7500 lbs +/-, Cost of Diesel maintenance and repairs, will need lots of upgrades - lockers, mild lift, winch, bumpers, tires, etc.

Note: I could start with a brand new truck but am afraid that my nervousness about scratching/damaging a brand new $60-70k truck will limit the places I'll feel comfortable in going.

Thanks in advance!!

Jesse