I am a girl who loves pickup trucks. I drove a Volvo, Toyota Tercel, and VW Rabbit in my younger days, but now it’s all trucks all the time. My first Toyota truck, Black Beauty, is enjoying retirement in Arizona with a friend who just put classic car plates on the old girl. He hopes that will keep people from following him home to see if he wants to sell her. (She’s that great.)

My current truck, Goldie, is still a few years from those plates but that’s her future. About the time that I got Goldie, I had a herniated disk that did a number on me. One of the side effects was a loss of feeling in my left foot, something that made driving a stick shift a little nerve-wracking. So I switched to an automatic: a gold Toyota Tacoma V6 with the extended cab. The power steering, windows, and locks all felt luxurious when I first got her. Do I wish she had 4WD? Why yes, yes I do. When you live in Arizona, V6 is more helpful than 4WD (hello, drive to Flagstaff). In all my other home states, 4WD would have been more helpful.  If you have a choice, go for both 4WD ANDV6! Third option!