Buying a pickup truck
By Fiona Wagner • Bankrate.com

4. How many people will you carry?
Is this a truck for you and your dog or will you be transporting the family or even a crew? While a standard cab has a bucket seats for three, an extended cab has jump seats or a bench seat in the back, while a crew cab has a full second row of seats with two full sets of doors.

5. Long or short?
The type of cargo and your towing needs will also determine the bed length, which ranges from five feet (short box) to six feet (standard box) to eight feet long (long box). If you're planning on parallel parking in the city, opt for a short or standard box.

6. Do you want manual or automatic?
Most trucks offer both manual and automatic transmissions. The choice is largely personal, though some engines require one or the other.

7. Gas or diesel?
Diesel engines are a little more fuel-efficient than gas models, they work harder and are tougher. Muscle comes at a price -- new diesel engines can cost $10,000 more than a gas engine and may be more in repairs and maintenance. But given the demands on your truck, you may not have a choice.

8. New or used?
While your budget may make this decision for you, there are benefits and disadvantages to both. With a new truck, you can order the specifications you want, you a get full factory warranty and maintenance is minimal the first year. That said, new pickups can set you back big bucks, insurance costs are high and electronic components can make repairs costlier.

Used pickups are plentiful and are significantly cheaper than new models. Older technology is sometimes easier to diagnose and cheaper to repair and parts are more accessible. But used vehicles are often sold without warranty, you can't be sure of a vehicle's previous drive history (though searching the VIN number on a service such as Carfax can provide you with the vehicle's history), and maintenance costs are generally higher.

If you opt for a used truck, it's a good idea to have your mechanic give it a once-over before you sign on the dotted line. "You get that professional eye saying, 'Here's something I see on this vehicle that can potentially save you money down the road,'" says Mike Adema of Jake's Auto Service Ltd. in Georgetown, Ont. "All vehicles have good and bad qualities. It's about trying to match the vehicle to what the consumer expectations are."

Finding a match
The bottom line is it helps to work with a sales professional who knows trucks -- if you're buying through a dealer, ask for the truck manager or a truck specialist.

If you're considering a private sale, you have to do your homework. While enthusiast sites such as FullsizeChevy.com will give you lots of information on maintenance, repairs and performance, you have to figure out whether you're reading fact or opinion. Be sure to vet your findings with a knowledgeable mechanic.

"Trucks have a lot of specifications," says Sid Skeffington, a sales manager with Dartmouth Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Nova Scotia. "There's a wide variety of reasons as to why people buy trucks. You have to suit them all a bit differently."

Fiona Wagner is a freelance writer (and new used truck owner) in Georgetown, Ont.