EDITOR'S NOTE
hers in New Jersey, the next year mine in Oregon. Whether we are visiting the East Coast or the Left, the trips are always enjoy- able with plenty of conversations about a wide array of topics, as is typical, I expect, of most family gatherings. Being an automotive magazine editor, it's no surprise one of the topics that
THE BEST PICKUP E
always arises between family, sports, religious and political discussions is vehicle related. More specifi cally, my brother-in-law or nephews always want to know my opinion on the "best" pickup to buy for the money. The Oregon side of the clan is decidedly Ford biased when it comes to
pickups. Those in Jersey lean more toward GM and Dodge. (I do remind them it's more politically correct to say the Ram Brand, instead of Dodge.) Me? I'm not brand loyal. Dad was a Chevy man, so I cut my driving teeth be- hind the wheel of a 1-ton Chevy pickup. Since that time I've owned two Toyota 4x4 pickups; two full-size four-wheel-drive Ford Broncos; a two-wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500; a Chevy Trail Blazer; and now a GMC Sierra 1500 4x4. All of my previous trucks were very good vehicles, with no mechanical issues.
I drove most of them between 4 and 6 years and put on more than 70,000 miles before moving to the next one. What I learned from those experiences is a full-size pickup has always fi t my
lifestyle better than an SUV or compact pickup, and, as an outdoorsman, 4x4s are much preferred over 2WD even if it means sacrifi cing a little fuel economy. With that varied vehicle ownership and nearly 30 years working as an auto-
motive journalist driving every new truck that comes out, my relatives respect my opinions when it comes to new vehicles and old. So, here's what I tell them when asked about the best new pickup for the
money: The one that gets you where you want to go without breaking down. It's not a cop-out reply. If the looks and the functionality of a certain brand/model pickup makes you
feel good behind the wheel, if it fi ts nicely with your work and personal needs, and over the time you own it there're no mechanical problems, rest assured you bought the best pickup you could for that year. With today's pickup technology and designs so well executed, so competi-
tive, it's hard to say one brand's model is better than another because it still boils down to personal tastes and needs. As I raised a glass of 20-year-old scotch to toast the coming of the New Year this past December in Jersey, I left my brother-in-law with this thought: "Grasshopper. Shop like you do for your work and hunting boots; let function and form dictate what you buy, not price."
Cheers, and may 2012 be an outstanding year!
very December for the past couple decades my wife and I have spent the last holiday of the year with our families. One year it's with
EDITORIAL V.P. Editorial: Linda Longton, llongton@randallreilly.com Editorial Director: Marcia Gruver Doyle, mgruver@randallreilly.com Editor: Bruce W. Smith: bsmith@randallreilly.com Executive Editor: Tom Jackson: tjackson@randallreilly.com Contributing Editor: Larry Walton, larry@smith-walton.com Managing Editor: Amy Materson, amaterson@randallreilly.com
SALES and MARKETING Associate Publisher: Stephen Abernathy, sabernathy@randallreilly.com Publisher, Equipment World: Gregg Terry, gterry@randallreilly.com Executive Publisher, Construction Division: Joe Donald, jdonald@randallreilly.com Executive Publisher, Construction Division: Mike Porcaro, mike.porcaro@randallreilly.com Associate Publisher, Equipment World: Geoff rey Love, gdlove@randallreilly.com Publisher, Total Landscape Care: Jeff Cull, jcull@randallreilly.com Regional Sales Manager, West Coast: Laurie Marcellus, laurie.marcellus@randallreilly.com Regional Sales Manager: Ryan Rhoden, ryan.rhoden@randallreilly.com Rhianna Richey, rrichey@randallreilly.com
DESIGN Art Director: Richard Street, rstreet@randallreilly.com
PRODUCTION Senior Production Director: Mary Springer, mspringer@randallreilly.com Production Manager: Sheana Sexton, ssexton@randallreilly.com
PROJECTS Project Manager: Leah Robertson, lrobertson@randallreilly.com
Chairman, President/CEO: Mike Reilly Vice President/Editorial and Research: Linda Longton Chief Operating Offi cer: David Wright Assistant Controller: Susan Chambers CFO/Treasurer: Shane Elmore Executive Vice President: Brent Reilly Senior Vice President/Group Publisher: Dan Tidwell Vice President, Interactive Media: Jim Davis
In Memoriam H. Pettus Randall II (1911-1976) Founder H. Pettus Randall III (1945-2002) Chairman
Bruce W. Smith, Editor bsmith@propickupmag.com
4 PROPICKUP February 2012
ProPickup is a registered trademark of Randall- Reilly Publishing Co. LLC., 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without writ- ten permission is prohibited. Copyright © 2012 Randall-Reilly Publishing Co. LLC.
