TFLtruck recently got the following question from Nate F. Actually, there are many great questions built-in within this letter. It boils down to this: what is the best pickup truck for brand new college student for under $15,000?

First, I would like to say that a used pickup truck is a great first vehicle for college! Kent “Mr. Truck” Sundling also thinks so. We have a whole chapter about this in our Truck Nuts Book. A pickup truck can do so many things. It help you or your friends move from the house to the dorm, and out of the dorm.

Can you make money with a truck? This is all up to you. I used to make money doing landscape work, lawn mowing, and delivery during the weekends and over the summer. A pickup truck is a great vehicle to get all these jobs done.

Here is the letter. Nate, thanks for sending it in!

I am a high school senior – going into college next year. I am in the process of looking for a car for college, and my price range is about $10,000-$15,000.

1. I have read a number of articles saying how people can make side cash with their pickup truck. Are these realistic? Could I do them while in college? If possible, would they be worth it considering the gas milage and possible maintenance of the truck?

2. Assuming it’s plausible to make enough money off a truck for it to make sense, what trucks would fit in the price range? I think I’d want a 4×4 (for occasional off-road excursions) but maybe that’s unrealistic? I would prefer a full-size truck, but those usually have higher mileage and are slightly older. What can you suggest about the truck specifically? Reliability is pretty important. I have started to learn about cars and mechanical stuff, but I am no expert. I could probably only do basic things (as of now).

Basically, I would really like a full-size truck, but I would have to convince my parents and my wallet that it could be a good/realistic idea.

The reason why I included our 1985 Chevy K10 project truck is because it’s relatively affordable and easy to maintain (barring any big failures). If you get a regular cab, instead of a crew cab, you can save some money up front. A long bed, like our K10, offers more utility to carry stuff. It is also a 4×4, so you can also have some off-road fun with it.

What do you guy suggest Nate do? Please leave your comment below.

Here is our “Big Green” K10 that we purchased for $5,000.