I am retired and my new daily is a 1998 QuadCab 2500 4x2 with the 8' box and 5.9 Magnum Auto. I don't drive it much, but when I do it can pull my trailer with no issues, the brakes are top notch, it came to me with new E series tires, a stereo that is way overkill for me, the heater works, the A/C works (for now) and it only had 120K on the chassis. My insurance agent took pictures of it to be sure it had no body damage so the insurance is reasonable, my credit union financed it 100% and the payments are only $153.25 a month so it easily fits my budget. It only gets about 11 mpg avg city/highway, but I don't care because again "I don't drive it much" and it is there when I need it.

If I was working, I would buy a new Dodge 1500 4 door 2x4 with the V-6 and 8 speed auto short bed. I have a friend that has one with 4x4 and nothing slows him down, the V-6 makes 305 HP, the truck is short enough to park anywhere, his truck will pull my trailer and he gets well over 20 mpg in city/highway driving.

Buy what you want to fill your needs and parking place.