We need a pickup.

I’m coming to the realization that the roads on which I desperately yearn to ride the Serow are not, for the most part, within 20 miles of my house. I’m also coming to the realization that, while the Serow will do freeway speeds, neither it nor I particularly want to. This isn’t to say that the Serow isn’t capable of it or that it’s uncomfortable — it’s more that, if I want to do longer days that include lots of freeways, I have another bike for that. I want to take the Serow on dusty, bumpy one-lane roads with tree roots growing up out of the pavement and potholes the size of my head.

So. This begs the question of how to get the Serow to said roads. And this is where I decide that Peter and I need a nice used pickup. I’d really like to drive down to Death Valley, say, park the pickup, and then play on all the 4×4 trails in the park on the Serow. This sounds like a little slice of heaven.

I’ve never owned a truck — advice? What do you guys use for hauling your stuff?

Our requirements:
– must be able to fit two small dual sports in the back (worst case, we could put one in the back and tow another, but I hate towing things)
– must have enough cab room for two people and a couple of bags of gear and clothes
– must be able to double as Home Depot shopping cart when not being used for motorcycles
– must be used — probably something mid-80s to mid-90s — and must not explode in a fiery maelstorm of maintenance issues immediately after purchase