Does a landlord need a pickup truck?

[Josh Lyons]

My wife and I are planning to get a second vehicle. We've been able to get by with one to save more money. We're planning to buy our first rental property asap and plan to manage it ourselves, at least to start.  I've been thinking that getting a pickup could help our landlord duties since we might have to move couches, washing machines, etc sometimes.  What is your experience if you manage your own properties?  Would you say a truck is a "need" as a landlord?  Thanks.

[John Warren]

@Josh Lyons I used to be the land lord with the F150, and one of my goals for 2018 was to sell the truck and buy a small Toyota. I accomplished that goal early on in 2018, and have been very happy. The truck was enabling me to do work on properties when that was not the highest and best use of my time. I now am forced to find ways to have my contractors use their trucks to take care of the same issues I thought were "my job". 

I think this is a good counter point to the traditional way of looking at land lording. I recently had an appliance die in my Lyons property. If I had my pickup, I would have been there getting a used appliance. Instead, I had to find a really cheap and reliable used appliance guy! Problem solved. The same goes for doing unit renovations. In 2017, I spent tons of time picking up tile, kitchen cabinets, bath tubs, etc from Home Depot for my contractors. As I start projects this year, I will have to find creative ways to not waste my personal time doing these things!