If he wants a small truck the Tacoma is the way to go. Only problem is you get get a real fullsize for about the same price.
Don't let sticker prices fool you, most fully loaded(american) trucks have $7-10K of markup over invoice so there's plenty of room to deal. Foreign cars have alot less markup. Sticker may look lower, but final driveout price isn't that different on equally eqiuped trucks.
I use to sell cars. As mentioned above, ford sells more because of easy finance, and they sell a shitload of fleet. A 650 credit score and $1500/month income and you can get qualified for just about any Ford under $30k through Ford Motor Credit.
But Chevy to the way to go if you want a fullsize truck

..... only problem is the 03 and up have an ugly ass frontend
I have an 02 chevy 1500 and a 01 dodge 2500 cummins with over 170K miles on it, both never let me down.