The fuel mileage will get old pretty quickly if you use it as a daily driver, and if parking space might become an issue, I'd pass. Tires and brakes, if they aren't right, are a place for a lot of money. Assume you'll cruise at 30 - 35 mph, and your top useable speed will be 40 - 45. You CAN fix the gearing for road speed and fuel economy, but it won't be cheap.
If you can get past those downsides, though, you can make an acceptable bed out of just used timber if you want, and then re-use the decking for a steel-framed bed when you get to it.
And, there's nothing like pointing out your truck from across a busy lot.
