What's the point of an old 3/4 ton truck?

[Dead Parrot]

If it has a long bed, you can fit 4x8 stuff and still close the tailgate. With the newer crew cab short beds, lots of stuff hangs out the back.

As far as capability, if you stay on top of maintenance, the old truck can do as good a job as the newer ones.

For 1/2 vs 3/4, your choice. Fair number of 1/2 are built with a 6200 max weight and will ride close to a 3/4.

Newer seats can improve ride a lot. The standard quality bench seats leave a lot to be desired on ride comfort.

A lot depends on price.