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Basic Q's about a truck

M

magomago

Lifer
Decided I want to buy a truck for the usefulness.

Most likely used...but regretfully I know little as I come from the world of roadsters. I'm probably going to drive it for just a couple of years, because after that I will go to grad school and will most likely sell off this car to help fund that.

That said, I have two big questions:


- What are the reliable brands? Or are they all good? From what I understand with the little googling I did, American brands are actually the best

- Which ones have cheap parts that are easy to maintain? I want it to be as hassle free as possible. I probably won't work on it myself too much, but knowing that I could buy cheap parts and have someone do it is very convenient.



I did some early googling and it seems the prices of trucks are decent; the market for them bottoms out quickly. For about 10K (Which is what I was aiming for...any less/cheaper is great though) I was looking at trucks from ~2002-2006 which is pretty good IMO.

I'm going to aim for a car with atleast 20mpg city. Obviously that limits me to smaller trucks, but that is okay. If I could get another layer of seats, even if kid only seats (ie: throw my crap there LOL) then I'd be fine with that

Thanks =)
 
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ext. cab ranger seems like a good choice for you. parts are cheap, easy to work on and reliable.
 
At 10k I'm a fan of the Tundra's. Should be able to get an 04 or so with a V8 and under 100k on it. Those engines are pretty low maintenance.
 
If you only need a small truck for the occasional cargo hauling and light towing, a GM/Chevy Canyon or Colorado or Ford Ranger will do you fine and give you decent mileage.

I've had my Dodge Dakota for 13 years. It has the 3.9 V6 and I get 22 highway. It has been a great truck.

You really can't go wrong with any of the small trucks. Just take your time and you'll find a deal on one that is in decent shape.
 
piggybacking off the OP, what kind of suspension is normally on these small lightweight trucks? leaf springs mainly?
 
Honda Ridgeline. Its the only true "truck" that is mentioned here, and its a honda so the vtec will really shine at high rpms. They also make sweet LED underbody kits for it and with the right stickers, it isn't a bad tow vehicle.
 
slag said:
Honda Ridgeline. Its the only true "truck" that is mentioned here, and its a honda so the vtec will really shine at high rpms. They also make sweet LED underbody kits for it and with the right stickers, it isn't a bad tow vehicle.
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tap tap... is my meter working?
 
Do your homework before buying a compact with anything larger than a 4 cylinder, many get worse MPG than full size trucks. The Ranger 2wd 4 cyl with a 5 speed will probably be the best bet for mpg. However comfort, handling and safety will be an order of magnitude worse than a base model F150.
 
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kornphlake said:
Do your homework before buying a compact with anything larger than a 4 cylinder, many get worse MPG than full size trucks. The Ranger 2wd 4 cyl with a 5 speed will probably be the best bet for mpg, comfort, handling and safety will be an order of magnitude worse than a base model F150.
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This. The smaller trucks aren't always the more efficient ones (and if they are it's pretty marginal) and can be a lot more problematic.
 
If you go Ranger (or the functionally identical Mazda b-series), get either the 2.3L i4 or 4.0L V6. The 3.0 V6 has all the fuel-sucking habits of a larger engine with none of the power. They are unaffectionally referred to as 3pointslow.
 
I've been getting opinions and doing some research and it seems i'm honing in on a Nissan Frontier.

Most likely the I-4.

Probably manual as well, as searches online seem to show that the automatic tranny doesn't do the best job switching around gears.

I was tearing myself apart in extended vs double, but I think I'll go extended.

One of the reasons is that many people say the ride is just as nice as a Toyota but without the higher price.
I was looking into a canyon/colorado, but I spoke to a friend who works in a company where you need a truck (sales of big equipment), and all his co workers say to say away from that truck.
Tacoma seemed interesting, but the spongy break will drive me crazy (as it already does) and the higher price tag is meh.
Ford Ranger isn't getting the greatest reviews; every site keeps talking about how its outclassed by competitors for the price (edmunds had a simple summary on it).

Any opinions on a late gen1 Frontier (2003 2004) vs a early gen2 (2005 2006)?
 
are you sure spending 10k on a truck will be cheaper than just renting one when you need it? since you said you were wanting to save up for school...may be wise to examine that option.
 
vshah said:
are you sure spending 10k on a truck will be cheaper than just renting one when you need it? since you said you were wanting to save up for school...may be wise to examine that option.
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I don't have a car right now 😀

edit:

don't ask why, long story
 
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magomago said:
Ford Ranger isn't getting the greatest reviews; every site keeps talking about how its outclassed by competitors for the price (edmunds had a simple summary on it).
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The Ranger platform is what 18 years old, of course it's outclassed by its competitors, but look at pricing, you can get a used Ranger for thousands less than anything else. The reliability of such a mature platform will be better than the competitors that boast more modern features. It's up to you though, a Frontier or Tundra will be superior in safety, convenience and good looks, a Ranger wins in reliability and low cost of ownership.
 
Get a Ranger - I've had two over the years. Never had any major issues with either one. Last one I had was a '98 - sold it last year with 130K on it, because my wife wanted an SUV 🙁. Only issue I had with it was a weak fuel pump after 100k miles.
 
Another vote for the Ranger. The model may be long in the tooth, but that means that parts are even easier to come by. It will suit your needs nicely.
 
One more vote for the Ranger, but I recommend driving an F150 before you make up your mind.
 
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