Looking at used pickups

[m1ldslide1]

I've been checking out craigslist and the used car ads lately to see what kind of pickup I'll be able to get in the $5k - $8k range. I'm not looking for anything fancy - I live in the city and want something that will let me make dump runs, work on my yard, and survive the occasional commute downtown. So IMO a small 2-wheel drive with a 4 or 6 cylinder engine is probably appropriate for what I need. I would be willing to spend a little more on a 4x4, but up here in the NW I won't make use of it more than a few times a year.

So my ideal rig would be a Tacoma. They have a fantastic reputation for reliability, and if I'm buying something used then it seems like a safer bet than anything domestic. The catch of course is that everybody and their brother knows this, and in my price range I'm looking at 120,000 to 150,000 miles. When I switch over to looking at Rangers, for the same price I'm looking at 50,000 miles.

I'm wondering what the expert opinions are on this? Is it better to buy a Tacoma with a ton of miles, or a Ranger (or equivalent) with 1/3 the miles? I have friends who would rather have a Tacoma with 200k than even a brand new Ranger, but they've always had Toyotas for wheelin' and are very biased.

So yeah - opinions, recommendations, useful tidbits - I appreciate it!!

 

[PingSpike]

This is just based on my regional observations and some research:

I'm sure tacoma's are good trucks and seem to get the best gas mileage for a small 4x4...but they cost to god damn much if you're just looking for a cheap ride. You might be able to get an ok price on a high mileage 2WD but up here 4WD even in terrible condition are always like $5K plus. After tacoma came out with that extended frame rot warrenty, I started seeing people ASKING for the blue book + 50% buyback price that the dealership will give you. And since most old trucks have been traded in the few left for sale now have an even more inflated price. The t100s though, there aren't many for sale but they usually have an OK price when they show up.

My opinion is they are no longer worth considering at their prices. Rangers are stupidly common up here and you can probably get one for cheap if you're patient, even with 4x4. Their gas mileage for 4wd seems meh...they make me want to just get a chevy k1500 instead. The 4 cylinders (2wd) seem to get good mileage.

Nissans fetch a little more and aren't as common but they always don't cost 8K when they're ancient. The old ones tend to be rust buckets though. And the V6s get awful gas mileage. A guy at work says his runs great but he gets like 18 on the hwy.

S10s seem to have surprisingly high prices around here despite the fact they seem kind of craptastic reliability wise from my research. And my brother in laws s10 4WD frankly seemed like kind of a dog when I drove it. His was a 94 though and he beats the shit out of anything he drives so who knows?

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I see a lot of Rangers of all vintages in my neighbourhood. A neighbour down the street where I grew up still drives a 1988 Mazda B2300 (basically identical to a Ranger).

The 4-cylinder Ranger/B Series are still the most fuel-efficient pickups, but I've only been a passenger in one, so I can't comment as to the performance or driveability. Still, they seem like a good bet.

 

[Vette73]

Yea a Mazda B/ Ford Ranger is a good small truck and can be had cheap.

The Chevy Colorado / GMC Canyon would also be good if you want a little newwer style and better ride.

I have a mazda B4000.

 

[Turin39789]

Ranger.

You can get a duratec Ranger just a few years old for that price.

If you plan on going 4x4, the 4x4 ranger isn't shabby either, but if you just want a commuter with the convenience of a bed I don't think anything beats the ranger for the dollar.

Unless you absolutely have to have a truck that drives like a car.

 

[Ktulu]

Don't the Tacoma's have bad frames or something that cause them to rot?

 

[angry hampster]

Ranger with the 4.0 Cologne engine is a fantastic small truck.


Also, the Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon with the 5 cylinder is very good. Sound nice as well.

 

[PClark99]

Take a look at Nissan Frontier. I had 140k on mine no problem.

4cyl 5 speed manual, I could get 30mpg on highway, 25 in city.

Shoot for something 2000-2003 ish.

 

[Greenman]

Get the ranger. Every bit as good as a toyota.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Yeah both the ranger and nissan are really good trucks and don't have the "OMG its a toyota so its worth its weight in gold" problem. When I was looking for a little truck years ago all the toyotas were rusty shit heaps with 200k+ miles on them but being a toyota $$$$. Some of the rangers and nissans were too but not ALL of them. Ended up buying a 93 nissan 2.4l 5 speed 2wd truck. I only kept it a little over a year but it was a nice little truck and I did get around 26mpg out of it.

 

[Farang]

Originally posted by: thedarkwolf
Yeah both the ranger and nissan are really good trucks and don't have the "OMG its a toyota so its worth its weight in gold" problem. When I was looking for a little truck years ago all the toyotas were rusty shit heaps with 200k+ miles on them but being a toyota $$$$. Some of the rangers and nissans were too but not ALL of them. Ended up buying a 93 nissan 2.4l 5 speed 2wd truck. I only kept it a little over a year but it was a nice little truck and I did get around 26mpg out of it.

What if you're buying at a lower mileage than the OP, is the "weight in gold" problem not offset by the fact that you get the benefit of that when you sell it?

 

[m1ldslide1]

Some good replies here - I'm feeling much better about the possibility of getting a Ranger. I'll definitely check out the Frontier, Canyon, and Colorado as well. It seems like when you're deal shopping the perfect one doesn't come along very often, and I want to be as open-minded as possible so that I can spot it.

Are any of these especially difficult / expensive to work on? I expect to have to do a little maintenance over time, and if any of those have a reputation for needing an experienced mechanic then I want to take that into consideration as well.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

 

[desy]

4X4 ups the ante in maintenance/ repairs
I had a 90 Ranger that kept losing AC after 2/3 yrs, mech said its cause there were like 11 O rings in they system and a beatch to get to them all, so he changed like 7 of them that he could get to, to stem the tide.
I don't know if the more modern Rangers fixed that but its essentially the same truck for the last 20yrs.
Other than that, I had no complaints, sold it still running strong with 175K miles on it.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
Some good replies here - I'm feeling much better about the possibility of getting a Ranger. I'll definitely check out the Frontier, Canyon, and Colorado as well. It seems like when you're deal shopping the perfect one doesn't come along very often, and I want to be as open-minded as possible so that I can spot it.

Are any of these especially difficult / expensive to work on? I expect to have to do a little maintenance over time, and if any of those have a reputation for needing an experienced mechanic then I want to take that into consideration as well.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

Yep don;t look for just one name but several and find a GOOD one. One that has been taken care of and one that you can see ytourself being happy owning.

I got a Mazda B4000 truck. I wanted as full size Chevy / GMC but could never find one. I saw this truck for less then 2k and had the good motor, king cab, etc... so got it and fixed it up.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: m1ldslide1
Some good replies here - I'm feeling much better about the possibility of getting a Ranger. I'll definitely check out the Frontier, Canyon, and Colorado as well. It seems like when you're deal shopping the perfect one doesn't come along very often, and I want to be as open-minded as possible so that I can spot it.

Are any of these especially difficult / expensive to work on? I expect to have to do a little maintenance over time, and if any of those have a reputation for needing an experienced mechanic then I want to take that into consideration as well.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

The duratec 4 cyl is a real nice engine, I believe it started in 01, so any 4 cy after that would be nice.

The biggest complaints I read about the rangers is that ford hasn't updated the design in a long time. They were thinking about killing it off for awhile, but I think its sticking around after the gas hikes. The engine etc is new and well regarded, but the interior etc aren't as shiny and polished as the yota etc, but its a truck and I think it looks just fine and the platform has been around long term with an updated powerplant.