Looking to buy a used truck

[oiprocs]

I'm a student and I need a dependable vehicle to get me to work and school without any problems. I've bought cars for <$1000 and they all died on me within 6 months, so I don't want to go down that road again. I'd rather pay more in return for something that will last.

As of now, I've got 2.5 years left before I graduate, so it has to last until then. Also, I don't mind financing a car if it means I will get a better deal, and I'd actually prefer to do that instead of paying it all at once. I figure if I finance, when I graduate I can either pay that loan off or I will get another car should I see fit. Money is tight now so I really don't want to drop $5000 on a used car.

I would prefer to have a truck, but not one of those huge ones. Something more like a Tacoma, S-10, or Ranger, in terms of size.

Any advice is appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Epic22]

used tacoma. trust me, their the most reliable/indestructable used trucks around.

 

[overst33r]

You sure you want a truck with gas prices the way they are?

If you can afford it I'd vote for the Tacoma or an older Nissan Frontier

 

[Pliablemoose]

For that kind of money, you should be able to find a Ranger with the 4 cylinder & manual in pretty fair shape, and it'll last fairly well...

 

[jagec]

You can buy reliable vehicles for <$1000, but that's best reserved for people with good technical skills who can do all their own repair and maintenance. No matter what you get, I suggest getting someone who knows cars to look it over for you. Getting a mechanic's inspection wouldn't be a bad idea.

I agree with mariok2006, though...getting a truck with gas prices the way they are may not be such a great idea. It'll only get more expensive as time goes on. On the plus side, at least truck prices should be cheaper now...

 

[oiprocs]

I guess I want a truck mostly because it'd be nice to have a means of transporting stuff. In truth, I could definitely get by easily without one since I don't do anything that requires me to have a truck.

Gas is a concern though, I hadn't considered that. I guess I'll go check out the older Accords.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Oiprocs
I guess I want a truck mostly because it'd be nice to have a means of transporting stuff. In truth, I could definitely get by easily without one since I don't do anything that requires me to have a truck.

Gas is a concern though, I hadn't considered that. I guess I'll go check out the older Accords.

Idea: Getting an Accord with a tow hitch ($100 or so) will allow you to pull a small trailer if you really need to haul something. Obviously not a huge amount, but as much volume as would fit in a truck, if not weight.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'd look at 2wd 4 banger 5 speed rangers and nissans. Both are really reliable and unlike the toyotas they are cheap. My little nissan got around 25mpg so its not like you are going to be sucking down gas.

 

[f1r3s1d3]

Yup, 2wd 4cyl 5spd Ranger's will outlast a lot of things. 200k miles isn't uncommon.

 

[oiprocs]

What is a good year for the Ranger? Anything in between 1999-2004? I've seen some in the 5-7k range on autotrader.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Pretty much any 2WD 4 banger compact will be reliable. Especially with a stick. None of them were built to go fast or haul a ton of stuff. Just move themselves along

 

[dsity]

get a jetta tdi, granted you'll spend 8k-10k. but atleast you'll get 45+mpg per gallon....and awesome resell value because those diesel engines last forever..

 

[DougK62]

Get the Ranger. Cheap to buy and maintain and they get pretty good gas mileage with the manual transmission.

 

[oiprocs]

I've read a few reviews of the Ranger on some sites, one of them being carsurvey.org, and a lot of them mention having to replace many things within the first 50K miles. One person had to change the transmission AND the engine before 45K. That has me a little worried that I'll put in more money after I pay for it, and has me considering the reliability of a foreign car as a major player in my choice.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Then you weren't looking at 4 banger 5 speed reviews. Can't remember hearing too many problems with the 2 6 bangers though either. Might have been the really old 2.9l v6. Those things weren't all that great.

 

[chucky2]

Really all engines in Rangers are reliable. The 3.0L V-6 OHC "Vulcan" in the Ranger not only get decent gas mileage, they're basically bulletproof as long as general maintenance was performed.

A 3.0L Ranger with a stick should have good enough power to not feel anemic, get decent gas mileage, and be very reliable.

4WD anything in a truck means instant loss of gas mileage. Not sure where you live, but, if you can do without 4WD and can keep your foot out of them, the compact 2WD trucks with the smaller engines and manuals get pretty good gas mileage for the available utility.

Still though, if you don't need a truck, I'd say get a car. My '03 Ranger FX4 Level II is great truck offroad, but, I hardly take it there any longer. If I had to do it all over again, I would have spent the money on a decent car and a beater truck for the offroading...would have been much better comfort-wise and gasmileage-wise...

Chuck

 

[uli2000]

I have a '99 S10 2.2L 4 cyl. Got just over 70k on it. Only repairs Ive ever done was replacing the brakes and the heater went out. Ive never calculated my MPG, but I fill up once every 4-6 weeks. I drive about 6-15 miles/day, just to and from work mostly. I would think you could find one for 1500-2k (4 cyl 2wd regular cab) with less that 100k miles on it. It should last you untill graduation.

 

[oiprocs]

Okay so I decided that I am not going to purchase a truck. Instead, I'll need to find me a nice, depdendable Honda, Nissan or Toyota to drive around. What I'd like some advice on is whether I should go with a cash purchase or finance the car.

Option A: Finance car purchase $5000-8000, 9.05% interest for 36 months, monthly payment $160-$255
Option B: Finance car purchase $5000-8000, 9.25% interest for 60 months, monthly payment $105-$168
Option C: Cash car purchase <$2500

Current Cash Amount (money is for living expenses as well, which run about $1000 per month): $7000
Monthly Income: $800

The first two would enable me to get a better car, but I would be paying for monthly for it for a minimum of 3 years. The last one allows me to avoid those monthly payments, but that means I'll have to be on top of my game when I purchase the car, i.e. being cautious with my choice, finding a good mechanic to trust telling me the problems, etc. I haven't had much luck with used car purchases so I'm hesitant to go with Option C but I know that it is probably in my best interest financially to go in that direction.

I'm looking to drive ~30 miles 3-4 times a week. Sometimes I'll be able to take a bus so I won't need to drive on the other days.

 

[chucky2]

Go find yourself a Taurus with the 3.0L V-6 (not hte DOHC one) in it, you should be able to get one of those for pretty cheap, with cheap insurance.

Parts to fix it yourself are easily available, and if you can find one with a maintenance history, you'll know the engine will never give you trouble. If you go buy foreign, then you're going to end up paying for foreign, which - unless you have a problem with the Domestic - isn't really worth it.

A 3.0L Taurus/Sable with ideally maintenance history (and if we're talking ideal here, one which shows the trans fluid was changed at least one) ought to be a good cheap reliable buy.

Whichever way you go, Good Luck!

Chuck

 

[herm0016]

anything GM, Buick, Olds like a park avenue, 88, le sabre. with a 3.8L motor will last as long as any foreign car. mine and every one i have drivin gets 30 miles to the gallon on the highway, and in the 20s all the time. I got my 99 olds 88 for 5 grand a few years ago. it has a lot of space and power.

 

[desy]

Late 90's Escort, American depreciation on a Mazda Protege frame and great gas mileage