Reliable truck for around $5k?

[rommelrommel]

It's not where I live, it's where I go. I spend a fair amount of the winter in Lake Tahoe area, driving in places where 2 -3 ft of snow in a day is not unheard of.

Interesting, even in northern BC there's no 4x4 requirement. Totally advisable, but not required.

 

[BudAshes]

Interesting, even in northern BC there's no 4x4 requirement. Totally advisable, but not required.

You can use chains for 2wd obviously. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Using chains sucks though and they will give you huge tickets if you don't have them on and the chain control signs are up.

 

[CraigRT]

If you like the idea of the Ranger and want to stick to something a tad smaller you really dont have many options but one is the Dakota.
The Dakota can be had with either a 5.2L or 4.7L V8 depending on years, and is 4WD.
They are great trucks,and they are one of the few that fit a sort of "mid sized" niche.

 

[joutlaw]

99 and up GM with the 5.3 will be in your price range.

 

[thedarkwolf]

bah just go find a early 90s dodge cummins with a manual trans.

 

[mvbighead]

99 and up GM with the 5.3 will be in your price range.

This, definitely.

And I'd make good and sure you get the 5.3 and not the 4.8. I have the 4.8 and wish it was a bit more powerful. It's fine and all, but doesn't have the oomph I've seen in other trucks.

 

[BurnItDwn]

This is ford's ugly pdf on ranger towing capacity.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/11FLMRVTT_RangerNov18.pdf

Looks like current models with an automatic transmission and the 4L v6 are all rated to tow between 5000 and 6000 pounds.


If you're in Philly like your profile says, isn't it decently flat there? If so, it should be plenty IMO.

 

[phucheneh]

99 and up GM with the 5.3 will be in your price range.

This, definitely.

...definitely this.

For 5k, I would guess you'd be looking at a 2000-2002 or so with about 100k. Or a few years newer with higher mileage (150-200k). I'd go for the former.

 

[datalink7]

This is ford's ugly pdf on ranger towing capacity.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/11FLMRVTT_RangerNov18.pdf

Looks like current models with an automatic transmission and the 4L v6 are all rated to tow between 5000 and 6000 pounds.


If you're in Philly like your profile says, isn't it decently flat there? If so, it should be plenty IMO.

It is decently flat in most places, but where I live there is a 12% downgrade right next to my house. However, if I was towing a car I would take the long way round to avoid that.

Also, I would only need to tow when I move, which is about every 2 years (I'm in the military).

I've been looking at cars.com. Anywhere else I should look? On cars.com, a decent amount of Fords pop up close by but not a lot of GM's or Chevys.

 

[desy]

craigslist

 

[wirednuts]

if you live in nebraska i could see getting by with 2wd. its just a powdery plate.

but try going to wisconsin dead of winter and driving in that. just after a storm, you cant even get going forward if youre stopped at a light on an incline, which is half the intersections in the state. thats why you see so many freakin subarus around here. 30mpg and 4wd, how can you beat that.

 

[wirednuts]

This is ford's ugly pdf on ranger towing capacity.

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/11FLMRVTT_RangerNov18.pdf

Looks like current models with an automatic transmission and the 4L v6 are all rated to tow between 5000 and 6000 pounds.


If you're in Philly like your profile says, isn't it decently flat there? If so, it should be plenty IMO.

im a 99 4.0L XLT owner, and i would have no problem towing a small car on a trailer. i rip midsize sedans out of snowbanks as it is theyre still full frame vehicles with torquey motors. they might not be fast vehicles, but they do have balls and they have to be the toughest little trucks out there... 226k and still running like new.

 

[Greenman]

First thing. Determine the weight of the car and trailer/dolly you'll be towing, that's your target.
Second thing. When your shopping for your truck check the GVWR on the sticker on the drivers door. That's the combined total weight of the truck, trailer, cargo, and passengers that it can haul. It doesn't matter what anyone say's it will pull, the GVWR is the legal limit. Also check with your insurance company. My insurance specifically states that I'm not covered if my truck is over loaded, it's my understanding that most do this.

 

[slag]

Once you're moving, 4WD does absolutely nothing for you. Unless he plans on actually towing in snow/ice, there's really no point. 4WD will help him to get going from a stop- that's it.

I like watching people in 4WD trucks slide backwards down hills while I pass them in...well, anything. Ah, southern drivers...

Though I won't argue that sandbags or some such in the back of a RWD truck during winter weather is a pretty good idea. I just hate the whole '4WD = invincible' perception that some people have.

And yeah, I'd rather have cancer than a 5.4L Ford truck.

I just sold my 97 ford truck with the 5.4 liter engine. It was super reliable and ran great. 4wd as well and offroad package. 165k miles. I sold it for $3500.

No one has the 4wd is invincible perception. It's people like you who think all 4wd drivers think they are invincible and can drive anywhere, but its been a long long time since I've seen that. What I do see is people in small cars who have no business being on the road getting stuck in drifts or not being able to go up hills, or whatever. Then people in the 4wd suv's and trucks come along and help them out. Your flawed perceptions do nothing but portray incorrect assumptions.

 

[phucheneh]

I just sold my 97 ford truck with the 5.4 liter engine. It was super reliable and ran great. 4wd as well and offroad package. 165k miles. I sold it for $3500.

No one has the 4wd is invincible perception. It's people like you who think all 4wd drivers think they are invincible and can drive anywhere, but its been a long long time since I've seen that. What I do see is people in small cars who have no business being on the road getting stuck in drifts or not being able to go up hills, or whatever. Then people in the 4wd suv's and trucks come along and help them out. Your flawed perceptions do nothing but portray incorrect assumptions.

Pissing match much? I like how saying "some people with 4x4's drive like morons in snow" gets a response of "all people driving cars in snow are morons."

Ironically, you probably are the type I was talking about...

edit: not to be too much of a dick, because your post did give me my first good laugh of the day. 'I don't think you think what you think we think!'

'flawed perceptions portray incorrect assumptions' is a pretty good one, too. Maybe you meant 'your flawed/incorrect assumptions are based on false perceptions.' Or something that otherwise at least makes grammatical sense.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I just sold my 97 ford truck with the 5.4 liter engine. It was super reliable and ran great. 4wd as well and offroad package. 165k miles. I sold it for $3500.

No one has the 4wd is invincible perception. It's people like you who think all 4wd drivers think they are invincible and can drive anywhere, but its been a long long time since I've seen that. What I do see is people in small cars who have no business being on the road getting stuck in drifts or not being able to go up hills, or whatever. Then people in the 4wd suv's and trucks come along and help them out. Your flawed perceptions do nothing but portray incorrect assumptions.

Ehh, unless you get a LOT of snow, pretty much any car is fine as long as the grades aren't too steep .... I'm in the Chicago area, and I've been driving for 16 years. The first 14 years were mostly in FWD cars. I got stuck one time, and that was due to my mistaking the location of the driveway at a gas station thinking what was actually grass and dirt was an exit. (there was about 5 or 6 inches of snow on the ground at the time and it hadn't been plowed yet, I was in Green Bay, Wisconsin driving home from Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin to Illinois. I had been visiting family)

It's true that it's hard to get moving when you've got deeper snow than road clearance, but that's true with 4WD as well as with 2WD.

That said, my my little Forester handles the snow a hell of a lot nicer than my old 300M did... It's easier to get stuck with a snowmobile than with a Subaru

 

[wirednuts]

It's true that it's hard to get moving when you've got deeper snow than road clearance, but that's true with 4WD as well as with 2WD.

That said, my my little Forester handles the snow a hell of a lot nicer than my old 300M did... It's easier to get stuck with a snowmobile than with a Subaru

they plow in illinois and they also do preventative measures to prevent ice buildup.

in wisconsin, madison they pretty much do nothing. its crazy slippery during the winter. but i think youre wrong about 4wd cars having trouble like 2wd if the snow is deep.... 4wd is a LOT better at it, because you arent dragging two dead feet through the snow.

anyone that says 2wd is fine either has active traction control or hasnt seen what 4wd does first hand (first foot i should say). and also, 4wd does brake better because youre engine braking all points of contact. it matters quite a bit, even with the small amount of engine braking that automatic trannys do.

 

[desy]

I have had 2 4X4's and live in Canada
No they do not brake better period, a lighter vehcile stops sooner with the same tires/ brake setup. Also why a 4X4 feels like crap in 2wd mode is all the xtra weight over the front with another axel and transfer case and has all that xtra to push. I've driven in plenty of feilds in 2wd drive trucks and they are fine if you add some weight in the back 'hunting'

 

[phucheneh]

Aha! A Canadian!

Arctic tundra expert agrees. I win.

Really, though...as usual, I make one comment that seems innocent to me; basically, that I would avoid 4WD if all he's doing is on-road towing. Someone says 'what about snow' (OP just said 'bad weather;' by now I can't even remember his own needs regarding winter driving)...I said that 4WD helps you take off and does little else (and to not get stuck in that '4WD makes my car/truck a snowmobile' mentality)...argument ensues.

Sigh. I concede I may 'start' stuff, but it's never really intended. The problem seems to come from such aggressive pursual of the practical antithesis of everything I say...

Anyway- 4WD: not useless in snow. Just doesn't make you godlike. For the most part, it is all about acceleration, which is going to be a vastly varying problem depending on the geography and weather of your location.

Two things I definitely didn't think about initially that have been stated: While it doesn't help grip in corners (you're still at the mercy of your tires), it certainly should aid in keeping the truck from swapping ends. Also, I actually think the thing about engine braking is an excellent point. Again, you can be technical and say that braking is limited by tire traction- but I would definitely consider a manual 4WD truck to be advantageous in avoiding sliding during braking (or rather, in keeping from using the service brakes in general). Automatics...debatable.

 

[railer]

Sigh. I concede I may 'start' stuff, but it's never really intended. The problem seems to come from such aggressive pursual of the practical antithesis of everything I say...

Well, I know this isn't the love and relationships sub-forum, but you do tend to forefully blurt out things that are just completely wrong from time to time. Most people probably just roll their eyes and scroll on down, but not everyone has that level of self control.

You said you'd rather have cancer then own a 5.4.

1) People who actually have cancer would probably find that offensive.
2) Everyone who knows anything about trucks motors would acknolwedge that the 5.4 is one of the best truck motors of its era. Yeah, the plugs were hard to change. But beyond that it was a very, very solid, torquey, and reliable motor. It surely didn't win any hp wars, but for a truck motor it was pretty good. I just assumed that you knew nothing when I read that, and scrolled on down.

And back on topic for the OP. I think if you're towing your car every TWO YEARS and you live in Philly? (not sure about that).....you probably don't really need a 4wd truck. Just move your car on a nice day when your two years is up, and throw some sand or coal bags in the bed in the winter, along with some good snow tires and you'll be fine.

 

[datalink7]

And back on topic for the OP. I think if you're towing your car every TWO YEARS and you live in Philly? (not sure about that).....you probably don't really need a 4wd truck. Just move your car on a nice day when your two years is up, and throw some sand or coal bags in the bed in the winter, along with some good snow tires and you'll be fine.

Yeah I live in Philly. My next duty station will be at West Point (I'll be teaching there for 2 years before going back to the regular army... I'm on special assignment now). So that's a bit farther north so probably worse weather. Unknown where I'd go after that.

Again, thanks for the advise everyone. Didn't realize I'd start such an argument though

 

[jupiter57]

99 and up GM with the 5.3 will be in your price range.

This.
I picked this up last year with the intention of flipping it, but I liked it enough to keep it:

http://s39.beta.photobucket.com/user/jupiter57/media/GMCFront.jpg.html?sort=3&o=23


It is a '99 GMC Sierra but with the 4.8L V8 vs the 5.3.

I got it for $2800, put another $1K in upgrading tires, springs, shocks (& new electric seats).
For heavy loads & pulling, you have a Tow/Haul switch on the shifter that puts you into a lower gear range. You can turn it off & on while in motion.

I put larger All-Terrain tires on it & changed the rear springs to 3/4 Ton springs with Air Shocks.
I have no problems at all pulling a 16' Gooseneck Cattle trailer fully loaded, and when empty, it gets ~20 MPG!
Throw a little weight in the bed above the rear wheels in winter & go anywhere!

 

[BurnItDwn]

they plow in illinois and they also do preventative measures to prevent ice buildup.

in wisconsin, madison they pretty much do nothing. its crazy slippery during the winter. but i think youre wrong about 4wd cars having trouble like 2wd if the snow is deep.... 4wd is a LOT better at it, because you arent dragging two dead feet through the snow.

anyone that says 2wd is fine either has active traction control or hasnt seen what 4wd does first hand (first foot i should say). and also, 4wd does brake better because youre engine braking all points of contact. it matters quite a bit, even with the small amount of engine braking that automatic trannys do.

My 300m did have traction control (the crappy kind where it applies the brakes when it detected wheelspin), that car was also heavy (around 4000 pounds), so maybe it had decent traction for FWD car. My 2 cars before that did not have traction control however.

Where I live now (and have for about 5 years) is about 20 miles from the Wisconsin border. We still get salt put on our roads in the winter, and they are generally plowed pretty quickly. Really, for my regular day to day stuff, AWD/4wd is only truly beneficial on those days when we get LOTS of snow. Like a couple of years ago when we got like 30 inches in a day.

Anyhow, AWD/4WD certainly does better at "not getting stuck", and, I imagine should be much better at towing in the snow, which is part of the reason why in 2010, I bought a Subaru. Though, I need to get a new trailer, and fix up my sleds to get them trail ready before I really do much towing in the snow.

That being said, I have family in Door County Wisconsin (grandma and uncle both in Sturgeon Bay area.) I've driven up in that area in winter for the last 15 years on icy roads (they get plowed, and then some sand gets dumped on em), never had an issue up there.