Since I made the last thread, my dad basically said that he's been considering putting a plow on his aging / rusting '95 F-150 for a while now. So, we're going to split the cost of the plow setup and share it between the two of us. Win/win.
Anyway, I'm still in the market for a truck. I only need something big enough to haul around a couple of bicycles (I have no interest in putting a rack on my Fusion), move the occasional piece of furniture, and work as an alternative vehicle to move people if needed. I set out looking for a cheap full-size truck with an extended cab, but quickly realized that they're either in bad shape or rather expensive. My budget is around $5000 tops, and the priority is to get something that isn't a rust bucket and will be reliable for the next 5-10 years.
I stumbled across someone selling a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac. I took my fiancee's father (retired mechanic) to look it over with me, and everything was in pretty decent shape.
The good:
- It can easily haul around 4-5 people
- 4.0L still runs strong and pulls pretty hard
- Transmission shifts like butter
- Frame is in great shape, body is in decent shape (no dents, paint is starting to bubble slightly on the roof, otherwise all looks good)
- Lots of options (sun roof, power everything, 6 CD changer, power rear window, etc.; pretty much everything except leather)
- Locking tonneau cover
- Interior is in great shape; no rips or scuffs
- Ball joints and alignment recently done, handled very well, felt solid even on the highway
- $4500-5000 (still negotiating)
The bad:
- LAUGHABLY small bed. 4'. Lol. Then again, this thing isn't really meant to be a truck. It's more like... an imitation truck. Still, we could fit a couple of bicycles or small to medium-sized furniture in it no problem. With the bed extender, it should be able to fit something like a sofa, but it's definitely not meant for much more than that.
- 130k miles (though obviously well maintained; mechanic that went with me was all for it)
- Some rust starting in the back, behind the rear left spring mounts. Everything is still solid, but it'll need some wire brushing and undercoating. Still, it was in 200% better shape than all of the full-sized trucks that I've looked at in this price range.
- Needs tires
- Very slight coolant leak coming from the front / top of the thermostat
- AC was cool, but not cold; hopefully a recharge once every 2 years or so will be enough
What do you guys think? For a light duty hauler (not planning on towing) and general people mover, is it worth it? We have the F-150 to borrow if we need to move anything big, but considering it'll be two towns over, I don't want to have to run out there and borrow it every time we need to pick up a chair / table / etc. or make a run to the dump.
Anyway, I'm still in the market for a truck. I only need something big enough to haul around a couple of bicycles (I have no interest in putting a rack on my Fusion), move the occasional piece of furniture, and work as an alternative vehicle to move people if needed. I set out looking for a cheap full-size truck with an extended cab, but quickly realized that they're either in bad shape or rather expensive. My budget is around $5000 tops, and the priority is to get something that isn't a rust bucket and will be reliable for the next 5-10 years.
I stumbled across someone selling a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac. I took my fiancee's father (retired mechanic) to look it over with me, and everything was in pretty decent shape.
The good:
- It can easily haul around 4-5 people
- 4.0L still runs strong and pulls pretty hard
- Transmission shifts like butter
- Frame is in great shape, body is in decent shape (no dents, paint is starting to bubble slightly on the roof, otherwise all looks good)
- Lots of options (sun roof, power everything, 6 CD changer, power rear window, etc.; pretty much everything except leather)
- Locking tonneau cover
- Interior is in great shape; no rips or scuffs
- Ball joints and alignment recently done, handled very well, felt solid even on the highway
- $4500-5000 (still negotiating)
The bad:
- LAUGHABLY small bed. 4'. Lol. Then again, this thing isn't really meant to be a truck. It's more like... an imitation truck. Still, we could fit a couple of bicycles or small to medium-sized furniture in it no problem. With the bed extender, it should be able to fit something like a sofa, but it's definitely not meant for much more than that.
- 130k miles (though obviously well maintained; mechanic that went with me was all for it)
- Some rust starting in the back, behind the rear left spring mounts. Everything is still solid, but it'll need some wire brushing and undercoating. Still, it was in 200% better shape than all of the full-sized trucks that I've looked at in this price range.
- Needs tires
- Very slight coolant leak coming from the front / top of the thermostat
- AC was cool, but not cold; hopefully a recharge once every 2 years or so will be enough
What do you guys think? For a light duty hauler (not planning on towing) and general people mover, is it worth it? We have the F-150 to borrow if we need to move anything big, but considering it'll be two towns over, I don't want to have to run out there and borrow it every time we need to pick up a chair / table / etc. or make a run to the dump.
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