YACT: Best compact 4x4 Pickup truck w/ extended cab???

[vi edit]

Looking for a 2000 or newer 4x4 compact pickup w/ an extended cab. Price range is anywhere from $12,000 to $20,000.

Essentials I need are: 4x4, Auto tranny, and extended cab. Everything else is as price prohibits, although 3rd door would be VERY handy.

Trucks I'm looking at are:
- GMC Sonoma
- Chevy S-10
- Ford Range
- Toyota Tacoma
- Nissan Frontier
- Mazda "B", except hard to find around here

I'm purposely avoiding the Dodge Dakota unless somebody can persuade me otherwise

So far, only one I've found that has third door is the GMC sonoma. I don't want to go crew cab because the truck will be too long to fit in my garage, and they really jack up the price. Do any of the others even offer third doors?

Biggest thing I want is ability to take a beating. It's going to get ragged pretty hard around town, and over gravel roads. Lots of stop and go, and lots of shifting into and out of gear. I'm not super concered about rattles and squeeks because those are going to be inevitable on gravel roads. What I do need is a solid engine and transmission. A reliable 4x4 would be a big plus as well....hence my avoidance of any dodge product

I'm *assuming* the toyota will the best resale, but I think it also is the most expensive to begin with. I've found a very nice '00 GMC sonoma here in town. 19,100 miles. Power everything. 4x4, 3rd door, and ZR2 offroad package. Has very comfortable bucket seats as well. I can probably walk away with it for 16,200, if not lower.

Does anybody have any experience with these vehicles, and things that I should look out for?

Thanks!

 

[d33pt]

i'd have to go with the tacoma.. crewcabs aren't necessarily longer than their ext cab counterparts...they just cut some out from the bed..so it's like a 4-5' bed instead of 6, but you can get that flipover bed extender to get the full sized bed again. if you are buying new, the tacomas are priced pretty competitively if you don't go too crazy on the options... the powertrain doesn't get any more solid than toyota 4x4.. another thing.. if all you're going to be doing is going thru gravel roads, you won't need 4x4.. that's a big cost right there.. initially and in gas mileage.. i've seen 2x4 trucks go places where i didn't think they could.. 4x4 is just to get you out of a stuck situation..

 

[vi edit]

We get our fair share of snow where I live in Iowa, and I WILL NOT be caught in the snow with a RWD vehicle with an incredibly light ass end. I've already been down that road. 2WD light pickups are about the most worthless things on the road in the winter right next to a Camaro or a Mustang w/ a V8, at at least they may have the benefit of a traction controll system of sorts. The ability for me to get out and about in the snow is imperative as driving is a requirement for my job.

 

[bunker]

My 2000 Ranger 4x4 had four doors. Two small half doors in back. I loved that truck, now I have an F-150.

*Edit - should you decide on a Ranger, don't get the 3.0 litre v6, get the 4.0 litre. The three just didn't have enough power for me.

 

[bunker]

<< We get our fair share of snow where I live in Iowa, and I WILL NOT be caught in the snow with a RWD vehicle with an incredibly light ass end. I've already been down that road. 2WD light pickups are about the most worthless things on the road in the winter right next to a Camaro or a Mustang w/ a V8, at at least they may have the benefit of a traction controll system of sorts. The ability for me to get out and about in the snow is imperative as driving is a requirement for my job. >>


I had a 2wd Ranger when I was going to school in Michigan's upper peninsula. They would just put sand on the roads because they couldn't plow the stuff fast enough. I put some really aggressive snow tires on the rears and about 300 lbs of weight in the back and never got stuck. As a matter of fact, I would routinely pull my roommates cars out of our driveway with it.

 

[vi edit]

Cool! Didn't know the ranger had extra doors. I'm heading down to check out a couple rangers this afternoon, as well as a frontier and a Tacoma.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Here's a couple of Ranger links:

http://www.auto.com/reviews/pi_012298_ranger.htm
http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/generations/articles/49541/article.html

Everyone I know who has owned a Ranger has nothing bad to say about them except possibly lack of power. (But then again most compact trucks aren't all that powerful except for the Dakota RT/10) (Even GM fanboy Valhalla would recommend the Ranger)

The 01+ come with 4 doors (like the F150 extended cab) and come with slightly more comfortable seats (in the rear) than any other compact truck I've sat in.

If you don't get the Ranger I'd probably suggest a Tacoma over anything else - my friend has one and it's a pretty good truck imho. And just out of personal preference - I'd avoid the S10 - I had to drive one for drivers ed and it was less than stellar.

 

[StrangeRanger]

If you can live w/out the third door here's another vote for the Toyota. My little '98 Taco has got almost 75K VERY hard miles on it and I've never had a problem with it. All I've ever done is regular maintenance and replace 2 blown tires. Just this past weekend it spent all day sat and sun pulling trees out of the woods and pulling stumps from an area we were clear cutting for a road. My only complaint with this truck is that I've gone out to go to work on really cold mornings, NOT wanting to go to work and the damn thing would start. I was hoping it wouldn't start and that would be my excuse not tot work I live in northern Vermont and daily drive some nasty dirt roads and the truck has VERY few squeaks of any kind. Great trucks. I highly recomend one. What do you want the 3rd door for anyway?
j

 

[bunker]

<< What do you want the 3rd door for anyway? >>


Once you've had one you wonder how you ever got along without it.

 

[RossMAN]

My friend's father got a good deal on a loaded Ford Ranger, he uses it for work and it's been great so far.

Also take a good look at the Nissan.

 

[vi edit]

Well, I went and looked around today. I'm probably going to be getting the Sonoma I listed earlier in the thread.

The Rangers are priced right, but the extended cab was too small, and the seats were uncomfortable. The bed is also a lot smaller than the others.

The Tacomas were way too high priced, and the ones in my price range didn't offer 3rd doors.

The nissans just didn't do much for me, and there really aren't many out there.

I couldn't find a used Dakota to even look at. That, and they are pretty much too long to fit in my garage anyway.

With the Sonoma I'm looking at, I can do a three year lease, with no money down, and pay $260 a month for 36 months @ 15k miles. Not too shabby. That's a lot of truck for the $$.