Another "What Truck" thread, Cheap edition

GIRTHQUAKE said:

In reply to STM317 :

And what do you know, I just found one. How did yours do in winter STM? I've literally lived in this area all my life and I feel like winter tires and skill trump everything else (I've also worked EMS and all our vehicles are 2WD, though they'll easily be twice the weight) but what are your thoughts?

Here's the link, but they have no pics yet.
 

My Duratec truck was my daily for (I think) 3 Indiana winters and I never had an issue. Before that, I drove a lowered 2wd Ranger for a handful of winters as well, so I was familiar with the platform and application in snow/ice. I didn't even bother with snow tires. If I didn't need a backseat, I'd probably still be driving the Duratec truck as a daily.

I may have missed what the intended use was with relation to how large it needs to be.

If you're considering an S10 then I would highly recommend a look at a Ranger.  The supercab 4x2 trucks can be had pretty reasonably and have an amazing amount of legroom for front-seat passengers.  The 2.3 is gutless but super reliable and works well paired with a stick.  The 4.0 is also a decent engine with a little more go.  The 3.0 is a useless lump and should be avoided for both problems and horrible performance.

Also, S10s appeal to the "car guy" in me.  Very cheap to lower and look great with many wheel swaps.  They seem to last but seats are flimsy and the 2.2 is weak but offers good fuel economy.

Finally, if I were looking for a full size truck I would be searching for a I-6 F150 from the late 80s into mid 90s.  That 300 is arguably the most reliable engine ever put into a truck and the platform it's in is generally robust.  They haven't gotten crazy popular yet so deals are still around.  

Loweguy5 said:

I may have missed what the intended use was with relation to how large it needs to be.

If you're considering an S10 then I would highly recommend a look at a Ranger.  The supercab 4x2 trucks can be had pretty reasonably and have an amazing amount of legroom for front-seat passengers.  The 2.3 is gutless but super reliable and works well paired with a stick.  The 4.0 is also a decent engine with a little more go.  The 3.0 is a useless lump and should be avoided for both problems and horrible performance.

Also, S10s appeal to the "car guy" in me.  Very cheap to lower and look great with many wheel swaps.  They seem to last but seats are flimsy and the 2.2 is weak but offers good fuel economy.

Finally, if I were looking for a full size truck I would be searching for a I-6 F150 from the late 80s into mid 90s.  That 300 is arguably the most reliable engine ever put into a truck and the platform it's in is generally robust.  They haven't gotten crazy popular yet so deals are still around.  

Very general stuff, basic towing of future car projects.

S10s seem to be rarer than the Rangers in the midwest, most likely going up to the GTM400s or more from prior posts. I've found one S10 V6 manual from a private seller I might be interested in depending on what they message back with. The Mazda truck from before has rust and has been used as a parts hauler for a dealership for several days because they feel like it's too rough for normal sale.

As for full size, I've found one of those nearby in Iowa Right Here that might be worth a look, and might go for cheaper than asking since it's been up a spell. Sounds like the rear tank is bad tho; not sure what that entitles.

I'd go OBS Ford (definition in a post above), 4 X 2, long bed F150, 250, 350?.  Look for a 300 I6. Not sexy but a dead reliable truck.  It's the Toyota Hilux of the Western Hemisphere.  You still can't cross a street in Chile or Argentina without dodging one - so they make an excellent overlander.  I'm convinced that you can go from Prudhoe Bay to Tierra Del Fuego (you'll need a ferry at the Darian Gap) with nothing but good ground clearance.  LOL.  You didn't say you were looking for an overlander but I got carried away.

A 401 CJ said:

I'd go OBS Ford (definition in a post above), 4 X 2, long bed F150, 250, 350?.  Look for a 300 I6. Not sexy but a dead reliable truck.  It's the Toyota Hilux of the Western Hemisphere.  You still can't cross a street in Chile or Argentina without dodging one - so they make an excellent overlander.  I'm convinced that you can go from Prudhoe Bay to Tierra Del Fuego (you'll need a ferry at the Darian Gap) with nothing but good ground clearance.  LOL.  You didn't say you were looking for an overlander but I got carried away.

berkeley bro, at this point I'm just trying to figure out what I want.

Don't mean to turn this into a rant but... I started off budgeting for $4,000 max, because that's what I had in cash at the time and my driving distance isn't much, since I can ride a bike to school and plan to do so. Spend ~4 hours searching and get burnt out by it like anyone else; now insurance gets back to me that they'll give $15,000 for my totaled vehicle... which means suddenly, what options I have have expanded to a MASSIVE scale. I'm literally in full-scale information paralysis mode and every member of my immediate family can't stop telling me what they think while also not helping me think about what I want. It's the most unhelpful help I've had in some time, and I swear to berkeleying god I have heard a combination of "You need reliability/winter car/not good in winter" so many times I'm gonna hang up my phone if I hear it again. They act like I haven't lived here all my life.

ANYWAY, there's one of those for sale, as well as that Mazda truck which is "rough", but may not be "GRM Rough". I think it'll check out both... when I have the available time Wednesday. College schedules, man.

Use some of that new found money to travel south for something that starts with less rust.  Congrats on the windfall.  

John Welsh said:

Use some of that new found money to travel south for something that starts with less rust.  Congrats on the windfall.  

I would, but I am full time college and full time work 

I'm on that CEO grindset

While you're overloaded with options I'll donate another one:  Dakota.

It splits the difference between small and full size, and many came from the factory with a V8.  The 3.9 V6 is also a decent option, IIRC it's a 318 minus two cylinders.

Decent trucks in the 4k range do exist.  Maybe considering hanging onto the recent windfall and invest it short term and buy something else with it that moves you later?

Loweguy5 said:

While you're overloaded with options I'll donate another one:  Dakota.

It splits the difference between small and full size, and many came from the factory with a V8.  The 3.9 V6 is also a decent option, IIRC it's a 318 minus two cylinders.

Decent trucks in the 4k range do exist.  Maybe considering hanging onto the recent windfall and invest it short term and buy something else with it that moves you later?

Okay, i'll consider that one too.
And that latter comment is what I'm feeling. I just... don't feel okay spending this all on something that I don't like and at least, somewhat enjoy.

Loweguy5 said:

While you're overloaded with options I'll donate another one:  Dakota.

It splits the difference between small and full size, and many came from the factory with a V8.  The 3.9 V6 is also a decent option, IIRC it's a 318 minus two cylinders.

Decent trucks in the 4k range do exist.  Maybe considering hanging onto the recent windfall and invest it short term and buy something else with it that moves you later?

And just after you said that, found a 2000 Dakota manual 4x4 with the Magnum V8. 104K miles, $4,200 asking. What should I look for on it? Might be worth seeing. 

GIRTHQUAKE said:

Loweguy5 said:

While you're overloaded with options I'll donate another one:  Dakota.

It splits the difference between small and full size, and many came from the factory with a V8.  The 3.9 V6 is also a decent option, IIRC it's a 318 minus two cylinders.

Decent trucks in the 4k range do exist.  Maybe considering hanging onto the recent windfall and invest it short term and buy something else with it that moves you later?

And just after you said that, found a 2000 Dakota manual 4x4 with the Magnum V8. 104K miles, $4,200 asking. What should I look for on it? Might be worth seeing. 

I really, really like that gen of Dakota. They are a fantastic size and the styling is so right. I know nothing about them otherwise, check out Allpar for some info and look for rust per usual.

You mentioned "safety" in your first post and if that's still a consideration, precisely none of what's been discussed is going to crash well, per se. 

In reply to GIRTHQUAKE :

Transmissions can be suspect, look for rust perforation, and my bet is that they eat front end parts like their bigger brothers do.  The good news is parts are cheap and readily available in most instances.

If you're thinking that you're going to be towing project cars you should probably be looking at full size trucks.