Yes, it's really a "what car" thread, but the title is so much more interesting, yes? 
So, my cousin needs, as the title says, a cheap reliable pick up. I suggested the oldest chevy possible, which, here in Tucson could be a 1956 because nothing rusts here.
But, she's in Illinois, so while I figure a 70's model would be cheap, reliable, and easy to learn and do basic maintenance, they may have returned to the earth there.
What sez y'all?
The answer is predicated on knowing northern or southern il. Nearly different climates. I assumed northern.
Early 90's or late 80's. everything else will be expensive or a rust nightmare.
Buy the best no rusty example you can. All else is irrelevant.
If you can find a 2wd full-size truck in decent shape, they tend to bring $2-$4k depending on age/condition here in IL. Anything from the 1970's is going to command a premium here too. Compact trucks aren't really much cheaper - although I've noticed you can buy a Durango or Explorer for far less than their comparable pickup versions.
Full-size vans also are generally cheaper than a comparable pickup, if that would work for her. Although contractor vans usually are more than passenger vans. For reference, I bought a '98 Chevy 1-ton contractor van, with 80kmi on it, for $3k this February - and that was a steal around here. Comparable vans were pulling $5-$6k. There were 2 distinct reasons this one was so cheap: It wasn't ordered with a/c, and the interior smelled like an open can of enamel paint. 
Cheap, reliable pickup? You want this:
First thing that came to mind.
David
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: Buy the best no rusty example you can. All else is irrelevant.
Yup. Although around here, that'd be about a 2007, so YMMV.
Also note that, again, at least where I am at, the rustiest pile of crap with a busted up bed and no tailgate and the doors can't be opened because the cab is so rotted out with 300,000 miles on a broken odometer running on seven cylinders with bald tires and a shot suspension is still worth more than a pristine SUV.
The cheapest way may be the way my boss did it last year - truck one in from cleaner climates. Got an immaculate '04 Sierra with no rust shipped out of Minnesota for way less than buying local would have been.
88-94 Chevy / GMC. TBI injection is the simplest thing in the world, parts are super cheap.
Gearheadotaku wrote: 88-94 Chevy / GMC. TBI injection is the simplest thing in the world, parts are super cheap.
Parts for these are EVERYWHERE!
I would be willing to expand a bit and throw in Ford trucks of the same era. I see lots of these loaded down with washers, dryers, car parts, etc., headed to the scrap yard. There's a reason why it's the truck of choice for those who haul scrap on a regular basis.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: The answer is predicated on knowing northern or southern il. Nearly different climates. I assumed northern. Early 90's or late 80's. everything else will be expensive or a rust nightmare. Buy the best no rusty example you can. All else is irrelevant.
Different accents too!
I've noticed the extended cab GM's in particular rot around the cab corners, directly below the rear-side window.
Buy on the Tuscon side for your cousin.
One of you do the "fly and drive" or "drive and fly."
Find a Ford F150 w/ 4.9L straight 6 cyl engine.
Any year from '64 to '96. Even a '96 will seem "old" once in IL.
Any reason why everyone suggests "less rusty"? Because in the Midwest, "less rusty" means "more expensive". Rust that's not terminal is just a minor aggravation. My truck ('96 Silverado ext cab) has 238k and PLENTY of rust....which is why I got it cheap. As long as the frame and gas tank are not rusted through, all rust will do is make suspension work less fun. Eventually it will lead to major problems, but how long does this truck have to last?
I will second the 88-94 Chevy reccomendation. TBI motors are anvils (although they're not particularly powerful or fuel efficient) and you can buy anything you need at any parts store. For that matter, if your cousin wants to learn to weld, body parts are dirt-cheap as well.
Are you limiting it to full-size? Just need something with a bed, or need something that can tow? If a dump/Home Depot runner is all they want, an S10/Ranger/Dakota/etc. will fit the bill quite nicely, and will get better mileage. Buy based on mechanical condition. Toyotas are good trucks as well, but seem to carry a 50% price premium over domestics and Nissans, at least round here, and the seating position is different (lower and more carlike). I'm tallish and don't fit real well in a single-cab Toyota.
And if 2wd trucks are bringing 2-4k in Illinois, I need to start buying them here and selling them there.
psteav wrote: Any reason why everyone suggests "less rusty"?
After working on rusty, and then working on non-rusty, I'd say it's worth the expense - you're working on whatever it is. Do you want to do it with stuck/broken bolts amidst a shower of rust, or not?
tuna55 wrote:psteav wrote: Any reason why everyone suggests "less rusty"?After working on rusty, and then working on non-rusty, I'd say it's worth the expense - you're working on whatever it is. Do you want to do it with stuck/broken bolts amidst a shower of rust, or not?
I've done both myself. Non-rusty is nice. BUT: We're talking about a beater pickup here. If it would save me $1,000 to buy a presentable but rusty underneath truck vs. the same truck clean and not rusty, I would take the cheaper one for sure and deal with the aggravation.
I think you should find something local near you and have her fly in and drive out. That's what a good cousin would do
psteav wrote:tuna55 wrote:I've done both myself. Non-rusty is nice. BUT: We're talking about a beater pickup here. If it would save me $1,000 to buy a presentable but rusty underneath truck vs. the same truck clean and not rusty, I would take the cheaper one for sure and deal with the aggravation.psteav wrote: Any reason why everyone suggests "less rusty"?After working on rusty, and then working on non-rusty, I'd say it's worth the expense - you're working on whatever it is. Do you want to do it with stuck/broken bolts amidst a shower of rust, or not?
A beater pickup that will always need to be worked on.
This literally happened during an attempt at a brake pad change on my old pickup.
I loosened the lug nuts with the truck on the ground.
I then lifted the truck in the air and put it on a jack stand.
After that I removed the nuts altogether.
I couldn't move the wheel from the disc.
I got the biggest sledge I could find and whaled on it. No dice.
Then I started the nuts a but, dropped the truck on the ground and started it. I cranked the wheel back and forth a few dozen times, rolled the truck back and forth in the driveway.
Jacked it back off, got the sledge again. No dice.
Gave up.
A simple 10 minute brake job became an hours worth of head scratching that didn't actually accomplish anything other than to make me cold.
tuna55 wrote: After working on rusty, and then working on non-rusty, I'd say it's worth the expense - you're working on whatever it is. Do you want to do it with stuck/broken bolts amidst a shower of rust, or not?
While I do agree, if you're going to actually drive the thing, it's going to quickly turn into scenario #2 anyway, so why spend the extra money?
It's not like it's a unibody where you can quickly get life-ending structural rust, like what happens to Dodge vans when the steering box mounting area breaks off.
tuna55 wrote: This literally happened during an attempt at a brake pad change on my old pickup. I loosened the lug nuts with the truck on the ground. I then lifted the truck in the air and put it on a jack stand. After that I removed the nuts altogether. I couldn't move the wheel from the disc. I got the biggest sledge I could find and whaled on it. No dice. Then I started the nuts a but, dropped the truck on the ground and started it. I cranked the wheel back and forth a few dozen times, rolled the truck back and forth in the driveway. Jacked it back off, got the sledge again. No dice. Gave up. A simple 10 minute brake job became an hours worth of head scratching that didn't actually accomplish anything other than to make me cold.
That's called "wheel removal" around these parts. 10lb sledge is my best friend. Helps to shout something vaguely anime-fighting-esque when you hit the tire, too.
Wait until you try to remove the rotors from a Ford with slide-on rotors. The fastest way I've found is to first get Mr. Tenpound and break the braking surface off of the bell, and only then worry about using the air hammer on the rest of the rotor.
I would always spend the extra $1k if that's what it costs to get a rust-free variant. That will easily pay itself back in resale and ease-of-sale, with easier maintenance in the meantime...
I'm still confused by rust-free and Minnesota in the same sentence.
Well, let me put it this way. I worked on an '05 today that had the plastic fuel rails starting to split at the mounting tabs because the hold-down bolts were swollen blobs of rust. The steel crossover was also rusty and the little Torx screws that hold it down were unrecognizeable as fasteners.
That's the top of the engine.
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