Best used Pickup value??

[megotatractor]

I'm looking for a good, trouble free, non-gas-guzzler pickup truck in the 8000 dollar or less range. Ideally it would be front wheel drive for the snow but since they don't make one it does need to be 4x4. Want to have the capability to tow a light trailer occasionally even if I never do. And it must be able to haul the occasional plywood sheet. I bought a 98 Dakota the other day and got halfway home with it when the tranny sprung a leak so I took it back. and it only got 16 mpg highway with the v6 so I'm wondering if I might be better off with some other brand of full size truck that might be easier on gas or should I look at compacts? I do not think I want a diesel, very expensive to buy and service. Any suggestions??

 

[Tdog]

Wish I knew the answer to your question Mego. I've got 307k on my Toyota T-100 & I'm sorta thinking about replacing it. I was in for a major shock when I started looking at prices of new & used trucks in the 2004-05 range. Maybe I'll just keep the old one going a while longer.

Good luck.

 

[Doc_Bob]

I'm looking for a good, trouble free, non-gas-guzzler pickup truck

No such animal exists.
Bob

 

[HGM]

Tough bill to fill..... I'm sold on the Ford Ranger... I've had 3 over the past 20yrs... My latest is the best, though I really liked the '85 4x4 ... I bought my '00 super cab XLT(loaded) 4x2 3.0L(V-6) manual trans, 3yrs ago with 75k(185k now) mi for $7,500.. It's been a great truck with the pilot bearing($2 and some labor) being the only failure at about 140k.. I regularly get 22-23mpg, but its a 4x2... Since I drive primarily on the highway, its on its original clutch and brakes and I did change the plugs at 150kmi (I know better, but the miles come fast and it ran good)..

What I would recomend is to decide how important 4x4 is.. If you must have it, then you need to decide if you want a regular cab or super cab.. The super cab wil be better for towing but the regular would be better on fuel.. Then about the power.. The 3.0L with an automatic(especially 4x4) is pathetic... The 2.3L with 4x4, I dont believe is available and would be weaker than the 3.0L.. The 4.0L is thirsty, plenty of power, but you'll be closer to the 16mpg figure your Dodge got,I'd estimate 16-18mpg with a 4.0L in any configuration.. Fuel economy and 4x4/towing capability arent an easy combination.. I have another truck for the 4x4 needs, though we dont get much snow in Atanla .. Good luck.. BTW, you might try fueleconomy.gov to search for the magic numbers, just keep in mind they might not be 100% correct in all situations.

 

[milkman]

I'm looking for a good, trouble free, non-gas-guzzler pickup truck in the 8000 dollar or less range. Any suggestions??

I would say Honda Ridgeline till you stuck in that. 8000 or less range, oh sure the dually guys will jump in and say "that" is not a truck, but you did mention a Dakota so maybe I'll be safe.

 

[jwstewar]

I've got a '99 Silverado. It is an ext cab/short bed with the 5.3 V-8. 4WD with a rear locking differential. I'm pushing 100k miles on it. We regularly average 18+ MPG on it. If I'm driving it back and forth to work (mostly highway) I can do 20+. I've only done a few of minor things to it - U-joints, battery, 4wd switch, and power mirror switch (combined less then $200). It has been a good truck and it hasn't been babied. I've towed some pretty heavy loads and hauled a plenty of heavy loads (a couple of weeks ago had 50 sheets of OSB + some other stuff for around 2500 lbs. in the bed - well also hanging out of the bed ). Was also pulling trees out of the ground with it last week. Locked in low range/4wd in first gear it would yank the trees out of the ground most of the time w/o spinning a tire.

Also had a '97 configured the same way except it had the 5.7. Never worked it as hard, but it was also a pretty decent truck. I averaged about 18 MPG on it going back and forth to work so the '99 does just a little better on gas.

Anyway, after saying all of this, I've now been seeing some '99/00s for less than 10k.

 

[Bird]

Tough bill to fill..... I'm sold on the Ford Ranger... I've had 3 over the past 20yrs... My latest is the best, though I really liked the '85 4x4 ... I bought my '00 super cab XLT(loaded) 4x2 3.0L(V-6) manual trans, 3yrs ago with 75k(185k now) mi for $7,500.. It's been a great truck with the pilot bearing($2 and some labor) being the only failure at about 140k.. I regularly get 22-23mpg, but its a 4x2... Since I drive primarily on the highway, its on its original clutch and brakes and I did change the plugs at 150kmi (I know better, but the miles come fast and it ran good)..

What I would recomend is to decide how important 4x4 is.. If you must have it, then you need to decide if you want a regular cab or super cab.. The super cab wil be better for towing but the regular would be better on fuel.. Then about the power.. The 3.0L with an automatic(especially 4x4) is pathetic... The 2.3L with 4x4, I dont believe is available and would be weaker than the 3.0L.. The 4.0L is thirsty, plenty of power, but you'll be closer to the 16mpg figure your Dodge got,I'd estimate 16-18mpg with a 4.0L in any configuration.. Fuel economy and 4x4/towing capability arent an easy combination.. I have another truck for the 4x4 needs, though we dont get much snow in Atanla .. Good luck.. BTW, you might try fueleconomy.gov to search for the magic numbers, just keep in mind they might not be 100% correct in all situations.

I have the '01 Ranger XLT supercab 2 x 4, loaded, with the 4.0L automatic. It had 36k miles on it when I bought it, has 50k on it now. So, in the 14k miles I've put on it, it's averaged just over 18.5 mpg. I bought a Fisher 1710 Bass Boat a little over a month ago and have made several 65 mile round trips to the lake and only getting 16 mpg pulling the little boat, but you have to look in the rear view mirror to see if the boat's still there, because you have enough power you don't even notice you're pulling anything.

 

[lcisled]

I have a '94 Dodge 2500 cummins diesel. Gets about 18 MPG unloaded, 12 pulling. Manual transmission, pull whatever you want, haul as much as you can load. It has 213,000 miles on it, and I think it has that much more to go. I would not be afraid to take it to CA today, and I live in the midwest. If you are interested, PM me.

 

[Youare]

A couple of years ago I downsized from a full size pickup to a Toyota Tacoma 4X4. Gas milage is around 26 mpg average non-highway driving to and from work. It is supposed to be okay for light towing.

I really like the truck. A sheet of plywood kind of fits in the back but doesn't lay flat on the bed.

Randy

 

[OKnewguy]

I have a Dakota, and it does me well. Although, I have always been slightly disappointed in the gas mileage. It seems like it gets the full size gas mileage, so why not have a full size. I admit that I have recently been admiring my little brothers 98 Ford f150. He has 85k on it and it consistently gets over 20mpg. This is a full size standard cab with standard tranny/v6. Spec wise it has more torque then my 2003 4.7 litter dodge. It is light on the fuel when you want it to, but can work like a truck when you need it.
BTW, it is only 2wd.
Good luck, Dave

 

[Highbeam]

I actually think you left the criteria too open. There are plenty of trucks that will do what you want.

If you want the "occasional sheet of plywood" to fit inside the bed with the tailgate shut then you should say so since we have all seen sheets of plywood strapped to the top of a minivan at the home depot. I'll assume you mean that you want the sheets to lay flat but fully supported by the tailgate which is what happens with a full size truck, short bed, with the tailgate down.

Non gas guzzling. Well that's relative. You're price range will easily get you a late 90s on up 4x4 with a normal sized V8 rated to tow about 6000 lbs with an auto transmission. That truck will get just over 20 mpg on the highway and high teens in the city for regular people at regular altitudes. That truck will also save your life in a collision with an average full sized truck when compared to something like a ranger which they will just bury you in instead of trying to unwrap the steel.

The full size fuel heirarchy is Chevy, then Ford, then Dodge with Toyota or Nissan being low somehwere between Ford and Dodge. No reason to get a minitruck since as you noticed the mpg is minimally better at best.

I tow 7000 lbs and so I will be looking for a diesel next time but I am having a hard time letting go of my 98 full size chevy which I bought using very similar criteria as you. 152,000 miles on it now with all original running gear, very low operating costs.

 

[Volfandt]

You can't go wrong with a good condition F-150 for full size or Ranger for compact.
I've not priced any used trucks so I can't help there but I'll remark on my experience....

I traded my 85 F-150 4x4 LT for a new 98 F-150 Super Cab Off Road and it's been virtually trouble free for it's 115k miles. The 85's trade-in value was about 1/2 the new price. Since the 98 has the Off Road pkg it has the lower geared rear (3.55 limited slip) which gives great power transfer but at the cost of some MPG.
I've avg'ed 17MPG since the 1st tank full but I did record 18mpg on a beach trip once The 85 avg'ed about 11 MPG so I'm still not complaining

A friend of mine has a 2wd 99 F-150 XLT and he claims 21MPG.

A couple of tips on the F-150, in 99 Ford changed the heads on the 4.6L and which produced about 15 more hp with no loss of MPG. Also in 99 the Super Cab went to 4 dr. The 98 is a 3 dr. If my 98 Super Cab had given me reason I would have traded it in for a 99 just for these two benefits but the ole 98 has just been a great truck.

When I was shopp'n for a full size back in 98 I looked at the big 3 (Ford, Chevy 1500 & Dodge 1500) plus one (Toyota Tundra), all 4x4 & V8. The Chev (GM) was still running the old box style, a couple of freinds were having troubles with their Mopars and I didn't like the way I sat in the Toy so I stayed Ford.
Course I'll be honest and admit that I was somewhat biased as all my trucks have either been F-150's or Rangers

Good luck
Volfandt

 

[jyoutz]

I think you're missing out on considering good long-term value if you discount deisel trucks. My 99 Dodge 3x4 ton 4x4 quad-cab with Cummins consistently gets 20 MPG. It drops to about 15 MPG when pulling my 5th wheel trailer. More power than I need! What's more, if you tend to keep vehicles for awhile like I do, there's real value in a vehicle that will go 400,000+ miles without an engine rebuild. High service costs? I'm not sure I would agree. I change the oil about every 6,000 miles (filter = $10, 2.5 gallons Rotella oil at $8/ gallon), I have the fuel filter changed every 15,000 miles ($50 inc. parts/labor) and I change the air filter every 25,000 miles ($20). Valves need to be adjusted every 125,000 miles ($200). That's it so far as maintenance goes. As for repairs? In 140,000 miles -none so far. I'd never buy another gas engine 1/2 ton truck. Poor fuel economy, poor power/towing/load capability, and poor engine longevity (at 150,000 miles -MOST of these are shot or close to it).

 

[Pilot]

FWIW,
2 Rangers.

First was a '91, gutless 3.0L, stick shift, 19 mpg. Started pinging at about 30K, dealer said "give us a blank check, we'll see what we can do." I put up with it instead. No significant problems; sold it at 110K & it was still pinging & starting to use a quart of oil between changes. My '78 Volvo weighed the same, was faster & got 21mpg & still didn't use any oil when I sold it with 199K, so I wasn't impressed with the Ranger engine.
Second is a '97, adequate 4.0L, auto, 18mpg. Front end rebuilt for $800 at 90K, trans rebuilt for $2,500 at 99K. This is my last Ranger.

I wish Volvo made pickups.

 

[RonMar]

Late 80's Toyota 4X4... There were a lot of these sold and there are still a lot of these on the road. The 22R series engine is very trouble free and the toyota running gear is extremely durable. I have had an 86 with a custom extra cab added(seats 6) and an 88 regular cab. I still have both of these trucks sort of, as I gave the large cab one to my daughter to tote the grandkids around in. Parts are still redilly available from Toyota and since there were so many produced, parts are also easilly found in wrecking yards. Both mine are well over 200K miles with the higher of the two approaching 250K. I bought both of these vehicles used, the 86 back in the early 90's and the 88 three years ago.

They can be found for relatively low cost, the 88 I bought in excellent condition for $1K with a bad head gasket. I had it on the road the next week for under $100 in parts and new fluids, and it has been taking me to work every day since. They are fuel injected but still easy to work on, not requireing any particularly special tools(although I havn't had to do much on mine). I did overhaul the 86 at just under 200K as it was the turbo charged model and I upgraded the turbo from the expensive stock turbo to a Garrett T-3(much less expensive). I drove that truck pretty hard for nearly 10 years including towing an 83 4X4 toy(my first toyota truck) on a dolly from upstate NY to northern CA during one of my moves. Both trucks were loaded with houshold goods and the truck did a pretty darn good job for a turbo 4 cylinder. Both these trucks still get in the 22-25 range for mileage depending on how hard you drive them. With the ammount of money I have saved in car payments and insurance over the years, I could afford to put a new engine or transmission in them every year and still be money ahead, but I havn't had to hardly put anything beyond routine maintenance into them. The only EFI part I have had to replace is a fuel injector and that is because I dropped it and broke the nose cap while rebuilding the turbo engine.

 

[Egon]

Whenyou are talking used there is no best. It's a matter of looking, evaluating and deciding what will give you the best sevice.

Have you considered a check list with points for each item so you can rate the vehicles you look at?

 

[schmism]

Late 80's Toyota 4X4... There were a lot of these sold and there are still a lot of these on the road. The 22R series engine is very trouble free and the toyota running gear is extremely durable.

im kinda a 4x4 toyota guru.....

up to 85 was solid front axle. after that 86-95.5 was all IFS toyota pickups. in late 95 they introduced the "tacoma"

the 4cylinder 22re 5speed is the way to go. common and virtually bullet proof. my uncle has one with 300,000+ miles (an 87) ive got a 94 with 240K but its the V6.

you'll be able to tow a small 4x8 ulitily trailer fine, and it runs out of spring in the bed before power (ie you can load it up to the max with firewood and the little 22re will still get you home) as well as fire up on the first crank when its 10 below out.

for the ultimate in a little pickup add a locker to the rear, will make the "got stuck" part much less common expecially when retreiveing wood out of the woods.

oh price... rough ones are as little as $500-$1000. nice daily drivers are $3K-5K depending on age and millage. Often you can find them collecting weeds in some side yard for free. (the best kind) if your handy it usually only takes a couple $100 to get them running again.

note, rust is the enemy of these trucks. I have seen more than one frame broke from years of rusting away. (most in the North east though)