let's talk about trucks

[unclej]

well, as bad as i hate to do it i'm about to retire my old '72 chevy pick up. it has been a great work truck but it doesn't "feel" right any more and i think it's trying to tell me that it's tired.

anyway, i've been thinking about small to mid-sized trucks but i've never had too much experience with them unless you consider my replacing the engine in my nephew's sonoma for him experience.

i need the extended cab and i'm concerned about gas mileage, some towing power and road worthiness. my daughter lives about 3 hours away and i'd like to be able to visit.

so any suggestions or for that matter, "stay the hell away from blah-blah 'cause they suck"?

 

[unclej]

i should have added that i don't buy new cars. so something from early nineties to about 2000 is probably what i'll get.

 

[Lancecastor]

GM makes the best truck of the Big3...the Ford, for example, is less expensive when new, but chews up front tires, and like all Ford products, the electrical connectors have no protective boots...which is why older Fords stall when wet.

I'd buy a Toyota if you can find one you can offord versus the equivalent GM...otherwise, just go get another Chevy ; s-10 or full size they're hard to beat.

Lance

 

[unclej]

thanks lance. you're the second person to suggest the toyota. i've always been a chevy/gmc kinda guy but i want something that's gonna last a while and i've heard that the s-10's are a little weak. not that i believe that communist propaganda but the toyota's definitely one i'll be looking into.

 

[Cuckolded_BlK_Male]

I think that I rode in a pick-up truck ... once.

 

[marksgirl]

I refuse to talk about trucks! My car is broken down and Tank left me here stuck with his "ugly truck"! I hate that damn truck and refuse to drive it unless it's a emergency!

 

[Lancecastor]

thanks lance. you're the second person to suggest the toyota. i've always been a chevy/gmc kinda guy but i want something that's gonna last a while and i've heard that the s-10's are a little weak. not that i believe that communist propaganda but the toyota's definitely one i'll be looking into.

I had an S10 ext cab for years and loved it. If you can get a good used V8 powered Toyota T100, I'd grab it...the 4.3 L Chevy s10's a good truck though....depends how much you want to tow and how much dough you want to blow, right?

 

[KillerMuffin]

Gas mileage and towing? Not new.

Skip GM, the late 90s early 2k live up to their 5 year life expectancy. The early 90s were decent enough, if you don't mind oxidation, and the 2002 ones are actually quality. That's if you don't mind owning a General Motors product. Which, quite frankly, is something I abhor doing. They, along with a few tire and oil concerns, are wholly responsible for the lack of railroads, trolley, and subway lines in this country. They also were instrumental in creating the legislation that made Chrysler's Hemi engine illegal after 1970. These people suck.

Skip Dodge, you won't find a good one post-93. Diamler fucked up Chrysler, ya know? I'm reserving judgment on their new "Hemi".

The F-150 is good. If you can find one, they made a very nice F-250 with the extended cab and three doors in '97 and '98. They came out with the four doors in '99. The gas mileage runs about 18-20 mpg if you get the 3:53 gearing. Sweet little V-8 in it, nice ride, not too big to drive, either.

The Ford Ranger isn't too bad. It's got a lot of room in it and you can get good towing out of the 4:10 gearing. The gas mileage doesn't rate much more than the F150 with the 4:10, so you're not getting a better truck over-all, just a smaller price tag.

The Toyota Tacoma is good, skip the bigger one, the T-100, it's not competitive with the Fords. If you get a 2001 you can get a crew cab. You sacrifice towing capacity without gaining any gas mileage with this one. It runs about 16-22 depending on the gearing. However, it's the best built truck on the road today.

Nissan's Frontier is an interesting little ride. You might want to look into that if you're not planning on towing anything big with it. The gas mileage isn't going to be much better than anything up there, but it handles well with the short bed--long beds were introduced in 2002. You can get a V-6, not much power, but better fuel economy. I believe it only comes with one gear ratio.

You can check the Dakota, but I'd skip it for now. Dodge has been having troubles with their line-up and the overcharge for their product. It's a decent mid-size with crappy gas mileage, good towing, and pretty much so-so ride.

Skip the Cadillac and Lincoln trucks. Joke. You're getting a GM Avalanche with a price tag.

Muffie's pick is the Ford F-150 for a daily driver with light towing applications. Heavier towing, Muff goes with the Ford F-250.

 

[unclej]

great info lance...thanks..

muffie, you never cease to amaze me. don't do much towing any more and if i do it's just around here. thanks for the info.

ok, c.b.m. you're education has been sorely lacking if you've never spent any time in a pickup. i mean, you're obviously not from texas but you're missing out on a lot. you can sleep in 'em, hang hunting rifles in the back window and if you have a standard shift on the floor you can cop a feel while you're changing gears. i've probably done more business and closed more deals on the hood of a pickup than in any office i've ever worked in. you need to find a friend with a pick up.

 

[grimreefer]

I've been perfectly happy with my 97 F-150... Although it's not entirely stock anymore...

I'm off to have a bran muffin...

 

[Lost Cause]

Dodge R/T...

Moderate size, 360 cu engine, good hauler, good acceleration. All the other models are wannabes. I guess it's like picking a shovel over a pick to dig your financial grave when you buy a $20-50K truck to haul manure in.

 

[badasschick]

I've never had a complaint with my '99 F-150 I'm quite happy with her, plus I treat her with respect.

 

[grimreefer]

Chicks and trucks... why does that just sound so damn sexy???

 

[asenath]

I like my Ford Ranger with extended cab. It hasn't given me any problems... they recalled something on it, but that was taken care of easily enough. It's a 2001 though... so it's not up your alley.

Does anyone have a Sport Trac? I'm thinking of getting one in a couple years.

 

[dickE]

2002 2WD Ranger Extended cab, 4 door, plenty of room, smooth ride, quiet, small V6, auto, pretty zippy, 22.5 mpg all day long.

My second Ranger, wouldn't change a thing if I could.

WARNING!.........may not be Texas acceptable size-wise.

 

[freakygirl]

wow

Lance and KillerMuffin made my panties wet.

 

[LovetoGiveRoses]

Truck? Truck? Is that what they deliver furniture in? LOL. I like sports cars.

 

[ExLimey]

I still have my '91 S-10, the only new car (the second of three vehicles I've owned in 15 years). It had 9 miles on it when I bought it and has 145,000 now and has only let me down once. Not a tower since it's a 4 cyl, but it gets great gas mileage still. One drawback to this year model (and maybe a few years either side) is every two years I need new cap, rotor and spark plug wires. It gets a little sluggish and I know it's time to change them.
In 12 years it's had a water pump, radiator, shocks, 3 sets of tires, 2 new hubcaps (they were stolen) and regular oil changes and that's it. It's not worth much at all now, but I kept it after I got my Jeep because it's handy to have a pickup and it still runs great and gets me where I need to go, although it looks like crap because I live in the snow-belt and it gets salted for 8 months a year!

 

[asenath]

2002 2WD Ranger Extended cab, 4 door, plenty of room, smooth ride, quiet, small V6, auto, pretty zippy, 22.5 mpg all day long.

My second Ranger, wouldn't change a thing if I could.

WARNING!.........may not be Texas acceptable size-wise.

You have to get a 4X4, guy... that's the only way to go.

 

[dickE]

You have to get a 4X4, guy... that's the only way to go.

Got 1!...........it sits in the shed until/unless I need it to pull 400 bushels of grain or do similar work with it.

They're fine if/when you need them...........usless expense, maintenance, etc. until then............which is the category where about 99.99999% of all 4WD vehicles currently on the road fall.

{and from the looks of your profile, I bought it when you were 7...and it's still on the job}

 

[The Heretic]

If you are going to tow or carry anything of consequence, for any distance, I would stay away from the lighter duty trucks (Ranger, S10, etc.) - especially if you go for a manual trans, which I always do. The problem is you may wind up having the trans rebuilt replaced every 40-50k miles. DAMHIK.

I personally like Fords better than GMs because they are designed to be more of a truck whereas the GMs seem to be more car oriented. That has changed of late, especially the later GMs with diesels, but I still prefer the Fords, and I would get a Dodge before the GM anyway.

Of the imports the Toyotas are far and above better than the others.

My personal choice is an F250 or F350 supercab with diesel and 6 speed CR manual trans. That may be more than you need or want, but if I ever get another truck it is going to be something I can haul a large fifth wheel with, and I am going to want it to last.

 

[asenath]

Got 1!...........it sits in the shed until/unless I need it to pull 400 bushels of grain or do similar work with it.

They're fine if/when you need them...........usless expense, maintenance, etc. until then............which is the category where about 99.99999% of all 4WD vehicles currently on the road fall.

{and from the looks of your profile, I bought it when you were 7...and it's still on the job}

I usually drive mine in 2wd... but when I have to go through snow or up an icy hill it's nice to switch over to the 4wd.

Just wanted to add this... I just looked at my blank looking profile because of you and ended up adding things to it. Now I don't look so blank.

 

[Tungwagger]

Lease was up on the F-150.....got a 2003 Ranger supercab....

I sure do miss my F-150....But I got more for less truck this time...

When I pull up to the ATM with my seatbelt on, I resemble a weight lifter trying to wipe his ass while reaching for my wallet.

It has a tow package...now I just need to get the trailer...

 

[dickE]

I usually drive mine in 2wd... but when I have to go through snow or up an icy hill it's nice to switch over to the 4wd.

Just wanted to add this... I just looked at my blank looking profile because of you and ended up adding things to it. Now I don't look so blank.

But what you and likely most SUV/4X4 owners/drivers today don't realize is that it costs a lot more money first to buy the transfercase and front axle.....not to mention the extra power--extra fuel--that's needed for the front wheels to spin a pair of CV joints, axles, a differential, a pair of universal joints on the front drive shaft and part of the transfer case all the while you're tooling around on dry pavements in 2WD over what power it takes to spin 2 standard front hubs....and it grinds up tires faster. to.

For all the benies of a 4WD in poor road conditions the normal driver experiences, a simple front engine/front wheel drive brings you at least 75% of them.

Oh, your profile? Now that's revealing.

 

[asenath]

But what you and likely most SUV/4X4 owners/drivers today don't realize is that it costs a lot more money first to buy the transfercase and front axle.....not to mention the extra power--extra fuel--that's needed for the front wheels to spin a pair of CV joints, axles, a differential, a pair of universal joints on the front drive shaft and part of the transfer case all the while you're tooling around on dry pavements in 2WD over what power it takes to spin 2 standard front hubs....and it grinds up tires faster. to.

For all the benies of a 4WD in poor road conditions the normal driver experiences, a simple front engine/front wheel drive brings you at least 75% of them.

Oh, your profile? Now that's revealing.

Okay... that sounds confusing. Maybe I'll just get a little Saab instead of a truck. Heh.

Yeah... I'm an open book.