# best small pickup??



## mnjconstruction (Oct 5, 2008)

I use to always have a small pickup. use to drop the trailer off at job site and use my 2001 ranger to drive back and forth with. save alot on gas. i sold it 2 years ago and i have missed it alot since then

so I am going to buy another small pickup. gonna get something 2wd. just something cheap around 3k or so. that way i can pay cash.

i had a great experience with the ranger, just wondering if i should stick with them or go with s10, toyota, nissan etc. 

any thoughts???


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## Framer53 (Feb 23, 2008)

mnjconstruction said:


> I use to always have a small pickup. use to drop the trailer off at job site and use my 2001 ranger to drive back and forth with. save alot on gas. i sold it 2 years ago and i have missed it alot since then
> 
> so I am going to buy another small pickup. gonna get something 2wd. just something cheap around 3k or so. that way i can pay cash.
> 
> ...


I would buy the Ford as the other manufacturers got baAilout money or suffered too many recalls. Honda doesn't make a small pickup, to my knowledge. Nissan hasn't been the same since they changed from Datsun.

The Mazda is just a Ford ranger under their badge.


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

Just sold this one this one a few months ago. I think I'm going to miss it, even thought it was a little weak for pulling. It would be weak for pulling much weight with just a 4 banger. 
Date is wrong on the pic. Seems I have to check the date evrytime I use the camera.

Btw That is the new Home Builders Association building just up the street from the house.

I got very good service out of this little truck all the years I had it. I just wanted something a little bigger and stronger. I may have made a mistake.


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## woodchuck2 (Feb 27, 2008)

Ford is decent, Toyota is probably the best but IMO if you are looking for a used, cheap to drive and repair yet reliable truck i would say the Dodge Dakota. I drove a 93 Dakota with the 3.9 5spd 2X4 extra cab for yrs and when i sold it the truck had 264k on it and still ran like a swiss watch. The A/C still worked and empty the truck would get 19-21mpg. I had an aluminum cap on it with a ladder rack and that truck had no problem carrying 2k in the bed.


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## MAD Renovations (Nov 18, 2007)

I have never had a small truck but I do see a ton of the little yotas on the road and the owners all seemed really happy before all the recalls....:whistling


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## boman47k (Oct 13, 2006)

I drove that '97 Mazda for about 10 or 11 years, I guess, for about $5000 when you subtract what I sold it for. I did put new brakes rotors on the front and a slave cylinder for the clutch, tune ups, oil and gas. Bty, it does have Ford on the winshield.
Oh yeah, It had gotten to where it would idle a little rough sometimes. The guy that bought and I were looking at it and discovered a bad vacuum hose. It happened to be the same size I had bought a little of for the vacuum switch on my central unit. Put it on and he drove that baby home for $2500. My son had this truck before me. He also had the '88 I had before this one. That little truck was put through the mill! Some call them junk, I call them good little trucks.......... for their intended purposes.


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## valleyman (Dec 18, 2007)

I'm a big fan of the Tacoma. I had a '94 that I rode for 351,000 with only a $600 transmission overhaul. It finally blew a head gasket and I sold it for $400. Now I have a 2009 that's a over 1 year old and have had no problems. As for the big Toyota recalls: they sent me a warning about the floor mats sliding under the pedals, but other than that, the Tacoma has not been part of them.


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## shanekw1 (Mar 20, 2008)

:clap:


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

mnjconstruction said:


> any thoughts???


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

Find a toyota for that price.

Fairly easy to fix and keep on the road and the accelerator pedal's only started sticking after american's started building them.


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## galla35 (Feb 27, 2009)

rangers are good ive beat the piss outta them and abused more than one


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/news/subaru_go.html


GMOD


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## shanekw1 (Mar 20, 2008)

GENE!

You been on vacation again or what buddy? 

Haven't seen you around in a while.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

galla35 said:


> rangers are good ive beat the piss outta them and abused more than one



I also believe maintenance costs are cheaper on a Ranger. That version has been out so long now, most of the parts will span quite a few years.


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## genecarp (Mar 16, 2008)

shanekw1 said:


> GENE!
> 
> You been on vacation again or what buddy?
> 
> Haven't seen you around in a while.



Yea buddy camping for a few weeks, then back a pushing out the work, good to see you and the gang, G


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## JT Wood (Dec 17, 2007)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> Find a toyota for that price.
> 
> Fairly easy to fix and keep on the road and the accelerator pedal's only started sticking after american's started building them.



My 81' pedal would always stick in winter.

( I guess it wasn't a pedal, the little metal stick on the right)


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## JT Wood (Dec 17, 2007)

for 3k I'd recommend a ranger.

A 3k toyota will be OLD and have a BILLION miles.


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## Osito (Mar 4, 2008)

I have a 2003 S-10 crew cab 4x4. Use it to pull 14' haulmark trailer, loaded with tools.


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## Sam60 (Apr 29, 2006)

hughjazz said:


> for 3k I'd recommend a ranger.
> 
> A 3k toyota will be OLD and have a BILLION miles.



I agree. At that price just look for the best deal for mileage/condition forget about the brand.


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## TempestV (Feb 3, 2007)

There's a guy near me that has an old toyota that he's been driving forever. A couple of years back, he got tired of driving it, so he decided to kill it. He drained the oil out, and started driving. He got to logan (about 25 miles away), and the truck was still running fine, so he turned around and declared that if it made it back, he would keep it. When he got back, he poured the oil back in, and he's still driving it today.
If that's not impressive enough, check this out:









The Rangers are excellent as well. A guy I work with has had two, and they have converted him from a die hard bowtie fan to a die hard Ford guy. He got the first one since he was low on money, needed a truck, and here was one for $200. despite having over 200k on the odometer, it seemed to run way better than all his old trucks that never reached that mark. When he had a little more money, he decided that he could really use a 4x4, so he sold his ranger for the same amount as he bought it for, and bought the same exact truck in 4x4. Both trucks have the 2.9L, and both were extremely reliable. People that have worked with him and know the truck's history were genuinely shocked when they heard that it broke down. (it was some simple electrical thing, and he was back on the interstate 5 min later.) pretty impressive for a 20 year old truck with better than 300k on the odometer, a good percentage of which was off road.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

I have had two Rangers so far. An 88 and my 96. the 88 had 156 on the clock when it got retired....it just plain rotted out...but the motor was still good, and this was after running with no air filter for over a year. My 96 has 210 on the clock and still going strong.


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## mwhafner (Oct 19, 2008)

I have a '95 F150 that gets about 26 MPG (300/I6, MT, 2wd, SWB). Maintenance costs are very reasonable, and the mileage is about the same as a Ranger, Yota, etc. It's geared too high to haul much of a trailer, but is very reliable. It's fine up to about 4k pounds, but anything bigger requires some clutch magic.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

mwhafner said:


> I have a '95 F150 that gets about 26 MPG (300/I6, MT, 2wd, SWB). Maintenance costs are very reasonable, and the mileage is about the same as a Ranger, Yota, etc. It's geared too high to haul much of a trailer, but is very reliable. It's fine up to about 4k pounds, but anything bigger requires some clutch magic.


Very good point. If you could find that body style that hasn't yet rotted out, the I6 300 was about the most bullet-proof motor Ford has ever built. Earlier years had a tendency to stretch the timing chain.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

mwhafner said:


> I have a '95 F150 that gets about 26 MPG (300/I6, MT, 2wd, SWB). Maintenance costs are very reasonable, and the mileage is about the same as a Ranger, Yota, etc. It's geared too high to haul much of a trailer, but is very reliable. It's fine up to about 4k pounds, but anything bigger requires some clutch magic.



I call bs on the 26mpg part.

I have owned many of those and the best I ever got was low 20's.

My brother drives that exact vehicle with a long bed, he gets 18.5.

They are good trucks though.


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## angus242 (Oct 20, 2007)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> I call bs on the 26mpg part.


That's driving down hill....both ways.


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## nEighter (Nov 24, 2008)

Ranger all the way. I have a 99 S10 and man I have damn near replaced the thing.. as in almost everything on it at least 1 time over in 5 yrs. It is on it's 3rd engine and 2nd tranny. No not from poor maintenance either.. **** design. I have around $1000.00 I just spent on the suspension, front end linkage, rear drums, and shocks. This brch better last me quite a while more. Bodywork is next.

I am a Ford guy, and this S10 is my thorn in my side.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

TempestV said:


> There's a guy near me that has an old toyota that he's been driving forever. A couple of years back, he got tired of driving it, so he decided to kill it. He drained the oil out, and started driving. He got to logan (about 25 miles away), and the truck was still running fine, so he turned around and declared that if it made it back, he would keep it. When he got back, he poured the oil back in, and he's still driving it today.


 

They were the days when Toyota made vehicles better than the other brands in the same price range. They been riding on that ever since the mid 80's.


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## The Coastal Craftsman (Jun 29, 2009)

mwhafner said:


> I have a '95 F150 that gets about 26 MPG (300/I6, MT, 2wd, SWB). Maintenance costs are very reasonable, and the mileage is about the same as a Ranger, Yota, etc. It's geared too high to haul much of a trailer, but is very reliable. It's fine up to about 4k pounds, but anything bigger requires some clutch magic.


 
26mpg :no: I dont even get that on my new F150. I see 20's-22's on the flats if i drive like it's the last tank of fuel on earth.


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## Giftcard (Dec 28, 2006)

S10 with 4.3 motor.:thumbup:


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## mwhafner (Oct 19, 2008)

> I call bs on the 26mpg part.


To clarify, that is on the highway without a load. Blended mileage is in the low 20s. This thing is geared high, and has the Mazda tranny (4sp OD) like the Rangers. 

I had another 95 before this one, and 21 or 22 was about the best I could get out of it on the highway.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

If you go the route of the Ranger, and are looking to use it to move yourself and or whatever you can fit in the bed, do yourself a favor and get the less powerful, but WAY more reliable 3.0 motor... the 4.0 has more power, but the 3.0 is near bullet-proof.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

BCConstruction said:


> They were the days when Toyota made vehicles better than the other brands in the same price range. They been riding on that ever since the mid 80's.



I think maybe more like the mid 90's.


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## Joining_heads (Mar 4, 2008)

Giftcard said:


> S10 with 4.3 motor.:thumbup:


Generally considered by numerous magazines to be one of the worst used trucks you can buy. Same for the blazer. What a pile of junk.


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

It was the 4.3, after a while you may get pretty good at swapping intake gaskets.:laughing:


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## dayexco (Mar 4, 2006)

WarnerConstInc. said:


> It was the 4.3, after a while you may get pretty good at swapping intake gaskets.:laughing:


or replacing pistons when you drop a valve


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

EDIT: Watch rangers for rot in the rear suspension. I just lost a spring hanger last night. I knew it was rotted but not that bad. I am lucky to have a place near me that stocked everything. I got all new hangers, shackels, hardware and H.D. springs. For $400. Took the day off and started working on it. I am also replacing any brake lines that look the slighest bit iffy, as well as the U-joints are all being replaced(found one with a little rough spot in it). New shocks as well.... If I am gonna be there, I might as well get it all done.

http://www.stengelbros.com/SpringShackles.htm


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## WarnerConstInc. (Jan 30, 2008)

That is kind of ironic TBF, my brother just did the same thing to his 95 f150.


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## TBFGhost (Oct 9, 2008)

It was nice to take it for a test ride. The right height is a little taller, and with all new shocks, bushings and what not the truck is super quite over the rough roads...no more sqeaks, rattles, bangs, clunks etc


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## Ragebhardt (Apr 25, 2010)

Just parked my 95 S-10 Ext cab PU - 191000 mile 2.2L 4 cyl 5 speed manual trans - goes up for sale tomorrow - $800.00

Just purchased a 99 Chevy Astro cargo van - with ladder rack and head ache rake and other extras v-6 auto 138000 miles $2600 - White

Gonna miss the S-10 milage


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