Help me pick a utility vehicle

After making a junkyard run today in the Supercoupe (because putting a 5+ foot driveshaft in an MR2 is a trick), it occurred to me that maybe I should try to find something with a bit more utility to it. Maybe $5k budget, but less is better. This isn't something I'd use a lot, so I don't want to spend a lot.

Truth be told, I've been thinking about this for a while. I'd like to find something I can use for those junkyard runs, trips to Lowe's, camping, etc. I don't think I'm looking for a project car, so reliability would be neat.

It's not a must, but AWD could be handy in winter, so my initial thought is Impreza or WRX wagon. But I know nothing about their reliability, especially in my price range.

I won't rule out a truck, but I don't like how big new-ish trucks have gotten. I like the looks of the 93-96 and 97-03 F150, and I know mod motors and the 3.8 V6 reasonably well. Nothing bigger than a shortbed one of those. Smaller (ie Ranger) is okay too. Seems as if truck prices are a bit nutty right now, though.

I drove a Kia Soul rental a while back, and God help me, I liked it. It was slow, but I thought the storage was well-thought out. Not sure they're in my price range, though.

What about an XJ or ZJ? That's about as big an SUV as I'd tolerate.

Hatchback might be a little small for what I'm after, but I'm open to suggestions.

I'm in no hurry to buy, so don't expect purchase pics anytime soon.

My usual recommendation would be a GMT800 Suburban 2500 with the 6.0.  Lots of them that never went further offroad than a mall parking lot, and they're very cheap.  Definitely bigger than an XJ though. :)

older Forester seems to check the boxes...much more utility than a WRX/Impreza and generally can be had cheaper on the used market (similiar year/mileage/condition)

$5k will get you a very nice XJ these days.  Make sure to get a later one with the HO engine. Don't get and early one with the RENIX engine control , unless you want to hate life.

I usually jump to wagons and small pickups. A 4x4 1/4 ton should be affordable. AWD wagons in your price range could be fun as well. Old beat up Subaru or something. I'd lean towards a Ranger for affordability. 

Minivan. Outside of towing, it will you the most hauling ability short of a long bed full size. 

I'm a mini truck guy. They're the right combination of cheap, easy to work on, capable enough for average truck jobs, parts more or less grow on trees, and they're usually pretty easy to work on if you have to. It's a lot easier to replace a rusty truck bed than it is to replace a rusty quarter panel or unibody structure.

Little trucks are perfect for junkyard runs.

I just bought an old minivan to use for utility things but if I didn’t also need kid/dog hauling capabilities I’d still have a Ranger.

Keep in mind that this question is coming from someone who's daily driver has been a big diesel pickup for the last 20 years but if you're looking for a truck just to do truck things why not consider something more, well truck like?  Full size, 8ft bed, v8...

In reply to APEowner :

Because for what I want it for, a full sized truck offers me no advantages. I'm not hauling sheetrock or towing a boat.

Besides, full sized truck prices are deep in crack pipe territory where I live. Like $8k for a 15 year old 4.8 Silverado with 180k miles on it. No thanks.

'90s Mazda B series truck. Mine has served me very well and is cheap to operate and maintain.

Here's one that is not too far from you $4500

Get rid of the goofy steering wheel cover and you're good to go.

For what you're describing i think minivan would be the best bang for the buck. My FIL had an olds silhouette, i was shocked at how much he could fit with the back seats removed. Used minivans are CHEAP. Hondas were good, but there were a couple years that had trans problems you should stay away from. Hondas also bring the most money. Any domestic vans sell cheap once they get too old for soccer moms to be seen in them. If AWD is must have s10 blazers go for cheap. Stay away from explorers after the early 2000s redesign. They are pretty trouble prone. In my area grand cherokees are cheaper than regular cherokees, so that is something to consider.

I Paid 2k for my 2k ex cab long bed 4x4 Silverado 3 years ago. I've put ~$600 into it in the time since I picked it up for maint, including a new(used) drive shaft, alternator, new u joints, brake lines and transmission solenoids. (not including things like fluid changes, tires) Now granted I'm probably going to be doubling that in the next few months to attempt to make it pretty. (rusty body parts)

I hate driving it as a daily, as it's like a freight train, BUT when it comes to working, and moving metric tonnes of crap there's nothing close to it, short of a full size cargo van, or a box truck. It's moved us a 1000 miles twice in that time frame, towed a few project cars home built a porch, shed, transported a few thousand gallons worth of aquariums etc. It's actually the vehicle of choice for going to the local drive in theater. It's been awesome to have. 

How do Volvo wagons stack up against an XJ, against a Ranger, again a minivan?

If you don' need 4x4, the XJ can go. If you occasionally need to haul more than 2 people the Ranger can go. If you care about appearances (sorta ) the minivan can go.

Wagon wins?

It took like 5 minutes to find this.

Here, want 4wd?

Seems like full size trucks go for the same money as mini trucks in this part of the country.

Hard to beat the utility of say an E150-350 Ford van.

Especially when it won’t be used that often. It can haul like a pickup but keep your stuff safe and dry if that deck project hits a bump in  the road. It’s nice to not have to put away all your power tools after every session and you can even cut and drill and sand inside if it starts to rain.

And you can always bolt in captains chairs or a bench from a passenger version and make the van into whatever you need it to be.

Minivan.

Or an old Durango, ignoring all the crap they get I see them all the time with 200+ thousand miles and they're certainly capable.

If I was to go Minivan I would suggest an AWD Astro/Safari.  They are great vehicles, the newest one is 15 or so years old though by now so you will end up getting a nice one from a southern state.  The best part is they are 100% parts bin so parts are cheap, they are super reliable and not too bad to work on, and they hit your price point.  They also look cooler than most car based vans, and you can crank the torsion keys and lift the back with some add-a-leafs or shackles and put some little 31" all terrains on it and it will look the business.  Also opens up the opportunity for an A-Team paint job.

My daily driver/beater is one of the rigs on your list, an 03 WRX wagon.  I bought it cheap with a bad trans a year ago, fixed that, did the timing belt/water pump/hoses/spark plugs/fluids/brakes and it is reliable as gravity.  Mine had a few nice mods from the previous (only) owner, 2" lift, all terrains, full exhaust, up pipe, Exedy clutch and ACT flywheel and a Cobb tune.  I wouldnt do anything else to it.  Its a beater, relatively rust free but every panel is dented.  Interior is mint.  I drive it and haul all sorts of stuff to keep the mileage and salt off my F250.    You definitely want a turbo Subaru.  The manual transmission nonturbos I drove were totally gutless, including an Impreza and a square body Forester.  I may send it down the road here in spring and look for a Forester, I wouldnt mind something with heated seats.  

I've slept in the back of my XC90, towed the ministock to the track, and brought a bedroom set home from Ikea, so a wagon/SUV does many fine things.

You can get a mazda5 with a manual transmission within your price range. Sorta van-y and wagon-y at the same time, and decent to drive. 

I'll go with Minivan, too.  They're great for camping, and a lot of them will swallow a 4x8 sheet of plywood no problem.  You should actually be able to get one in pretty nice shape under 5K.  Around here, older Siennas seem to run forever, and then there's always the usual Caravan/T&C, though I'd go cheaper on those, and budget for something expensive going wrong, just in case.  I'm a fan of 95-99 Subaru Legacy wagons (outback or not), but make sure the head gaskets are okay, or budget for replacing them.  Nice thing about them is it doesn't seem as hard to find one with a stick shift, if you want that.

Pickup trucks in the under 5K range can be a mixed bag.  At that price, just look for condition.

How about a regular cab, short bed, 2wd 2004 ranger? Absolutely no rust. Mine and heavily affiliated. 

Will said:

In reply to APEowner :

Because for what I want it for, a full sized truck offers me no advantages. I'm not hauling sheetrock or towing a boat.

Besides, full sized truck prices are deep in crack pipe territory where I live. Like $8k for a 15 year old 4.8 Silverado with 180k miles on it. No thanks.

Gotcha'.  I was thinking of something like the F-150 that Dylan C posted where the advantages would be low cost, simplicity and reliability.  With prices where they are in your area though that pretty much kills one of the advantages.

In reply to Dusterbd13 :

I appreciate the offer, and it sounds like a good choice, but I want to take some time to look around and see what's out there. 

Astro or Sienna AWD?

93gsxturbo said:

If I was to go Minivan I would suggest an AWD Astro/Safari.  They are great vehicles, the newest one is 15 or so years old though by now so you will end up getting a nice one from a southern state.  The best part is they are 100% parts bin so parts are cheap, they are super reliable and not too bad to work on, and they hit your price point.  They also look cooler than most car based vans, and you can crank the torsion keys and lift the back with some add-a-leafs or shackles and put some little 31" all terrains on it and it will look the business.  Also opens up the opportunity for an A-Team paint job.

BAD idea.  the astro AWD wasn't parts bin engineered in reality, it has alot of expensive one off parts that weren't shared with other GM products.  Yes they shared engine,trans and transfer case with the bravada, but not the wheel hubs which are a common failure point on the front and expensive to buy (relative to other hubs)

I do agree with the miniivan idea, but would suggest the older caravans (01-10) as they typically have the 3.3/3/8 V6 which is reliable by that point and the 4 speed automatic has had its kinks worked out.