If You Had to Buy a Truck as a Second Vehicle

I foolishly sold my 2001 Sierra 1500 last year since my house needed some expensive repairs. The market was wild then and it still appears to be wild. I bought that truck in 2016 for $6000..... I sold it last year for $6000. Truck served me well and paid for itself. It's amazing what a few years does with these trucks. Since 2016 these GMT800s either increased in value immensely or completely rotted away (rust belt).

I don't have a desire to daily commute in a truck. However, I always had and always will want an older truck as a second vehicle for various projects and it is nice to have a 2nd vehicle when the primary vehicle decides not to start one morning (doesn't happen often but it has happened).

Living in the rust belt of CT, cheap and dependable are almost non-existent these days. I may need to extend my search area. 

I don't particularly need 4wd. My Subaru gets by just fine. I don't need an extended cab.... however, if I decide on a smaller truck like a Ranger or S10 then the extended cab would be nice.

When it comes to these types of questions, I feel most people just speak on the drivetrain to gauge dependability. That is of course important but people forget to speak on the items that will most likely bite you. Things like having to replace a heater core, intake manifold gaskets, blender door motors etc. For example, my father also owned a GMT800 (Yukon). His heater core went out and that was a BIG and expensive job. Other manufacturers made it easier to replace the heater core.

Based on my searches, vehicles that come to mind are one of the Big 3 fullsize 2wd V6 trucks, Rangers, S10s, Dakotas and Frontiers. 

If you needed a spare vehicle (truck) in either the compact category or 1/2 ton category for under $10k (hurts to say but the $3-4k days are over for something somewhat dependable) which would you purchase?

2wd v6 auto Nissan Frontier 

jimbob_racing said:

2wd v6 auto Nissan Frontier 

Clicked on it to say the same thing. You can find then in a long bed if you look for awhile. The turning radius on the longbed sucks though. 

https://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/cto/d/katonah-1996-chevrolet-1500-pick-up/7700864178.html

Something like this. 

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/d/fairfield-2005-dodge-dakota-148k-slt-37l/7700693281.html

Or this.

https://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/d/webster-1999-wheel-drive/7700593690.html

Or this.

Whatever you find acceptable for your price point. No way would I buy a Nissan anything from recent years, but an old school 4cyl hardbody..... drool

Depends on how much work you want to do and your skill level, you could take advantage of the salt life to get a good deal. 

As an example, you could get an early to lid teens GM with bad cross members in the rear. Most people will give up on it at that point and dump It cheap without realizing it's common enough that repair parts are readily available (see pic below)

If you have some time and can weld, you could end up with a deal, especially for a second vehicle. As an example my friend had a 2013 GMC suffering from the shock mount failing due to rust. The truck has only 90k miles, so plenty of life left if one is willing to make the repair. 
 

I agree with your premise, we've done the old truck as a spare vehicle for several years. As my GMT400 has aged, I've been looking at replacements, mostly GMT800 and 900. Another option that would come up for sale occasionally is a single cab V6 F150 with a manual transmission. Because they're less desirable as a primary vehicle, newer ones were comparatively cheap, and the 3.7 engines made comparable power to older v8s.

One day's drive south... southern VA/NC.

you will be surprised how much further your truck-buying dollar will go.  The rust is only the most obvious of the wear-and-tear issues that northern vehicles suffer. Connecticut owes me a pickup...but that's another story.

In reply to bludroptop :

I agree. The little "inconvenience" of having to travel buys you literally years of extra time and money of not having to do rust repair on a rust belt jalopy.

Been there done that. I have welded in cab mounts on the Sierra I had with my father. Not something I wish to do again. 
 

My in-laws do live in Myrtle Beach. Could spend some time with them and come back with a truck.

I agree on going south, also if you are patient there are usually trucks up here that someone already went south to get. If going south have someone you trust do a PPI. I have done 4 fly and drives for southern vehicles and got burnt on one (3 were totally great and made the pain on #4 more tolerable). 
IMO you can't beat GMT400. There is just so much support for parts and knowledge base. I went from 400 to 900 and I am ready to go back, they are less capable and have less creature comfort than the newer trucks but if you are driving as a second vehicle that doesn't seem as important. 

I have a crew cab V6 Nissan Frontier as my daily driver and have no complaints. Similar in a lot of ways to a Tacoma but without the Toyota Tax. 

I found that the Frontier gets rusty fast up here.  Not even necessarily body or frame rust (although they still rust), but everything else - power steering lines, oil cooler lines, brake lines, battery tray.  The one I had just constantly had something failing because of rust.

I had a Ranger (Mazda B4000) that I found at a used lot.  Not sure how long it had been in PA, but there was zero rust.  It was a 94 with low miles.  I drove it through three winters and it still had zero rust.  Aside from age causing it to need parts here and there, it was a rock solid choice.

The S-trucks (mostly blazers) that mom had seemed to hold up well, but did rust easily.  

I'm sure you've read up on the factory rust recall on Toyotas.  They would replace the whole frame.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  Either you get a frame that will rust away soon, or you get a truck that has had major surgery by JimBob in a service bay at the dealer... and will rust again soon.

They'll all rust.  F150s tend to rust the frame right behind the front suspension where it dips down to go under the cab, but it's usually not too bad.  The rockers will rust as well, and the passenger side exhaust manifold will pop a bolt and leak.

I honestly haven't had much luck with newer GMs.  Dad has an 08 Dmax dually that only has 60k on it and it's a constant nightmare.  Bad wiring, fried TCM, fried ECM, and even though it's only used for long-trip towing, constant DPF problems.  Mom's '20 Acadia has 50k on it and it has lost two of the cameras, and the transmission is slipping and banging.  They might be isolated incidents, but they're not pleasing me much.  My 06 Express has been pretty bulletproof aside from a busted evap valve on the tank.  From my tiny perspective of 3 or 4 GMs, I would say 06 seems to be the cutoff.

I think if I were buying a truck that just needed to do truck things, I might consider another F150 or Ranger.  I have all but written off Toyotas at this point.  Every time I shop for one, you either pay twice as much for the same mileage, or you have to accept double the mileage to get it at the same price as something domestic.  I would consider a Frontier but keep an eye on rusty underhood parts.  I would also consider another S-truck.  If the bed rots, I would just whip up a flatbed for it.  The two Dodge trucks (one Ram 1500 and one Dakota) I had were just awful in every way.  I detested everything about them.  Cheap materials, terrible assembly quality, weak transmissions, and ergonomically hideous.  I know I probably just pissed off some people by saying that, but I stand by my opinion.  I wouldn't sit in one with someone else's ass.

Don't overlook vans, too.  I have over 12' from the doghouse to the rear doors, and it's dry and lockable.  They also tend to sell cheaper than trucks.  Conversion vans are often a good deal.  Find one with an old crusty interior.  It will tank its value, but it's stuff you'll likely toss in the bin anyway.  My Express is basically a Silverado 1500 with a 400 cu ft bed.

NY Nick said:

I agree on going south, also if you are patient there are usually trucks up here that someone already went south to get. If going south have someone you trust do a PPI. I have done 4 fly and drives for southern vehicles and got burnt on one (3 were totally great and made the pain on #4 more tolerable). 
IMO you can't beat GMT400. There is just so much support for parts and knowledge base. I went from 400 to 900 and I am ready to go back, they are less capable and have less creature comfort than the newer trucks but if you are driving as a second vehicle that doesn't seem as important. 

This ^^^

GMT400 if you can find one that isn't swiss cheese.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

Good point about vans. As mentioned in my original post I owned a Ford Econoline 1997 first year of the Triton 5.4... all I did were the consumables. Never blew out a spark plug. However up here by this point these vans have been hammered and racked up a lotttt of miles in comparison to trucks. The Econoline I had was the extended version and used by a carpet business so the inside was immaculate (in comparison to a carpenter's or plumber's van).

Lol on the comments on your experience with Chrysler/Dodge. I never owned a Chrysler product but I was considering a Dodge since I never owned one... so why not try something new. My father absolutely hates Chrysler products which is funny because the 4 Chrysler minivans my mother owned were all stout.... not even any transmission issues.
 

As a kid I was in love with the 1994 restyle of their trucks. My uncle owned his own electrician business and always had B series vans with the magnum engines. Can't recall him having major issues. I know their 46RE are known to be crap.... but so is the GM 4L60e and 700r4 which I never had an issue with the Sierra and C10 I owned. Their dashboards literally disintegrate. The newer 3.7 V6 from what I gather is quite stout. 4.7 seems iffy. Early Hemi before MDS sound OK. 

An easy step-by-step guide for getting a good deal on a used truck in the Northeast:

1. Drive to your nearest airport
2. Ask for a ticket to Atlanta. Don't worry about timing, as there's a flight to Atlanta every 20 minutes from every airport.
3. Fly to Atlanta
4. Get off the plane and open Facebook Marketplace
5. Choose a cheap rust-free truck
6. Drive it home

Stuff just doesn't rust down here. At all. Like, "remove the bed bolts on your 30-year-old pickup truck with a 3/8 ratchet and no penetrating oil" doesn't rust.

One example from a search for "southern truck" here in Michigan....Marketplace - 2003 Nissan desert runner 2 wheel drive | Facebook ,and only $2500. If it is rust free, then the inconvenience of replacing the front fascia would be worth the hassle.

I have mentioned them many times before such as threads like this one....Fastenal Trucks.  

They violate the Curtis Rule in that they are all Rams/Chrysler.  But, they are relatively new.  Of their current listing I would direct you to page 64 of their listing.  2018 w/43k asking $17.8k in MD, right near BWI, Baltimore Airport for easy flight.  https://vehicles.fastenal.com/

Sure, more expensive than you want but also far newer and less miles in exchange.  

Single Cab, 2wd, 5.7L white with previous graphics removed.  

More Fastenal truck chatter

In reply to John Welsh :

Haaa.... the Curtis Rule.

Keep in mind, the Curtis Rule only applies to Curtis.  I'm sure some weirdos out there actually like Ram trucks.

Also, Gary... John Welsh has enabled my past two purchases, and he's the one who found my Express Van in NC.  Trust him.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Or just weld some Sched 40 pipe to the frame.  Instant bumper.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

I like that.  In the body of the ad it is priced at $4k.  My guess is that north of Grand Rapids, MI in this time of year, a 2wd is a tough sell.  

In reply to Gary8878 :

But you can often find conversion vans that were only used for a few family trips each year.

$2500 with 125k

$5200 with 118k AND a wheelchair lift for loading heavy stuff.

In reply to John Welsh :

30min north of GR

Do you need a full sized truck?  I bought my wife's Uncle's 1990 C-10, high end trim level, 350 etc.   And also living in the rust belt, it started going fast after a few years.  (came from north Georgia).  Sold it because of rust and, well, how much truck do you need to get a 190 lb body to and from work? 

I bought a Nissan Frontier, v-6 with 4WD and a six speed stick.  I like it, but it too is headed south; next year or the one after it probably won't pass its annual inspection due to frame rust.

I've been leering at Ridgelines, Canyons and Colorados.  No Rangers.  It's disappointing that the "mid-sized trucks" are as big as the 1990 C-10 !!

Good luck and I'm following closely.

Dan

In reply to 914Driver :

Don't need a fullsize truck. How I look at it though is the point of the truck for me is to haul *stuff* when needed..... not people. To me a fullsize truck (6.5 or 8 foot bed) offers the best bang for your buck in that regard. When I had the Sierra, it was very nice for those (not often but a few) times when I needed to haul drywall, full sheet(s) of plywood, a motorcycle ramp lift etc. Not that a compact truck can't do it but it is a compromise. Not a big compromise but nonetheless a compromise. 
 

With that said I would not pass up on a clean local compact truck for the right price.

A few local examples I found. Going to sit back and watch. Wait until after the holidays/new year and start initiating contact:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/272964782147636/      What appears to be a nice GMT400 RCSB v6

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1407533383162360/    Looks like a clean 3rd Gen Dodge. Probably a 3.7 V6. Seller upfront about it needing balljoints and a headlight in the ad

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/924958392381245/     Also a clean looking 3rd Gen Ram. Albeit higher miles and it appears to have the Hemi badge on the fender. Is 2005 before the MDS?

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/6777008132397519/   Older 2nd gen Ram but looks to be pretty darn clean. Extended cab not needed but it is a nice bonus.