A friend of mine asked for advice on a small to medium pickup truck. I wasn't sure exactly what to tell him, but I told him I knew a great place to ask. He's looking to spend between $10K and $12K, needs 4WD, and is looking for a I4 or V6 to get better mileage than the V8 he's got in his Tahoe now. He's wanting to cross half a million miles with it, so what's the most reliable 4WD pickup out there these days?
The only issue is a V6 small truck still sucks down gas at kind of a higher than wanted rate and the 4cyl with 4wd is a bit down on power.
I will say it is really hard to go wrong with any of the 3, if you want the most options with engines the ranger is the way to go.
500,000 miles? Given the choice of using any of the above to accomplish that feat, none of them sound fun. They'll all need at least one engine if not multiple, depending on the quality of the replacements, and I'd expect similar out of the tranmission, rear axle, hubs, transfer cases, etc. None of those vehicles are made to last 500k, especially with 4x4. Sure, 200k isn't too bad, but when you get up past 300k tons and tons of little stuff starts to go bad.
Are you sure about 500k? That sounds like an odd requirement, especially for a vehicle that needs 4x4 (which, if it NEEDS 4x4, sees a more abusive service life).
Bryce
I'm sure it's not a very hard requirement. He wants a dependable truck that will last a long time, and he's not above engine replacements if they've been earned.
Suzuki is leaving the US.
The Suzuki Equator is a re-badged Nissan Frontier.
Does this present an opportunity to get a great price?
I am not sure but it may warrant more investigation.
I'd be looking at a Tacoma...
dj06482 wrote: I'd be looking at a Tacoma...
Except for the frame rust issues, I would agree. Maybe if you get a clean one and waxoyl it periodically it would be fine.
I've been quite happy with my 86 Nissan hardbody. Just passed 356k miles, but noticed the odometer crapped out a couple of days ago. Its the original engine but has been rebuilt once and had two head gaskets. Its only 2wd with a 4 cyl. Same Nissan with 4wd is a until underpowered.
unevolved wrote: ...looking for a I4 or V6 to get better mileage than the V8 he's got in his Tahoe now...
This is a mistake these days, and has been for a good decade+. Those big V6's and small V8's produce tremendous gas mileage. Better than the 4's and V6's of earlier years.
My V6 T100 gets better gas mileage than my 4 cylinder 86 Toyota did.
My father-in-laws V8 Tundra gets better gas mileage than my V6 T100 does.
Ford and their ecoboost V8 F150 gets better gas mileage than all of them.
Eco boost V8 ?
V6 for 4x4. The price will be drastically reduced if he were to go with a mid to late 90s model outside the rust belt.
I'd like to drop an Ecoboost I4 in my Ranger or a Ecoboost V8 in my F150.
I've had a 2005 Tacoma since it was new. With the V6 and 4x4, I get 17 mpg on every thankful. It has been incredibly reliable over 80k miles (no surprise). I'd buy another if I ever have to.
I haven't looked lately, but I don't think he'll find one in that price range.
Frame rust was an issue on the earlier generations.
JtspellS wrote: 1. Tacoma 2. Frontier 3. Ranger
This
And on the used market there's the legendary Toyota 4runner/Hilux/Pickup, but you'll either have to buy one that's had work done on it, or do work on it yourself.
Thanks for the input, guys, I'll pass along the advice.
http://gainesville.craigslist.org/cto/3503554295.html
This popped up on the local CL..... Just sayin, rebuild the motor and go for it!
In reply to JohnRW1621:
Did not know that, I always wondered...
foxtrapper wrote:unevolved wrote: ...looking for a I4 or V6 to get better mileage than the V8 he's got in his Tahoe now...This is a mistake these days, and has been for a good decade+. Those big V6's and small V8's produce tremendous gas mileage. Better than the 4's and V6's of earlier years. My V6 T100 gets better gas mileage than my 4 cylinder 86 Toyota did. My father-in-laws V8 Tundra gets better gas mileage than my V6 T100 does. Ford and their ecoboost V8 F150 gets better gas mileage than all of them.
I had a hardbody that got over 30 mpg regularly with a 5 speed. I wouldn't guess 500K could be done without work, nor would I say it was comfy or roomy or fast or big, but it did get great mileage.
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