This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

breaksthenews wrote:
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.



Get a mid-70's Chevy C20 with a 350 engine, and have money left over for
gas. They are *very* reliable work trucks, and cheap to work on when
they break. The only reason I got rid of mine is it finally rusted
apart (I assume someone is still driving it anyway.) It got 15 MPG,
which is about the same as my 2001 Chevy half-ton that is /supposed/ to
get over 20.

Bob

On Jul 6, 2:12 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
breaksthenews wrote:
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.



I bought a 98 Mazada B2500 with 36K miles on it about 6-7 years ago.
It's the 2WD/Manual Transmission, 4 Cylinder, extended cab version,
and it's now got 175K+ miles on it.

It's been great, I've had to replace the shocks, a couple of the front
steering components, and 2 sets of tires, and that's about it. You
could probably find a late 90's now for your price range.

They are made in the same factory as the Rangers, and it's pretty much
the same truck.

M.

It's the same truck as the Ford ranger.

breaksthenews wrote:
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

The nice thing about pickups is they are (generally) built sturdier than
autos by the same maker. That is, don't judge pickups by the same
expectations you would have for a car. A ten-year old pickup is probably in
the same shape as a five-year old car. You should be okay with just about
any (assuming the usual cautions).

"breaksthenews" wrote in message
oups.com...
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.


For used vehicles, I think reliable is defined not so much by the vehicle as
by the kind of mechanic who works on your cars. If you get your work done by
the dealer, nobody important is familiar with the history of your car. The
service writer is a salesman, so he's not important to you. You have no
relationship with the mechanic. On the other hand, if you've got a good
independent shop where you can deal directly with the person who'll work on
your car. So, for example, when my 92 Taurus began to melt down in 2004, my
mechanic said "Yeah, I could fix it, but knowing the way you are, and
knowing the next 3 things that are likely to break, you should be looking
for a new car."

"breaksthenews" wrote in message
oups.com...
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Look for a single-owner F-150. Keep reading the classified ads where you
live. Some of these trucks were hardly ever used as trucks and have a lot
of service left in them.

I only mentioned Ford, because I owned two of them and they were both
excellent!

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

For used vehicles, I think reliable is defined not so much by the
vehicle as by the kind of mechanic who works on your cars. If you get
your work done by the dealer, nobody important is familiar with the
history of your car. The service writer is a salesman, so he's not
important to you. You have no relationship with the mechanic.

Hmm. I get my truck worked on by the dealership. Their computer keeps track
of every smidgen ("Replaced door weather-stripping"). This accomodates both
porus memories and porus borders.

"Charles" wrote in
:


"breaksthenews" wrote in message
oups.com...
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look
pretty good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Look for a single-owner F-150. Keep reading the classified ads where
you live. Some of these trucks were hardly ever used as trucks and
have a lot of service left in them.

I only mentioned Ford, because I owned two of them and they were both
excellent!




there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On Jul 6, 6:48 pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

For used vehicles, I think reliable is defined not so much by the
vehicle as by the kind of mechanic who works on your cars. If you get
your work done by the dealer, nobody important is familiar with the
history of your car. The service writer is a salesman, so he's not
important to you. You have no relationship with the mechanic.

Hmm. I get my truck worked on by the dealership. Their computer keeps track
of every smidgen ("Replaced door weather-stripping"). This accomodates both
porus memories and porus borders.

Between the 1980s and the mid 1990s we used to buy used Toyotas and
used them daily for a small business. We had had good satisfaction
and reliability in this harsh corrosive and long winter climate
climate. Although wiring was occasionally a problem. Then we bought a
brand new 1992 Toyota pick up and in a few years it became a
disappointment. Engine sensor etc. wiring problems. Strange because
other Toyotas (cars) owned by other family have been excellent.

In 1997W we bought a a used 1995 Nissan (30,000 miles), our first
extra cab pickup. Not much extra cab room but you could squeeze in a
couple of people and or children for a few mile trip and/or excellent
for keeping your tool boxes locked in the cab behind the two front
seats.

We also acquired a well used 1991 Nissan (plain cab) It was the best
vehicle, not only truck, that we have EVER owned.
Four cylinder, manual 2WD pickup. It had no extras whatsoever. No
power steering, one speed wipers, no radio, no fancy locks or electric
windows; further it had been manufactured in Japan and never had even
the few minor problems that the 1997 manufactured/assembled in the USA
has had. e.g. the wiper linkage broke! Economical, good load hauler
and simple to maintain. It's only concession to modernity was fuel
injection controlled by engine computer and a catalytic converter.

We were the fourth owner of the 91. A year later the third owner
wanted to buy it back again being dissatisfied with their brand new
vehicle! We wish we could buy that 1991 again! Maybe the Chinese or
the Koreans will eventually make a good simple cheap truck?

It finally rusted out in 2003 a with some 300,000 kilometres (about
200,000 miles) having cost us a total of less than $6000 to acquire
and do maintenance, spare winter wheels and tyres, which included a
new paint job when we got it, but not including insurance,
registration or insurance and operating costs. We used it for a small
business and for my son to drive daily to technical college for over
three years. We used it for about six years and then 'threw it away'
for an average cost of less than $80 per month.

The latest vehicle is a 2002 Nissan Frontier V6, a gas hog compared to
the 4 bangers and with more unnecessary gadgets and gizmos than
needed. It is also very low geared (for hot acceleration maybe?) Just
more to go wrong and affect the environment! Although very reliable;
the dealer is 'So-so'; one problem being they handle many brands. We
might buy Nissan but probably not this style truck, again.

We mention all this because one neighbour has and oldish 1993 or 95
GMC S-15 which has a 4.6? V6. It's gas consumption is about same as
our newer Nissan V6, he hardly ever drives it, so few repairs. Another
neighbour family has two full size GMC V8s both pretty new and seems
to spend a lot more on repairs than we ever do. Their two trucks are
used on road to and from work. Never for hauling on-site construction
materials or towing etc. But every few months they have to do work on
either the brakes or the front suspension/steering. Based on that we
would stay away from GMC/Chevrolet.

If the smaller pickup is OK buy a good used (and simple) Japanese
product.

Nissan and Toyota are now into newer bigger pickups (Titan etc.); not
familiar with them and while both reputed to be good IMHO still
somewhat unproven?

Our 2 cents.

there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

Never had one.

On Jul 6, 12:23 pm, breaksthenews wrote:
I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

My F150 is just about dead. took (2-3)00,000 miles to do so. was at
over (1-2)80k when i bought it.

for $400.00 took it to a good shop and had them do $800.00 of work on
it. then drove it for 5+years

Dad has only had F150 trucks while i've been alive. all went over 200k
before he sold them off.

my next truck will be another F150

You said small to midsize, but I'll second xzcvbob's recommendation on
a full size Chevy truck. A half ton might be closer to what you
want. Late 80's to mid 90's, 5.7L V8 (with throttle body injection -
no carb). There's not a whole lot to break, but if it does parts are
cheap. You can buy a new engine for $600.



On Jul 6, 1:23 pm, breaksthenews wrote:
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 16:23:18 -0400, "Charles"
wrote:

I only mentioned Ford, because I owned two of them and they were both
excellent!

Don't apologize about a Ford. Over 20 or so years I've owned five (5)
Broncos; dated, from '74 (302 and 351W engines).

My '94 Bronco has 132K on the meter - original owner!

--
Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:28:15 -0700, Tater wrote:

my next truck will be another F150

No 350 dually?

--
Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."

On Fri, 6 Jul 2007 18:15:00 -0400, "Charles"
wrote:



there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

Never had one.


Me either. My '94 Bronco did have a recall for the cruise control.
Apparently, a fire could start even without the engine running. We
were advised to not even park near/close to the home - like in a
garage. They disconnected the wire and had no solution at the time. I
still have to take her in for the fix, at no cost..


--
Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."

terry wrote:
....

neighbour family has two full size GMC V8s both pretty new and seems
to spend a lot more on repairs than we ever do. Their two trucks are
used on road to and from work. Never for hauling on-site construction
materials or towing etc. But every few months they have to do work on
either the brakes or the front suspension/steering. Based on that we
would stay away from GMC/Chevrolet.
....

Have multiple Chevy C15/20's which _do_ get used for heavy farm work and
driven on nothing but gravel roads -- need brake job on the '98 sometime
in the foreseeable future, but that will be the first. '99 not yet.
Other than an alignment once on the 4x4, nothing needed done on the
front end (or anything else, for that matter). Had nothing _but_ Chevy
trucks since granddad got the first motorized truck on the place (a '28
wooden spoke wheel little flat bed that I learned to drive in in the
mid-50's) and not one has ever been a maintenance hog. And, we work the
snot out of 'em. Only moderately unsatisfactory one was the mid-70s
body style that was so prone to rust-out.

Everybody has their preferences, of course, but I certainly can say
our/my experience w/ GM is topnotch. Probably more farm pickups out
here are now Dodge than GM, but the oil patch folks are Chevy/Ford, I'd
guess in that order but they buy in fleet-buy bid purchases, not as
individuals.

--


--

"Mike" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Jul 6, 2:12 pm, zxcvbob wrote:
breaksthenews wrote:
This isn't quite a home repair question, but it is related. Plus, I
knew I could count on the collective wisdom of this group.

I am looking to buy a small to medium used pick-up truck between now
and next May. I've only got about $3,000 to $4,000 to spend, but I'm
hoping to squeeze about five good years out of this truck until I can
get a good full-time job.

I've heard Toyota Tacomas are good trucks, but those seem kind of
expensive, even in the 1996-1997 model years. Ford Rangers look pretty
good, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Any advice would be much appreciated.



I bought a 98 Mazada B2500 with 36K miles on it about 6-7 years ago.
It's the 2WD/Manual Transmission, 4 Cylinder, extended cab version,
and it's now got 175K+ miles on it.

It's been great, I've had to replace the shocks, a couple of the front
steering components, and 2 sets of tires, and that's about it. You
could probably find a late 90's now for your price range.

They are made in the same factory as the Rangers, and it's pretty much
the same truck.

M.

It's the same truck as the Ford ranger.


I also had a Mazda with long bed for over 20 years - was super reliable but
no power.

"Charles" wrote in news:v5-
:



there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

Never had one.




several people have lost their homes when their F-150 ignited in their
garages. there was a big recall for a bad cruise control switch.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

On Jul 6, 6:10 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:28:15 -0700, Tater wrote:
my next truck will be another F150

No 350 dually?

nah, I dont need that much truck. Wish I could get the straight six in
a F150 again. damm engines were a real good match

"Bob" wrote in
:


"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
...
"Charles" wrote in news:v5-
:



there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

Never had one.




several people have lost their homes when their F-150 ignited in
their
garages. there was a big recall for a bad cruise control switch.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Quite a statement - "several people"?

Please tell me where I can verify this.

Frankly, I think you are full of BS.

Bob-tx




http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ords_suit.html
http://www.rvappraisals.com/ford-fires.htm
http://www.wesh.com/news/4419420/detail.html
http://www.vehicle-injuries.com/ford-150-fire.htm
http://www.fordfires.com/ford_cruise...res/index.html
http://www.kerrysteigerwalt.com/publ...aragefire.html
http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.2/aid.77582/column.htm
http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=179&did=1133


That enough?
there's more if you really want,or you can Google them yourself.

where have you been,in a cave or somewhere where there's no news?

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Bob wrote:
"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
...
"Charles" wrote in news:v5-
:


there's been a lot of F-150 fires....
Never had one.



several people have lost their homes when their F-150 ignited in
their
garages. there was a big recall for a bad cruise control switch.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Quite a statement - "several people"?

Please tell me where I can verify this.

Frankly, I think you are full of BS.

Bob-tx


Make : FORD Model : F150 Year : 1995
Manufacturer : FORD MOTOR COMPANY
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 05V388000 Mfr's Report Date : SEP 07, 2005
Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 3800000

This from a search at NHTSA. Don't know how many actually had house
fires in addition to vehicle fires and NTHSA doesn't report the numbers
of actual incidents in these summary reports (but I presume you can
probably find that data if you care to look/ask), but I do remember the
story on the news when a couple of years ago...

--

"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
...

http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=179&did=1133



Interesting article. Among other things, it reveals a reason why one or more
designers should be taken to a dark alley for a Sopranos-style beating:

A Ford spokeswoman said that without the F-150, there's no way of knowing
whether the switch was responsible. "It is critical to investigate the fire
scene before responsibly reaching a conclusion about the cause and origin of
the fire," said Kristen Kinley of Ford.

Excuse me? Why would a cruise control switch have power going to it when
the vehicle is shut off?

"Jim Yanik" wrote in message
...
"Charles" wrote in news:v5-
:



there's been a lot of F-150 fires....

Never had one.




several people have lost their homes when their F-150 ignited in
their
garages. there was a big recall for a bad cruise control switch.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Quite a statement - "several people"?

Please tell me where I can verify this.

Frankly, I think you are full of BS.

Bob-tx

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 20:53:36 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

Excuse me? Why would a cruise control switch have power going to it when
the vehicle is shut off?

I ask myself this exact question. Oren, why are they doing this and
telling me not to park near or in the garage? A fire may start!!?

With the engine OFF..

Search recall for a 1994 Eddie Bauer Bronco cruise control.

The work is under the hood....!


--
Oren

...through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 15:26:38 -0600, "Bob"
wrote:

Please tell me where I can verify this.

Start with your government:

http://www.recalls.gov/


--
Oren

...through the use of electrical or duct tape, achieve the configuration in the photo..

Jim Yanik wrote:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ords_suit.html
http://www.rvappraisals.com/ford-fires.htm
http://www.wesh.com/news/4419420/detail.html
http://www.vehicle-injuries.com/ford-150-fire.htm
http://www.fordfires.com/ford_cruise...res/index.html
http://www.kerrysteigerwalt.com/publ...aragefire.html
http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.2/aid.77582/column.htm
http://www.autosafety.org/article.php?scid=179&did=1133


That enough?
there's more if you really want,or you can Google them yourself.

where have you been,in a cave or somewhere where there's no news?

Wow! Do you think my Pinto's safe?