Tell me about small pickups

[trickyrix]

I'm kicking around the idea of getting a li'l pickup truck to haul around stuff and things. The other day I passed a pretty clean 80s-era Mazda B2000 for $1600 - super-sweet gold with brown accent stripes. My uncle used to always keep one in his fleet, along with a GLC, a 626, and the odd rotary wagon. Can I assume that they're about as bulletproof as a Miata as long as they've been reasonably cared for? They're a heck of a lot cheaper than a comparable Toyota.

Here's the list of trucks under consideration (besides the Mazda):
1) A Jeep Comanche with the 4.0L straight six (preferably with a stick shift).
2) A Ford Ranger with the 2.9/4.0L V6 (pref. stick shift).
3) A Datsun/Nissan (Hardbody or not, pref. 4-cyl/stick shift).
4) A Toyota (V6 or 4, pref. stick shift).

I can't explain why I kicked out the Nissan V6, but my grandfather had really good luck with the little twin-plug 4-banger in his old 4X4 Datsun. I don't know much about any of these motors save for the Jeep and Ford sixes. As for the Jeep, I know the 4.0L motor is hard to kill, and it runs like a champ. Same experience with the fuel-injected 2.9/4.0 Ford six. Toyotas are Toyotas - I guess you can't go wrong with one, but it's not exactly a TCB entry price.

I'd love to find a nice Comanche Eliminator, but I'm probably just dreaming...

[motorollow]

The 1991 Ford Ranger XLT 4.0L (automatic) I had wasn't too bad. It got 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway (18 combined mpg). The 3.0L V6 doesn't get any better gas mileage than the 4.0L V6. Most of the ones for sale cheap have 140K+ miles on them (kind of like Miatas!).

I had issues with the 4.0L engine overheating in the summer even after replacing the radiator, fan clutch, thermostat, hoses and water pump. The 4.0 is a lot of engine to put in such a small truck. I was thinking about putting in electric fans when the Cash for Clunkers deal came up.

[goofygrin]

The 3.0l Ranger engine is a piece of crap (I had one). Avoid it.

I've been kicking around the same idea. I wish we could legally register the Japanese mini trucks here. Fuel efficient, small, has ac and heat, 1000# cargo capacity.

Ideally I could find a small nissan or toyota diesel pickup, but those are pretty rare.

[creek]

The Jeep 4.0 is a hellastrong motor but they get horrible gas mileage. As for the Mazda get an '85 or later. The pre 85 motors had head gasket issues. They burnt through every 60k or so and usually took the aluminum head out. The Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi minis all had good reps. The Mitsubishi (Dodge Ram 50, etc.) actually had a spec racing series and are favorites of the slammed mini crowd. They are getting hard to find now.

My 84 B2000 was a great truck and got 31 to 35 mpg. I had to replace the head at 60k and 124k. It was still going strong at 160k when I sold it to a guy that was exporting mini pickups to Africa.

[Radio-Active]

When I purchased my 99 Nissan Frontier with a 4 cylinder, my decision was based on the fact that the V6 had a timing belt and the I4 had a timing chain. I have 164K on my truck and it is still running strong with no problems.

My 82 Chevy Luv Diesel had 285K when I sold it. All I ever had to do to it was take the head off once to get a piece of a glow plug out of the cylinder. I drove it hard and still got 35mpg.

[jrj512]

I love having a Lowes Depot truck around, but unfortunately, it's also my daily driver right now. Ironically, we took the Miata to Home Depot last night.

I have a 1999 Ranger regular cab with a 3.0 and manual tranny. 150K, like all of my cars right now. I like it and I would buy another.

I really need to invest in a new daily driver. Too bad the will get it while I use her old Civic.

[goofygrin]

^ I had a 98 Ranger extended cab with the 3.0, stick. It got poor mpg, ate power steering pumps every 30,000 miles, needed ac recharges on the same schedule, had interior issues after 40k, ate tires, etc. It was a fun truck with a flowmaster, but I'd never own another one.

A buddy's older ranger 4x4 lasted 200k+ with oil, gas and tires though. He had the 4l IIRC.

[jrj512]

^ I once had a Mitsubishi that sucked ass, too.

[CobaltFire]

What, exactly, do you need the 6-Cyl for? The 2.3l in the Ranger's is damned near impossible to kill, as is the 2.5l.

Honestly, for a work truck the 6-Cyl engines are a little much (in the small trucks). I say this because if you need to tow, the mini-trucks are typically too undersized to be really safe/usefull. My father has a 4.0l Ranger Extended Cab 2WD that he used to tow with, but it just was not up to the task of regularly towing anything. Now it is his wife's DD and he uses a F-250 PowerStroke to tow with.

That said, I have a Ford Escape (2007 3.0 4x4) that I used to tow a 5,000 lb enclosed trailer from California to here twice (back empty once). It did fine, but it was pushing the limits of the engine/chassis.

[Robert]

I had a 94 S10 V6 auto. I liked it a lot handled great for a pickup had a lot of power and was the first "car" I autocrossed. Only problem I had was the EGR passage got pluged once. Sold it at 100,000 mi.

[Version3]

Had a '91 Nissan hardbody p/u that I took from about 25k miles to somewhere in the 90k range before it was stolen. I did pretty much everything I could make the 4 cyl do, and was bad with maint while I was doing it. It still had zero problems, and the person(s) who stole it probably got all the way to Mexico with zero problems as well.

I had advertised it for sale (was ready to buy something new again) and I only owed 2 payments on it. Anyway, my girlfriend (now wife) and I drove to work together in out other car everyday. I put up fliers about the truck and such. So, we were home at lunch one day, and just noticed the truck was gone. No clue if it was that day, the night before, or when. Called the PD, apt management, finance company to be sure. I couldn't believe it was stolen. It's one of those that I often wish I still had because it was just a solid little basic truck. Had I not advertised it for sale, who knows.

[HudsonHawk]

My wifes Toyota no-frills hi-lux pickup with the 4 banger and stick ran for 13 years with zero mechanical problems. Just routine maintenance. It finally met its match in an unfortunate encounter with 2 concrete barriers during an ice storm when she spun out. She was able to drive it home after the accident even though the frame was bent and the front end was smooshed (totaled by the insurance company).

[motorollow]

I will someday inherit my parents' 1982 El Camino. Comfort and light hauling all in one vehicle!

[jrj512]

What, exactly, do you need the 6-Cyl for? The 2.3l in the Ranger's is damned near impossible to kill, as is the 2.5l.

I was actually searching for a 4-pot and my truck was advertized by the used car dealer as such. So, I just happened to get a six.

Now that I have it, I am not sure that a 4-cyl could haul my AX load as well as the 6-cyl.

[CobaltFire]

Looks like you have that thing pretty loaded!

True, the 4-Cyl might not pull it as well, but it will pull it. It would also be cheaper to run/insure/buy.

Just my opinion. I chose to buy my Escape because I realized that the towing capacity coupled with a cheap trailer gives me the best of all worlds. Seating for 5, enclosed cargo capacity, decent fuel mileage/ride/handling, but I can still grab a trailer and haul 2 tons or more with no issues.

[trickyrix]

I will someday inherit my parents' 1982 El Camino. Comfort and light hauling all in one vehicle!

I probably should've added that to my list too... I like me an El Camino...

As for the "6 vs 4" question, it's not a matter of need as much as familiarity with the motors. Yes, they'll probably get crappy mileage, but this truck isn't going to be a DD.

The 3.0l Ranger engine is a piece of crap (I had one). Avoid it.!

Yep, that's the POS Vulcan V6, not the stouter German V6 that started out way back when in the Capri as a 2.8.

[POS Racing]

I probably should've added that to my list too... I like me an El Camino...

Or an early Ranchero!

[CobaltFire]

Yep, that's the POS Vulcan V6, not the stouter German V6 that started out way back when in the Capri as a 2.8.

Also known as the "Cologne" V6. A nice little motor. Major difference in the Ranger 4.0l guise is the SOHC setup with timing chains, compared to the original pushrods.

[cam76034]

Wish I had my dad's old 68 Camino. Unless you plan on driving 10K + miles a year, it shouldn't matter if it gets 11mpg.

[altiain]

If it were me, I'd find the nicest '80s or newer Toyota 4x4 in my budget and just drive it until the end of the world.

95% of third world armies and terrorists can't all be wrong, can they?