jonzer12 Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 hey guys, I am looking to buy a fullsize or midsize pickup. I have only ever owned sports cars with the exception of my old cherokee. Anyone have advice, I have 20k canadian to play with am not too picky. What I am looking for is a RELIABLE 4x4 that will see very light duty and the occasional trip off road in the summer to fish and hike and such. It will become my daily driver as I need a pickup for work use. I am just interested in what u all are driving truck wise and what is considered a good buy, especially you fellow canadians. Thanks, Jonesy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsunlover Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Heh.. well, this may sound strange seeing as I just posted a "help!" thread about my Nissan 4x4.. mind you, it's a 93 w/270K on it. Hard K's in the Canadian climate. And I'm only into it for $2000. Personally, if I had $20k to 'play' with, I'd be looking at a nissan Frontier 4X4.. for that kind of $$ you can probly get into a 2000 - 02... Full size, I'm not sure on pricing, but I'd go for a Dodge myself.. I should add that my 'other' truck was great and very reliable. Also a 93 king cab, but just 2 wheel drive/auto. 3 years with it and no major issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruxGNZ Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Well, my '02 Chevy S-10 Crew Cab has been pretty good to me. I work in construction (build houses) and there has only been two times that I couldn't fit anything in the short-short bed, a 40 foot ladder and a 18' piece of 5/4 X 6 RS Cedar. Almost everything can get delivered for free nowdays, so I don't fret. I can fit a 4' X 8' sheet in the back though. In the last 45 thousand miles, my S-10 hasn't given me to much grief to be worried about long term. Just thought I would add my thoughts, because I know you guys have these Crew Cabs up north too. Although I'm a bit partial to an S-10, because I owned a custom '82 with a SBC swap, these are still pretty good mid-size trucks. !M! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I know everyone's experience is different, but my brother and best friend have both just sworn off Dodge/Chrysler trucks. Both had expensive drivetrain problems at low miles. My buddy goes in for the ball joint recall in the near future. I have an older Tacoma. Toyotas have been good to me. The Toyota got upsized to almost full sized status this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I'm a Chevy man... My last GMC Full size stepside Lowrider had 270K+ miles on it when I traded it in on my 98 Chevy 4X4 Silverado/ Z71. They last, and I'm hard on my vehicles! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 2000 Ford F350 V10 with 80,000+ miles and am very happy with the truck. With a camper on the back and a 26' enclosed race trailer I'm 18,500 lbs going down the road at least once every month since I've owned it. No problems with it at all. Some of the V10s and the 5.4L V8s have thrown spark plugs out the heads but I haven't experienced that problem. Ford auto transmissions last about 100K and I expect to replace mine around then. With a Banks Power Pack kit on the truck I get 16mpg highway and 12mpg around town empty and 10mpg highway and 9mpg around town with the cmaper and the race trailer on regualr gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 Well I've had a GMC Sierra 1500 5.3 for about 7000 miles now and I love it. So far, the only complaint was a squeaky door panel. Fires right up on cold mornings, tons of power, shifts good, brakes are great, especially compared to the older front disk rear drum setup on the older trucks. I also have a 93 Toyota P/U that has been to hell and back. It was my first autocrosser and has some interesting suspension under it (I never placed out of the top third in the field). This vehicle has held up wonderfully in every respect except the engine. First problem was the timing chain. I replaced it at 60K because it was loose, then it broke the 2nd chain after about 40K more miles. My sis-in-law drove it for a while and a piece of the timing chain guide broke off and got into the oil pump and it lost oil pressure. The whole front of the motor was replaced, but now it was getting loud. Started pinging on hills and burning lots of oil, so I replaced the engine with the cheapest engine I could get. That was a bad idea. The valve seats on #3 fell out of the head, and the #3 intake valve guide was only finger tight in the head. So I replaced the head again. Now it runs OK, but still not what she once was. A lot of the problems I've had with my Toy came from trying to race the thing, and despite the engine troubles the rest of the truck has been flawless. Sadly, every one of my friends with a 3.0 4Runner has had the dreaded headgasket failure, and I understand Toyota no longer covers those under warranty. I've been told by various people that the newer 3.3 or 3.5 (can't remember which it is) also has head gasket issues, but all I can say for sure is that all of my friends and relatives have the 3.0 and every one of them has had problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonzer12 Posted December 21, 2004 Author Share Posted December 21, 2004 Thanks guys keep them coming. I went to see my cousin who is a toyota salesman, man I fell in love with the 05 tacoma, 4 door v6, 6 spd. To bad I can't afford it. I am beginning to consider a 3 or 4 year old F150. So far they seem to have the most comfortable interior of all the trucks I have driven and they also seem reasonably priced. I can also swing a brand new 4cyl 4x4 colorado. Anyone have experience with these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 KNowing what I know now about GMC/Chevy and the NEW 5.3, I'd have opted for the newer powerplant, since it is a LOT more like th Vette setup... The 2001-2002 model is making 320-ish HP with excellent torque and GREAT gas mileage... I was being cheap when I bought my 98, and I love it because of the 3rd door and 4X4, but would have bought more truck had I known then what I know now. I paid $12000 for my 98 with 90K miles on it, loaded with Western step rails and a GM bedliner. Could have bought a 2001 with half the miles for about $17-20K. Love my truck... But the new GMC/ Chevy R-O-C-K-S! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 I am beginning to consider a 3 or 4 year old F150. I would stay away from an older F150 based on a couple friend's experiences. They both have to replace brakes (pads and rotors) every 20K but they do tow about 7,000 lbs every few weeks. If you're buying used, stepping up to a F250SD or a Chevy/GMC 2500 HD or any of the real 3/4 ton trucks will get you a much stronger chassis with better brakes. The new Ford F150, Dodge 1500, and Chevy/GMC 1500s are supposed to have very good chassis and brakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKDGabe Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Well, it's not light duty but I love my F250 with the 7.3 powerstroke. 425 Lb. Ft. of torque bone stock... a chip will get another 100 and propane another 100! Don't have either yet, I'm just happy it likes the free grease I feed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 Well from working in a Dodge dealership for the last 2 years I can tell you that if your looking into a midsize truck then get a Dakota with the 4.7L. That engine is pretty much bullet proof and the trannys(45RFE) that go behind them. Unlink the Caravan trannys! The new Dakota with the 4.7 liter HO is putting out about 250HP & over 300FT-TQ! Which makes its towing capacity 7000 lbs. Not too bad for a mid-size truck. However if you going to buy new just get a HEMI Ram 1500 over the new Dakota. The Ram "only" costs about $3500 more and you get a much bigger/roomier truck. The HEMI's are also proving to be a great engine. We havent had any issues with the 5.7L Hemi or the (545RFE) tranny's, unlike the old Ram trannys. The only really problems with the Dakotas and Rams are the crappy emissions systems. They set codes for emissions leaks and that can get annoying but other than that nothing major. As for the ball joints on the Dakota/Durangos, its not like they fail over night......these things WILL clunk when they get loose or if they dry out they creek over bumps. These people who had their "wheels fall off" are just stupid cheap a$$es who didnt want to pay to get their trucks fixed! Sorry ball joints dont last for ever(sorry had to vent a little there!LOL) Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 They ought to last a little longer than 30,000 miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest socket_toomee Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I don't know if you guys have them, but we just bought an 04 Mitsubishi Triton 4 door ute, and it's an absolute ball tearer. Nice smooth gearshifts and it has a great tray that holds tons of stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonzer12 Posted December 23, 2004 Author Share Posted December 23, 2004 The more time I spend looking at trucks the more I feel like buying new. I only have 20k so I would need a decent loan however. It just seems like the latest model trucks are lightyears above their previous models. So far I have it narrowed down to an 04 colorado 4 door 4x4 or an 05 tacoma 4 door 4x4. I prefer the toyota but they are overpriced and its hard to compare toyota's 5.9% financing with chevy's 0%. Unfortunately I have spent my entire life trashing GM products becuase my closest friends are gm employees. On a side note I drove both the 4 cyl and 5cyl versions of the colorado and I was extremely impressed with chev's new 4. Most 4 banger trucks I have driven have been absolute dogs but this motor felt great! If you do not frequent the highway it felt just as capable in town as the inline 5. I still always opt for the larger engine, I thought I would share this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted December 23, 2004 Share Posted December 23, 2004 I've got an 01 Dodge/Cummins for my daily driver. 21-22mpg, no problems in 150K miles, and it pulls my car and enclosed trailer like a bandit. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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