What would you buy?
 

Here is my 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.9L...

Engine: AEM Brute Force air intake, Holley 52mm Throttle Body, M1 Intake (extrude honed), Edelbrock Aluminum Heads, 1.6 Roller Rockers, Magnum lifters, NASCAR COMP Hardened Pushrods, ARP studs, KRC 210x cam, Double roller timing chain, Thorley Ceramic Coated Headers, Kolak 3” Exhaust with large case Magnaflow muffler, Custom ECU flash from Tom at Positive Performance, Kolak Ignition Upgrade, New Water Pump, Both Oxygen Sensors replaced, E-Fan

Suspension: New UpCountry Springs, Addco military (frontsway), JKS Quick Sway disconnects, Hellwig (rearsway), Edelbrock IAS shocks.

Transmission: Custom Built from the FastMan

I am now looking to buy a pick-up truck. Just want one. I need a decent daily driver that gets more than 10 MPG. Looking to spend no more than $6000. Looking for something in the size of a Ford Ranger or Chevy S-10.

What would you buy and why?

Have you considered a full size truck? The gas mileage on an S-10 with a 4.3 vs. a full size truck with a small V-8 is just about identical. The benefit to a full size truck is that they just plain hold up better. They are made to work harder than the average person works them. On the other hand the small trucks are basically a car with a big trunk that really can't haul much. If you think about all the trucks on the market - how many 15 year old plus S-10's vs. Silverado trucks do you see still on the road. There is a reason for that. Many people get fooled into thinking a small truck is going to get a lot better gas mileage when in actuality it might get 2 miles per gallon more, but have half the capabilities. I know this wasn't an option, but for around $6000 you should be able to get a newer body (late 1999 - 2002) silverado with a 4.8 or 5.3 that will last well into the 200,000 mile range. Just my .02.


BTW do you have any pics of that Jeep...that thing sounds incredible!

Gas mileage is a reason why I want something else, but not the deciding factor in which one. I just might open up my options to a full size.

I just liked the size of the S-10s and Ford Rangers.

If a fullsize truck was out of the question and gas mileage was a factor I would go with a Toyota Tacoma with a 4 Cylinder. That's my personal favorite smaller truck. Between the Ranger and the S-10 to me it's a toss up.

I had a CarDomain for it, but never updated it and they classified it under a Wagoneer for some reason.

I am going to have to start looking at fullsize trucks too. I have thought about Tacoma's. They are the only foreign vehicle I would buy. But they hold their value too well. I think that dealership sells repo'd cars or something.

LOL, you are right about the MPG too. 2002 Ranger V6 gets 14/18. 2002 Ford F-150 V8 gets 14/18.

It's crazy isn't it??? When I had my pest control business I thought I was doing something good by buying a 4 cyl. S-10. That thing wasn't good on gas and had ZERO power. So I bought a Toyota V-6 4X4 - again horrible gas mileage with a little more power than the S-10. I then bought a 2500 Chevy with a 5.7 and was happy. About the same mileage and when I needed to tote the yard sprayer with a 100 gallon tank it did it with ease. You don't want to know the adventures I had trying to pull that with the other 2 trucks - SCARY!!!!!
What puzzles me is honda and toyota can build little 4 cyl. cars that flat out haul ass, but yet you get in a 4 cyl truck and they are SLOW! Most people say well the trucks have more torque for hauling and therefore sacrifice HP - I can't tell they can't pull a damn thing!

2 of our delivery trucks at work are an 07 and 08 taco 4cyl and we only manage about 19-21 in town. my 03 chevy 1/2 4x4 5.3 is doin around 16 in town. and our delivery trucks are absolute dogs, no power for anything. figured id try and help ya out and give ya some information on the toyota 4cyls with what sorta power and mileage. hope ya get it figured out.

Post up some pics of that jeep when you get a chance. I would love to see it.

Yeah, I am looking at F-150's now. Well, looking at a lot of things, but got my eye on a few F-150s. I just can't believe the whole gas mileage thing. I figured the 6CYL and 4CYLs would be significantly better on gas. Not even noticeable on some.

Here is a link to my old CarDomain page that I made when I first got the Jeep and then never updated it. The Jeep sounds amazing. I have never owned a vehicle that got so much attention.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2669246/3

I really need to get pics of stuff with the transmission out.

You cant go wrong with a F-150, and that is a nice looking Jeep.

The pics do it no justice. I will have to take more pics of the underneath and engine when the transmission is back in. It is headed to a man in Cali who only customizes Mopar transmissions. According to calculations, the engine is producing somewhere around 425HP, which is quite a bit more than stock and the transmission just couldn't take it anymore. Especially after a day of driving in Boston.

My father loves Fords, so I figured I would give them a try. I see little to no complaints about their trucks. Ultimately I am simply after a really good deal. I don't want something too nice, because this is technically just a DD. But I would like something decent too.

I love my Saturn, and when I get the time this summer, I will combine the 96 and 99 into one good car. But I am just not dropping another dime into it right now. My existing car loan payment is done this month, and I quit smoking (4 months now). So I have a bit of money to play with. If it werent for my bad credit, I would prob be in some truck right now.

So I have setup my RSS feeds to cover New England, searching for all vehicles in the $6000 range with pictures in these catagories:

Ford F-150
Ford Ranger
Chevy S-10
Dodge Dakota

Primarily looking for Ford F-150's. But if the deal is right on something else I wont pass it up.

I wish I just had the cash in hand. I am finding it tough to deal with these smaller dealerships. They have something, then they don't. or they take forever to get back to me.