Replacing my old truck. Opinions?

[Michael Gray]

I’m looking to replace my old truck, an 89 Mazda B2200 with something similar, but newer. 1999+
I’ve only got $6k to spend, so nothing fancy or really new. Specific features I’m looking for are 2-door, extended cab, 6-foot bed, 2wd.
Specific models I’m looking at are Ford Ranger, Chevy S10, Dodge Dakota, and GMC Sonoma.

Anyone have experience or opinions on these?

Topic

[Johnathan]

i can only say that the ford ranger was really cramped but im 6 foot 4 and 300 plbs so a lil truck like that.

[Jonathan Smith]

Just my .02, but from experience I’d stay away from any S-series truck built after ’93 – I base this on the fact that I have to fix my own vehicles, and the ones built after that year model seem to be complete pieces of crap. Mostly ’96 and up.

I have a ’94 S10 that I got for free that I use as a plow truck, and although it idles at 2k, it does what it;s supposed to do. The clutch line & slave cylinder replacement (mainly the line) made me regret accepting the thing. What a dumb design! I have over 150′ of copper/nickel brake line I couldn’t even use, because of the damn fittings on the end – the o-ring & pin retainer … plus the line is half metal half plastic, and gets routed to hell and back behind the engine, beside the starter … TOTAL nightmare. The lower hinges of the tailgate are GONE – rotted away to another dimension.

I used to own a ’00 Jimmy – I could write a book on this colossal toilet! A wheeled toilet! Never chased so many electrical gremlins in my life! I ended up yanking the engine, parting out the truck, and stuffing that engine into my ’89 S10 Blazer with a carb and HEI ignition. It suddenly became the most reliable vehicle I’ve owned.

So, yeah … I don’t recommend anything GM ’96 and up. I’d go so far as to say, you’d be better served with something pre-’96 (OBD-I or carbed) no matter what the brand, especially if you have to work on the thing. I hate troubleshooting OBD-II, so I’m biased. Things don’t have to be that difficult. I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when they weren’t …

On the Ranger – I had a former neighbor that had one with 316k miles on it before he retired it. I did some front end work and u-joints on it for him a couple years back. That was one RELIABLE truck! Think it was a ’93 – not sure. Had a 4 cylinder with the 5-speed manual. He drove that thing everywhere … even for a few years after it looked like it wasn’t going to make it another mile, lol.

I had a ’94 K1500 that was super-reliable too. Sold that one with 266k miles on it. Bought an ’07 Silverado brand new like a dummy. Haven’t even hit 90k on it and it burns oil, I’m on the second set of ball joints (lowers at 38k!), it squeaks and rattles worse than my ’94 K1500 did with 100x the miles, etc etc. Another one I could write a book on …

Anyway, good luck in your search. Hope this helps a bit.

[zero]

My best friend has an ’09 Dakota extended cab V6 2wd. It’s a nice truck. Obviously there’s nothing fancy about it as it was a fleet vehicle and it does have higher mileage. I’m guessing the towing capacity is decent on it. The interior is the typical Dodge plastic of that time, I have an ’08 SRT4 and the acres of plastic are my only dislike, there isn’t even a panel of fabric on the door panel like most other cars.

A weird thing we found after he bought it, it threw a misfire code. It still had the original plugs and wires in it, which were up for replacement anyway considering the mileage. Anyway, the ignition system uses 3 coils on the right bank with 3 wires going to the left bank, turns out (at least at the time) that the wires were only available at the dealer.

Ford Rangers are pretty good. Probably the last ‘real truck’ anyone sold. They’re pretty basic mechanically, since the platform was around forever. that being said, you would likely find the last generation of Dakota would be a nicer ride overall. It’s amazing when you drive a truck that’s 10 years old or more and then drive a ‘modern’ truck how much of a difference there is.

I have to second the idea of not getting an S series GM truck. They’re special. If you could get into a Tacoma, that might be your best bet. Their resale is high for a reason. My brother has one that’s 10 years old that he wants to replace. But the damn thing has NEVER had a major issue.

[Michael Gray]

Thanks all, for your insights.

I’ve just this afternoon bought a 99 Ford Ranger. So far, it starts up easy, idles smooth, shifts good, everything works!
White wouldn’t have been my first choice, but my boy is already calling it the Storm Trooper. Hard to argue with that!

[Patrick]

Great advise, thanks!

[Author]

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