Small pickup owners chime in

[mrmckie]

Thinking about buying a small pickup for runs to HD & light towing..i know zero about pickups and looking for opinions/first hand experience on whats better in terms of reliability & maintence cost, 4 cyl or 6 cyl, 5spd or auto, etc ?

i'm only looking to spend maybe around $3000. Been looking at rangers, s10's and older tacomas, any others i should consider?

[MR 325]

The best damn little truck ever made is the Toyota pickup with the 4 cylinder 22R-E engine and a 5 speed trans. Anyone who says differently is out of their damn mind!

A S10 with a 4.3L and a 5 speed is a good little truck too but the Toyota is still king.

I own a 2.2L 5 speed S10. Do not buy one of these! SO SLOW.

[mrmckie]

The best damn little truck ever made is the Toyota pickup with the 4 cylinder 22R-E engine and a 5 speed trans. Anyone who says differently is out of their damn mind!

A S10 with a 4.3L and a 5 speed is a good little truck too but the Toyota is still king.

I own a 2.2L 5 speed S10. Do not buy one of these! SO SLOW.

lol...i don't really care about the speed too much. as long as it's fairly reliably and cheap to maintain.

a buddy had an s10 xtreme..i liked that little truck

[slammin.e28]

The best damn little truck ever made is the Toyota pickup with the 4 cylinder 22R-E engine and a 5 speed trans. Anyone who says differently is out of their damn mind!

This.

Any other truck with a 4cyl is a pile.

I had Nissan hardbody with the VG30DE. 4x4, ex-cab, 5sp, V6. Great truck, and that engine got used in everything from the 300zx to Mercury minivans.

Friend had a 22R powered 85 Toyota pickup. Fucker drove and broke and drove and broke and still drove. Lost compression on two cylinders. Couldn't hold itself in gear on a hill. Bascially the US equivalent of the Top Gear UK Hilux truck, beat and battered but still going. Sold it to a guy to ship down to Mexico, running only on the front axle as the rear driveshaft took a shit.

Great trucks.

[Polaris15]

The best damn little truck ever made is the Toyota pickup with the 4 cylinder 22R-E engine and a 5 speed trans. Anyone who says differently is out of their damn mind!

A S10 with a 4.3L and a 5 speed is a good little truck too but the Toyota is still king.

I own a 2.2L 5 speed S10. Do not buy one of these! SO SLOW.

THIS. 22r-e Toy was my first car at age 16. It was my Dad's prior. Towed snowmobiles all winter, and small boats in the summer. I inherited it at 200k with the original clutch. Traded it in at 250k with the original clutch. Thing was bullet proof, traded it due to body rot though :(

[matthugie]

+1 on the Toyota. My brother in law has one and has been beating it around for years without a hiccup. I've seen it loaded down to where it was damn near rubbing and wasn't a problem.

[Asbradley21]

+1 on the toyota too. As long as you're not towing a big ass boat or something you can't go wrong.

[efficient]

+1 on the toyota the v6 toyota pickup truck is good aswell. my uncle had a 92 toyota pickup that got loaded with alot of heavy things auto trans would slip but it still drove. then he gave it away to a friend and hes still driving it around.

[Ether-D]

Yep, Toyota. We sold my Dad's 1986 with 280,000 miles on it last year. It just needed a timing chain.

[DatUtahGuy]

Had a 87 4runner with the 22-re, blew the lower radiator hose in the dead of winter and it overheated before I could make it to the nearest autozone, I was sure my engine was fucked. Replaced the hose and filled up with coolant, fired right up, no knocks or hesitation. Engine ran perfect for another 2 years at over 300k. Lost a tire after a night of rough snow off roading, catching air and whatnot, lugnuts somehow came loose, nothing broke, replaced the lugnuts and kept on driving. If you find one with a good body, BUY IT, it will outlast your kids.

[kalib0y]

my tacoma has best truck Ive ever had. Actually any toyota truck is a win IMO. Now only if they made a diesel I would never look anywhere else.

[M-technik-3]

Toyota is a great truck but commands a premium here in the Northeast. Buy the best maintained vehicle you can for the dollar value or save a bit.

I will say my $3500 02 Tahoe hauls and pulls a ton of crap or the family when needed. If you know someone that has a dealer's license and goes to the Hartford auctions talk with him/her.

I get 15-20 mpg out of it too which for a 5k pound vehicle is not bad. NOT a Commute vehicle by any means but for family/utilatirian duties it's good, get one with an LS vs LT engine if you go that route.

Only reason I didn't buy a toyota or other small pick ups is because I tow a car trailer about every month and it would not be legal.

[3vilE30]

The best damn little truck ever made is the Toyota pickup with the 4 cylinder 22R-E engine and a 5 speed trans. Anyone who says differently is out of their damn mind!

This.

Friend had a 22R powered 85 Toyota pickup. Fucker drove and broke and drove and broke and still drove. Lost compression on two cylinders. Couldn't hold itself in gear on a hill. Basically the US equivalent of the Top Gear UK Hilux truck, beat and battered but still going. Sold it to a guy to ship down to Mexico, running only on the front axle as the rear driveshaft took a shit.

Great trucks.

My uncle has the same little 22r truck it's battered to hell, parked for months heck even years. I visited him occasionally it would be gone for a while, came by one day asked him if it ran, I literally was baffled he looked at me like I was some mental patient who just went through lobotomy and said, " What the hell this thing been running FOREVER 22r's never die". I'm just like oh. It's been driven up and down NorCal
Definitely a truck worth the money. These trucks can take a beating and then some.

[LJ851]

MR325 is correct.


Although i really like my small 4 cyl truck.

[lowsodium]

I had a S10 with a 4.3/auto for many years. Put 170,000 miles on it. Beat that thing to death hauling dirt, delivering pizza, etc. Getting rid of the dexcool, and watching for tranny oil in the coolant is the biggest things to look out for. You should be able to get one cheaper than a toyota. Their easy to work on too.