Looking for advice on small 4x4 trucks

[Eecen]

Soo,

I have very limited experience with trucks, and I'm hoping some fellow r3v'ers can give me advice on small (late 80's to early 90's) 4x4 trucks.

I haven't done a whole lot of research as of yet, just been perusing Craigslist etc seeing whats for sale locally.



I'll be using the truck for vineyard work, camping, winter daily, and hauling car parts (engine etc).

Any maintenance I'd like to do myself.


Top of my list is;

- First gen. Chevy s10 V6

- Third or fourth gen. Toyota hilux

I'm also considering Mazda B-series or Ford Rangers, but I don't find them as appealing tbh.

Is there anything else that falls into the "80s-90s small 4x4 truck" category?



Whatever I end up buying will be a 5 speed.






Any major con's to these trucks?

Any particular model or year to avoid?

Faulty/problematic 4x4 systems?

Hard to work on?


Thanks,

[Kvasi]

Toyota diesel, no doubt.
If u dont need it to be comft id go for a gen1 Hilux. Prettyest 4x4 ever made, in my opinion. Easy to work on and a ton of mods to choose from.

Used to have a -82 hilux myself with supercharged diesel and damn it was fun :)

[chadthestampede]

Nissan d21?

[agile30]

IX with pickup conversion?

[jasonsnoddy]

pickup with ix conversion?

[Eecen]

Is that what I get for posting in off topic?



meh, shits weak guys

[JasonC]

Find a 87+ S10 with a 4.3 in it. Cause you wont be too happy with a 2.8... And I think that was the first year for the 4.3's. I'm probably wrong though lol. And good luck findng one that isnt rusted...

[Eecen]

Toyota diesel, no doubt.
If u dont need it to be comft id go for a gen1 Hilux. Prettyest 4x4 ever made, in my opinion. Easy to work on and a ton of mods to choose from.

Used to have a -82 hilux myself with supercharged diesel and damn it was fun :)

I love the old toyotas too, unfortunately I can't find a decent one around my parts thats in my budget right now.:(

Find a 87+ S10 with a 4.3 in it. Cause you wont be too happy with a 2.8... And I think that was the first year for the 4.3's. I'm probably wrong though lol. And good luck findng one that isnt rusted...

I don't care about rust...well, as long as it isn't falling apart on the road I don't mind rust.

Nissan d21?

I knew I was missing something, thanks

[JasonC]

Or maybe a 92+ Dodge Dakota. They are a little bigger then an S10. But like to suck the gas lol.

[MonkeyMadness]

unimog

nuff said...

[Kvasi]

unimog

nuff said...

Unimogs are useless offroad. Theres no travel on suspesion at all.

[MonkeyMadness]

Unimogs are useless offroad. Theres no travel on suspesion at all.

that's why there known more for being family suv's and totaly
a cookie cutter like a honda accord.. :up:








:drink:

[mrsleeve]

OK

1/2 ton V6 5spd will be your friend, you will get much more capability outta that, for nearly identical fuel consumption and maintenance costs.

1st Gen S-10 yeah decnt work beaters and yes Jason 87 was the 1st year the 4.3 was an option. Hard to find and not destroyed or falling apart and even harder to find with a stick, if not nearly impossible. A simailr 90-98 1/2 with the small V8 (305) or the 4.3 v6 and a stick will be much easier to find.

Dakota are also harder to find that are not 100% shot.

Ranges are well rangers, 2011 IIRC is the last year for them and have mostly unchanged for the last 15 years.

the jap trucks I can tell you much about not much experience with them. Other than if your going to really WORK it the domestics will take the work better. I used an s10 like a 3/4 ton working construction for years.

Still buy a 1/2 ton you will be much happier in the long run, if your going to use it like a truck. the mini trucks are nothing more than small boat/lawn clipping hauling grocery getters

[KamakaziX]

Or maybe a 92+ Dodge Dakota. They are a little bigger then an S10. But like to suck the gas lol.

At that point you might as well get a full-size. Just as poor of gas mileage with more space. JMO I love Dakotas though. Too bad the V8's are the only worth while engine.

[CHIF8008]

a small 4x4 needs big tires.

makes it look like a toy haha :)