I am planning on purchasing a new or slightly used vehicle next month. (Promotion and raise, y'know coupled with a very tired and sad '88 Chevy Beretta makes this a wise move.)
Since a PT Cruiser is out of the question . . .
All my life I have wanted a little, sporty truck.
Tell me, automotive masters and mistresses:
What should I be considering? What's good? What's bad? Pricing, etc. The WORKS! (pretty please)
My brother-in-law is too far away to supervise this automotive expedition and I need help!
Merci beaucoup. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Normally, I would say go with Toyota.
You can also find some very nice Nissans and Isuzu trucks too.
If you want something larger (i.e., a full size pick up), then really you should just stick with Ford.
Mazda is a maybe, as is the smaller Ford truck (the Ranger).
If you're thinking of an SUV, depending on how old you want to go, I think the Isuzu and Mitsubishis are great for the older stuff. Newer stuff, I highly recommend the Hyundai Santa Fe (2002 or newer model year).
Don't buys: 1) Kia 2) Dodge (except 1500 or larger)
If you are thinking Chevy, check out the GMC equivalent models too. Sometimes you can get a bargain and a few different features you might enjoy.
Make sure your dog likes riding in the bed first. It's mandatory in some states. Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I love my 2002 Nissan Frontier truck, Shan. Take a look at them. I've had mine two years now, and it's been great. No complaints at all..
But it IS a truck -- don't expect it to ride like a car. (some people just don't understand that)
FG
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Do you need a truck for constant moving of things or towing of trailers? If not, I would seriously reconsider the idea of getting a truck. They are generally bad on gas mileage, difficult for passenger situations, and uncomfortable on long trips. I say this as someone who lives where everyone in town who's not "yuppie" enough to drive an SUV drives a diesel pickup. It's disgusting and wasteful.
As far as a good make of car, Subarus never die. Never - even when you intentionally and repeatedly try to kill them. Every Subaru we've owned has lasted for at least 250,000 miles.
But this all comes from a girl who drives her mom's Ford Taurus on days when it's too snowy to ride her bike.
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
How about a military HumVee with open bed?
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
I prefer Tonka, but Matchbox makes some nice stuff too.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
My brother-in-law had an Amigo that he loved, but I think they have been discontinued. Guess that's not helpful...
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
And remember this one, oh so important fact about buying a truck.
Once you have one, ALL of your friends will EXPECT you to help them move.
Really, when you've gotta lug your life's treasures from one third floor apartment to the next, do you call the friend with a truck or the one with the Miata?
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
Shan, we just bought a new-to-us rig and got a great deal from a dealer in Seattle. The guy we dealt with was great..even sent a followup letter to make sure we were happy. I'll email you his info.
Posted by Julie (Member # 5580) on :
My brother just got a new car. I thinks it's an Accord. It's really nice. At least, in comparison to his old one, which had duct tape to keep the window up, no a/c, etc. Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Ahhhh! Thank you all - looking forward to your e-mail, jeniwren.
I want a "sporty" truck because I always have (reason #1) and because Nathan and I like to hike up in the mountains (even better reason, #2), I like to do yard work and need something to haul bark, soil, plants, etc., in (another good reason) and if it's only got two seats, no one can expect me to haul THEIR kids around! (The absolute BEST reason.) Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
I love my extended cab Ranger. And Sopwith is quite correct. Your family will also expect aid, although in my case they pay for it so I do not mind. Posted by Ben (Member # 6117) on :
i've always had a soft spot for Volvo's both new and old...
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Shan, I adored my little 1990 Geo Tracker. Maybe the jeepy end of things is not what you want, but there was lots more room than expected, and boy could it take rough terrain. Great gas mileage, too, especially compared to a bigger truck.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Ahh - gas mileage is a good thing to consider, too -
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
My sister drives a very cute Toyota pick-up. It's shaped like a really big monster-truck-on-steroids, but it's smaller and sparkly purple.
Posted by Psycho Triad (Member # 3331) on :
Choose door number 3!!
No! Door number 2!!
Go with whats in the box!!
[/random silly post based only on title]
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I really like my Ford Ranger (granted it's 10 years old, and has 120k miles on it, but it was very well maintained by its previous owners and I've had very few problems with it). It was cheap and it gets good gas mileage for a truck (20-25 mpg for regular city driving). It's not very comfortable for long trips, but for work and regular getting aroung it's great (I've used it to haul more stuff than I had imagined when I bought it).
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