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I'm in the market for a light duty pickup truck, with good gas mileage. I don't need it for towing, heavy hauling, but I put a big priority on reliability. Any suggestions?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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New or used? The Ranger with 4 cylinder 143 HP has been reliable and gets good mileage at 21/26. My 2007 4x4 4.0 V6 207 HP only gets 15/22, a new F150 will do a bit better (17/23) with the 3.7 V6 with 302 HP. The Toyota Tacomas have been reliable and can get 21/25 but you pay more for them, new or used.
I only drive full size Ford trucks, but if I was in your position I would be looking at Tacomas all day long. The frontier is cool, but all of the nissans with that 3.5 V6 platform get pitiful gas milage.
The most reliable pickups are the Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, and if a full sized pickup is necessary, the Toyota Tundra.
This is just misleading. Tons of old Rangers, 88-98 Cheyv/GMCs out there with 200,000+. Newer Tundras are no more reliable than any other new truck.
Newer full sizes are getting pretty good with mileage. If you can afford it, some can be equipped with engine/tranny options to get up to 25 mpg highway or so. If you can't, 4 cylinder Rangers are a good option. Cheap to buy, cheap to own, reliable, and when they do break, parts are easily available for cheap.
This is just misleading. Tons of old Rangers, 88-98 Cheyv/GMCs out there with 200,000+. Newer Tundras are no more reliable than any other new truck.
I agree. Time speaks for itself. Older Chevys still on the road doing duty, as are older Fords. Then again you have to remember outafocus is outatouch with reality. He/she/it's very biased....you should see the post made on the [domain blocked due to spam] board about how the Chevy Colorado used the same engine in the S-10....now that was too funny....that says a lot.
1. Older Tacoma
2. Ranger or B series Mazda, which is same car. They discontinued Rangers for now, as Mazda finally divorced Ford. I'd not recommend one FORD is coming up with. Keep in mind, Rangers are very primitive and very uncomfortable. Suprisingly, extended cab has worth leg room than regular one. I know.
1. Older Tacoma
2. Ranger or B series Mazda, which is same car. They discontinued Rangers for now, as Mazda finally divorced Ford. I'd not recommend one FORD is coming up with. Keep in mind, Rangers are very primitive and very uncomfortable. Suprisingly, extended cab has worth leg room than regular one. I know.
RE 1), "older?" Which series? The c. 1994-04 were crude, though reliable for sure. I was not impressed by the 3.6L V-6 in terms of capabilities, though it wasn't really "bad" either. Seemed like my 4x4 TRD wanted to be offroad more than onroad to be happy. 2WD versions are total workhorses.
My '07 Tacoma is bigger, more a medium than light truck. 4.0L V-6 an improvement, though only gets 19mpg. Has some car-like tendencies, which I like just fine.
I think they'll all run approximately until Hell freezes over, despite the cost (used).
My buddy's c. 2004 Ranger was nice enough, though indeed primitive. Never let him down, though, in about seven years of ownership. A simple, inexpensive truck: that they are, along with those B2000(?) clones (or vice-versa).
I'm in the market for a light duty pickup truck, with good gas mileage. I don't need it for towing, heavy hauling, but I put a big priority on reliability. Any suggestions?
Any other requirements? For starters, what is it exactly you need the truck to do? Do you need to haul something in the bed? How big/heavy is it? What's your price range? Etc.....
Mike
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