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Bad news. It appears that the engine on my F-150 is siezed up. Time for another charity donation (what do they do with all those broken cars?)
I started looking at options. Definitely want 4wd. Trucks seem to be the most practical option. I have to weigh gas mileage of a small truck vs. hauling and passenger capacity and comfort of a big truck. Looking at what is available, there is a nice 2002 Avalanche (175,000 miles) or a couple of 2001-2005 4wd rangers (all over 100,000 miles) in the price range that I am looking for. The gas mileage does nto seem all that much better (15 for Avalanche and 21 for ranger = maybe $500/year). This will be mostly a winter car (commuting about 54 miles per day). And used for hauling stuff, camping, and pulling a small boat.
Anyone have any opinions or suggestions about the Ranger or the little Chevy truck (wahtever it is called) compared to bigger trucks (Avalanche, Silverado, F-150, or maybe even a RAM - but I am a bit reluctant to go with another Chrysler product). With high mileage and about 3-5 years old.
Anyone know about the reliability and/or cost for repairs of these vehicles?
I've owned S10's (the older little chevys) and high mileage Silverado's (210K and runnin like new when I sold it) and both are great high mileage trucks as long as the maintenance has been kept up. If I were you, I would look for a pre-98 Silverado 4x4 with the 350ci motor in it. Those will last forever it seems. If you go with a S10 or GMC Sonoma, get one with the 4.3L. Those are great motors too. I've heard that the 5.3L in the newer Silverado's are good too, but I have no experience with those or the Ford and Chrysler products. Hope this helped a little..
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
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Same here,I'm a Chevy guy if you are going with a gas job truck and have found them to be very reliable and with good resale value...I've heard ( don't know) good things about the Ranger,but crappy mileage in a 4x4....You couldn't run fast enough to GIVE me a Dodge anymore if I had to maintain it and keep it I've had to much bad luck with those junkers for my liking.
Same here,I'm a Chevy guy if you are going with a gas job truck and have found them to be very reliable and with good resale value...I've heard ( don't know) good things about the Ranger,but crappy mileage in a 4x4....You couldn't run fast enough to GIVE me a Dodge anymore if I had to maintain it and keep it I've had to much bad luck with those junkers for my liking.
I am not too intersted in Dodge for the same reason. OUr last Dodge van literally had parts falling off it as we drove it out of the dealer lot (brand new). Things just were not put together right. I have heard lots and lots of dodge horror stories. Too bad the older ones were great.
Does the ranger 4x4 handle well in snow? I borrowed a 2wd ranger for a few days and it was not real good in the snow.
Why cant they just make a truck that holds 6 people, 5 sheets of plywood and gets 30 mpg?? Oh and it needs to last forever too.
Location: Democratic Peoples Republic of Redneckistan
11,078 posts, read 15,076,221 times
Reputation: 3937
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
I am not too intersted in Dodge for the same reason. OUr last Dodge van literally had parts falling off it as we drove it out of the dealer lot (brand new). Things just were not put together right. I have heard lots and lots of dodge horror stories. Too bad the older ones were great.
Does the ranger 4x4 handle well in snow? I borrowed a 2wd ranger for a few days and it was not real good in the snow.
Why cant they just make a truck that holds 6 people, 5 sheets of plywood and gets 30 mpg?? Oh and it needs to last forever too.
Yes,I have a friend who has an '01 extended cab 4x4 and his has done very well in this last snow/ice storm....he really likes it,but it only gets around 16-17 mpg...he's not happy with that part of it because he says he could drive a bigger truck with more payload for the same mpg.
LOL on the 30mpg....you DON'T want MY fuel bill then I guess.
The newer Duramax crew cabs seat 6 people, can carry way more than 5 sheets of plywood, and my buddy gets mpg in the mid 20's. Not bad for a 3/4 ton truck. Diesel is a little more expensive than gas though. My dad has a '03 2500HD with the 8.1L gas motor. I get around 11mpg with that.. haha
Bad news. It appears that the engine on my F-150 is siezed up. Time for another charity donation (what do they do with all those broken cars?)
I started looking at options. Definitely want 4wd. Trucks seem to be the most practical option. I have to weigh gas mileage of a small truck vs. hauling and passenger capacity and comfort of a big truck. Looking at what is available, there is a nice 2002 Avalanche (175,000 miles) or a couple of 2001-2005 4wd rangers (all over 100,000 miles) in the price range that I am looking for. The gas mileage does nto seem all that much better (15 for Avalanche and 21 for ranger = maybe $500/year). This will be mostly a winter car (commuting about 54 miles per day). And used for hauling stuff, camping, and pulling a small boat.
Anyone have any opinions or suggestions about the Ranger or the little Chevy truck (wahtever it is called) compared to bigger trucks (Avalanche, Silverado, F-150, or maybe even a RAM - but I am a bit reluctant to go with another Chrysler product). With high mileage and about 3-5 years old.
Anyone know about the reliability and/or cost for repairs of these vehicles?
I lean toward Chevy myself. They tend to get better mileage than the Fords & Dodges.
Also, I lean towards the full-sized trucks. My son had an S-10 and I have a full-size Silverado - and my full-size truck got better mileage than the S-10 (both were 2wd). In addition, you can actually haul and tow stuff with the full-sized truck.
What's wrong with finding a junkyard engine and having a shop install it into your existing truck? Assuming it's in good shape otherwise?
Or, a crate engine? At least around here you can definitely find outfits that specialize in installation of rebuilt engines that have a warrenty for 90 days to a year or more.
What's wrong with finding a junkyard engine and having a shop install it into your existing truck? Assuming it's in good shape otherwise?
Or, a crate engine? At least around here you can definitely find outfits that specialize in installation of rebuilt engines that have a warrenty for 90 days to a year or more.
That's a very good point - especially if the body of his current truck is in good shape.
Around here, pickups are STUPIDLY expensive. Repairing a good one could potentially be MUCH smarter than buying another.
I previously "over the years" owned 2 Ford Rangers, good trucks for what you have, but now I own a great newer Silverado 4x4 2500 and it's a great truck...We had 5 feet of snow "record snowfall) this winter and this Silverado was great, never got stuck and besides this, I've never had a problem with the truck...must be popular these Silverado's are all over the Spokane area...from older body style with high mileage to the newer models....
Your choice, but you asked....Chevy makes a great truck....no question
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I've had to much bad luck with those junkers for my liking.
