Best Small Pickup For Scrapping?

I know a while back i posted my "first truck" it was a 2003 ext. cab ford f150. From the start, it had issues, 2500 miles later the engine blew. Gave it back to the dealer for a full refund!! yay. Now im back into the search for a pickup truck. I am stuck between a ford ranger, chevy s10, nissan frontier, etc. I need a truck thats OK on gas, like a v4 or v6, but i dont need a v8 or a diesel. 4 wheel drive and automatic. manual is ok. Just looking to hear what you guys had and your experiences. So far, the best in my area is a 2002 chevy s10 ext cab ls. 106,000 miles so its kinda high.. for 7 grand. Im not hauling alot of scrap, but enough to buy a truck instead of an suv.

Whats the best small pickup truck you have had the best luck with?

I drive a 1995 Ford E150 Van with 4.9 straight 6...paid less then a grand for it. It's a work horse with about 180K miles.

I had an 89 ford ranger 4x4 with 4 cylinder that would take anything that I put in it. Paid $750 for it and had to put a fuel sending unit in it I made more than my initial investment from it every month with it. Heaviest load was 2300lbs average loads were around 1600lbs.

I really like Patriot's answer. I've owned a few really great trucks/van/car over the years(45 yrs licensed). I only realized how good each one was after having owned them for many years. Ok what have I learned well I buy used vehicles and mostly cash or very short loans, 2 years or less.

I never buy a four wheel drive because I don't go 4 wheeling and don't want the added expense of higher purchase price and higher maintenance costs.

I am old so I tend to prefer V8 engines for power and I have found the small V8 in my full sized pu good on mileage. I am satisfied with the balance of power and milage but I don't drive around hunting for material, I get called for pick ups so my situation can be far different from yours.

Remember your situation will evolve over time and you may find a small pu will limit what you can haul in the bed or pull using a trailer. Best of luck, Mike

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

I'm new here, but I highly suggest a 1987-1996 F-150/F-250/F-350.

Standard cab, long bed (Or flat bed, your choice) and the lowly 4.9l I6. They don't rev as high as a 302/351 v8; But that's the beauty in them. Paired with 4.10 gears and the old 4 speed (Or if it's F250+, the ZF 5 speed) it'll pull Hell off its' hinges; And not break a sweat.

MANY MANY MANY I6's reach 200,000+ miles before needing anything more than a Waterpump, or a good tuneup.

The 8th/9th gen F-Series trucks are extremely cheap...$500-2,500 for a running truck that is extremely reliable.

My 1992 F-150 (Standard cab/ longbed) with the 4.9l/ 5 speed averages 17mpg mixed, and is PAID OFF.

Being who I am and my age I have never transitioned to using the liters vs cubic inches (c.i.) having said that I agree with your opinion on the 4.9L. I have owned two vehicles with the 4.9L or 300 c.i. as I refer to it. I have found them to be extremely reliable and its the engine in my 2001 E250 Ford Van with 200K+ miles on it. This van is my work horse for my business. Mike

It's not a 4x4 model, but I've been using a 2004 Tacoma Ext cab for a few years with a 4x8 trailer. 4-cyl 2.4L. The small size comes in handy a lot maneuvering into spaces to load and unload, and I've been able to haul anything that I've needed to. Never went really far hauling a car with it - pulled a volvo for 15 miles through the city once and it did fine. Gets about 23mpg so I use it for my commuter and work truck. One of the best parts is that the only thing that I've done to it besides regular maintenance is replace the brake pads and rotors -- 190k miles.

I'm a big fan of Ford Rangers. I had a 4 cyl manual that I put 140,000 on and only had to change oil, tires, and the fuel filter. Went across the country and lived in 3 different states with that Ranger. The v6 and up are not as reliable. The manual got great gas mileage for a little truck...

Ranger owner 10 years going strong. got the 3.0L v6 4x4. truck is great I will load the bed with rocks or dirt then climb mountains to get the material to work. The only metal i ever had issues with was cast iron that truck did not want to stop and going down the mountain on multiple 14%, 15% grades was a hairy ride.

When I did landscaping I had a 96 ranger with the tiny 4cyl in it. It was a 2 wheel drive and I put that thing through the paces. It was a absolute base model. It didn't even have power steering. I like my work trucks to be a base as possible. There is a lot less to break. Its amazing how much time I spend fixing little things on vehicles, like window switches or door molding to keep the dash from dinging. The more manual something is the less chance there is of breaking it. In a work truck I don't care if it doesn't have power mirrors but if I cant open the door cause a fuse blew I will loose my mind. lol Basically all the small trucks are decent. The 90s Toyotas in my opinion were bullet proof, and you can sometimes find them with a long bed. I also don't think you can go wrong as long as you do good due diligence on looking the vehicle over and then make sure you treat the truck right when you got it. So don't do what I did and treat it like a one ton.

for speed and performance:
chevy s10 extreme, gmc cyclone, ford lightning (full size though), chevy SS454 (also full size with a big block)