I know there is going to be a lot of Ford vs Chevy vs Toyo vs blah blah... which is why I made it. :laughing:

Anywho. After the '86 Blazer was shot down (not even by what some of the members said here ... sold already), I'm looking for something to set my eyes down later down the road. I want something that is somewhat easily available (K5's, S10/S10 Blazers, Broncs, F150's, Tacos, early/mid 90's Silverados, etc) and won't be impossible to buy one on a fast food budget. I want parts for it to be readily available, or at least somewhat supportive of it ... That, and cheap parts. :flipoff2:

I prefer Bowties, seeing as the mechanics in my family swear by them, but I honestly am open for anything that isn't a complete paperweight. :p

Suggestions? For a while it'd rarely see more than 90/10 On/Off Road, but as I get cash it'll definitely see more and more of it. :evil:

80's taco. there the shit plus there smaller than a full size truck

80's Taco? You mean 90's? I thought the first year was 95...

Correct the first year of the Taco was 95. I would say get a Tacoma.

id go with either a k5 or a taco. s10/jimmy aftermarket sucks.
what are your plans for it?
daily driver but how much time you plan on going offroad.
do you want to lift it?
how big of a tire?
want to run a winch?

im a ford person, found a 4x4 ranger i liked..afterwards found out how much lift kits cost and the aftermarket sucks. i will research more next time, or just buy a jeep. ha

people can throw suggestions all day long but that won't help.

What do you want to do with it?

Being that this is a rockcrawling forum I will tell you IMHO the easiest rigs to build for rock are toys, jeep and suzukis. If you are after mud I would go for big truck and big engine, probably a chevy do to cheap engine parts..

id go with either a k5 or a taco. s10/jimmy aftermarket sucks.
what are your plans for it?
daily driver but how much time you plan on going offroad.
do you want to lift it?
how big of a tire?
want to run a winch?

im a ford person, found a 4x4 ranger i liked..afterwards found out how much lift kits cost and the aftermarket sucks. i will research more next time, or just buy a jeep. ha

Probably 90/10 - 80/20 On/Off road. Mud/Rock. Not sure about tires, really depends on what I get. On a Bronc or a K5/1500, probably something near 35, something smaller like a Taco, 33's ...? Lift as much as I need to so that they'd stuff those tires under it. Winch ... it'd be nice, but as little as it'd see off-road, it probably won't be needed for at least a little while longer.

As for plans, as damn near impossible as it's looking, I'd like to be able to buy something, and keep it for a long while. Even when it's not my daily driver (or is.) Something that I can tear apart and rebuild every year if I want to, when my budget allows. :smokin:

ive always loved the k5 or chevy pick ups. they are so dang cheep and have unlimited parts in the junkyard. ive bought complete trucks for 2-300$

rocks
jeep
suzuki
taco like already stated

for the mud (what i do)
chevy, motor parts are easy to find, everything is really basic (87 and earlier), the rears and everything are easily available and interchangable..

yeh bud all depends on what you want to do. im an east coasst guy so i have '79 Chevy K30 with 38's 350/sm465/205/4.10's. im 6'2 so i dont fit well in jeeps, yots dont work great here plus they are all rusted.

if i lived in cali or west coast. id build a toyo with solid axles etc.

go with a jeep- you can get cj's pretty cheap these days :flipoff2:

Toyota pickup, reliable, affordable, half ass decent gas mileage, gigantic aftermarket.
The Jeep XJ (Cherokee) or MJ (Comanche) are great platforms as well.

If you get a toyota you'll need to first invest in lockers and a winch, you'll need both when you encounter mud on a trail. Maybe not the lockers so much, they might prove to be kind of useless. Dosn't have to be a mud hole, a nice climb or some muddy rocks will do. That and avoid aftermarket exhaust, most places already sound like an angry swarm of bees are sweeping across the woods.

first choice would be a late 90s taco. second choice would be some sort of jeep (cj/yj/tj)

if you dont plan on pulling anything with it i would go with a late 80's early 90's toyota. find one with a good frame thats not rusted out. the aftermarket is huge, and you can wheel the hell outta the IFS. then when you plan on going bigger, you can SAS it, lock it, and you have a killer offroad platform. make sure you get a truck (or runner) with a 22re 4 banger tho...as the 3.0 v6 that came in the truck in those years suck.

80's taco. there the shit plus there smaller than a full size truck

uuumm tacomas were never made in the 80's:shaking:

Ya know, you listed taco, but i wouldnt ever trade my first truck for anyting else. 1985 Toyota 4x4. I really like the early toyotas(79-85). already got the solid axle, sure most are carbed other than the few lucky 85's but mild wheeling they work just fine, and can do some sweet stuff with a little carb work. Also can switch to propane later on if you want or fuel injection isnt too hard to switch too. 31's and a rear locker I went a LOT of places people said I couldnt, add a bed bob and I could have done it with less damage :D Plus them 22r's live forever. a ifs pre taco wouldnt be too bad either, just more stuff to cut off when you get a real suspension :smokin: