I would like to get a pickup, because I need to haul things around pretty often. But, I'd also like to have something to take offroad whenever possible.

I was thinking about getting an older, used Tacoma; but I wanted to know what y'all would recommend instead (if not the Tacoma).

Thanks in advance!

full size , mid , mini , how much do you need to haul , pull a trailer , seating , tall , short , fat ?

I really don't care about the truck size. I'll mostly be hauling furniture and the like, and I'll be able to strap-in any overhang. I don't need something to haul tons of concrete or anything.

Full or 1.5 cab would be nice, but it's not necessary. I am fine with small cab too.

Towing ability would be nice, but nothing too heavy-duty.

for 5k a mid 90's toyota ex cab would be your best bet , Tacoma's are a little higher , around 6k for a single cab 7k for a ex cab

i would highly recomend a toyota pick up. i drive a 90' with the v6 and a set of 31s. used it to hual some concrete to the dump and it worked fine. no need for huge tires off road if you arnt hard core, just get your self a good winch.

X2 on the Early 90s toyota, especially with the extra cab.
31" tires are plenty for what your intended use will be.
If it's a v/6 check to see if a head gasket recall applies.
( give vin to toyota service writer )

or you could get 2wice the chevy for the same money. you could by a decent mid 80 chev haul anything you want and still have 3000 left over to do what you like to it.

or you could get 2wice the chevy for the same money. you could by a decent mid 80 chev haul anything you want and still have 3000 left over to do what you like to it.
better save that 3000 to pay for the 8-10mpg your gonna get with that chevy, the toy will pull 20mpg in stock form all day

my vote is for an early gen tacoma or an older toy pickup, all i drive are toyotas and they have served my needs very well, from hauling firewood and furniture to wheeling. and reliable daily driving.

better save that 3000 to pay for the 8-10mpg your gonna get with that chevy, the toy will pull 20mpg in stock form all day

my vote is for an early gen tacoma or an older toy pickup, all i drive are toyotas and they have served my needs very well, from hauling firewood and furniture to wheeling. and reliable daily driving.


well $3000 worth of gas money sounds pretty good to me. I had a 94 4runner that maybe got 14mpg highway and around 10 in town. My 81 c30 dually gets 8 around town and about 10 on the highway. Not to much of a difference. And to fix an old chevy costs next to nothing. I would go with a mid 80s chevy too.

You can find mid 90s chevy for that price. Mine on reg unleaded get a combined 14.5 mpg half to standard cab short bed. I tow it all the time does great.

If you don't think you'll always need the trailer/heavy load towing capabilities, it's probably not going to be worth fueling as a daily driver. If you just want something reliable that you're gonna drive day to day, get a toyota.
There's the 84-88 body style with the 22r and it's a good motor that does good on mileage. And the 89-95 ex cabs with the v6. Both are reliable and do great off road and you have tons of resources here on pirate to do anything you want to either.
IMO if you didn't need the excab to carry any extra people I'd stick with the 22r but it just kinda boils down to what you want... Good luck!

Or... better yet, get a tacoma or t100 with the 3rz. That motor is awesome. If I was to do my sas over again it would've been one of those. There should be one out there for around 5k too.

No one will ever convince that a toyota is a cheaper alternative. ever. they may be nicer to drive . . fit down small trails better . . and generally more reliable. BUT they cost twice as much to buy . . parts are far more expensive.. . and will never do the work or have the sheer space and capacity of a chev.

a fuel injected or well carbed chevy motor gets close enough mpg to a toyota.
Ive always looked at toyotas and bought chevys. my trucks have to do work.

Not saying dont buy a toyota just buy one for the right reasons.

im not sure where you live. i live in canada, it was minus 30 today and my toy fired right up. if you want dependability get a toy. or newer fuel injected vehicle for that matter. they are pretty pricy but in my experience you get what you pay for.

Are you kidding about the mpg. My toyota gets 20mpg, and carb or early fuel injected wont get close to that. BTW I bought my 83 yoda that had detroits front and rear, 5:29's, new motor, new tranny, new transfer with 4.7 kit in it and about the cleanest you will find for 2k. Deals are out there and you cant beat a yoda


No one will ever convince that a toyota is a cheaper alternative. ever. they may be nicer to drive . . fit down small trails better . . and generally more reliable. BUT they cost twice as much to buy . . parts are far more expensive.. . and will never do the work or have the sheer space and capacity of a chev.

a fuel injected or well carbed chevy motor gets close enough mpg to a toyota.
Ive always looked at toyotas and bought chevys. my trucks have to do work.

Not saying dont buy a toyota just buy one for the right reasons.

just get a ford and be done with it.

just get a ford and be done with it.
:laughing: now your just talking crazy talk :flipoff2:

just get a ford and be done with it.

done with what? Driving? :flipoff2:

He's looking for a truck to haul, not push.....:laughing:

yeah he'll be hauling with a chevy a lot, but it will be the one on the trailer!
haha

Get a Scout, Scout II or a Terra....They will out wheel any yota, ford, chevy, or j**p any day of the week.
Buy American, Drive American.

Get a Scout, Scout II or a Terra....They will out wheel any yota, ford, chevy, or j**p any day of the week.
Buy American, Drive American.

I love my Terra, but getting one that is in good enough shape to dd, and keeping it that way, will be way more work than just about anything else.

No love for a dodge? Late 90's fullsize might fit your budget. They seem to lose value really fast...

F150 would fit the bill - parts are cheap and plentiful. It has been the #1 selling truck since the dawn of time for a reason...

Ex cab yota with a 22RE. I've got a 4Runner with 290k on it, running strong. Can't kill em. It gets over 20 mpg if I drive it like a white person and they wheel pretty decent with a rear locker, and some 32's Not extreme but will get you where you need to go.

I love my Terra, but getting one that is in good enough shape to dd, and keeping it that way, will be way more work than just about anything else.

I've got my scout II as a DD right now, total cost including what I paid for the sucker is under 5k and that is with a new dash, re-wiring, new gauges, new rear end.

Ford Ranger 4x4.

another toyota vote I used to be a chevy guy too until I bought a Toyota never owned anything since

Straight six F150 will easily match that Toy mileage and you should be able to hook one for well under 3000 that is still in very good condition. But I do agree that the Yota would be a good call as well. 1/2 ton chevy's are a dime a dozen, but good luck finding one that hasn't been beat to living hell.

either a comanche or a f150 with the straight six both are very relaiable trucks

pretty much anything but a jeep ford chevy dodge nissan will do... (Starts with toy ends with ahhhhh)

ok straight six and reliable don't go together. But have fun with that one.

ok straight six and reliable don't go together. But have fun with that one.

:shaking:

I would go yota if I were you. Buddy of mine had one bone stock in H.S. with 31's and we BEAT THE LIVING HELL out of it. It kept coming back for more. Just seems like the truck to fit your ticket...

I love how people think a toyota is the only truck for $5k that won't explode.

If I was in your shoes, I would go find an off lease ford f250 with a v10 and call it a day, but I hate little trucks.

I also say don't pass up a 3/4t chevy. You can get a pretty nice full size chevy for $5K.

all you guys saying toyota this and toyota that are forgetting that he wants to HAUL stuff with it, ie furniture as he said. You can put A as in 1 chair in the bed of a toyota and it will be full, in a full size you can fit a lot more.

If I were you, I would consider a nice cucv, they can be had for ~2500-3000 dollars, come with great axles (d60/14b) 4.56 gears, diesel motor and are amazingly cheap to maintain and fix, plus most of them have around 35k miles on them and they're dirt dirt cheap to insure. A yota isn't exactly cheap to maintain or insure

ok straight six and reliable don't go together. But have fun with that one.

:lmao::lmao: SIG LINE!

i have owned two extremely reliable trucks. a 95 straight six f150 and a yota. if you want quality/reliability and gas milage, 5k will get you a really nice 89-94 toyota with the 22re 4cyl. they are amazing trucks.
things to watch out for:
frame rust other than obvious to see body rust. worst spots to look for are around the rear spring hangers and whole real half of frame. if you feel you got a good truck next thing to do is pull off the valve cover and check with a flashlight to see if the cam chain hasnt worn through the sliders

91-96 f150
no way near the steering/interior quality or gas milage (13-15 vs yotas straight 20) with the ford but the 300 I6 is the shining star. if you get a 5spd, look under the truck to see if theres tranny oil (the M5OD (tranny in this model)) uses ATF so its easy to spot leaks. the M5OD has three rubber shift rail plugs that shrink up over time and allow leaks. i was replacing my clutch and slatherd them with silicone while i had the tranny out. the 2wd with a 5speed is suprising good in the snow with $99 goodyears (or any slick surface). and 5k will get you a nearly mint truck. the 6ft bed is like a pool comparable to the toyotas bed that resembles a bath tub.
id recomend a 2wd regular cab 5spd. i only say that though because you wont get away in slick road surface situations with an auto and 2wd. only 5spd will keep you from getting stuck. cuz autos are for dumb americans. these trucks also have a tighter turning radius than my extra cab yota does. and convenient to park wheelbase. 2wd keeps it all simple. one problem with fullsize truck is i needed to find somewhere to sit in the engine bay if i was ever working on it. thing was taaall. but im 5'4"

both motors will go 250k plus. i wouldnt shy away from one with 150k miles on it for the right price. i bought my yota with 225 on it and it runs perrfect. my 300i6 had 140k on it when i flipped it. thats when i bought the yota. depending on wether you want fullsize or a minitruck, i strongly recomend either of these trucks from personal experiance. ive sank the leafsprings almost to the bumpstops in the bed of my ford. you would be so suprised how well the 300 handles loads.
ive had 1000+lbs of concrete in the bed of my yota too. handled fine and motored fine
wouldnt count out a T-100 either with a 3.4. not sure if 5k will get you a decent one though. may have to settle with a 3.0

just saw that your looking for a 4x4. if thats the case then the f150 is still a great bet. scratch all that daily driver 2wd stuff i said