Need truck help

[lazycommie]

*sings* I need a truck...


I need a truck. I'd like help in the form of suggestions/commentary.

My requirements:

Decent fuel economy-anything better than 10 MPG. Needs to be a daily driver, so I want decent fuel mileage, but anything over 10 is fine with me.

Must be a truck(no cars or SUV's unless they're broncos, blazers or similar). This is a bug out vehicle in addition to a daily driver, so I want to be able to haul a lot of s**t.

Must be able to last a while(years) before I have to get another, if I ever have to.

No hybrids. They are weak as hell, fragile and screw up easy as well as being a PITA to fix.

Minimal, or preferably no "emissions controls". They kill fuel mileage and don't amount to much of anything.

My goals:

Daily driver. I want to be able to go places in it that are too far to walk/bike.

Long trip. Going to SC(648.8 miles away) in december.

Bug out vehicle. I want to be able to bug out in it if need be, on road or off. Adding an aux fuel tank to it is going to happen, so that I can get an extra couple hundred miles out of it if I have to go a long way without stopping for fuel.

So, does anyone have any suggestions/commentary/flamage?  

[God-Raped-Me]

I would recomend a Chevy S10. It's a smaller truck, fits 3 people. Not too bad millage wise and there's enough power behind it to do recreational things. It's got a box so you can store things there or even put your other tank there.

Honestly I prefer Japanese makes, they're more reliable and don't tend to break down as often, but I'm not really up to date with how good their trucks are.

 

[Beware Of camaro2010]

I agree. The Chevy S10 is the one for you. But stick to American brands so if they break down, they're easy to fix and cheaper to fix.  

[God-Raped-Me]

The thing with American brands is they're meant to break down sooner. Japanese brands are meant to last as long as possible. That's why more people are going with the foreign ones. They can't afford to do a major fix every 6 months or year. However American ones can haul heavier loads. It's a trade off and it depends on what you'll be doing. If you're going to be hauling big a** things behind you go American. If you want it to last as long as possible go foreign.

 

[lazycommie]

I was leaning towards a Japanese make, as I've heard good about them in Afghanistan as being workhorses, but I'll look into the S-10.  

[Beware Of camaro2010]

Your right. Well what Japanese brand are good for his needs?  

[lazycommie]

God-Raped-Me

The thing with American brands is they're meant to break down sooner. Japanese brands are meant to last as long as possible. That's why more people are going with the foreign ones. They can't afford to do a major fix every 6 months or year. However American ones can haul heavier loads. It's a trade off and it depends on what you'll be doing. If you're going to be hauling big a** things behind you go American. If you want it to last as long as possible go foreign.

Long as possible.

By hauling things, what I mean is a couple cases of canned chow(week or two's food supply), 20 gallons or so of water, an extra 20 gallons or so of fuel and maybe a case or two of ammo as well as one other person, for the most I'd conceiveably carry for anything aside from a single short trip. Basically, a long-bed's worth of lighter weight goods. Estimated weight would hover around 300-400 lbs in the bed, plus a cap on top.



EDIT: I should also mention that I have no issue with maintenance, so long as I don't have to replace expensive parts often. So older model vehicles would be preferable to newer models.  

[God-Raped-Me]

Personally I love Mazdas. Have a few in my life and they've run for years, lots of millage on them and still have a bit of guts in the very end. So I would recommend anything similar to their B2300. It's pretty much their version of the S10. If the Mazda doesn't seem like the one for you I would then recommend a Toyota. I haven't had the chance to drive one but I've heard they're tough made trucks. Great for off road if that's what you need or hauling. I believe the best option from them would be the Tacoma. I think the B2300 looks more sporty though. The Tacoma looks like it was made to be powerful which leads me to think that it may not be as good on gas.

But do some research find out what you like. Maybe you prefer the American look to the Japanese look. You have to be happy with what you drive and looks are apart of being happy with it.

One other thing I LOVE about Japanese vehicles, they come as a manual first! You have to pay extra if you want the automatic version. But I suggest buying pre-owned in which case manual and automatic don't make much difference.

 

[lazycommie]

God-Raped-Me

Personally I love Mazdas. Have a few in my life and they've run for years, lots of millage on them and still have a bit of guts in the very end. So I would recommend anything similar to their B2300. It's pretty much their version of the S10. If the Mazda doesn't seem like the one for you I would then recommend a Toyota. I haven't had the chance to drive one but I've heard they're tough made trucks. Great for off road if that's what you need or hauling. I believe the best option from them would be the Tacoma. I think the B2300 looks more sporty though. The Tacoma looks like it was made to be powerful which leads me to think that it may not be as good on gas.

But do some research find out what you like. Maybe you prefer the American look to the Japanese look. You have to be happy with what you drive and looks are apart of being happy with it.

One other thing I LOVE about Japanese vehicles, they come as a manual first! You have to pay extra if you want the automatic version. But I suggest buying pre-owned in which case manual and automatic don't make much difference.

Looks ain't really an issue, although I like the older model Jap truck look(angular and square and kinda utilitarian). It's a beater and use truck, not for show. If I wanted show, I'd buy the 40's era Rolls Royce a guy not far from here has for sale.

I'll keep my eye out for Mazdas though as well as the Tacoma. I'm largely asking because I wanted to get a view from the pespective of those who drive them/use them. It'll be a used truck no matter what, as my budget is around 2000$ total(counting the cost of fuel tank and materials to make a push bar).

I'd rather have a manual to an auto, but I can go with either.  

[124-C]

Mazda's B-series pickups are manufactured by Ford. Basically it's a Ranger with Mazda decals.  

[lazycommie]

124-C

Mazda's B-series pickups are manufactured by Ford. Basically it's a Ranger with Mazda decals.

After some googling, you've got that backwards. Early Mazdas were rebadged Fords. Now it's the other way around. Fords are rebadged Mazdas.  

[124-C]

lazycommie

124-C

Mazda's B-series pickups are manufactured by Ford. Basically it's a Ranger with Mazda decals.

After some googling, you've got that backwards. Early Mazdas were rebadged Fords. Now it's the other way around. Fords are rebadged Mazdas.

Only in the international markets. For the North American market it's all Ford.  

[God-Raped-Me]

That makes me sad! Well at least Mazda still puts out manuals for all their vehicles! ^_^

 

[lazycommie]

124-C

lazycommie

124-C

Mazda's B-series pickups are manufactured by Ford. Basically it's a Ranger with Mazda decals.

After some googling, you've got that backwards. Early Mazdas were rebadged Fords. Now it's the other way around. Fords are rebadged Mazdas.

Only in the international markets. For the North American market it's all Ford.

Proof plz.