Used pickup truck buying advice wanted

[SoFlaFiat]

Hey John, I'm pretty sure 03 was the last year with the 7.3. Mine is an 01. I also bought mine new and told everybody that my son would drive it one day. He was 8 days old when I brought the truck home and they all laughed at me. Just over 2 more years and he's got a learners permit and driving it!!

[johndemar]

My mistake.....just going by what a local ford diesel tech told me. Said the 94 to 97 were rock solid and that the new engines 2012 and newer are a great engine also. But there are some in between that don't have the same reputation. Have to assume those in the 2005-2011 range.

[paintdudeluke]

Best bang for the buck, FORD BRONCO,here's why.

They are cheap, they stopped making them in 94 but all the parts are ford f-150 (cheap and abundant).
They tow great.
Can carry a stack of plywood with tailgate down.
TOP COMES OFF!! Totally fun and cool.
They ride nice, its an f-150.
the 4x4 works great.
Comfortable for 4 adults.
They are cheap. Shop craigs, you'll see.

Here's my 94!

[spiderrey]

Nice option

[HersheyPAGreg]

Thanks for all the replies, you've given me some good advice and a few things to think about. For example, I hadn't considered diesels or F250s & F350s for some reason. I really enjoyed the suggestions for an old International or a Bronco, very creative and unique ideas there, and although I doubt I'll go with either one, they did make me smile. I probably won't start shopping in earnest for a couple months. Thanks again to all who replied.

Greg

[2ndwind]

So I have owned numerous F150s and an E150 all with the 300 ci 6cyl. All engines but one were great. The one had a piston break between the rings. Blew the side out of it. I replaced it with a used one that had been sitting in a junkyard with the head off! Never had another problem.

All my cars were Toyotas or an occasional Honda.

When my last 1986 F150 crapped out on me with endless electrical problems around 130K mi., I traded it ($500) for a new 2005 Tundra automatic single cab with a 4.0 L 6 cyl. It is rated to haul 5K lbs. I pulled a full-car U-Haul trailer with a spider on it for 200 miles with no problem. I've got 177K mi. on it and have changed the park plugs once and brakes 4 times. I got 92,000 out of the original tires. I change the oil and filter at 5K mi., as required, and have not had ANY problems with this truck. Everything else on it is original even the exhaust.

Last year I noticed surface rust on the frame so I cleaned it up and sprayed with rustoleum primer and topcoated. My friend has an '04 or '05 double cab with well over 200K mi. No problems. Don't know about the 4WDs but they've been making them in Tacomas forever.

[seabeelt]

I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota quad cab 4x4 with the 4.7 v8. great truck Rebuilt the tranny about 115 k ago,, Truck has 286K on it now and it is still my daily driver. Starting to get some of the New England body rot in a couple of places but I cannot complain. Have towed a couple of Spiders with it over a couple hundred miles and have had no towing issues. Wish they still made them, otherwisee I will probably spend the $$ to remove the rot and do an engine rebuild sometime soon. Other than the tranny repair, only minor things. Brakes tires, battery, alt exhaust and water pump. all in all a great truck. I am the original owner so the miles are all mine

[njoconnor]

Plus one on seabeelt's recc on the Dakota. I've had my 97 4x4 w/318 since 99, about 96K on it, no major issues. Just had the shocks/balljoints/exchaust/fuel line replaced at 95 K. Yeah, it's going to need some rust work one of these years (mainly door edges).Haven't towed the Spider yet (hope never have to!), but I have hauled a 900 Turbo on a dual axle trailer, and last fall hauled an Optima from Dayton to Albuquerque (dolly tow) with zero issues. Just a personal preference, but I'd recommend looking for an extended cab with the 6 foot bed; makes more sense for me, given the amount of yard waste I haul out, and lumber projects I haul in during any given summer. I casually monitor the used p/u market "just in case", but still haven't changed my mind: if my 97 goes south, I'll search for another Dakota. Best size/power/capacity ratio, IMO.

Neil