Best Pick-Up Truck for less than $3k?
 

I'm will to spend around $2k for a work horse that has to be dependable & reasonably economical to run.

What should I be shopping for?

Chevy's? Fords? Dodge? Japanese?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

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What kind of work?

reliable Japanese under 3K? doubt that.

stick with domenstic

Mixed variety of light work...

Moving large household items, garden stuff, gravel, furniture, trees etc.

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Could probably get an earlier 2000ish model or 05 area for this price range. I drove a little s10 for about 6 years while I did drywall and taping, good on gas cheap to fill and had a pretty decent sized box for a small truck.

lots of nissans for sale on craigslist , theres a red 92 in vancouver with a v6 that looks pretty minty that was posted recently. There is a reason jap trucks are more expensive ,there better, ive owned a bunch of s 10s and there good but not great , and the milage is always less than i expected even with the bare bones 2.2 , 5 speed.Find a toy or nissan thats a little older with as little or no rust and it will last you.

And therein lies my dilema...

Some say get a Japanese truck if you want reliability.

Others say I'd be better off lookin at S10s & Rangers at that price level.

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Dodge all the way. I had an 04 Laramie. That truck was a workhorse. LOVED it.
It can have trouble with Tierods but if you buy used and an older model chances are the previous owner has already dealt with that. I had to have them done on the 04 this year.
Hauling trailers, a Jet boat, over loaded dump trips. it never failed me.

I gave it to my Dad a few months ago after getting the New Longhorn. He said its the best vehicle he has owned. (besides his camero of course) He is a Mechanic and says so far Dodge is the better vehicle. Ford is made to break and super expensive in parts.
he was considering a Tacoma before I gave him my truck.

I had a Mazda B2000 for a while I bout it for cheap.... Like $2500 or something and ended up selling for the same. The thing was bullet proof. I had it up to almost 350K by the time I sold it and never had an issue.

If there was nuclear war, only B2000s and cockroaches would be left.

+1

Do you need to get a sheet of plywood in the box? Carry a lot of weight? Hauling tools? Would an SUV suffice?