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Post by Russ Koon on Feb 7, 2019 20:13:09 GMT -5
Thinking I may have used up most of the good part of my trusty 2000 Cherokee, and finding it harder to do my own repairs in my golden years, I have been considering buying a late model or possibly new truck.
I like the looks and thoughts of the compact 4x4 trucks. Drove a number of the full-size varieties while I was driving for the local Chrysler dealership, and was very impressed with their ride and comfort, but they still felt like I was maneuvering a school bus in city traffic and in parking lots. I drove full size vans as my personal vehicles for several years, but always preferred the smaller rigs. I had an S10 Chevy I really liked, a Ford Ranger I liked while it ran, and my little Cherokee that I pretty much loved, and that still feels like the most comfortable size to me.
Been 'net shopping for the last few months, but haven't found any local examples of the two that I see as probably the front-runners so haven't been behind the wheel of the Toyota Tacoma or Nissan Frontier.
Started out thinking I'd want the extended cab with the folding jump seats, but when I was trying to envision the various configurations in my daily usage, I realized that the 4-door version would probably be much better for going to the grocery store, which is about half my driving now. I could open the back door and easily get the cart very close for transferring stuff onto the back floor while angle parked, and the extended cab would require opening the front door to get the back door open, then bringing the cart forward between the vehicles or squeezing between them with each armload to put them inside. Seemed like it would be much more awkward. And the alternative would be to either add a bed cover and a cargo net or a camper top that I really wouldn't have any use for any more.
I think I may have had back seat passengers in the Cherokee three or four times in the ten years I've owned it, and I can't imagine needing a back seat in the next truck, either, but I think the covered and lockable cargo space would be more useful than an extra foot of open bed out back. Even the tiny bed on the 4-doors is plenty for anything I need, and the trailer hitch and my little utility trailer would take care of anything that I couldn't carry in it.
Anyway, just wondering if you have any tips or outlooks on the choices, or any others that you think I should be considering.
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Post by nfalls116 on Feb 7, 2019 20:27:14 GMT -5
Don’t buy new Let someone else take that hit. If you like the cherokee find a good rust free low mile example take the money you save on payments and insurance and titling and pay a mechanic to work on it when it’s needed.
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Post by greghopper on Feb 7, 2019 20:53:35 GMT -5
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Post by nfalls116 on Feb 7, 2019 20:58:22 GMT -5
🤮 Ford ecoboost over that thing didn’t you see the man is looking to get away from potential repair bills.
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Post by greghopper on Feb 7, 2019 21:13:30 GMT -5
Get the rabbit hunter option....
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Post by parrothead on Feb 8, 2019 6:17:33 GMT -5
I use to think dont buy new. But these end of the year deals they have new ones are cheaper than some used one. Local dealer has a new f 150 books for 51,xxxx for sale 36,xxx. Chevy had some deals out there to on the 18s if there are any left.
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Post by bullseye69 on Feb 8, 2019 7:08:21 GMT -5
I have a Ford sport trac with 260,000 on it now and love the smaller size. Dont need a full size truck as the wifey has one. But want one with a longer bed than the sport trac has. Going today to test drive a used Nissan Frontier pro-4x.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Feb 8, 2019 8:09:50 GMT -5
I know you said smaller truck.. but I really think at the end of the day it's hard to find a better option than an F150.
I have an older Dodge pickup that I like, but the dang thing has nearly rusted out everywhere. I have put new fenders and bedsides on it, now the bed-floor, cab corners, and bottoms of doors and rocker panels are starting to go. Frame and all mechanicals are still great, have around 135k miles, but it's just a good running rust bucket.
I've been looking around a little bit also at newer used trucks, and have noticed that a lot of 4 and 5 year old trucks (Chevy, Ford, and Dodge) are already developing body rust issues. That's about the age of my Dodge when it started rusting out.
I really think that for a guy who buys a truck and keeps it long term, like you seem to do, an all aluminum F150 with the base v6 (non-ecoboost) would be about the perfect choice. My BIL has an extended cab 2016 F150 that we took out to Wyoming this past fall. We got low 20's MPGs, good ground clearance, and plenty of space for all of our stuff with a tonneau cover on the back. You should never have to worry about rust on the aluminum body, and don't need to worry about replacing expensive turbos or anything like that on the base v6. To top it all off, the base version that I would want is less expensive than one of the new Rangers or Tacomas, and pretty close to the Frontier and Colorado pricing.
I really do like Dodge, and think that they're the sharpest looking new truck by far, but for the long haul I'd probably have to go Ford.
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Post by tenring on Feb 8, 2019 8:21:40 GMT -5
Have a Dodge Ram 4x4, 2007 it is. got it used. Gas guzzling rust bucket. Only vehicle I've ever owned that all the various bolts and nut on it are rust covered. You buy used, inspect it from top to bottom, inside and outside. Storage area under rear seats wound up with 4 inches of water, cheap rubber around all windows.
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Post by Woody Williams on Feb 8, 2019 8:57:02 GMT -5
Pick up or SUV?
For a SUV you can beat a Toyota 4Runner if you can find a used one. I dearly love my 20 year old 4Runnner. Momma keeps telling me to get a new truck and I keep teilling her no way. Look for one a soccer mom drove and never took off the road. Used 4Runners for sale are hard to find as folks tend to hang onto them.
Good luck on your quest..
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 9:11:36 GMT -5
The new reintroduced Ford Ranger might be an option. Reviews seem to be very positive, but no track record.
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Post by iceman10 on Feb 8, 2019 9:38:18 GMT -5
I run 5 Chevy trucks in my business and over the past 25 years we have had only 1 truck not hit 500,000 miles and it was 1998 that only hit 325,000 and had to put a jasper motor in it . We sell trucks out right once they go over 500,000 miles and buy new , this usually is done in 5-7 years for each truck . Everyone wants our fleet business and I’m all ears if they can show me a similar track record and nobody can . I am not going to bash anyone’s brand or favorite vehicle, just sharing my experiences
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Post by bill9068 on Feb 8, 2019 11:51:00 GMT -5
I bought a new tundra loaded up back in 2010 for 23k. My oldest son works for Toyota in Princeton Indiana so I got a deal. Still got my 1997 Forerunner.
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Post by Russ Koon on Feb 8, 2019 13:27:37 GMT -5
I leaned towards another truck as opposed to another SUV. I have really enjoyed the Cherokee, but the newer models appear to me to have abandoned the simple and rugged approach that made the ones designed and built in the last century so durable. Pretty much everything on those Jeeps were parts made for heavier vehicles and rougher duty. 200K + miles was very common with them in use by rural mail carriers and many went more than 300K. I bought mine with 135K on it all the evidence I could find when cleaning beneath the middle seat and in the hidden crevices indicated it had led the easy life of a "soccer mom's" daily driver. I added a trailer hitch, the spare tire has never been used, all the stock original suspension parts are still intact, etc. And in the 100K I've put on it since, most of it has remained although the duty has at times been a little more strenuous. The original engine did fail at 187K, with a spun main bearing, which was a rare failure for the 4.0 six, but did happen to a few. A junkyard replacement engine from another Cherokee that looked like it had lived a fairly normal life is still going strong.
I may have just bad luck with my Fords through the years, but it has always seemed to me that the drivetrains were good, but the electrical components were unreliable, and replacement parts were too often a matter of "bring in your old one, and we'll see if we've got one that looks like it". Chevy parts seemed to be just the opposite. Even at that, I was surprised when I went to the dealership for a couple of door hinge bushings for our '80 Citation, and the parts guy just pushed plastic bucket across the counter and said just to "grab however many you need, they've all been the same since about 1958"!
But these newer vehicles have progressed to the point where an electronics technician will be needed more often than a wrench spinner, and I'm getting too old and stiff in the joints to be crawling under for even the routine maintenance items unless I really need to. Figured the best chance to get another vehicle overbuilt for the use I would give it would be with a truck and the small ones would be way more truck than I'll really need, while still being easy on tires and easy to park. I have given some thought to a few SUV that seem to be built with durability in mind. That Toyota you mention, Woody, for example, and the Subaru Forester, from what I've read and what a friend I used to shoot bows with says about his. And I did notice that many rural mail carriers had switched to Subies after Jeep quit making the early Cherokees. The only one of those I drove was an Outback, when the wife and I were looking for her newer car a year ago. She the Outback had too much cabin noise, and didn't like the interior, and we ended up getting an AWD Honda CRV that she fell in love with on the first drive. We've both been very happy with that choice so far.
I even thought about getting another CRV for me, but I think the Forester would probably be a little better suited to my needs.
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Post by omegahunter on Feb 8, 2019 13:28:24 GMT -5
I have a Ford sport trac with 260,000 on it now and love the smaller size. Dont need a full size truck as the wifey has one. But want one with a longer bed than the sport trac has. Going today to test drive a used Nissan Frontier promax-4. I really like my Sport Trac, but had I known that I could have gotten the same fuel mileage with a full size, I would have bought the full size. I have never gotten above 18 mpg with my Sport Trac.
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Post by omegahunter on Feb 8, 2019 13:29:47 GMT -5
The new reintroduced Ford Ranger might be an option. Reviews seem to be very positive, but no track record. For the track record of the "re-designed" Ranger, just see "Ford Sport Trac".
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Post by omegahunter on Feb 8, 2019 13:37:53 GMT -5
I know you said smaller truck.. but I really think at the end of the day it's hard to find a better option than an F150. I have an older Dodge pickup that I like, but the dang thing has nearly rusted out everywhere. I have put new fenders and bedsides on it, now the bed-floor, cab corners, and bottoms of doors and rocker panels are starting to go. Frame and all mechanicals are still great, have around 135k miles, but it's just a good running rust bucket. I've been looking around a little bit also at newer used trucks, and have noticed that a lot of 4 and 5 year old trucks (Chevy, Ford, and Dodge) are already developing body rust issues. That's about the age of my Dodge when it started rusting out. I really think that for a guy who buys a truck and keeps it long term, like you seem to do, an all aluminum F150 with the base v6 (non-ecoboost) would be about the perfect choice. My BIL has an extended cab 2016 F150 that we took out to Wyoming this past fall. We got low 20's MPGs, good ground clearance, and plenty of space for all of our stuff with a tonneau cover on the back. You should never have to worry about rust on the aluminum body, and don't need to worry about replacing expensive turbos or anything like that on the base v6. To top it all off, the base version that I would want is less expensive than one of the new Rangers or Tacomas, and pretty close to the Frontier and Colorado pricing. I really do like Dodge, and think that they're the sharpest looking new truck by far, but for the long haul I'd probably have to go Ford. Bad thing I am hearing about the aluminum is keeping paint on the body panels. I have a friend with a body shop and he said that he is starting to see them come in with oxidation/corrosion starting on the aluminum and causing the paint to bubble off. He said no amount of prep keeps that oxidation from coming back in short order. He recommends brand new body panels if they want it to look good and keep it that way for a while longer.
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Post by Woody Williams on Feb 8, 2019 13:52:04 GMT -5
I know you said smaller truck.. but I really think at the end of the day it's hard to find a better option than an F150. I have an older Dodge pickup that I like, but the dang thing has nearly rusted out everywhere. I have put new fenders and bedsides on it, now the bed-floor, cab corners, and bottoms of doors and rocker panels are starting to go. Frame and all mechanicals are still great, have around 135k miles, but it's just a good running rust bucket. I've been looking around a little bit also at newer used trucks, and have noticed that a lot of 4 and 5 year old trucks (Chevy, Ford, and Dodge) are already developing body rust issues. That's about the age of my Dodge when it started rusting out. I really think that for a guy who buys a truck and keeps it long term, like you seem to do, an all aluminum F150 with the base v6 (non-ecoboost) would be about the perfect choice. My BIL has an extended cab 2016 F150 that we took out to Wyoming this past fall. We got low 20's MPGs, good ground clearance, and plenty of space for all of our stuff with a tonneau cover on the back. You should never have to worry about rust on the aluminum body, and don't need to worry about replacing expensive turbos or anything like that on the base v6. To top it all off, the base version that I would want is less expensive than one of the new Rangers or Tacomas, and pretty close to the Frontier and Colorado pricing. I really do like Dodge, and think that they're the sharpest looking new truck by far, but for the long haul I'd probably have to go Ford. Bad thing I am hearing about the aluminum is keeping paint on the body panels. I have a friend with a body shop and he said that he is starting to see them come in with oxidation/corrosion starting on the aluminum and causing the paint to bubble off. He said no amount of prep keeps that oxidation from coming back in short order. He recommends brand new body panels if they want it to look good and keep it that way for a while longer. Really? I once owned (wish I still had it) a 1965 Land Rover 88. It was all aluminum body. Never a problem with the paint.
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Feb 8, 2019 14:00:04 GMT -5
I know you said smaller truck.. but I really think at the end of the day it's hard to find a better option than an F150. I have an older Dodge pickup that I like, but the dang thing has nearly rusted out everywhere. I have put new fenders and bedsides on it, now the bed-floor, cab corners, and bottoms of doors and rocker panels are starting to go. Frame and all mechanicals are still great, have around 135k miles, but it's just a good running rust bucket. I've been looking around a little bit also at newer used trucks, and have noticed that a lot of 4 and 5 year old trucks (Chevy, Ford, and Dodge) are already developing body rust issues. That's about the age of my Dodge when it started rusting out. I really think that for a guy who buys a truck and keeps it long term, like you seem to do, an all aluminum F150 with the base v6 (non-ecoboost) would be about the perfect choice. My BIL has an extended cab 2016 F150 that we took out to Wyoming this past fall. We got low 20's MPGs, good ground clearance, and plenty of space for all of our stuff with a tonneau cover on the back. You should never have to worry about rust on the aluminum body, and don't need to worry about replacing expensive turbos or anything like that on the base v6. To top it all off, the base version that I would want is less expensive than one of the new Rangers or Tacomas, and pretty close to the Frontier and Colorado pricing. I really do like Dodge, and think that they're the sharpest looking new truck by far, but for the long haul I'd probably have to go Ford. Bad thing I am hearing about the aluminum is keeping paint on the body panels. I have a friend with a body shop and he said that he is starting to see them come in with oxidation/corrosion starting on the aluminum and causing the paint to bubble off. He said no amount of prep keeps that oxidation from coming back in short order. He recommends brand new body panels if they want it to look good and keep it that way for a while longer. That may be so.. but, I'd rather have a body panel without paint than no body panel at all! Lol, they're disappearing on my Dodge.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2019 14:02:26 GMT -5
The new reintroduced Ford Ranger might be an option. Reviews seem to be very positive, but no track record. For the track record of the "re-designed" Ranger, just see "Ford Sport Trac". That makes sense.
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