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In this situation, I'd really focus my search on Tacomas if you have a big enough market to have a large selection. If you can only view a couple of them, you may need to disregard brand. A tacoma in bad shape is worse than another pickup in good shape. If the condition and price is the same, I've found Tacoma's to be built better than the other vehicles.
I would suggest a Ford F150 with the 300ci straight 6 (4.9Liter), that was a great engine. Tyey got about 15 city, 18 highway.
Great truck, I had a 94 with the six and a stick shift, work truck, NO options. I knew guys out in the boonies who had well over 200,000 miles on those things. One of the last, if not the last, pickups with vent windows.
Yeah, I'm vacationing in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. I recently retired and "revisiting" Southeast Asia. But I'll be back home soon.
Someone said to avoid East/West coast vehicles due to the road spray… but I’m not talking "Northwest" … I'm talking the places in California where it doesn't snow.
I have some stuff in storage there so I’ll need to either rent or buy a vehicle to move it all east anyway. Might as well buy … then keep the trailer or truck.
If I'm going to own 2-to-5 acres outside a city, I need a pickup to haul everything from manure to lumber. I love horticulture, Hugelkulter (!), and the idea of working towards small, sustainable ag… or "Large Gardening." That means everything from trips to Home Depot to hauling a trailer with sheep or very large dogs or goats in it.
I also love the idea of a small farm tractor. (Personally, I think Kubota Tractor brochures and websites are Porn for middle age guys. But that’s just me.)
At first I was thinking about buying a used Subaru and buying a small trailer to pull my stuff back to Virginia. (Just enough to need a small trailer.) A gas saving Subaru would help me when it comes to driving around looking at homes.
I've always loved Campers on the back of pickups … because I like camping… so I started looking at campers from Indiana back to the West Coast. Surprised to find some good ones in Washington State. So weighing my needs and options, that put me back onto looking into a pickup. If I went that route, I could put the camper on the back of the truck and put my boxes inside and drive on back.
I’m discovering that terms "1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, or 1 ton" can be misleading and obsolete? Am I correct to assume that if I get the right … "150 size truck”, I can tow as much or more than some "250 size trucks"?
I think Ford is the only company that makes a 150 sized diesel … or am I wrong??
And can someone speak to how much mileage? I know you can drive a used diesel a lot more miles than a gas truck. But is an average U.S. made truck over the hill at 2000 miles?
Everyone is providing really useful information. I want to thank each of you who responded so far. I'm really liking some of the suggestions! (Oh, and I'm looking at 80s, 90s, and early 2000s models.)
"The lighter 1/2 tons get decent millage and the diesels of the era your looking at get around 20mpg+"
"…However watch out for Coil on plug configurations. That is an expensive repair and will be about worn out in trucks form that time period. I know Ford used them in 1998."
"93 Chevy K1500 - 5.7 & auto. I get about 18 mpg highway, and don't bother checking it in the city. It has been rock solid."
"I would suggest a Ford F150 with the 300ci straight 6 (4.9Liter), that was a great engine. Tyey got about 15 city, 18 highway. If you get an automatic transmission, avoid the 1990. There was a weak torque convertor which was upgraded on the 1991."
"Great truck, I had a 94 with the six and a stick shift, work truck, NO options. I knew guys out in the boonies who had well over 200,000 miles on those things. One of the last, if not the last, pickups with vent windows."
Realistically all standard pickup trucks suck fuel. A 1991 truck is already 22 years old and will have a very old school engine. It will have tons of miles on it. Here in Texas, where pickups are more common than Camrys, a truck that old will be very tired. With no salt but lots of sun a truck that old will have very worn paint and exterior. You sure that's what you want?
Ford does NOT make a 1/2 ton diesel, at least not that they sell in the states. With any of the manufacturers, you'll have to step up to a 3/4-ton at minimum to get a diesel. For 1991ish MY trucks, the Dodge diesel would be a Cummins 5.9L 12V (which I've never heard bad things about), the Ford diesel would be a International IDI 7.3L (OK engine but a bit of a dog without the turbo), or the Chevy 6.2L/6.5L diesel (know nothing about them). I own a 91 Ford with the diesel but it has an aftermarket turbo system. I like it a lot. Mileage is mid-teens in the city and upper teens on the freeway. Do I need the towing capacity of a 3/4-ton diesel truck? No, but it gets me the more heavy-duty (reliable) powertrain and diesels prior to MY 1997 don't have to pass smog in CA.
Any full-size truck, especially from the era you mentioned, isn't going to do much better than low to mid-teens for MPG, regardless of engine size. I mistakenly bought a 90 F-150 with the aforementioned 300 inline 6 thinking that it'd get better mileage than the other 1/2 ton engine options (302 or 351 V8). Nope. Got worse mileage (albeit a minor difference) than my roommate who had a 89 F150 with the 302. Great engine, though. Very reliable and lots of low-end grunt.
Don't confuse payload capacity for towing capacity, either. The '1/2 ton' designation means (or used to mean) that the truck can safely haul a half ton in the bed. It can tow more than that. As to how much truck you need, first determine how much you realistically predict you'll tow weight-wise. If it's less than 2 tons or so, you'll do fine with a 1/2 ton. If it's less than a ton, you could get away with a mid-size truck like the Tacomas/Rangers/S-10s.
Ford does NOT make a 1/2 ton diesel, at least not that they sell in the states. With any of the manufacturers, you'll have to step up to a 3/4-ton at minimum to get a diesel. For 1991ish MY trucks, the Dodge diesel would be a Cummins 5.9L 12V (which I've never heard bad things about), the Ford diesel would be a International IDI 7.3L (OK engine but a bit of a dog without the turbo), or the Chevy 6.2L/6.5L diesel (know nothing about them). I own a 91 Ford with the diesel but it has an aftermarket turbo system. I like it a lot. Mileage is mid-teens in the city and upper teens on the freeway. Do I need the towing capacity of a 3/4-ton diesel truck? No, but it gets me the more heavy-duty (reliable) powertrain and diesels prior to MY 1997 don't have to pass smog in CA.
Any full-size truck, especially from the era you mentioned, isn't going to do much better than low to mid-teens for MPG, regardless of engine size. I mistakenly bought a 90 F-150 with the aforementioned 300 inline 6 thinking that it'd get better mileage than the other 1/2 ton engine options (302 or 351 V8). Nope. Got worse mileage (albeit a minor difference) than my roommate who had a 89 F150 with the 302. Great engine, though. Very reliable and lots of low-end grunt.
Don't confuse payload capacity for towing capacity, either. The '1/2 ton' designation means (or used to mean) that the truck can safely haul a half ton in the bed. It can tow more than that. As to how much truck you need, first determine how much you realistically predict you'll tow weight-wise. If it's less than 2 tons or so, you'll do fine with a 1/2 ton. If it's less than a ton, you could get away with a mid-size truck like the Tacomas/Rangers/S-10s.
Mike
Good advice all around. It all starts with figuring out how much truck you actually need. After that it's about setting a budget and then getting the best option for your needs that you can afford. Personally, I've always found the Ford 7.3L Power Stroke (available from 1994-2003) as one of the best and most reliable options out there. There are plenty of F250 and F350's with 7.3L's with well over 200k miles on them still going strong. To this day trucks, vans and SUV's with that engine remain very sought after.
The 1/2/1500 advertising will lead you to believe they can tow the world, they can't.
The drive line of a 1/2'/1500 is not as robust as a 3/4 /2500 or a 1ton/3500 gas models. Then if you step up to a diesel the drive train is even more robust.
(Different transmissions, transfer cases, springs and different axles).
Diesels will also get better millage empty and when loaded, they will not suffer as much of a drop in millage as a gas model will when worked.
A diesel will easily last 400k-500k or more. easy.
A older truck with a cummins engine will offer years of service.
The cummins engine is by far the best found in light to medium trucks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by veganwriter
I’m discovering that terms "1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, or 1 ton" can be misleading and obsolete? Am I correct to assume that if I get the right … "150 size truck”, I can tow as much or more than some "250 size trucks"?
I think Ford is the only company that makes a 150 sized diesel … or am I wrong??
And can someone speak to how much mileage? I know you can drive a used diesel a lot more miles than a gas truck. But is an average U.S. made truck over the hill at 2000 miles?
Yeah, I'm vacationing in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. I recently retired and "revisiting" Southeast Asia. But I'll be back home soon.
Someone said to avoid East/West coast vehicles due to the road spray… but I’m not talking "Northwest" … I'm talking the places in California where it doesn't snow.
I have some stuff in storage there so I’ll need to either rent or buy a vehicle to move it all east anyway. Might as well buy … then keep the trailer or truck.
If I'm going to own 2-to-5 acres outside a city, I need a pickup to haul everything from manure to lumber. I love horticulture, Hugelkulter (!), and the idea of working towards small, sustainable ag… or "Large Gardening." That means everything from trips to Home Depot to hauling a trailer with sheep or very large dogs or goats in it.
I also love the idea of a small farm tractor. (Personally, I think Kubota Tractor brochures and websites are Porn for middle age guys. But that’s just me.)
At first I was thinking about buying a used Subaru and buying a small trailer to pull my stuff back to Virginia. (Just enough to need a small trailer.) A gas saving Subaru would help me when it comes to driving around looking at homes.
I've always loved Campers on the back of pickups … because I like camping… so I started looking at campers from Indiana back to the West Coast. Surprised to find some good ones in Washington State. So weighing my needs and options, that put me back onto looking into a pickup. If I went that route, I could put the camper on the back of the truck and put my boxes inside and drive on back.
I’m discovering that terms "1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, or 1 ton" can be misleading and obsolete? Am I correct to assume that if I get the right … "150 size truck”, I can tow as much or more than some "250 size trucks"?
I think Ford is the only company that makes a 150 sized diesel … or am I wrong??
And can someone speak to how much mileage? I know you can drive a used diesel a lot more miles than a gas truck. But is an average U.S. made truck over the hill at 2000 miles?
I can only speak from an acre property owner point of view. You do not need 2500 or 3500. Unless you pulling boats and loading cinder blocks in dozens. Even 1500 - as I have Silverado - is overkill. For the purpose of yardwork, truck bed simply can not contain more than 1.6 cubic yard of topsoil, and that will cover maybe 10 sq f thin layer - BUT YOU HAVE TO SHOVEL IT ALL. I have done it so many times, that I learned my lessons, found a good guy on craigslist, and pay him a little bit to haul stuff for me.
A trailer for hauling this kind of things will be much more useful, which I have now, and am in route to sell my pickup and swap it out for smaller one, as what am I hauling - air?
Now, you looking at good year. Early 90s was golden era of reliable vehicles. Ranger, Mazda, Nissan - all are known for excellent reliability. Unfortunately, for the year, you get ton of mileage on them also. And nothing beats old Tacomas on reliability. I had 99 Ranger, and managed to average 27 summer mpgs. But it is awfully uncomfortable truck.
Really anything from the big 3. The 4.3 S10s are fairly good and will have good resale.
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Oh and HUGE THANKS For these!!
