What's a good 4WD small pick up truck? (salvage, fuel, best)

[Deez Nuttz]

I'm thinking of getting a small 4WD pick up to beat around with off road, thru snow, etc. and am not sure what to get.

Originally I was considering a late 90's-early 2000's S-10 with a V6, but then I got to wondering how good are the 4 cylinder 4WD trucks? For instance an '85 Toyota or Mazda?

[Mr. Longshaft]

Avoid the 80's Toyotas...that 22RE 4 cyl. engine is a big joke...nothing but problems. Mazda is pretty good.

[EdJones]

Originally Posted by Mr. Longshaft

Avoid the 80's Toyotas...that 22RE 4 cyl. engine is a big joke...nothing but problems. Mazda is pretty good.

Sorry, but I have to disagree big time here with you. With all respect, you are very far from the truth.

The early 80's Toyota trucks are considered one of the best ever produced by Toyota, specifically the 85'. The 22R's engines are probably the most reliable 4cyl engines in the history of Toyota (with the exception of the current 2.7 4cyl which has more horse power). People have put over 400K miles on many of those.

Toyota trucks have a long history of quality and good offroad performance. Tacomas are excellent trucks. You should look into a late 90's one.

[rickers]

I have owned over 30 cars and trucks in my 56 years. I am not a mechanic, I am just a guy who has an 85 Toyota 4x4 rig with a 22RE engine. I have never had a more reliable rig in my life. I beat the crap out of my rig in snow, desert heat, bouncing up steep rock gardens, revving in the sand dunes, hauling logs, minimal maintenance and all. My original engine only had 295,000 miles on it when I replaced it and I was very happy. I am still driving it as my ONLY vehicle ! I will be driving this rig over Marias pass near Glacier Park in a few days and I have complete confidence.

Picasa Web Albums - Rick - rig

[sunsprit]

The only problem I saw with 22RE motors among my Toyota owning friends was the "timing chain wears through the front cover" problem, getting oil into the water.

That was at very high mileage, typically well over 230,000 miles.

Another neighbor with a 4runner put close to 300,000 on the motor before it wore out, and the vehicle was worth re-powering. We thought about just finding a junkyard wreck 22RE motor to install ... and they're almost impossible to find at a reasonable cost. People simply aren't taking these vehicles to the boneyard and parting them out until there's nothing left. Unlike a lot of other marques where you can readily find salvage major components because the vehicles are coming off the road in droves ....

[berte90]

i have a 1990 toyota and it is a piece of work. good gas mileage (22+), durable, and very little maintenance required. i read about others, and the only problem is that you need to replace the clutch at about 250,000 miles. that is alot (10 times the length of the earths equator!!) and all you need to replace is the clutch? thats insane. you also might try a different small truck, ford ranger, chevy colorado, dodge dakota, etc.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Mr. Longshaft

Avoid the 80's Toyotas...that 22RE 4 cyl. engine is a big joke...nothing but problems. Mazda is pretty good.

Are you out of your mind?!?!?!?! The 22RE is probably the best damned engine on earth as far as reliability goes.

OP, do NOT listen to this guy, he clearly has NO CLUE what he's talking about. Ive owned two Toyota 4WD trucks (85 and 87) with 22R and 22RE engines. The former had 227K miles on it and ran better than most new cars, no joke. In the 3 years I owned that truck, I spent 0$ in repairs. The 22RE had a timing chain guide snap, which set me back $15. Other than that in the 2 years I owned that truck, I spent no other cash, and it had 240K miles on it and was off-roaded like you wouldnt believe. If you are looking for a newer truck, check out the Tacoma, especially with the TRD off-road package. If you really want to zoom around, TRD offers a supercharger for it too.

[Steve-o]

I just went through and re-read all the posts (I stopped and responded immediately to Mr. Longshaft's ridiculous post) and would have to agree with everyone on here. The old Toyota 22RE and 22R engines are insanely reliable and IMO are the most reliable engines ever produced on this planet. Theyre dogs, but man do they run and run and run and run...

And sunsprit is correct in his statements too. I mentioned I had a timing chain guide break, which was causing the chain to hit the front cover. It was kinda hard to hear where the sound was coming from, but a quick check with some stethoscopes revealed the sound was coming from under the front cover. The guide was broken into several pieces, which luckily didnt travel far, and was a quick fix. Other than that? It was the longest lasting, most reliable engine Ive ever driven/owned. My brother has one right now that has 190K on it and has also been 100% faithful (2WD).

[tinman01]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

I just went through and re-read all the posts (I stopped and responded immediately to Mr. Longshaft's ridiculous post) and would have to agree with everyone on here. The old Toyota 22RE and 22R engines are insanely reliable and IMO are the most reliable engines ever produced on this planet. Theyre dogs, but man do they run and run and run and run...

And sunsprit is correct in his statements too. I mentioned I had a timing chain guide break, which was causing the chain to hit the front cover. It was kinda hard to hear where the sound was coming from, but a quick check with some stethoscopes revealed the sound was coming from under the front cover. The guide was broken into several pieces, which luckily didnt travel far, and was a quick fix. Other than that? It was the longest lasting, most reliable engine Ive ever driven/owned. My brother has one right now that has 190K on it and has also been 100% faithful (2WD).

I had a toyota 4x4 with the 22 re engine. It averaged right at 24 mpg. I sold it with just under 200,000 on it. The guy who bought it uses it for his daily driver. Original engine..... The weakness of the old toyota's was the sheet metal... Mine faired well. I had it rust proofed the first week I owned it. Fuel line corroded but I replaced that in a couple of hours. Easy trucks to work on.
Worst small truck I ever owned was a ford ranger. If it could fail it did on that truck. I have heard good and bad about the S-10's. You don't see many older ones when you go off roading but you do see a ton of toyota's.
My current truck a Tacoma with a V-6 has 120,000 on it and running strong.
I have never met anyone who had a complaint about the 22 re other than lack of power.

[jdavid93225]

Many purists consider the '85 Toyota to be the best small truck there is, period. First, it's a Toyota, which is a big plus to many folks. Second, it was the last year they offered the solid axle in the front. For this reason, it is very reliable, and is also inexpensive to lift, if you choose to do so. At this point, though, any '85 Toyota you are lucky enough to find will, almost certainly, be a well used, high mileage vehicle. The later ones were pretty good, too, but some people tend not to like the independent front suspension.