new to me compact truck?

[NewfieDan]

I may have a new job soon. Had the interview last week. If I get the position it would mean having to travel about 70km to work each day. The 70km is one way.

So I am thinking about getting a new to me compact truck. I will need a truck since the 70km commute will change after a year. Then it will be closer to 85km one way. After the change I will be on a construction site. The sites I work on are not a normal construction sites. They are mega-projects and do not allow small vehicles like cars on them.

I may also use the the truck for an occasional trip to the lumber yard for supplies. Nothing really big to pick up, but a couple of sheets of plywood and small lumber for my woodworking hobby.

I am thinking about something the size of a Ranger or Nissan Frontier. Initial cost is not my major concern but fuel economy and maintenance costs and comfort are. I have not really decided on a brand yet.

I already have a full size truck but the fuel cost would destroy me driving that far very day. The small truck would not be used for towing just running back and forth to work each day.

 

[ziggy]

Re: new to me compact truck?

don't know what your question is. are ya trying to decide on a mfg? new or used? price? (which appears to be irrelivant if i read your thread right).
anyways. i have a '91 toyota p/u (and it is a small vehicle). it's basic transportation. no electric anything on it and no creature comforts. it's an automatic (would rather have a manual) w/ a bench seat. my trucks been through hell and back. dad used it to transport his stuff up to his cabin for many years. he'd pack it full to the gills and drive it 520 miles one way year after year. it probably didn't see much use at the cabin. maybe trash runs would be my guess. when dad died in '03 i got it. i used it to pull a jet ski with. it saw many trips to the lake w/ski in tow. it never let me down. then i let my 16 year old have it when he was in high school. it got really abused then. along with lack of maint. it lived through 5 years of that before i got it back. with some maint work and engineering it's now back in service for me. i use it for dump runs and now plan on toting my canoe with it.

fuel mileage is in the 20's. cold or hot. mostly fairly simple to work on.
this truck has seen horrid abuse (especially by my son) over the years imho and it's still driving. so an old toyota, bottom of the line has worked well for me.
if i had any wishes for it, it'd be that it was a manual transmission and a 4x4. but whatever. it's been a very durable truck considering what it is and what it's gone through.
fwiw, ya don't see to many of this truck for sale either, nor does there appear to many in the junk yard for parts which leads me to think they're still in service and/or just being driven till the wheels fall off them. typical toyota reliability imho.

 

[82rude]

Re: new to me compact truck?

how about the new dodge ram 2013?v6 has lots of power and if you could get anywheres near the claimed 36 mpg you,d be styling.plus you get the added benifit of reliabilty out there in gods country.

 

[southkogs]

Re: new to me compact truck?

If price is honestly not a concern, I'd actually look at Ford's ecoboost F150's. That's part of the reason the Ranger is going/has gone away, the MPG of the full size was able to get down to the same range. You should be able to find 'em used too.

 

[bigdee]

Re: new to me compact truck?

don't know what your question is. are ya trying to decide on a mfg? new or used? price? (which appears to be irrelivant if i read your thread right).
anyways. i have a '91 toyota p/u (and it is a small vehicle). it's basic transportation. no electric anything on it and no creature comforts. it's an automatic (would rather have a manual) w/ a bench seat. my trucks been through hell and back. dad used it to transport his stuff up to his cabin for many years. he'd pack it full to the gills and drive it 520 miles one way year after year. it probably didn't see much use at the cabin. maybe trash runs would be my guess. when dad died in '03 i got it. i used it to pull a jet ski with. it saw many trips to the lake w/ski in tow. it never let me down. then i let my 16 year old have it when he was in high school. it got really abused then. along with lack of maint. it lived through 5 years of that before i got it back. with some maint work and engineering it's now back in service for me. i use it for dump runs and now plan on toting my canoe with it.

fuel mileage is in the 20's. cold or hot. mostly fairly simple to work on.
this truck has seen horrid abuse (especially by my son) over the years imho and it's still driving. so an old toyota, bottom of the line has worked well for me.
if i had any wishes for it, it'd be that it was a manual transmission and a 4x4. but whatever. it's been a very durable truck considering what it is and what it's gone through.
fwiw, ya don't see to many of this truck for sale either, nor does there appear to many in the junk yard for parts which leads me to think they're still in service and/or just being driven till the wheels fall off them. typical toyota reliability imho.

I have to agree with ziggy. I have owned a similar Toyota and while gas mileage wasn't that great for a small truck the reliability made up for it. My little 4 cylinder Toyota could safely haul almost 1-1/2 times the weight of my other truck (F-150).

 

[NewfieDan]

Re: new to me compact truck?

OP here. What I am lookin for is mpg and reliability. I had a Ranger years ago and liked it then. But I know that things have changed a lot since the late 90's. On many of the sites I work on there is also the issue of insurances. I have to carry a minimum amount of insurance a truck that old would be hard to insure. I am thinking of one a couple of years old. Any suggestions on a cheap to run and reliable truck.

Like I said earlier I have a full size CTD that gets about 23mpg, but costs a small fortune for reapiars. I am looking for something cheaper to operate. Any suggestions?

 

[matt167]

Re: new to me compact truck?

Compact trucks do not have a market anymore. Their MPG simply does not outweigh their small size. I had a 1998 Ford Ranger, 4.0L 4x4 auto, got 20 MPG pretty consistant. Now I have a 1995 Chevy K1500 ECLB 5.0L/5spd and it gets 18-19 MPG pretty regularly. Twice the truck, essentially 2mpg difference. The Ranger never broke 22mpg when tied behind the 4.0L, and the F-150 in the same era was known for 18-20 MPG.. My mom had a 1991 Toyota 4x4, had the 3VZE/5spd. 20 MPG pretty consistant, but comfort was not a strong point.

That said, the Ranger never got larger like the Tacoma, same frame dimensions, sa ( +-3" depending on year/ ex cab or long bed, or std cab ) same frame from bed to bumper from 1983-2011 when they quit production. 2010-2011 Rangers came with rear disc brakes, and the 2.3L 4cyl coupled with the 5spd will get 30 MPG

 

[roscoe]

Re: new to me compact truck?

OP here. What I am lookin for is mpg and reliability. I had a Ranger years ago and liked it then. But I know that things have changed a lot since the late 90's. On many of the sites I work on there is also the issue of insurances. I have to carry a minimum amount of insurance a truck that old would be hard to insure. I am thinking of one a couple of years old. Any suggestions on a cheap to run and reliable truck.

Like I said earlier I have a full size CTD that gets about 23mpg, but costs a small fortune for reapiars. I am looking for something cheaper to operate. Any suggestions?

That's interesting.
Must be a Canada thing.
I have no problem getting 1/2 million to 1 million $ liability coverage on a 20 year old vehicle.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: new to me compact truck?

I do know in your area...... some diesel Toyota's might be available

 

[JB]

Re: new to me compact truck?

Toyotas are top ranked for reliability. If you can find a Diesel Tacoma you would be as close to your criteria as you are likely to get. It is just too bad that Subaru doesn't make a pickup. I don't rate the Brat as a truck.

 

[avenger79]

Re: new to me compact truck?

what I have is a Jeep Wrangler for going to work. Lets me leave the dually at home when I don't have to haul anything. The Jeep has 3.8 V6 gets 20-21 MPG and after 110,000 miles has cost me zip in repairs. regualr maint gets done of course but no breakage. 4X4 so can go in your site. I took out the back seat to have some cargo area. great for getting around/parking/ etc.

 

[NewfieDan]

Re: new to me compact truck?

That's interesting.
Must be a Canada thing.
I have no problem getting 1/2 million to 1 million $ liability coverage on a 20 year old vehicle.

I can get million too. But the sites I work on often require a min. of 5 million liability. Most insurance companies won't even think about that.

 

[mscher]

Re: new to me compact truck?

I have a 97' Ranger 4cyl 5sp. 2wd 23mpg.

One of the most bullet proof vehicles I have ever owned.

Gave it to teenage DS and even though it now looks like it went through a tornado, it has never failed to start and run.

 

[roscoe]

Re: new to me compact truck?

I can get million too. But the sites I work on often require a min. of 5 million liability. Most insurance companies won't even think about that.

Holy bat doodoo batman.

Must be some special work site.

Surprised they don't have everyone riding around on bicycles.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: new to me compact truck?

the only compact truck that I ever recall being cheap to run were the old mid-80's Mazda trucks with the 2 liter. I was getting 31pmg, however the truck was a POS.

generally if you want economical and truck, your looking at a diesel.

another suggestion would be find a park-n-ride close to the job site. leave your current truck there, take your current car to the truck and then the truck to the job site. problem solved, no additional money spent. granted its a logistical pain in the butt.

 

[rbh]

Re: new to me compact truck?

I can get million too. But the sites I work on often require a min. of 5 million liability. Most insurance companies won't even think about that.

Personell/company liability insurance + the vehicle insurance = $5.000.000+??

Hate having to jump through the hoops to get onto some job sites.

If you do not have to carry to many tools and supplies any 3.0-4.0 LT with OD truck should be great for mileage.

Just remember just having the 4x4 hubs in sucks back fuel regarless if in 4x4 or not

 

[F14CRAZY]

Re: new to me compact truck?

I'd love to find a rust free Dodge Rampage...can't beat mpg in the high 30s

 

[NewfieDan]

Re: new to me compact truck?

Personell/company liability insurance + the vehicle insurance = $5.000.000+??

Hate having to jump through the hoops to get onto some job sites.

If you do not have to carry to many tools and supplies any 3.0-4.0 LT with OD truck should be great for mileage.

Just remember just having the 4x4 hubs in sucks back fuel regarless if in 4x4 or not

No I don't have any tools to carry. Just me, the very rare passenger and few small "safety" supplies like a camera, some red tape.

The high insurance is because of the potential cost and production impact when things go seriously sideways. The sites I usually work on are major industrial sites. Most of the areas I work in are oil/gas plants that are in operation. I work on the expansion projects for these places.

Because the expansion projects start with huge foundations and virtually no roads I need a 4X4 vehicle. But like I said I am not sure about the SUV since I will probably use it once in a while to run to the local hardware store for supplies for my woodworking hobby. My full size truck has a tonneau cover so its a PITA to load wood into and carry it home.

I know I want some space behind the rear seat for a jacket, lunch kit and other small necessities, leaving the front seat without a lot of clutter. All of the sites I work on have a requirement for a "buggy whip". It's basically a flag on a long flexible pole to make it easier for REALLY big trucks to see you.

For an idea of where I work look at the following link Click here It will give you an idea of some the places I work.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: new to me compact truck?

The best value in a small truck is simply a 4 cylinder 5 speed Ranger truck. They just quit making them, but there are hundreds of thousands on the used car market. The other brands, like Toyota, just won't return the gas mileage that the Ranger will.

I had one in 1986 (single seat long bed) with a 2.3 automatic that'd return 28 mpg on the highway.
I got another in 1992 (supercab short bed) with a 4.0 automatic, that return 23 mpg on the highway.

Neither truck ever saw the shop for anything other than brakes. They're simply bulletproof in reliability and mechanically.