best pickup of the 90s overall

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'96 and OLDER F150/250 with a 300-6 or 302/351 V8: if you can find one with a C6 (3-speed) it is probably the most reliable automatic transmission out there.

The older 4-speed (granny 1st gear) is much more robust and a better manual transmission than the 5-speed Aisin (? spelin'?) but the HD manual 5-speed is even better.

Probably can find a F250 for about the same price as a F150 because MOST people are more interested in gas mileage. If you really want a cheap ("less expensive"?) used truck that can last 20-30 years the Ford (pre-1997!) is The One, IMHO.

Cheers!

p.s. I had a Ford Courier (Mazda 1.8, actually) a Jeep Comanche 4WD, and then started off with a BRAND NEW 1991 F150SC (2WD s/b, 300-6 & 5-speed for $9999 out the door), followed by a 1996 F150SC (2WD s/b, 351/E4OD) and have enjoyed the current beast for a decade, now.
 
Maybe its just my familiarity, but I'd go with the first-generation Ram (94-up) from that era. Bulletproof LA series gasoline engines (5.2 and 5.9), and bulletproof A-727 based transmissions. On the diesel side, the only thing that even came close to the 12-valve Cummins was the Powerstroke 7.3 and frankly it wasn't all that close. That said, you have to do three things to them:

1) make sure the intake plenum gasket isn't leaking on the gas engines
2) Remove the check valve from the transmission cooler line
3) check the front ball joints for wear if it has more than 100k miles on it.

I think the Vortec powered Chevys were generally very good from that era, and we all know that the Ford Modular 4.6 and 5.4 EVENTUALLY became bulletproof, but you gotta remember that in the 90s those engines were still having some issues with high oil consumption, and problems with the head casting especially on 5.4s.
 
Believe the OP excluded the 97+ F150's from the discussion, so no need to bring up the 4.6 or 5.4. If we did, the 4.6 was bulletproof out of the box as it didn't show up until the '97 model year F150. The teething problems were well out of that motor. I had a '97 F150 that I still wish I had back.
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
Believe the OP excluded the 97+ F150's from the discussion, so no need to bring up the 4.6 or 5.4. If we did, the 4.6 was bulletproof out of the box as it didn't show up until the '97 model year F150. The teething problems were well out of that motor. I had a '97 F150 that I still wish I had back.


Exactly. The oil consumption issues were on the early modular equipped vehicles like the Panther cars. By the times the F-series got them, they were excellent (aside from the plug launch issue).
 
Overkill, I know you're a Ford expert... but my memory is that the 5.4 in particular was still having oil consumption issues pretty late in the game. A friend of mine actually had Ford buy back a 5.4 Expedition somewhere around 98 or 99 because it burned so much oil. Really made me sad... he went with a Fore-skinner as a replacement and still is down on domestics as a result :-(

If we're sticking to pre-Modular F-series, then yeah. They'd probably be my recommendation, maybe even over the 94-up Ram. *I* wouldn't mind putting in the aftermarket balljoints to bring the Ram front end up to snuff, but your average joe probably just wants to buy-and-drive.

One thing the Ram has going for it is that they're cheap. They built a TON of those first-gen Rams, so there are a lot on the market. And Dodges never have held their resale value as well as the others, just because they're less understood IMO. But if you DO know the quirks (like I said- intake plenum, ball joints, trans cooler check valve) then you can buy one CHEAP, fix those things, and drive it until the sun runs out of hydrogen to fuse.
 
A buddy has a 94 5.9 Ram he bought new. He liked it enough that even after he bought a 2011 Hemi Ram, he kept the 94 as a supposed "beater" but then started pampering it with new paint and a lot of neglected maintenance. And yes, every fleck of factory paint did eventually peel off the hood and roof :-/
 
I see more GM trucks of this vintage than Ford around here. Given that Ford claims to be the "best selling truck" that tells me the GM trucks either last longer or people like them more and thus spend more time maintaining them.
 
If you want a real truck and not a toy look for a 83-94.5 f250 or 350 with the 6.9 or 7.3 idi. Dead reliable cheap parts and super easy to work on and same or better mileage than a half ton.
 
I shudder to think of the issues you'd run into on a $2000 Diesel.

Again, off topic, but I don't ever recall the 5.4 having a reputation of being an oil burner. There are always some in the group (my '99 F150 4.6l burned a quart of oil every 3000 miles), but I don't consider that excessive. It did it from almost new to the time I sold the truck with 194,000 miles on it and ran like a top.

The only real curse on the 2V seems to be the plug launching issue.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Overkill, I know you're a Ford expert... but my memory is that the 5.4 in particular was still having oil consumption issues pretty late in the game. A friend of mine actually had Ford buy back a 5.4 Expedition somewhere around 98 or 99 because it burned so much oil. Really made me sad... he went with a Fore-skinner as a replacement and still is down on domestics as a result :-(

If we're sticking to pre-Modular F-series, then yeah. They'd probably be my recommendation, maybe even over the 94-up Ram. *I* wouldn't mind putting in the aftermarket balljoints to bring the Ram front end up to snuff, but your average joe probably just wants to buy-and-drive.

One thing the Ram has going for it is that they're cheap. They built a TON of those first-gen Rams, so there are a lot on the market. And Dodges never have held their resale value as well as the others, just because they're less understood IMO. But if you DO know the quirks (like I said- intake plenum, ball joints, trans cooler check valve) then you can buy one CHEAP, fix those things, and drive it until the sun runs out of hydrogen to fuse.


Wonder if your buddy's had the PCV issue? There was an "updated" hose to fix potential oil consumption through the PCV on some of the truck engines. Not many actually HAD the problem, but the the few who did, the problem was easily rectified and should have been under warranty.

However, the initial issue with consumption was valve seals, and this only applied to the Panther cars and was not an issue by the time the trucks saw the engine and subsequently, never applied to the 5.4L, since only the 4.6L was put in the cars.

We've owned a 98, 2000 and 2002. None of them use(d) oil.

The 98 had the non-PI heads, so was down on power over the later ones however.
 
Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
FULL SIZE definitely. I would consider a Toyota but you can't hardly find them

That is because the tundra was introduced in 1998, and it still was smaller than the competition.

And it used a timing belt which sucks.
 
The 5.4 is pretty good. Only thing I have ever heard bad is it blowing out plugs in the early ones. The guy who is sitting right next to me just got his 01 5.4 back from blowing one out yesterday that is what reminded me, 97,000 miles. It only cost 360.00 to have it fixed. Considering he got a good deal on it, that is not too bad.
 
I have more experience with the 90's chevy as seen by my signature but I deal with a 96 Ford F150 4x4 with the 4.9L and 5 speed manual that my fiance's 16 year old son has. My chevy's and his ford has all had some issues so it would be a toss up for me at the moment. I personally like working on chevy's better so my vote would be for chevy. I also like how they look better than the Ford's

Wayne
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
I shudder to think of the issues you'd run into on a $2000 Diesel.


Meh. Its not as bad as you might think, especially on those old IDI engines. Basically an oversized tractor engine. Glow plugs probably cause more headache than any other single issue. People get tired of those trucks and practically throw them away, which can make for good deals.

For example, a friend has just about had it with his old Ford IDI. Its fallen into very occasional use (<1000 miles a year) and that just doesn't agree with it. Vacuum problems so the power brakes are dicey, glow plugs don't work, and the mirrors are broken off. He's ready to drop it like a dead fish, but you *know* that as far as rods, bearings, rings, etc. its not even half done yet. Someone who knows normally aspirated diesels could get it for a song, put a moderate investment in the annoying stuff, and off you go again.
 
Well I started looking. Of course now that I'm looking I don't see anything. I agree I like how easy Chevy's are to work on.
 
$2k is going to get you something that is mostly dead and used up. At that price point brand or model doesn't really matter, buy on condition.

I'd save up more money and buy a better truck.

Trucks are not like cars, most of them get used and used up.
 
$3500 up to 5k should get you a decent truck. You can't go wrong with either Ford or Chevy depending on condition.

There seems to be more Chevy's still on the road in my area also.
 
10th Generation F-150.

My family has had the following:
97 supercab 4.6
00 SVT Lightning
01 supercrew 5.4
02 Harley Davidson supercharged
03 supercrew 5.4

They have all been dead reliable, they've only needed fluids, plugs, and minor wear and tear suspension replacement.
 
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