Originally Posted By: yesthatsteve
Basically any compact truck from the last 25 years was pretty good. At a $3k price point, it's all about the previous owner(s) and how the truck was kept.
This pretty much sums it up. At that price point, condition is nearly everything. I'd stay away from more obscure stuff like Mitsubishis that may have parts availability issues, but any of the trucks sold in larger numbers are good if their condition is good.
2001-2011 Duratec I4 equipped Rangers/B-Series are excellent trucks and the MPG is as good as it gets in a body on frame pickup, but in the $3K range you will mostly be looking at well worn older regular cabs. Still good trucks, but I wouldn't limit myself to that with only a $3K budget or you may be in for a long search to get something good.
I'd also look at SUVs based on common truck platforms. MPG won't touch a Duratec Ranger, but resale is lower than pickups, and you can get more out of $3K. A friend of mine recently found a very clean 1996 Explorer 2WD with 127K on Craigslist and talked the owner down to $2K. The front suspension was shot and it needed some other odds and ends, but no rust or anything that couldn't easily be repaired. For around $3K total he has a clean, reliable Ford truck based SUV with leather, sunroof, keyless entry, JBL stereo, etc. Here is a pic after replacing all the blown out front end stuff and getting it aligned...
Probably only 16 MPG in town and around 23 max on the highway, but at $3K for all that 1990s Ford SUV goodness, who cares.