Midsized Truck Shopping

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Dec 18, 2014
Messages
1,899
Location
NY, USA, etc.
I still can't wrap my head around how expensive a new pickup truck is.

You can't even buy a basic farm truck anymore. For example, if you get the base Colorado with a manual transmission, it doesn't even come with a locking rear end. One wheel drive isn't very useful here in the Northeast.

The Tacoma comes with 4x4 and a manual, but that's over $ 30,000. Used trucks aren't much cheaper, and the problem with buying used up here is the rust on the undercarriage. Even after 2 or 3 years, these cars look terrible underneath.

So I've pretty much narrowed this search down to a $ 5,000 project kind of truck. Possibly an older Tacoma? It's going to be hard to find something in good shape, but I am in no rush to purchase anything. I'm a GM guy first and foremost, but I'm not sure how reliable the old Colorado 5-cylinder is, I heard it is probably not a very good engine. The TrailBlazer I6 is good, actually I wouldn't mind a TrailBlazer SS, but they're a bit more than 5k.

I just can't fathom spending $ 30,000-40,000 on something that'll be rusted out in five years time.
 
Midsize trucks, lol.

They drive like a full-size, cost the same as a full-size, get the same fuel economy as a full-size but benefit from 50-70% of the performance, capability and resale value.
 
Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Midsize trucks, lol.

They drive like a full-size, cost the same as a full-size, get the same fuel economy as a full-size but benefit from 50-70% of the performance, capability and resale value.


I don't really agree with this at all.

If anything, a full size drives like a midsize until the road gets narrow. This comes from driving an F150 and a Colorado back to back while my car was in the shop.

The midsized truck is way cheaper when optioned similarly:

2017 Colorado Crew Cab 3.6L 4x4 Z71 - $ 36,775
2017 Silverado Double Cab 5.3L 4x4 Z71 - $ 43,415

The midsized truck gets marginally better gas mileage:

2017 Colorado Crew Cab 3.6L 4x4 Z71 MPG - 17/24
2017 Silverado Double Cab 5.3L 4x4 Z71 MPG - 16/22

Resale value? They're both rapidly depreciating assets.

Just for kicks, Edmunds True Cost to Own Analysis:
2017 Colorado Crew Cab 3.6L 4x4 Z71 5-year depreciation cost: $ 15,548
2017 Silverado Double Cab 5.3L 4x4 Z71 5-year depreciation cost: $ 19,739

Unless you need to tow more than 7,000 pounds, a full-size truck is a waste of money when running the numbers.
 
You will get a big pile of junk for $5,000.00.

quote-"and the problem with buying used up here is the rust on the undercarriage. Even after 2 or 3 years, these cars look terrible underneath."

Am I missing something?

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
I own a 2007 GMC Canyon with the 3700 inline five. It recently rolled over 190,000 miles on the original engine and transmission that have only been touched for oil and filter changes. It still has the original brake pads and shoes on it. OCi has been every 10,000 miles with full synthetic oil (Walmart Supertech for the first 150,000 and ConocoPhilips the last 40,000). Transmission was serviced at 50,000 and 100,000. I will be servicing it again when it rolls over 200,000. I don't think you could ask for better reliabilty than what this truck has givin me.
 
Originally Posted By: ZX11Rebel
I own a 2007 GMC Canyon with the 3700 inline five. It recently rolled over 190,000 miles on the original engine and transmission that have only been touched for oil and filter changes. It still has the original brake pads and shoes on it. OCi has been every 10,000 miles with full synthetic oil (Walmart Supertech for the first 150,000 and ConocoPhilips the last 40,000). Transmission was serviced at 50,000 and 100,000. I will be servicing it again when it rolls over 200,000. I don't think you could ask for better reliabilty than what this truck has givin me.


Good to know. Thanks!
 
185k between two I5's that were traded w/o dealer service - the V8 Canyon in signature is only at 66k in 7 years - but filthy from another day of thunderstorms in the marsh. No dealer service. They are decent trucks if you prefer smaller units
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
...

The Tacoma comes with 4x4 and a manual, but that's over $ 30,000.
...


HUH? I just priced a Tacoma 4x4, manual, with 4 cylinder for $24,130 on their site.
 
I like this segment, I am over sedans and think this is a great alternative to a soccer mom SUV. I've owned an F-150, it was a great driving truck but I appreciated the smaller size of my Canyon and all the S-10/Sonomas I've had over the years. Every time I see one of these driving around -
20.gif


GAZ.jpg
 
I went through this dilemma six months ago. I wanted a basic small truck to replace my old 1997 Nissan that now has 315,000 miles on it. I shopped everything on the market and was very disappointed at what is available. I wanted a manual gearbox which is nearly non-existent in 2017 and I didn't want four doors or a bunch of frivolous options that I don't use.

I passed up Toyota because they didn't offer a manual gearbox in a basic 2-wheel drive truck. I had to pay for 4-wheel drive to get the manual which would have been foolish. Also, their pricing is laughable.

I looked at the GMC/Chevrolet Canyon/Colorado but could not find a single model with a manual transmission. If I ordered it then I was facing a three month wait and paying full price. Without the ability to even drive one before buying it I decided against it.

This left me with only Nissan. I had great luck with my old Nissan but dealing with the horrible dealership network in Atlanta was a huge turnoff. They did have brand new 2017 models starting at $20,000 and with manual transmissions so at least there was something to consider.

I ended up buying a 2017 Nissan Frontier SV with the 2.5 liter engine, 5 speed manual transmission, and standard 'SV' options for $21,300. The build quality was/is horrible but I doubt it's any worse than what I'd find on any other brand. The factory in Canton, Ms, has some quality control issues that need to be resolved.

All things told, I ended up saving about $8,000 over the next closest competitor with comparable equipment. No locking rear axle but it does have traction control (applies brake to spinning wheel), 16" aluminum wheels, extended cab, power windows/door locks, sliding rear window and a horrible stereo. For $21,300 it was the best I could find for a 2017 model. I could have saved about $2,000 more and gotten the base 'S' model but it was just a bit too spartan for my tastes.
 
Straight from Toyota's website, a base 4x4 (required to get the desired manual transmission) has an MSRP of $25,090. Still 5 grand shy of 30k as claimed.

Straight from Chevy, a 2WD Colorado stripped down to nothing with a manual tranmission starts at $20,995 MSRP. And while it does not have a locker, it does have traction control.

I see above you are specifying a crew-cab (not in your original post) - which quite honestly is generally not a base level farm truck and you pay accordingly. Your post would be better titled truck equipped as I want is too expensive.

I prefer the interior space of my fullsize truck, and honestly the fuel mileage isn't that significantly different to justify buying the smaller truck. If I required something smaller and more maneuverable, I might bite, but these days... not so much.

Good luck with your shopping - just be honest that your specific desired configuration is more expensive because it isn't just the "base farm truck".
 
$5k can get you a T100 from the 90s, if ex cab with no rear door works. I loved mine until i had to get 4 real doors. It handled heavy loads and drove great empty. great mpg and a slick manual gearbox. Rust is the only worry on a T100 3.4L truck. Obviously you would have to get one in outside of rustville and ship it or drive it in.
 
Last edited:
Drive down south and pick up something without rust. Make a trip out of it, buy a cheap plane ticket, buy a truck, spend $300 on fuel and a few hundred bucks in hotel fees and you'll still be ahead without having to have rusty junk repaired.
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
I still can't wrap my head around how expensive a new pickup truck is.

You can't even buy a basic farm truck anymore. For example, if you get the base Colorado with a manual transmission, it doesn't even come with a locking rear end. One wheel drive isn't very useful here in the Northeast.

The Tacoma comes with 4x4 and a manual, but that's over $ 30,000. Used trucks aren't much cheaper, and the problem with buying used up here is the rust on the undercarriage. Even after 2 or 3 years, these cars look terrible underneath.

So I've pretty much narrowed this search down to a $ 5,000 project kind of truck. Possibly an older Tacoma? It's going to be hard to find something in good shape, but I am in no rush to purchase anything. I'm a GM guy first and foremost, but I'm not sure how reliable the old Colorado 5-cylinder is, I heard it is probably not a very good engine. The TrailBlazer I6 is good, actually I wouldn't mind a TrailBlazer SS, but they're a bit more than 5k.

I just can't fathom spending $ 30,000-40,000 on something that'll be rusted out in five years time.



1. If you oil spray a brand new truck it will not rust, and you can always put a locker or limited slip in after you buy it.

2. If you're worried about rust $5000 ain't gonna cut it if you stay local, as many have mentioned. You are going to have to wait a while for something nice to come up and compromise between rust and condition. If you are serious about wanting a project something will eventually come up that is in pieces or needs significant work that you can do.
 
Manufacturers make big profit on trucks fully loaded with buyers wanting the optional 'glitter and glam' packages. Few buyers today want just a basic truck with manual transmission and roll up windows.

Buy a used 5 year old truck that took a big hit with depreciation and has low miles.
 
The full size (super size) trucks feel too big to me. Hard to park. Hard to get thru the garage door. Big step up into seat.

The colorado is the size trucks used to be.

I prefer the feel.

Rod
 
I wanted a mid size 2x4 pickup with a V8, 4 doors and a good cab high camper shell so I bought a 4Runner. I've got a good reliable vehicle with excellent resale value and I've never had to haul anything I could not fit in the back or throw onto my trailer.

We've heard of vehicles rusting out in less than 25 to 30 years but here in Southern California and Arizona we don't believe everything we hear.

I've got a rust spot in the paint on my 84 Civic about the size of a pinhead and I'm really worried. This could lead to two or three such rust spots before the car is even 40 years old. This is terrible. I wonder if it's covered under the warranty?
 
Originally Posted By: oilpsi2high
I'd look for something from outside of the rust belt.


Florida trucks have no rust. Unless they drive them in the ocean at Daytona Beach,,,,
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top