Hello, all. Well, it looks like our move is a go, from Long Island to Manlius, NY near Syracuse. We hear that Syracuse and Buffalo are in competition as to who gets the most snow, with Syracuse the winner more often than not. That said, I will be looking for a reliable used four wheel drive pick up of the compact variety. My research shows that the Tacoma is the most highly sought after, with prices to match. I wonder what experiences people have had with similar trucks, IE Ford Ranger, Mazda Truck or Nissan Frontier. Your insights would be appreciated.
Gary

 

Had a 1985 Ford Ranger 4X4. Mechanically it was OK. The problem was the body rot from the salt. Sold it in 1997. Maybe Ford is doing a better job on body protection now.

 

We have an '03 Tacoma 4 door, but not a 4X4. It gets pretty lousy gas mileage with it's V-6 but it really hasn't had any problems. I know my husband cusses it out every time he changes the oil though. I guess it drips everywhere. We bought it for our daughter to drive and to tow behind the motorhome.

 

I have a 1994 Ranger 4x4.

1) My gas milage sucks at 16 with a 4.0 liter v6 and optional gears.
2) Be prepared to spend ~$400 every 40k miles to replace the front axle u-joints.
3) Sucks in the winter!

My truck came with 265 series tires and limited slip, horrible combination in 2wd. 4wd can not be used on bare roads. 95% of my winter driving the roads are too clear for 4wd. (I live in Rochester, not much different conditions than Buffalo or Syracuse.)

I remedied most of the problems with a set of narrower Blizzaks and 200 lbs of weight in the bed.

I will not buy 4wd again. 2wd or AWD with proper snow tires is the way to go.

My wife drives a Solara with snow tires and has never been stuck in the 8 years we've owned it.

edit:

If you still go for a 4x4 truck, go for the Toyota. My Ranger and my wife's Solara both have 120k miles.

Repairs on the Ranger in that time:

Front brakes done 4 times (Rotors twice)
Back brakes once (Completely! Drums, shoes, cylinders, hardware, and cables)
Exhaust 2 times
Y pipe once (not cheap)
Radiator replaced twice
Front axle u-joints replaced twice
Replaced transmission lines
Replaced power steering lines
Replaced battery twice
Rear axle seals once
Rear leaf spring mount once
Ball joints once

Repairs on the Toyota:

Front and rear brakes once (No rotors)
Timing belt for piece of mind

 

Another note:

The Mazda is a rebadged Ranger.

 

Our other vehicle is a Nissan Frontier Crew Cab, we bought it in 2000, the first year they came our, and have had zero mechanical problems...the warrenty has replaced the CD player twice (I think it was my CD's, but great service) and an AC part that went out but no big deal as I was living in Seattle at the time. All said, if we needed another truck I wouldn't even think about buying another. If you need a bed for hauling they have a longer bed on the crew cab, but with thegate extender there isn't much I haven't been able to haul. The nice thing about the shorter bed, when someone asks you to help with moving you can say, well, with the short bed it's twice as many trips...wanna help with gas It's usually cheaper to get a Uhaul.

I did replace the stock tires with Michelin SUV tires and they are awesome, felt like I was driving a luxury SUV/Truck when I put those on...otherwise its stock and no problems!

my .02

 

I'm on my third Dakota Club Cab with no problems on any of them. Gas mileage sucks at 16-18 around town with a 4.7 V-8, around 21-22 on the highway (both were higher when I drove with a very soft foot )

Toyota is the way to go IMHO but I didn't want to spend the money on it.

 

I've had my 91 Ranger for 15 yrs, it is a 4.0 v6 with 5 spd, STX model. Usually average about 21 mpg in summer and 18 mpg while in 4x4. The last few years it has really started to rust, but then after 15 yrs and 190k miles I expect it. The truck has never seen the inside of a garage, always outside. It has had it's share of mufflers, it is still on it's 3rd set of tires, 1.95 15's I believe. I needed front end work done around 100k and a new gas tank last year. Other than that it has been the perfect winter beater for me. I will be considering buying another when the thing finally dies. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Levi

 

1988 Toyota 4X4, just the regular 4 banger, bought new and immediately took it 4 wheeling in the Sierras. (dents and dirt) I still have it 18 years later, with 52,000 miles. Other than normal maintenance, I have replaced the radiator. That's it. Not even new brakes (yet). It cost me about 9 grand and I'll bet I could get 6 for it today. Well maybe 5. I'm sold on Toyotas.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I was thinking of either keeping my wifes '02 Civic Si and buying the pickup, or selling the Honda(the Si, NOT the S2000) and buying a new Subaru. It's funny, I had to practically beg her to go for the Si, and now she will not part with it with out a fight. I do like the idea of having a real workhorse seeing as the new house has a much larger property and we will be doing some intensive gardening and such.