Smaller truck

[im faster]

OKay, My fiancee really wants a truck.

She has right now a 94 Civic 124k miles lost of maintenance. (up for sale or trade if anyone is interested.)

 

 

She doesn't want a full size truck

so something smaller s10ish maybe up to a Dakota or similar...

 

So can you give me some pros and cons of the different trucks years ect..

 

thanks...

[SRTurbo04]

ranger with the 4cyl will run forever, cant go wrong with oine of those.

[iwashmycar]

Id look for a ranger as well. They seem to last the longest. A Dakota will rust away, and while S10s had a good run I dont think they are as reliable. My .02

 

Then there is the Toyotas thatll run forever, but will usually rust out. Also they cost more to aquire

 

I know you said no full-size, but I would stongly encourage a test drive of a reg cab short bed F150. They are just absolute tanks. Best truck for your money IMO, and once you drive one, they do not seem all that large.

[im faster]

Thanks adam and paul..

I have always heard that about F150s .. maybe after she drives one she may like it.

[spankis]

I just bought a new 4 cylinder/5 spd. ranger in August, and I drove a 97 Dakota with the 318 V8 before that. The Dakota had almost zero rust, and with 275k miles on the original motor it still ran great.

 

Rangers haven't changed the chassis AT ALL since 1998, although the 4 cylinder engine was updated in about 2006 or so I believe. The V6 offerings in the ranger haven't changed since well before that, and the 4.0L makes okay power but it sucks gas and isn't the most reliable.

 

1997 was the last year for 318(5.2L) V8 in Dakotas, now the only V8 option is the 4.7L, which is a good motor if it's maintained. The 4 cylinder should be overlooked in a truck as heavy as the Dakota, and I believe it may not even be available any longer. The V6 is decent, although it doesn't really save you much in fuel over the V8. People who tell you the dodges eat transmissions are those who don't service them or abuse them. The automatic in my Dakota was perfect until 250k miles.

[Last_in]

Get a Gen III Dakota (1997-2004) They are the best looking truck, best body lines, but I'm a little biased.

 

I had a '98 R/T Club Cab. 408 stoker with the STOCK 46RE and rear and the transmission still lived. It even had a 3800 stall in it. But yeah, you take care of the stuff and it will last you.

 

An R/T (98-03) will have a 5.9L but only comes in 2wd, they are pretty fun stock though. Handle pretty good out of the box, club cabs run mid to low 15's, regular cabs run low 15's to high 14's stock. I daily drove mine before the 408 and it was very fun to drive everyday and had enough power it wasn't boring. You can also drive them year around, if you get a decent set of snow tires.

 

You can actually get a 318 all the way up until 2000.

 

Currently I'm getting 20 MPG on the highway with my 318/T56 combo.

 

My friend with a '98 318/NV3500 is getting 18 MPG on the highway.

 

Neither of my trucks have/had rust.

 

If you get a Dakota, look for an 03/04. Those years had rear disc brakes and the front brakes were a 2 piston caliper and 12" rotor. The 97-02 trucks had drums in the rear and single piston calipers with 11" rotors.The interior is also different between the years, that's a matter of preference though.