Light Truck recommendation for my wife

[Jim Finn]

I've had 3 rangers, all of them went past 100,000 miles with out a hitch. I also like supporting the one domestic car/truck maker that didn't take bailout money

I agree..... I have been driving rangers for 20+ years.

[Bill Orbine]

I've had 3 rangers, all of them went past 100,000 miles with out a hitch. I also like supporting the one domestic car/truck maker that didn't take bailout money

Soooooo.... without a hitch, what did you use to tow a trailer?

[Alex Leslie]

My MIL just got a Chevy Colorado crew cab, 2wd. She really likes it as it can haul grandkids, art supplies or several of her lady friends in comfort. The bed is a little short for long boards, but a light utility trailer would work for that.

[Cary Falk]

Tacoma. I will never own a Chevy again.

[Derek Gilmer]

Soooooo.... without a hitch, what did you use to tow a trailer?

Bungee cords and duct tape

[Matt Meiser]

My MIL just got a Chevy Colorado crew cab, 2wd. She really likes it as it can haul grandkids, art supplies or several of her lady friends in comfort. The bed is a little short for long boards, but a light utility trailer would work for that.

That's the configuration I had. Two things. First, there's an intermediate position on the tailgate. Drop a couple 2x4's into pockets in the bed and put the tailgate in the intermediate position and it supports a 4x8 sheet nicely. Second, if you have a 2" receiver on it, one of the long-load supports that slip into the hitch (Harbor Freight sells a nice one) will let you carry some pretty long stuff. The latter works for any pickup with a 2" reciever.

[Greg Peterson]

Just out of curiosity I added up the total mileage of my fleet (23 Tacoma's - ranging in age from 96 to 10).

Total mileage: 5,702,472

Highest mileage: 565,625 (96 Tacoma)
Average mileage: 247,933

I've lost two transmissions in fifteen years, no motors.

These trucks are driven 6+ hours a day in mainly city driving conditions.

I don't consider these trucks broken in until they hit 100,000.

[Jim Rimmer]

F150 may be bigger than what you are looking for but they are great trucks. I just bought my 4th and have had no problems. I sold my '98 to my daughter for their business when I bought my '10. The '98 had 108,000 miles and the only reason I got rid of it was because I wanted a new one. I got a great deal and got the Lariat package. It is more luxurious than Cadillacs from a few years ago. Lots of interior room but shorter bed (big enough for what I will haul) and mileage is not that great but then I did get the big V8 and trailer package.

[Dec Olores]

I've had 3 rangers, all of them went past 100,000 miles with out a hitch.

I have a Ranger as well.

It's a good idea to check insurance costs before buying. When I bought my Ranger, I was also considering the Toyota version, but the insurance rating was so much higher on the Toyota that the insurance cost was nearly double that of the Ranger.

[Dec Olores]

Rangers are good too but a little on the smaller side yet.

Meaning capacity or physical size? My Ranger has a GVW around 5K - so I can (and have!) haul a ton.

[Rick Huelsbeck]

I've had 3 rangers, all of them went past 100,000 miles with out a hitch. I also like supporting the one domestic car/truck maker that didn't take bailout money

I've had 2 of them and I agree, my money will go with the company that did not need hand outs. That is just my opinion and is not intended to make this a political debate.

[Curt Harms]

I've had 2 of them and I agree, my money will go with the company that did not need hand outs. That is just my opinion and is not intended to make this a political debate.

Obviously, I've had pretty good luck with 'em. The first one had a long and storied life . I had a fender bender-hit a deer-so bought a chinese fender and never did get it painted. A couple years later I got sorta sandwiched and bent a lot of tin but didn't affect the frame. Insurance company totalled it; probably 5-6 years old and not worth a lot. Bought some more chinese body panels, a door and front wheel hub from a junk yard. Put 'em on and had gen-u-wine ghetto cruiser. I eventually broke down and took it to Maaco and had it painted. I finally got T-boned at an intersection and bent it up pretty good but was still able to drive it home. The frame was bent so it did indeed get totalled this time. Had 170,000 miles or so when it met its maker. It would still go 5,000 miles between oil changes without needing to add oil and no major mechanical glitches, just O2 sensor, fuel pressure regulator etc.

I replaced that one with a '94. That was a good truck but did ride like a lumber wagon. My current Ranger is a 2001 and I plan to drive it 'til it dies. Now if somebody would come up with a drop-in diesel conversion------

P.S. I no longer drive in New Jersey .

[Terry Achey]

ok.... here's a slightly different perspective. Over the years I've had most domestic and foreign brands including Toyota, which is an excellent truck. (also have a Camry). I currently have a 4 cyl Ranger with 144K miles that works well but has little power ...and a Honda Ridgeline with 8,400 miles. I was sold on the Honda for several reasons. heavy payload and towing, unibody, large locking trunk in bed, two way tailgate, 4 person comfort, payload, and overall quality (similar to Toyota).

All depends on your trucking needs. A few bucks more than domestic but worth a look.

Terry

[Scott T Smith]

That new Ranger that debuted in Europe looks pretty sharp. I especially like the fact that it has a small diesel engine. That would be worth a test drive.

Diesel's are typically good for 30% - 50% better fuel mileage than gasoline counterparts, and with the new clean-burning technology they do not have the smoke or smell of the older ones.

I can't speak for the Tacoma's, but when I compare the drive and sound system in our '07 Prius with our '03 Ford Excursion and '08 F450, the Fords come out way ahead of the Toyota in terms of comfort, ride, and especially the sound system. We have the top level option package in the Prius, too.

[Joshua Culp]

Another vote for the Ranger.

My daily driver is a '95 Ranger that I bought in '97 when it had 50k miles on it. 4.0 L, V-6, 4x4, Extended Cab, 5 speed manual, with conversion to manual locking hubs, and an extra leaf in the stack of springs on the rear axle.

It's well over a quarter of a million miles and still doesn't burn/use any oil. It's only on it's second clutch - and I used to tow a '78 Vette on a flatbed trailer with it (in North and South Carolina where it's perfectly flat).

That "little" truck has done everything I have ever asked of it, and more than it was ever designed/intented to do. My only complaint is that the odometer broke a few years ago so I can't brag about how many miles it really has. Maybe the good Lord is trying to help me be humble!