Need help buying a 4x4

Columbia,SC. · #1 04/16/08, 09:11 PM

I want to buy a truck full size X-cab or 4 door, I don't care about the appearance but more for utility (working on the farm/hauling a medium sized trailer). I would like a diesel but gas would be ok. I don't think this truck would get more than 2-3,000 miles a year put on in a year. My budget is around $5,000 to $8,000 or so.
I need it to pick up the kids from school from time to time and haul the horse trailer to shows, I want the 4x4 for the snow and ice, don't forget the mud issues we had this spring.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

Beeman · #2 04/16/08, 09:58 PM

$5-$8k keeps you out of the running diesel market. I don't know how big your horse trailer is or how much weight you plan on pulling or how far. I would go with a Chevrolet/GMC pickup and I would think for a 2 horse trailer you could get by with a 350 engine or so.

Columbia,SC. · #3 04/16/08, 11:10 PM

I know I have limited funds to work with, I am not scared of a diesel with 150,00+ miles on it. I would like a Chevy, take a Ford and could live with a Dodge. Like I said ' 2-3 thousand miles a year' so high mileage is not a big deal, plus I am not vain at all so an old beater is not ABOVE my standards. I just want to know what is out there that is reliable for this amount of money. I saw a 94 Ford x cab with a 302 but was not 4x4,, $3250
It was a nice truck but I want 4x4,, I am open to anything that will work.
I pull a 2 horse trailer but also need to haul a bigger one for round bales from time to time.

Bogie · #4 04/17/08, 04:34 AM

I would look for a 94-2002 Dodge with the cummins preferably with a manual trans as the autos are usable but care must be taken to get long life from them

Up North · #5 04/17/08, 07:42 AM

If you only use truck 3,000 miles per year, the economics favor buying a gas engine truck. With current fuel costs, there are many trucks for sale at falling market prices. Lower initial investment, lower maintainence costs.
I would look at a heavy duty 3/4 ton or one ton with the full 4 door crew cab in a Ford F-350 or Chevy/GMC 3500 with 4X4.
I bought a 1998 Chev 3500 full crewcab 4 door Silverado 4X4 with no rust, mechanically sound but some dents on side of box for $6,000.

Beeman · #6 04/17/08, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Columbia,SC.

I know I have limited funds to work with, I am not scared of a diesel with 150,00+ miles on it. I would like a Chevy, take a Ford and could live with a Dodge. Like I said ' 2-3 thousand miles a year' so high mileage is not a big deal, plus I am not vain at all so an old beater is not ABOVE my standards. I just want to know what is out there that is reliable for this amount of money. I saw a 94 Ford x cab with a 302 but was not 4x4,, $3250
It was a nice truck but I want 4x4,, I am open to anything that will work.
I pull a 2 horse trailer but also need to haul a bigger one for round bales from time to time.

Diesel pickups around here are off the board in pricing. Many 150k mi. diesels bring $10-15k. Your range around here might buy a 15-20 year old diesel 4x4 with 200-300k mi. Every area is different so you'll just have to shop around. You're in flat land so there are most likely fewer 4x4 trucks then here in the mountains.
Now you're talking about pulling round bales, how many and what type trailer?

michiganfarmer · #7 04/17/08, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beeman

$5-$8k keeps you out of the running diesel market. I don't know how big your horse trailer is or how much weight you plan on pulling or how far. I would go with a Chevrolet/GMC pickup and I would think for a 2 horse trailer you could get by with a 350 engine or so.

dont you think he could get an old "sick 2" (6.2 liter diesel) for that money?

llamaqueen · #8 04/17/08, 02:50 PM

Diesel truck prices vary a lot from area to area. You should be able to find one in your price range though, especially if you are not picky about the condition. Have you looked on Craigslist? That would be a good place to start. Like mentioned earlier, dodge automatics can be a little weak for pulling work, but a 5 speed would be fine. The older the generation of truck, the better mileage you are going to see also.

agmantoo · #9 04/17/08, 09:18 PM

Soon as I locate one I am going to buy an Isuzu NPR truck for the farm. There is not much demand for these once the box is shot. I missed on just recently with slightly over 100k miles for $1400. I plan on putting a flat bed on the cab and chassis. I may even shorten the wheel base. Supposedly these truck are nearly bullet proof. I do not know what the fuel mileage would be on a lightened truck but loaded they seem to get 15 MPH and they can carry a lot more than any pickup. You may want to look "outside the box".

Blu3duk · #10 04/18/08, 12:20 PM

About a year ago the fella i occasionally work for picked up a 2002, ford F350 4x4 diesel flatbed with aluminum deck and ramps set up for bumper tow and hauling a backhoe at the dealer car auction for $9200, cause no one would bid on a rig that new that had 150,000 miles on it..... it was tight, it got around 24 mpg, but he wanted $12,000 for it for his ability to go purchase it after he drove it for another 6 months on dealer tags [I really do get a kick out of working for this fella every now and again] anyhow if you look into getting a car dealer license [needed for being able to purchase at a dealer car auction] as much as I detest state permission slips the small fee in Idaho is good for 3 years [I think it cost my mother who worked as a book keeper for this fella $35 and a finger print charge] though the wrecking yard already had the business for selling used cars, businesses are that hard to start up for such a purpose. Or you can go find a used car dealer who does not trade in those tye of rigs and ask if he could let you tag along to an auction and see what they are going for and that you have cash for the right rig [there are hundreds at the auction about 200 miles from here every week or two that never sell cause the dealers need more than anyone will bid, or have the wrong type of lots and rigs go wanting a bid.

Another place to look is the big online yard sale, sometimes rigs can be bought on ebay (tm) for about the same as at the car auctions, just after I bought my wifes 98 Ford Expedition, for $10k several sold there for around $6500 +/- which is about what they go through the dealer auction at..... even knowing that I could not talk the car dealer down very much..... but she needed wheels after the exploder perished in an electrical nightmare.....

anyhow there are a couple options for your consideration.....and as the economy slows somewhat, you are probably gonna see the price drop on these type of rigs too in the next few months, though only to what is owed to bank on them for the most part.

William
Idaho

wy_white_wolf · #11 04/18/08, 01:36 PM

What's reliable for that amount of money depends more on how the vehicle was taken care of than what make and model it is. Find one that was well cared for.

Columbia,SC. · #12 04/18/08, 10:05 PM

I agree with white wolf, I am more interested about leaks and tires and funny noises than I am about outward looks, I want 'all go',,,,, not 'all show and no go'! I can live with a good running 19?? model.
I can live with gas or diesel, I would rather have diesel if given the choice.
I haul a 'borrowed flatbed trailer' with 6-8 round bales 2-3 times a year, more when needed. I only haul 2 horses in a 2 horse trailer. I want 4x4 because I do not like being stuck in my own pasture/yard!
Thanks for your help!

Columbia,SC. · #13 05/02/08, 09:51 PM

I bought a 2000 Toyota Tundra V8 SE with the TRD package, it has all of the Toyota dealership maintenice records plus some upgrades to the exhaust system. 60% tires and a 95+% interior/85+% exterior, plus lifetime oil changes at the dealership for free.
This is a little less truck than I wanted to buy but it is a Toyota with 139,000 miles ( all highway). The miles are high for the age (139,000 on a 2000) but it is only going to be driven less than 3-4,000 miles a year so the miles I add will catch up to the normal. No smoke, strong engine, tight trans-axles 0 leaks. Power everything and good tires, $10,000
I have a week to test drive it and to check it out to boot ( to boot I.E. bonus).
I drove it home and thru my folks frontyards ditch, got straddled and had to go for 4 wheel drive, everything worked like it should have, pulled thru the ditch and proudly showed it off to Paw Paw.