Best "2nd" vehicle truck?

[muddeprived]

My buddy is looking for a "winter" truck. He owns a mustang GT that he babies and wants to pick up a truck for the winter time and for hauling stuff to and from the house. Basically the daily driver work truck. He's very concerned with gas mileage and his budget is about $10k. He doesn't need anything fancy but would like decent power (v-6 or I-5 or whatever). A mid size truck would suit his needs fine. Definitely gonna be a used vehicle cuz of his budget.

What truck would you guys recommend? I told him the chevy colorado seems to fit his needs but the city mileage kinda sucks. It does get 20+ highway though.

[mxg342]

4 cylinder ford ranger. 22-25 mpg.

[justin'sbig7]

What he said ^. If he wants a 4x4 i would avoid v6 s10's rangers frontiers etc. they seem to get as bad or worse gas mileage than a half ton 4x4.

[muddeprived]

He doesn't really need 4x4 but his yard has quite a slope to it so I told him i'll install a locker in the rear axle of whatever truck to assist in traction and he'll be good to go for when he's doing work in his yard.

[jackb1]

My buddy is selling a ranger if interested. I can't comment about the gas mileage but its a super cheap vehicle. Starting to rust but not too bad, mostly the tailgate. ABS is acting up but otherwise should be race ready. 1999 extended cab. About 147,000 Just wants to get rid of it, asking $2,900.

[Sycotik Skier]

i would avoid colorados and canyons. parts tend to be expensive. i drive an 07 frontier le, 4.0 v6 4x4 quad cab. I average around 17 mpg on every tank. if it's all highway its around 23. I absolutely love my truck but if he wants better gas mileage i'd look for a ranger or s10. Frontiers are probably above his price range with decent miles

[trailerrails]

I have a 93 2wd ford ranger and it is a great little truck. It is the splash edition, that gets you a rust free fiberglass bed, a limited slip rear end and a 2" lowering kit. I have a set of 4 snow tires and I put a extra 100# in the bed in the winter, it goes anywhere I need it to. i bought mine for $500, you can find them pretty easily in that price range. They all will need rear spring hangers and shackles, unless someone already did them. It is a pretty easy job if you remove the 6 bolts holding the bed on and lift the bed off witht he help of a friend. I just wish the truck was a manual transmission.

[97V10MN]

What about an older Toyota or Nissan pickup? They seem to get great mileage and are reliable

[DMG]

If it is going to be his winter truck he needs 4wd. Most compact 4x4 trucks get in the 15-20mpg range in real world SW PA driving.

[muddeprived]

He never had 4wd his entire life (mustang, cavalier, and some shit car from ohio that only had one motor mount) and did fine so he shouldn't really need it. I told him i'll install a lockright in whatever rear axle he has, add a few bags of sand, and he'll go anywhere he needs to.

[justin'sbig7]

He never had 4wd his entire life (mustang, cavalier, and some shit car from ohio that only had one motor mount) and did fine so he shouldn't really need it. I told him i'll install a lockright in whatever rear axle he has, add a few bags of sand, and he'll go anywhere he needs to.

Honestly, a lock right in a rwd in the snow is a good way to get sideways quick. Id leave it open with sand.

[HeepH8erTy]

Yea, i agree with muddeprived... i got my self in trouble on ice when I had my old truck with a lockright. open with sand is a better choice, espicially if he doesnt have much experience with driving with a locked rear end (like i did lol)

how about a 4wd 98 cherokee with a 4.0, 4.5" lift, 31's... I know where he can get a good deal on a pretty nice one!

[Super Scout]

I would get a 4 wheel drive. If you only ever needed it once its worth every penny.

[DMG]

i would get a 4 wheel drive. If you only ever needed it once its worth every penny.

x2

[RalphDogg]

I've always been a big fan of Trackers for a 4wd daily driver. If they only made one with a truck/bed and I would be in heaven.

[muddeprived]

Yeah he needs a truck bed for sure so suv's are out. I told him to look into a XJ with a hitch and buy a trailer but he has no where to store the trailer.

[Meeke]

I have a ranger with the 3.slow. Underpowered and guzzles gas. It's a 99 4wd, 5spd, short bed, regular cab. When i drove it daily with 31's, i never saw over 17. Good, reliable truck though for the past 9 years. I'd recommend one with an extended cab (regular cab is cramped) and a 4.0, 4wd.

[trailerrails]

I am going to piss off a few people here:

If you are going to drive offroad you might need 4wd (look at the baja guys, they drive off road and most dont have 4wd). $wd has no place on the street, all it does is let idiots drive when it is slippy out. All vehicles have 2 wheel steering and 4 wheel brakes. Throw 4 snow tires on a 2wd vehicle and it will go better than a 4wd any day; that is if you are like most 4wd drivers and do not run snow tires, if you run snow tires with 4wd, you are smarter than the avrage 4wd driver. I have owned several 4wd trucks and as long as I had decent tires on there I would go years without pulling that 4wd lever. Why lug that t-case and front axle around if you dont need it? It is a lot easier to carry a tow strap of a come along if you need it.

[HeepH8erTy]

I am going to piss off a few people here:

If you are going to drive offroad you might need 4wd (look at the baja guys, they drive off road and most dont have 4wd). $wd has no place on the street, all it does is let idiots drive when it is slippy out. All vehicles have 2 wheel steering and 4 wheel brakes. Throw 4 snow tires on a 2wd vehicle and it will go better than a 4wd any day; that is if you are like most 4wd drivers and do not run snow tires, if you run snow tires with 4wd, you are smarter than the avrage 4wd driver. I have owned several 4wd trucks and as long as I had decent tires on there I would go years without pulling that 4wd lever. Why lug that t-case and front axle around if you dont need it? It is a lot easier to carry a tow strap of a come along if you need it.

Yea, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. When I lived in Erie for 4 years, having 4wd paid for itself time and time again and went wayy better in the snow than anyone with 2wd and sand bags or the the fwd cars. Especially if you have to drive on roads that either aren't maintained or they dont get plowed very often. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell dont wanna stuck in the winter time and stand around outside freezing my balls off waiting for someone to come pull me out. Not to mention it comes in handy if you are in wet grass somewhere and don't want to tear up someone's yard. I feel like it gives you added little bit of peace of mind. That being said, to each his own. I don't see me owning a non 4wd vehicle for a very long time. Even if you are lugging that extra weight around, I feel its worth it.

[muddeprived]

Well it's definitely gonna be 2wd cuz thats what he wants. He has zero need for 4wd so it's not worth the extra cost if he's never gonna use it. He's only about 10 min from his work (Bayer) in Robinson. I'll see how he likes my rear-locked XJ and let him decide if he wants a locker in it or not. He said he's been fine with the ex cavalier at his home the past three years and never had any stuck issues, except when he was too lazy to shovel his sloped driveway and had a brief struggle.

I've been telling him about the trucks suggested by you guys and he's leaning towards the ranger. I wish he'd go with the Dakotas cuz i friggin loved that truck and it's bigger than a ranger (and looks better..hehehe).

[OverkillZJ]

My DD is 2WD - putting 25,000 miles a year on it, I don't need the rest of the mechanics to worry about. But I drive a 4WD Jeep in the winter, and can't imagine not having 4WD in a lot of situations. I had a Corolla with GOOD snow tires, and it did better than most vehicles in the snow, but I'm sorry, I can't say any 2wd with snow tires > 4wd in the snow. All depends on what YOU need so I won't push my mechanical opinions on others

[MemorEsto]

Yea, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. When I lived in Erie for 4 years, having 4wd paid for itself time and time again and went wayy better in the snow than anyone with 2wd and sand bags or the the fwd cars. Especially if you have to drive on roads that either aren't maintained or they dont get plowed very often. I don't know about you, but I sure as hell dont wanna stuck in the winter time and stand around outside freezing my balls off waiting for someone to come pull me out. Not to mention it comes in handy if you are in wet grass somewhere and don't want to tear up someone's yard. I feel like it gives you added little bit of peace of mind. That being said, to each his own. I don't see me owning a non 4wd vehicle for a very long time. Even if you are lugging that extra weight around, I feel its worth it.

Lake Effect snow and 2wd will leave you in a ditch or stuck. I've been on roads that have been shut down cause all the 2wd cars and vans couldn't make it up the hill. But my 4wd passed all of them and I went home while they were stuck for over 6 hours

[Super Scout]

I always get a kick out of the "four wheel drive has no place on the street mentality" Lib lives on top of Solomon temple ridge, you are not getting to the top of that hill in a 2 wheel drive, I dont give a damn what kinda tires you run. I run snow tires on my truck all winter and have no issues. She runs all terrains on her Jeep, again no issue. I have passed several people in, mini vans, and other vehicles stuck on the side of her hill in less than 2" of snow. To me its not worth it, when I want to get home, I am happy I have it. But, too each his own.

[muddeprived]

I always get a kick out of the "four wheel drive has no place on the street mentality" Lib lives on top of Solomon temple ridge, you are not getting to the top of that hill in a 2 wheel drive, I dont give a damn what kinda tires you run. I run snow tires on my truck all winter and have no issues. She runs all terrains on her Jeep, again no issue. I have passed several people in, mini vans, and other vehicles stuck on the side of her hill in less than 2" of snow. To me its not worth it, when I want to get home, I am happy I have it. But, too each his own.

I wish I lived on a mountain to have a bit of a challenge getting home lol (I did once back when i lived on Park Road down in Beaver County....and boy was that fun!). But for my buddy, it's all flat and straightforward so there's no excitement or challenge there. I believe a 2wd rig will get him to and back without an issue.

[Meeke]

I live on top of a mountain. I will not even be able to make it up without at least awd. Every one of my neighbors has a 4wd/awd for winter with the exception of one that is retired and the new neighbors across the street. The last snow we had (April?), it was everything I could do to plow my way into the driveway to get my tundra off the road enough to walk up and get the snow blower; the driveway was bare when I left for work that morning. 2wd/fwd stays on the lot for this guy.