Looking for a truck.

Hi all, I'm looking at selling off my VW westfalia and buying a Toyota 4x4. What should I be aware of when looking around. Is there a FAQ somewhere with some info too. I'm probably look for a truck worth about 3 to 8k CDN or 2 to 7k USD. It'll mostly be a wrok truck as I'm an apprentice Carpenter but I think I'd like a 4x4 V6 for the power and fun of it. I've also seen a few conversions in the paper where they put a chevy engine in. Is this a good idea?

Thanks a lot for any input.

-Andrew

Reply to
DruG
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I'd look at an old Toyota Landcrusier wagon.

Reply to
Joseph Oberlander

What's the point of putting a crappy Chevy engine in a Toyota? Why not just buy a Chevy in the first place if you want a crappy truck? And better still, why not just send me enough money for a new Toyota truck since you obviously have money to burn?

Reply to
Pete

I'm not a big fan of buying a gas guzzler just because it looks cool, but at least you seem have a legitimate need for one. Tacomas are nice trucks, but around town, you should expect 17-19 mpg, and not a whole lot more if driven PERFECTLY on the highway. However, keep in mind that there are quite a few vehicles that would suit your purposes and perhaps use much less gas. Maybe you should think about your purposes:

1) Carpenter: Will you really be carrying stuff that's too big for the trunk of a mid-size sedan? You could buy a Camry, put on a Thule or Yakima rack, and carry 10' 2x4 lumber all day long. You'll save enough gas money to pay for some pretty fancy tools. Even a decent mini van will get better gas mileage than a pickup because they're geared like passenger cars, not trucks. If you think it's a vehicle for mommies, get a black one and put skull & crossbones stickers all over it. :-)

2) Surviving winter: A front wheel drive car is a dream when it comes to winter traction. My '92 Taurus was much better in snow than my Tacoma. The only advantage of a 4x4 would be ground clearance, and from what I've seen in 35 years of driving, there aren't that many situations where clearance is a big issue. If you intend to go off-road a lot, it's something to consider. Otherwise, the need is in your pants, not your head.

3) Disposable tools: Think long and hard about the security of your tools when they're in the back of a pickup truck. Caps have disadvantages, and a child could break into most caps with a spoon. Soft tonneau covers look slick, but a pocket knife will take care of them in short order. Hard covers are expensive and come with their own limitations. Those over the rail tool boxes are nice, but there'll still be things that won't fit into them. After 18 months with my Tacoma, I'm still evaluating how I use the truck before putting some sort of cover on the back.

I bought the Tacoma because I tow a boat almost 100 times a year. I was unable to find a rear wheel drive sedan suitable for towing, but if it had existed, there's no way I would've bought a truck.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Absolutely, lumber is heavy and making many little trips adds up to a lot of labour cost. 10' 2x4's are certainly near the small end of what I would be carrying.

I do intend to go offroad a lot

Hmm, well thanks for your ideas. I still am quite sure I want a Truck and a

4x4 is while not a must is certainly a plus. A car would certainly not do. We have frequently had to take 2 or 3 trips in my bosses 1 ton cube van simply because of weight. I also Mountain Bike and some pretty smokin trails are up some places where trucks certainly get preferred access. I have no doubt that a car could get me by sometimes and it's pretty awesome to get a 4 bangers mileage. But that is why I also drive an 89 vw golf (one heluva tough car). So back to my original question what should I look for in terms of maintenance issues, mechanical issues etc when buying a used Toyota? One last thing does the 4x4 come with the 4cyl engine? Would it seem underpowered when loaded?

-Andrew

Reply to
DruG

Doug,

Very good advice, but...

I'd venture 1/2 to 3/4 of the gas-guzzling 4x4 PU trucks out there are owned purely for their cool factor. Can't really fault a guy for wanting to go that route. He'll soon learn whether or not he can afford to put gas in it to get to work. And get back. :)

Drove past a road construction site the other day, where traffic was backed up about a 1/4 mile. The 4x4 truck in front of me pulled out of traffic, drove between some barriers, up over an 8" curb, across two sets of railroad tracks, then up a muddy embankment and parked at the work site. Would have liked to see him do that in Camry.

Four wheel drive still beats front wheel drive when the stuff really gets nasty. You're right though, 95% of the time (depending on where you live) a good front wheel drive beats a 4x4 pickup truck.

Ummm... Steel tool box in the bed?

Reply to
Jim Mc

I like trucks, but I'm sort of an evangelist when it comes to leaving a better world for my son and his kids. I can't fault people for buying them when they really need them. You can't expect a carpenter or a mason or a landscaper to drive around in a VW beetle. But, if you take those guys out of the equation and look at the REST of the light trucks driving around, I'd bet 90% of them are unnecessary. Look at who's driving them. Mommies who think they're safer or cool or whatever. Meanwhile, I see just as many 4WD vehicles in ditches here during blizzards.

Well, then you need a truck! :-)

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Ah ha! There's the "wrong thinking" that's typical of a generation that didn't have to wait in line for gas in the 1970s. It's not a question of whether you can afford it. It a question of whether there'll be enough gas at some point in the future. And, more important, it's a question of how many tons of crud each vehicle spews every year. And it really is measured in tons. I was surprised to find this out a couple of months ago. I'll try and find the figures for you on the web. My reaction was "WTF??? Tons? From regular cars???"

Tons. :-) Friggin' TONS.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Turning on a computer and posting to newsgroups increases the use of electricity, No matter if the sender has a dial-up, cable, or DSL connection, a provider uses electricity to pass along the message. Then, the ISP uses electricity to forward the message to still more servers that require electricity. Then, the reader has to fire up his/her computer to read the message and, you probably already guessed, *more* electricity. Now, if everyone would get rid of their computers, or at least only turn them on on government designated days (remember the odd-even license plate number gas days?), what a wonderful world this would me.

Why, I bet the hearts would stop bleeding, the trees would be safe from do-good huggers, the movie stars would stop riding around the country in their SUVs and private jets just to tell us how eeeevil we are for driving trucks and SUVs instead of riding bicycles.

Funny world, ain't it??? :>))

Tom - Vista, CA

Reply to
TOM

No, power is about torque and gearing. No, nothing's going to be fast while loaded. I'd look at a 6 cylinder Landcrusier. One of the older squarer wagon models. Load it up, run it off-road, and the engine is bulletproof.

Reply to
Joseph Oberlander

Blinking your eyes requires power, too.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

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