Help me decide pls?

OK - I am looking for a pickup. Just for weekend use and occasional commutes to airport and as a second vehicle when my primary is unavailable. OK, I was looking to spend as minimal of an amount as possible.

I found this - A Dodge 2002 1500 quad cab, 4.? engine, 4WD, 5 speed MT. 26K miles. $16,000. More than I wanted to spend but a nice truck.

Before I saw this one, I was looking at a Chevy, 1997 ext cab, 4x4, 154K miles for $7,500.

Pros on Chevy - Price, ext cab not quad cab, Automatic, power locks. Cons - High Mileage. Pros on Dodge - only 25K miles. Cons - Steel wheels look ugly, no power locks or windows, price.

Hmmm - What to do? I do not like payments and I do not have 16K cash. I do not have $7500 cash either but am closer, depending what my 1995 contour sells for. (Anyone interested?)

Reply to
No
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unless you're a youngster you don't want a standard rt

Reply to
mightyyall

=========================== Not at all interested in the Contoiur...not even if you gave it to me... NO OFFENSE....just have no use for such a vehicle...

Now this is a Dodge Truck news group....and yes I own a little Dodge Dakota....BUT I am a Chevy guy...always have been (long story but in the late 50's and early 60's I discovered hot rodding a small block Chevy was "cheap" and a lot easier easier then "other" brands..and I was young and only has 19 cents in my pocket...

BUT back to your question...? All boils down to what you want a truck for... weekend use tells me nothing...you building a home on the weekend ? Hauling a BIG boat to the lake on the weekends ?

Trucks are NOT the best vehicle to commute in...not l as comfortable as a car..and the gas milage is usually sucks in relation to any econobox........ 2 major striks against a truck if you want to commute..

My truck is my primary vehicle... it works for "my" needs...I am retired, but have 2 hobbies that I need the hauling ability of a truck...I toy around with old cars... so I have to be able to haul an engine home, or a fender, etc... and I build furniture in my shop.. so I need to haul 2-300 BF of Waltut or Cherry rough cut lumber...

"my" hauling is pretty light duty...so my truck is a 2001 Dodge Dakota, 6 cyl 5 speed... slow, underpowered, geared all wring BUT it gets the job done...

IF I did NOT have the money I would be looking at that Chevy.. The engine should be good for another 50,000 miles easy.. complete stock rebuild is possible for $2,500 .. I personally could give a good (you fill in the blanks) about power locks OR power windows... and unless I was hauling HEAVY loads I would prefer to row my own transmission...

Bob Griffiths

64 & 72 Corvette Rag tops 76 79 & 95 Corvette Coupes 68 SS 396 Chevelle 2001 Dodge Dakota

Wife runs a 96 Dodge Caravan 172,000 miles with on it

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Reply to
Bob G.

um... arthritis? ;-)

Reply to
Trey

Bob - Thanks for the reply. Yes I do have many uses for a truck. I own a cottage and am partial owner in a campground that is over 125 years old. I do a lot of rehab work there most weekends in Summer. I am also a woodworker and do need to cart lumber, etc. My day job I do from home so I do not need it for a regular commute. My job does take me out of town a couple of times a month so I will need to occasionally drive to the airport in it. That's the only commute, per se. I also have an 02 Z71 Suburban I can use for towing, etc. I'm tired of putting 4x sheet goods in the back of it. (Although its nice to be able to shut the door of the sub after loading 15 sheets of 4x8 ply!) The power door locks and windows are a nice to have, I suspect, on a quad cab. On the extendo cab of the Chevy there are no back door windows or locks to deal with. I MUST have some type of extended cab as I may take the kiddies with me to the cottage or to Lowes or what ever.

So - Do I get the '97 Chevy with 150K miles for 7500, firm. Or do I go with the 02 Dodge quad cab with 25K miles for $16K. I figure I'll get a lot more longevity and better gas mileage from the dodge. Yet more power, no payments and two years out of the Chevy. The Chevy may cost more per month for maintenance.

Hmm. Payments, newish truck or no payments and old beater (Actually in very nice shape considering age) truck. Tough one, for me.

Does anyone have any "watch out for the 02 Dodge because they all had bla bla bla type problems?" I have more experience with Chevy. The '97 would be my 4th Chevy ('87 S-10 Blaser, '93 k1500 Blaser, '02 Z71 Suburban). I have never owned a Dodge anything.

Reply to
No

Is 36 a youngster? My POS ford contour is a 5 speed as well. Only was a pain when I regularly commuted to work in heavy traffic. Those days are gone, I work from home now. I only need to commute to airport a couple of times a month.

Reply to
No

You can save a bundle if you don't have a need for 4WD and buy 2WD. Slight improvement on gas mileage too, all other factors being equal.

If you can turn a wrench to do repairs as needed, I suggest you go with the more comfortable, and affordable, Chev.

No wrote:

Reply to
Robert Ball

4WD is a must have.
Reply to
r

Where is this campground? Im always looking for places to go on the motorcycle.

Reply to
Trey

4wd is completely useless if you dont have locking differentials. If half the truck is on pavement, and the other two wheels are in the mud on the side of the road with no grip at all, your truck becomes two wheel drive again, its just not the rear two.

Two wheel drive with an ARB locker can get you out of more places then 4wd with open diffs

Reply to
Trey

Reply to
Denny

OP said he wanted truck for occasional weekend use, trips to the airport. Doesn't need 4WD for that.

Reply to
Lena

automatic.......

I am 45, and can drive a stick, just don't want to have to with my health problems.....

and take into consideration I was sorely tempted last night to outbid someone for a clean, 53,000 mile 1980 Chevrolet Citation X-11 (sports model) with a 4-speed.

someone got a great deal for $511

Reply to
markansas859

Way more than you need to spend for what you say you need a truck for.

Too many miles on it.

You could end up tossing a ton of money into this puppy.

Buy a 2wd truck. Why pay for somthing that you won't use?

Roy

Reply to
Roy

well, you need to factor price, of course, but you're trying to compare trucks that are 5 years apart in model year..

If you're not in a hurry, keep looking... seems like you need a 96 to 99 truck with power windows and door locks.. should be a ton of them out there in the

IMHO, I'd rather pay $7,500 down and finance the balance on a 2002 model than pay $7,500 cash for a 97 model, based on expected life..

mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

Reply to
mac davis

What if he needs to pull a loaded grain wagon out of the field and plow snow that's laying on top of an inch of ice on the way to the airport?

Reply to
Trey

I the old J20 I have started life as a farm truck with my father inlaw and was used to pull grain wagons and trailers weighing up to

23,000lbs out of the field and it has no locking diffs and I bought it off of him 16 years ago when he bought a new truck also with open diffs. I pushed snow with it for over 11 years in all kinds of conditon including a blizzard once and never got stuck in all those years. I also have a 2000 K3500 with open diffs that has been stuck twice once when it slipped of of a lane with all tires slipping and once on a country lane and when it did all 4 tires spun on the icy under snow and a locker would not have done anything. I pulled it out with the J20 with its open axles. If you really want good preformance on thick ice you need studded tires or chians and some weight not a locker because you want positive directional control with no fishtailing which a locker will do on ice most of the time. (I run 4 studded tires on one of my trucks and it is NICE in ice, especailly when transporting or speading salt on ice coverd lots) Directional control is paramount when plowing snow. I plan to restore J20 someday as itis now retired to sitting in barn though it still runs well. When I meet my wife I had a 72 3/4 T GMC with a 4 speed and open diffs and we used to have "contests" to see who could pull the biggest loads out of field and up to mill. It was about a draw. (after he sold his 3 year old 2wd ford with a locker and got the J20) WHen he or I would get bogged down we were spinning all 4 tires and we could disconect and drive away and use a tractor to pull out wagons that were sunk in too deep to pull out with truck. When I ran with 3 to 4000lbs of grain in bed it never got hung up and rarely did without it. There are some instances where a locker will help but it is not the must have that some make it out to be with a 4x4 and if I bought a new 4x4 plow truck tomorrow it would have open diffs. With a 2wd, a locker does tend to be more helpful sometimes.
Reply to
SnoMan

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