What is a good small truck?

[mrnyman]

I am in the Market for a good small truck , Must be 4x4, Whats better Ford Ranger or Chevy S10? Whats your opinion/experience with them ? Also how does the Dodge Dakota compared to these.

I like the Japanese trucks too but they are a bit out of my price range.

If you were buying one of these trucks what would you consider?

Thanks, Nyman

[Bmaninmifco]

I personally like the Dakota.
The ranger is nice I have an explorer and that's based on the ranger platform

I'm not big on the S10 but the S10 extreme is a nice looking truck.

If it was my decision I'd go with a Dakota since it is hard to beat a Dodge truck.

[lildobe]

I loved my '04 Ranger... I had the FX4 off road package and with a good set of tires (BFG All Terrain T/A) I could NOT get it suck without high-centering the truck.

It's got over 90K miles on it, and I've never had a major issue with it, aside form having to replace the front hubs about 20k ago... but I replaced 'em with aftermarket hubs with grease fittings so that they don't wear out again

Other then that, and an issue with the A/C compressor, I've had no major mechanical problems... and I've beat the heck out of that truck, including several trips from PA to FL and back with a very much over loaded trailer. (Like, 2K lbs over rated weight for the truck)

[usmc0341]

I've had an s10, a ranger, and a toyota. I would never buy another s10 (had a ton of issues), the ranger was ok but the 4 wheel drive went out on mine, I would definitely buy another toyota. The toyota was hands down the best out of all. I have never owned a dakota but I have buddies that have had alot of transmission issues with theirs.

[General Geoff]

Jeep Comanche

[P-11 shooter]

Toyota Tacoma

[offshorebear]

Theres a major recall on the little toyota trucks. I'm not sure what years it affects but you should read up on it.

[Exbiker]

One thing to look at is the small 4x4`s don`t get much better gas mileage then full size. Rangers and S10 are too small for me. If you pointed a gun to my head and said I had to buy a small truck it would be a Dakota.

I just saw this today when I went buy. It was cherry but 2WD.
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dd...ice=&cardist=0

[Vig]

I am in the Market for a good small truck , Must be 4x4, Whats better Ford Ranger or Chevy S10? Whats your opinion/experience with them ? Also how does the Dodge Dakota compared to these.

I like the Japanese trucks too but they are a bit out of my price range.

If you were buying one of these trucks what would you consider?

Thanks, Nyman

I'm an S-10 Blazer owner. Yeah, its the SUV version of the s-10, but I LOVE my truck! Everything on my Blazer is pretty much identical to the pickup(minus the added weight that comes with extra seats). I would not hesitate to plop down some green on another s-10 (suv or pickup).

In my experience with the s-10 series of trucks, the things to look for when buying used, beyond general condition and millage include:

• door pins and bushings
• cap and rotor (may want to change as soon as you get her home)
• only use ACDelco plugs...any other brands run like crap in these trucks
• fuel pump sending unit (if the fuel gauge goes NUTS, its bad)
• 4x4 operation (especially if electronic transfer case) the TCCM tends to go in some of these trucks
• type of lubricant in the xfer case (you want blue, not red)

For more info check out http://www.s10forum.com/forum/.

The S-10 may take a bit more maintenance than some other trucks, but like any vehicle, if you treat them right they'll do the same to you.

Hope this info helps ya make a good decision on the right truck for you!

[bnnyruss]

Buy a tacoma....it'll be the last truck you'll ever buy...gauranteed