Best truck under $10k?

[rangerfredbob]

Depending on if you can find one a Chevy/GMC 2500 with a 6.0L "should" be a good cheap truck, the gas mileage will leave some to be desired but the drivetrain is fairly solid (aside from transfer case chain tensioner issues in 4x4's where they wear a hole in the T case and leak out all their fluid...). Even in 4x4 that "SHOULD" be a $5k or less truck (early 2000's models) but things are dumb now...

Heck, my '97 F350 crew cab long bed powerstroke was only $5k when I got it 9 years ago... even with reconstructed title I doubt I'd have a problem getting $15k for it now...

 

[MossRoad]

I guess the better question is... what would you buy?

A year ago May we bought a 2003 Suburban with 167,000 miles for $8K in Oklahoma. 4WD, all factory options. Pretty clean interior. Very little rust. Brought it home, put about $1000 into steering and suspension, valve cover gaskets. Expected to drive it about 4000 miles per year. We‘ve put 13,000 on it already. It’s just a very solid, comfortable vehicle. We tow a car hauler trailer if we need to haul anything that won’t fit in the Suburban, or I don’t want in there, like hay.

I did a quick search of autotrader in San Diego for pickups under $10k within 100 miles. There are quite a few early 2000s with under 200K miles in that price range. Chevys, Fords, Toyotas.

If all you’re going to do is haul the occasional lumber for a project, load of mulch, etc, then you don’t need diesel, 4wd, crew cabs, 3/4 ton, and such, and high mileage doesn’t mean that much. Just look for a basic 1/2ton/1500/f150, type truck with little rust, put some money in the brakes and suspension, change the fluids, and drive it when needed for 10 more years.

I’ve always been partial to Chevy trucks. I’ve owned 5 in the past 42 years. All purchased used and at least 10 years old. Most as daily drivers.
1978 3/4 ton 8’ bed 454 engine.
1985 Chevy 1/2 ton 8’ bed 4wd 350 custom deluxe
1993 Chevy G20 3/4 V6 conversion van.
1993 Suburban 1500 4wd 5.7 (best truck ever money-wise for us!)
2003 Suburban 1500 4wd 5.3 engine (current vehicle).

I told my wife if she plays her cards right, in 10 more years we’ll upgrade to a 2013!

 

[4570Man]

10k isn’t the unicorn truck some people are acting like. Sure it’s not going to buy a brand new high county but it’ll buy a decent truck that’s not junk.

 

[Torvy]

I have been looking at an early 2000s Tundra. There are a few around $10k. Surprisingly, wife has decided 150k miles max, so that about doubles the minimum price.

Saw a nice 2017 for about $25k, but I am about 2-5 months from purchase right now.

 

[Muhammad]

Plot twist: I already bought my Home Depot truck back in January but as I've learned some pros and cons, I figured I would see what others think. The advice is not far off from what I was thinking when I bought.

When I was looking, I found that a lot of the small dealers with cheap trucks had very little credibility, often with very similar stories told in the dealership reviews: major drive train issues were common and usually when I would go and see $8-$10k trucks, they were about a decade of abuse past their prime. Sometimes the dealers would be honest and say things like "yeah this one has some issues, well try to figure it out if you want to buy it."

In terms of size, I decided that I wanted a small truck that was still big enough to throw a sheet of plywood or drywall in the bed (while hanging out of course) so I didn't want a short bed. Full size trucks with crew cabs seemed less useful than a smaller truck with a regular or long bed.

Started narrowing my search and many people directed me to a tacoma... but then I keep seeing Ford rangers for about 60% of the cost.

I found one that was a one owner 2002 extended cab with 161k miles... more miles than I wanted but it was in great condition and had spent its entire life in Marina Del Ray, California. It had a "I'd rather be diving " license plate frame on it so I figured it wasn't a work truck, all things considered. The interior was very clean which for me is a big plus.

I wound up paying $7800 and then spent $500 on a good tubular bolt on ladder/lumber rack. The dealer gave me a 30 day handshake warranty and the guy seemed to be a stand up guy so I figured it was better than buying from a private party that might not be disclosing a major issue that is causing them to sell.

I know that this truck would have been $5k two years ago but what can you do. To get the same price in a tacoma would have been a 300k mile vehicle. Maybe the same amount of useful life left?

So I've had the ranger for 6 months now put about 3k miles on it and have had zero issues. Changed the oil once and they told me it's leaking oil. Sounds good to me.

My biggest mistake was not going with a flex fuel ranger which would have saved me some fuel cost. I read online that they were all flex fuel in 2002, but they aren't. I get 14mpg thanks to a lot of hills around here. On the highway I might get 20mpg if I'm lucky.

I've seen plenty of rangers on the market with 200k miles so I figure this one has a decent amount of life left.

 

[2manyrocks]

The 3.0 V6 in those Ford Rangers/Mazda B3000s is a good engine if that is what you got. It sounds like you paid about the going price. Toyotas cost more, but those Ford Rangers are decent trucks.

 

[Diggin It]

I'm sort of shopping. I've decided I need an enclosed model, but smaller/shorter than a Suburban. I just can't get familiar with the model names to be able to search. I'd prefer the swing out doors instead of a lift up tailgate.

 

[Torvy]

@Muhammad Glad you found something you like. I didn't have good luck with our 2002 Ranger, but when you buy used it is like rolling dice.

Like you, I want a bigger bed, but not a super-long truck. Just me and my wife and dogs, so narrowed our searches for the Ext cab, not Crew. Tundra standard bed is 6.5' with those. Was thinking Tacoma for a long time, but Tundra can do more has almost the same mpg and a more consistent reliability record.

 

[Hay Dude]

A year ago May we bought a 2003 Suburban with 167,000 miles for $8K in Oklahoma. 4WD, all factory options. Pretty clean interior. Very little rust. Brought it home, put about $1000 into steering and suspension, valve cover gaskets. Expected to drive it about 4000 miles per year. We‘ve put 13,000 on it already. It’s just a very solid, comfortable vehicle. We tow a car hauler trailer if we need to haul anything that won’t fit in the Suburban, or I don’t want in there, like hay.

I did a quick search of autotrader in San Diego for pickups under $10k within 100 miles. There are quite a few early 2000s with under 200K miles in that price range. Chevys, Fords, Toyotas.

If all you’re going to do is haul the occasional lumber for a project, load of mulch, etc, then you don’t need diesel, 4wd, crew cabs, 3/4 ton, and such, and high mileage doesn’t mean that much. Just look for a basic 1/2ton/1500/f150, type truck with little rust, put some money in the brakes and suspension, change the fluids, and drive it when needed for 10 more years.

I’ve always been partial to Chevy trucks. I’ve owned 5 in the past 42 years. All purchased used and at least 10 years old. Most as daily drivers.
1978 3/4 ton 8’ bed 454 engine.
1985 Chevy 1/2 ton 8’ bed 4wd 350 custom deluxe
1993 Chevy G20 3/4 V6 conversion van.
1993 Suburban 1500 4wd 5.7 (best truck ever money-wise for us!)
2003 Suburban 1500 4wd 5.3 engine (current vehicle).

I told my wife if she plays her cards right, in 10 more years we’ll upgrade to a 2013!

View attachment 753731

Love my Ram, but I still really like Chevy, too.

There’s just something about the civility of their ride, and those dependable, powerful chevy drivetrains.
Like a Rock!

 

[amhicks21]

I take for granted sometimes that we have almost 20 2500 and 3500 chevy trucks at my work with 6.0's and 4l80's that pull trailers and push snow all year that have never had anything worse than some broken exhaust manifold bolts. They may be kinda boring but you can't beat the reliability and ease of repair.