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I am planning on purchasing a new or slightly used vehicle next month. (Promotion and raise, y'know coupled with a very tired and sad '88 Chevy Beretta makes this a wise move.)
Since a PT Cruiser is out of the question . . .
All my life I have wanted a little, sporty truck.
Tell me, automotive masters and mistresses:
What should I be considering? What's good? What's bad? Pricing, etc. The WORKS! (pretty please)
My brother-in-law is too far away to supervise this automotive expedition and I need help!
You can also find some very nice Nissans and Isuzu trucks too.
If you want something larger (i.e., a full size pick up), then really you should just stick with Ford.
Mazda is a maybe, as is the smaller Ford truck (the Ranger).
If you're thinking of an SUV, depending on how old you want to go, I think the Isuzu and Mitsubishis are great for the older stuff. Newer stuff, I highly recommend the Hyundai Santa Fe (2002 or newer model year).
Don't buys: 1) Kia 2) Dodge (except 1500 or larger)
If you are thinking Chevy, check out the GMC equivalent models too. Sometimes you can get a bargain and a few different features you might enjoy.
Make sure your dog likes riding in the bed first. It's mandatory in some states. Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Do you need a truck for constant moving of things or towing of trailers? If not, I would seriously reconsider the idea of getting a truck. They are generally bad on gas mileage, difficult for passenger situations, and uncomfortable on long trips. I say this as someone who lives where everyone in town who's not "yuppie" enough to drive an SUV drives a diesel pickup. It's disgusting and wasteful.
As far as a good make of car, Subarus never die. Never - even when you intentionally and repeatedly try to kill them. Every Subaru we've owned has lasted for at least 250,000 miles.
But this all comes from a girl who drives her mom's Ford Taurus on days when it's too snowy to ride her bike.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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My brother-in-law had an Amigo that he loved, but I think they have been discontinued. Guess that's not helpful...
Posts: 9293 | Registered: Aug 2000
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And remember this one, oh so important fact about buying a truck.
Once you have one, ALL of your friends will EXPECT you to help them move.
Really, when you've gotta lug your life's treasures from one third floor apartment to the next, do you call the friend with a truck or the one with the Miata?
Posts: 2848 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Shan, we just bought a new-to-us rig and got a great deal from a dealer in Seattle. The guy we dealt with was great..even sent a followup letter to make sure we were happy. I'll email you his info.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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My brother just got a new car. I thinks it's an Accord. It's really nice. At least, in comparison to his old one, which had duct tape to keep the window up, no a/c, etc. Posts: 981 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Ahhhh! Thank you all - looking forward to your e-mail, jeniwren.
I want a "sporty" truck because I always have (reason #1) and because Nathan and I like to hike up in the mountains (even better reason, #2), I like to do yard work and need something to haul bark, soil, plants, etc., in (another good reason) and if it's only got two seats, no one can expect me to haul THEIR kids around! (The absolute BEST reason.) Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I love my extended cab Ranger. And Sopwith is quite correct. Your family will also expect aid, although in my case they pay for it so I do not mind. Posts: 1364 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Shan, I adored my little 1990 Geo Tracker. Maybe the jeepy end of things is not what you want, but there was lots more room than expected, and boy could it take rough terrain. Great gas mileage, too, especially compared to a bigger truck.
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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My sister drives a very cute Toyota pick-up. It's shaped like a really big monster-truck-on-steroids, but it's smaller and sparkly purple.
Posts: 9866 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I really like my Ford Ranger (granted it's 10 years old, and has 120k miles on it, but it was very well maintained by its previous owners and I've had very few problems with it). It was cheap and it gets good gas mileage for a truck (20-25 mpg for regular city driving). It's not very comfortable for long trips, but for work and regular getting aroung it's great (I've used it to haul more stuff than I had imagined when I bought it).
Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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