My car is paid off next summer...and i am thinking of trading it in on a new compact pickup, or selling private and finding a nice newer used one. I know this gets into Ford vs Chevy vs imports but does anyone have experience in this market segment? I get a discount through work at GM, Ford and Chrysler....but I have pretty much already eliminated the Dodge Dakota due to hating Chrysler and it's horrible looks. So that leaves the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma. Any truck i get will be 4x4 and extended or crew cab....so equate that into your suggestions, etc.
I drive a Ford Sport Trac. V8 power, close to 7000 lb towing capacity, real 4WD, comfy interior and you can fit two bikes in the bed. This is my second one and pretty happy with it.
yea....except that its a $37k vehicle new....and i cant get a stick.... rather get the ranger with the same 4x4 system and 4.0L v6.....i dont want/need a V8
I've been driving small trucks for 20 years, and have always bought used. The last time I bought new, because everything used was just too expensive. The Jap trucks are great (my first choice was Nissan), but expensive. There is no regular cab, so the cheapest was in the low to mid 20's, plus. The Ford/Mazda is a good little truck, but a lot smaller, and not in the same league as the GM, or the Japanese. They were priced similarly, but I've heard that has since changed. For the right price, I would drive one. I bought an 06 GMC Canyon, 4 cyl/5spd. It has 185k on it, and it's been really good. It's light years ahead of the Ranger/Mazda, and even the last of the S10's. I have owned both. I can get mid 30's MPG, and it's pulled my 2000lb race car, and tent trailer at 120k on the hwy without problems. I would not hesitate to buy another. It was just under 20k OTD, and at the time, IMO, the value leader.
thanks for the input man! i do like that i can get the GM with 4x4 in any of the 3 engine choices (i4, i5 or V8). i also like your gas mileage with the 4cyl! The Nissan does look the best IMHO.....but like you said....a lot more expensive.
Suzuki is coming out (or already has come out) with a rebadged Frontier. Not sure if the price point will be any more attractive, but it might be worth a peek? I've been a Nissan guy my whole life, and currently have an 05 Pathfinder, which is the same platform as the X and Fronty. It has treated me pretty well, but my 95 was rock solid. The 4 litre VQ was a SIGNIFICANT improvement over the older models.
I had a Colorado and it was very good to me over 5+ years and 165k. I would get another one if I was in the market for a small pick-up. With all the troubles at GM, I can tell you from personal experience that the resale value sucks. Good time to look for a used one.
Resale on everything is lousy right now. When I bought in 06, used stuff was almost the same price as new.
Tacoma gets my vote, you get Toyota reliability. Great resale value too. But, they are not cheap and used ones are hard to find.
If you want a manual transmission I suggest you buy a new vehicle. Do a factory order and get it the way you want. With vehicles in the North American market being configured for the LCD* of the population, it gets more difficult to find vehicles for those of us who prefer to drive a stick. *LCD = lowest common denominator (they require an automatic because that's all they can manage to operate)
I like the looks of the Tacomas. They had a serious frame rusting problem for a few years(well documented), up until recently - they supposedly fixed it in the last couple years. Be aware of that and plan accordingly when buying used. The Canyon/Colorados are great little trucks, but were relatively pricy to buy new. In 06, I was planning on getting a 5cyl/5speed ext. cab Canyon, but I bought a fullsize instead cause it was only slightly more $$. They seem to have much more attractive pricing on the used market. Most people that I've talked to that have them like them and the forums have positive reviews. The little Ford Ranger/Mazda Bxxx trucks are usually priced cheap and seem to hold up well.
From Consumer Reports: Reliability Ratings: Ford Ranger: Good Chevrolet Colorado: Poor GMC Canyon: Poor Honda Ridgeline: Excellent Dodge Dakota: Poor Nissan Frontier: Very Good Toyota Tacoma: Very Good
im at work so cant look up myself til later... but they say why the GMC/Chevy got poor? (i can see the dodge)
"The Canyon's five-cylinder engine is unrefined and has worse fuel economy than competing V6's. The ride is unsettled and the body constantly quivers. Overall, it trails the competition."
I test road a few Ford trucks. 09 and 2010. Lots of extras on the new ones and I was surprised at how good the door sounded when it closed. May sound silly to you but important to me as well as the radio sound. My son has always told me I could bring anything home but if I wanted to park it in the driveway, it had to be a chev. When we compared what was under the hood, I began to understand....There isn't anything in a chev that he can't fix. Dodge is pretty much shoved everything under the dash but as I pointed out, that is what the extended warranty is for. Then again, if you want to know what to buy, talk to someone who fixes them.....
I have no interest in comparing one truck to another, IMO, they all have something to offer, but this is precisely why I stopped reading that magazine. The GM Atlas motor is very much refined, and really, far better than some of the competiton. Ask anybody in the business who is familair with them. As for the ride, again, this is an unusual statement. If they consider the Ranger to be the competiton, that is nothing short of laughable. The Ranger is not a bad truck, but it was due for an upgrade a long time ago, and not even close to being in the same league as the Canyon/Colorado.
I've often questioned the results that CR publishes, as they often don't match real world results. If they're saying the GM 5 cyl. is unrefined,.......... what have they been smoking? I've often suspected they are bending the stats to produce the results they want. Or getting kickbacks etc....
Riiiiight. Other publications say the same thing about the GM 5 cyl. Edmonds, Car Connection, etc. Whatever truck you are looking at, do your research. There is a ton information online about all of them. I stay away from forums, since most owners will be biased and don't like to say anything bad about their purchase (unless they are REALLY pissed at it).
Whats so bad about Dodge? I've had my Dakota for 3 years, driven 110k (210k total now) with no problems, when I owned my 2 GM's it seemed I was constantly working on them.
