I apologize for abandoning the forums on my tour -- I just don't have enough internet time. But I thought I'd ask you all what you think about me
buying a truck to haul stuff to my land this year, and if so, what kind. I'm pretty much set on a Toyota. With a lot of money, I can get a late 90's
Tacoma, otherwise something older. I'm thinking short cab, long bed, able to carry at least 800 pounds. Another idea someone mentioned is to get a high
fuel economy car, like a CRX, and then a trailer to haul stuff.
Truck?
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 Ran |
Truck? |
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Posts: 118 (01/01/09 12:26:14) Administrator |
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mtnclimber |
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Posts: 24 (01/01/09 13:07:13) |
Ran, if you mentioned this, I missed it. What distance would you be traveling? Do you envision going far to pick up stuff? Would you be using this vehicle for
trips where you have no need to haul stuff, only to get somewhere? How would the expense compare to the expense of obtaining materials near where you would be
using them and pay for delivery?
I see a lot of empty trucks driving around. Just my initial thoughts. Kate P.S. Also, make absolutely sure the CRX could haul a trailer. I have a Honda Accord and the manual says no trailer, no hauling, no nothing. Not enough power, I guess.
Last Edited By: mtnclimber
01/01/09 13:14:22.
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chicken lady |
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Posts: 42 (01/01/09 14:29:39) |
Hi Ran, wishing you a happy and healthy 2009, and safe and happy travels! I would suggest that you do invest in some sort of useful vehicle for hauling. Now is
the time to gather useful things around us. Yes, we know oil-powered vehicles are on the way out, but we should be doing everything we possibly can NOW to
prepare for whatever lies ahead. If you can make the transition quicker, smoother, and more effective by investing in one of these vehicles, you should do so.
On the one hand, I like the idea of a super fuel-efficient hatchback, but on the other, I don't know if it would have enough hp to haul a trailer up difficult roads. If you get stuck it could be an unpleasant situation. And now that I think of it, I know if it was me in a similar situation I would have a constant backlog of materials I wanted to take up, and would probably never drive with an empty truck. The other option is what I usually do: I have a small hatchback that I trade for the day (or the weekend) with my truck-having friends, and I always return it with a full tank of gas. If you have a friend with a truck who wouldn't mind having this occasional ongoing arrangement with you, that might be the way to go. |
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adam |
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Posts: 1 (01/01/09 16:11:14) |
Ran,
If you stay in Spokane, the truck seems like a good idea. With it, like Chicken Lady says, you can make a lot of progress getting your house built, which will give you a lot more options. You can sell the truck when you are done with the house if you want to. As for the car-with-trailer idea - doesn't seem like a good plan to me. Fuel-efficient cars usually don't have good towing capacity, plus there's the dirt road to go down, and many small cars don't have good ground clearance when towing. Mtnclimber: Ran's land is about an hour away from where he stays in Spokane, the last mile or so on a dirt road. -adam |
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csimba |
I could just walk across the yard.... | ||
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Posts: 30 (01/01/09 16:17:26) Moderator |
I could just walk across the yard and tell you this but maybe it will be useful for someone else.
I had a no frills '84 toyota truck that ran for next to nothing for a good 8 years hauling everything under the sun and a few stints delivering pizzas. 30 mpg average. If I had a magic wand I would have turned it into a long bed and sacrificed some mpg's for the ability to tote full sheets of plywood. I had a small camper shell for it and lived out of it part time now and then when I was spending a lot of time on some land I had. Dragged a 15 foot travel trailer behind it when I went tree planting for a season in Mississippi. No power problems at all. The only reason I got rid of it was because I ran into a funny little 10 year license revocation and a friend wanted to put the excelent truck to use. He drove it like he stole it for another 5 years until he gave it away and ran off to a buddhist monestary... If the 89 GMC mini pickup truck ever dies I'll be looking for another toyota. I'd put together a short bed and 10 foot trailer combo. Tie a pickup truck camper onto the trailer and have a "mobile home", bwahahaha. |
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axoplasm |
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Posts: 3 (01/01/09 16:40:20) |
Toyota trucks are a relatively competitive market, because of their deserved reputation for reliability. I think it's worth it though. I thought of
recommending a 4wd Subaru wagon, but a pickup's hauling capacity is the deal breaker. It seems the consensus is that a Honda + trailer would be less
fuel-efficient. Plus, to imagine manuvering a trailer with a no-power-steering CRX on your sloped, bumpy land gives me a headache.
One thing cars/trucks do that might become more valued is charge batteries while idling (provided fuel to do so). Volkswagen made a diesel pickup a while back. Replace rubber hoses with vinyl and you could power it with biodiesel that could be grown and produced on your land. The apparent worth of a vehicle may be short-lived, but would probably be worth it in the end. Haul stuff for your neighbors or give rides to people and they'll pitch in for gas. |
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Ran |
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Posts: 119 (01/01/09 18:43:23) Administrator |
OK, I've done some more research. Looks like there's no good reason for me to get a Tacoma. Now I'm looking at the fifth generation "Toyota
truck", 1989-1995, 4 cylinder, 5 speed. Thanks csimba for the long bed info. I'm thinking 4wd might not be worth it -- it would extend the time I
could drive to my land by a couple weeks in April and November, but the 2wd is rated 24mpg, which I could easily hypermile to 30+.
mtnclimber: I would be using it once or twice a week, mostly around eastern Washington to get to my land or haul stuff up there. I would probably go to Seattle and back a couple times a year. Probably just about every time I drove to the land I could find some scavenged stuff to bring, or stop at an "urbanite quarry" I know along the way. The CRX does haul a trailer: http://www.breakerbar.com...railer/crxwithtrailer.jpg I would have to get a CRX si, which has more power and less fuel economy, and check out the terrible ground clearance. Biodiesel would be fun, but I'd rather get a gasoline-burning Toyota. Here's a page I found on Toyota Truck Diesel Conversion. And check out the Volkswagen Taro, a diesel truck designed by Toyota and built by Volkswagen, but apparently sold only in Europe. |
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Rob W |
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Posts: 1 (01/01/09 19:18:53) |
If you have a friendly handyman/ welder available then check out some woodgas sites. It's suited to long stroke motors that don't rev too hard, but
can suit smaller ones
http://allpowerlabs.org/gasification/index.html
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INTPguy |
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Posts: 3 (01/01/09 19:45:16) |
I've always beaten mileage ratings by a long shot just by driving easy and coasting when it makes sense to. My former 5-speed 87 Toyota pickup standard bed
got 36 mpg at 55 mph. My current 87 Toyota automatic/long bed/PS/AC does just as well. They were the last of the carbureted and are kinda smelly starting cold.
One would think the newer fuel-injected engines would do just as well, would be interesting to find out the mileage you get.
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kiwijohn |
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Posts: 1 (01/01/09 19:45:56) |
Tacoma-Hilux differeneces makes the pre-95 'Toyota Truck' look like a
good bet. The diesel versions are ubiquitous in NZ... pity you don't have them there. And you can always borrow a trailer... so I would buy the
workhorse... that way you can have the truck AND the trailer (if needed). OTOH, a few days hire would transport a lot of stuff and then you wouldn't have
to buy into the whole vehicle ownership thing, a trap if ever I saw one...
Anyway, happy new year and good luck for the rest of your trip. |
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greenyankee |
don't limit your options | ||
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Posts: 24 (01/01/09 20:37:35) |
if you run into problems finding a good Toyota given the more limited market share of them, I would heartily recommend a Ford Ranger. Though American vehicles
in general have a shit reputation, I think Ford got the Ranger right.
I've had my 99' Ranger with 88,000 miles on it for almost two years and have really never had a problem aside from the normal crap you have to replace. The two other farmers I know who've had their Rangers for a while have had the same experience, one has had his till 160,000 miles with no out of the ordinary problems and another has had one for 225,000 , but with a transmission replacement or two, mostly because he rolls overloaded all the time. For the criteria you're looking for, I think the ranger would suit you well. There also might be an ample supply of them on craigslist from folks who never really needed a pickup truck and are now looking to downsize to a compact. A caveat on getting hung up on the reliability premium: Although Toyota's generally have a stronger reliability reputation, keep in mind that it costs more to fix a foreign vehicle, whereas every mechanic and his brother can work on an american truck, and parts are generally cheaper as well. From what I've heard from an experienced and actually trustworthy mechanic, it's basically a draw in the end, you may have to repair a ford more, but it's generally for less than a toyota. basically just saying don't fear the american rigs, they can get the job done within budget and it will keep your buying options open, always a good thing in vehicle searches.
Last Edited By: greenyankee
01/01/09 22:58:16.
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axoplasm |
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Posts: 4 (01/01/09 21:18:29) |
I second what greenyankee said. had a friend who owned a ranger- it was an impressive truck for the price he paid.
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mtnclimber |
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Posts: 25 (01/02/09 02:49:52) |
Ran, based on your anticipated use of it a truck sounds like an excellent idea. Along with everything else you and others said about your needs and
preferences, I'd suggest making sure it's a comfortable truck to sit in. Some are better than others. Good mpg, enough power, big enough bed to the
truck, reliable, comfortable to sit in, and good price.
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 freecookies |
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Posts: 10 (01/02/09 10:21:37) |
I owned a Ranger as well for a while - for an American truck, it's decent - didn't have too many problems out of it. If you can get by with a 2wd,
they're a lot less maintenance hungry than a 4wd, but it does make driving on snow trickier.
I dunno - you might be money ahead renting a truck when you need it, and getting a motorbike or scooter? There's insurance and registration to deal with, for instance. Maybe someone else has a truck you can borrow or is willing to help move stuff? I remember helping people move out and into places with my truck :P A truck is one of those things you don't need all that often, but when you do need one, you really really need it. |
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leander37 |
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Posts: 3 (01/02/09 12:47:58) |
I second or third the ranger recommendation. I had one for years and it was a workhorse - never had a single problem! I think pickups built in the 90s have
simpler mechanics and fewer fancy gadgets to worry about. Manual roll-up windows, etc. which in the long run means fewer items to fix. I'm thinking of
reacquiring a truck for similar reasons as you, and am actively looking into "by the mile" insurance, which takes out one of my main reasons for not
owning a car, which i the insurance expense on a car which sits in the driveway 13 days out of 14. For insuramce, look into Milemeter: http://milemeter.com/
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Doc Agape |
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Posts: 95 (01/02/09 14:28:28) |
Check out the Isuzu P'up if you're interested in a smaller truck. I had a diesel version for 200K miles years ago. Very reliable, very economical. Why
not get a diesel so you can convert to biodiesel easily in the future if you want?
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rainman |
Ranger | ||
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Posts: 1 (01/02/09 16:15:49) |
Hi Ran,
I too own a Ranger, for 10 years now. It has over 155,000 miles on it and have replaced transmission once. Other than other normal things wearing out, no problems and no complaints. I did put air bags on the rear as we have a small camper. This turns out to be cheaper in the long run carrying heavy loads, than replacing leaf springs when they wear out. The milage isn't great, but I have squeezed 22 MPG from it and more with a tail wind. Toyotas are a good rigs, but I have found them to be on the expensive side due to their quality. I would opt for a pickup over anything else for hauling. I wouldn't know what to do without mine. Another thing about tarilers is that you have to license them. |
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cosmo |
ford vs. toyota pu | ||
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Posts: 1 (01/04/09 08:37:30) |
Ran: I've heard that the mid-90s Ford Rangers were actually made by Toyota, with the same guts, and that's why they're so reliable. (We've
got a 94 Ranger and it's a workhorse.) Might be worth researching--no need to pay an extra $1000 just for the name Toyota, if everything else is actually
the same. If I can find any details or info beyond heresay, I'll let you know.
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dameonryan |
Why Buy When You Can Share? | ||
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Posts: 163 (01/04/09 10:11:47) |
If you know or can become acquainted with someone local who owns a truck, it might be a lot more frugal to borrow from her/him in exchange for a usage fee and
a refill each trip. You'd have to coordinate schedules, but the savings might be worth the effort. Certainly cheaper than buying, unless insurance is
cheap and resale is high.
D! |
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greenyankee |
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Posts: 25 (01/04/09 18:49:43) |
Ran,
I agree with your plan 100% if you can actually find a Toyota of similar model and condition as a Ford that only costs around $1000 more. In my experience, for the two having the same price, the Toyota for example would have 115 - 125k miles whereas the Ford would have 75,000, or the Toyota with the same mileage and shape would cost around $2000 more. But by all means if i was looking for a truck I'd get a toyota in a heartbeat if the difference was that small. Good luck in your search for a trusty vehicle. |
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Lauranimist |
car-and-trailer, definitely | ||
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Posts: 1 (01/07/09 11:13:48) |
I apologize if I've posted twice
I recommend a good Tercel or similar, and a trailer, as long as the trailer has a 4-wheel chassis (i.e. will stand alone). The Tercel can easily pull 2000 lbs, and won't be damaged if the weight is on the trailer's frame instead of on the Toyota's. This also prevents the weight from being put on the rear wheels of the car, a big no-no for front wheel drive vehicles.You need to get the ball welded solidly to the frame of the car. With this arrangement, you can unhook the gas-guzzling trailer whenever you are hauling smaller quantities or lighter materials, such as a bunch of plants or a load of humans. I've used my tercel to haul all kinds of furniture, etc, just by strapping things to the roof, but I have to use a trailer for significant weights. The only consideration is that you will have to be more thoughtful and careful about where you drive the car-and-trailer, not barrelling into the woods in early springtime, for example :-) cheers |
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