Looking for a cheap work truck for mostley demo work & hauling material. In the past I had a 1990 Ford F150 XLT great truck but she finally passed on to the white light. I’ve been thinking about a F250 or maybe a Dodge 1500 extended cab… One of my bros said stick with Ford or Chevy and that all other trucks suck. Trying to stay within $2500 so 1995-2004 probably dont realy care what it looks like. What do yall think is good any trucks to steer clear of?
You’d know best about what you’re hauling, but I’ve really liked Dodge 3500 and Ford F350, both dualees. They both had plenty of power. Can’t speak about Chevy because I’ve only ever used their commercial trucks.
At that price range find whatever is the nicest truck for the money and dont worry about the badge. A well maintained dodge will be better than a beat a up ford, so browse craigslist for a deal.
My wife’s brother scored a 2004 F150 on Craigslist for $4000. He tows a camper with it and its really a nice truck.
For what you do, a Ford F250 or GMC/Chevy equivalent would be fine. I’d go with the extended cab and 4WD if one came along. Like anything, the more $$ you spend, the better of a truck you’ll get.
Rob
[quote]Aggv wrote:
At that price range find whatever is the nicest truck for the money and dont worry about the badge. A well maintained dodge will be better than a beat a up ford, so browse craigslist for a deal.[/quote]
I agree with this.
Make sure you Carfax any truck you’re considering. Scumbags are really good at sounding genuine and being convincing that their truck is great. Carfax reveals the truth though. When I was looking for my truck I walked away from no less than 5 deals due to the car fax report.
[quote]beachguy498 wrote:
My wife’s brother scored a 2004 F150 on Craigslist for $4000. He tows a camper with it and its really a nice truck.
Rob[/quote]
Wow what a deal. I’m going to be pissed off if you tell us it had less than 150k on it.
Fix the old one? What was wrong with it?
[quote]Aggv wrote:
At that price range find whatever is the nicest truck for the money and dont worry about the badge. A well maintained dodge will be better than a beat a up ford, so browse craigslist for a deal.[/quote]
I’m partial to Fords, but this is good advice. What part of MO are you in?
I drive an F 150 FX4 right now - LUV IT. My last truck was a Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab SLT 4x4. It was roomier than the Ford, but stupid shit (minor electrical, defrost, etc…) kept breaking. No complaints about the power, though. Haven’t driven a Chevy in a while.
Kansas City… My top 3 right now are…
- 2000 Ford F150 extended cab 2wd auto 153K miles $1800
- 1993 Ford F150 extended cab long bed 4x4 170K miles $1500
- Chevy quad cab diesel long bed dualy $3000
Just haulin shit demo stuff or trash outs from evictions. Sometimes landscape jobs. Bassically its a dumpster on wheels
[quote]thehebrewhero wrote:
Looking for a cheap work truck for mostley demo work & hauling material. [/quote]
I buy a lot of trucks for my company (probably 100 in the last 3 years) — white, plastic floor, vinyl, roll down windows, crew cab. I let them pick whatever they want, in general, except Dodge, which I’ve had a lot of problems with and will never buy again.
For a light truck, the men prefer Toyotas (the full size one made in San Antonio), followed by Ford. Chevy/GMC are OK. I’ve had zero problems with the Toyotas and they ride better on the highway.
The best deal for the money in a new truck is the Nissan Titan. It’s made in Mississippi, I think.
If you are looking for a diesel or larger pickup that a standard full size, just pick the cheaper between Ford and GMC.
What engines are in the Fords? Are you pretty familiar with diesel engines? (Assuming you’re doing the maintenance yourself, it may not be an issue.)
My totally biased suggestion is the 93 F150 just because I love that body style. But if that Chevy is in good condition that sounds like a good buy too. How many guys are on your crew, do you need the quad cab for seating or just a place to store tools and equipment in the dry?
I dont have a crew I just pick up random mexicans in the homedepot parking lot for demo jobs. I like the 93 too I like the tank look 
The new shit is all fiberglass which IMO looks gay… Yeah I heard bad shit on Dodge too I think Ill roll with a F150 or F250 mid 90’s My last F150 was a beast I bought it for $500 and had it for 3yrs
My brother recently retired his 94 F250 after about 250k HARD miles and bought a 93 F150. I’m pretty jealous ha
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
For a light truck, the men prefer Toyotas (the full size one made in San Antonio), followed by Ford. Chevy/GMC are OK. I’ve had zero problems with the Toyotas and they ride better on the highway.
[/quote]
Well, I dont buy trucks by the, um, truckload, but I know that some proper warlords love them some Toyotas.
They dont break down, are easy to repair and you can mount a machine gun on top of it.
Stay away from the 2002 era Dodge 1500s with the Magnum V8. They have cast iron blocks and aluminum heads. I have an 02 SLT 4x4. I love my truck, but it has given me head gasket/Cat/Exhaust issues. The Diesel’s are a whole different story. Cummins are great engines.
The company i work for tows a lot of gear for product demo’s. our whole fleet of tow vehicles are Chevy 2500/3500 Duramax’s. I’ve towed and hauled quite a bit of gear in those trucks. While the earlier models aren’t great on ergonomics or creature comforts they never lack in power or hauling capacity. the newer models are great on the ergo and internal trim factors.
Funny thing i’ve noticed while on the road. I typically only see Chevy 3500 or Dodge 3500 diesel trucks towing heavy loads. sometimes i see a Ford towing a trailer, but really heavy loads are usually being pulled by a Chevy or Dodge.
La’
[quote]redsol1 wrote:
Stay away from the 2002 era Dodge 1500s with the Magnum V8. They have cast iron blocks and aluminum heads. I have an 02 SLT 4x4. I love my truck, but it has given me head gasket/Cat/Exhaust issues. The Diesel’s are a whole different story. Cummins are great engines.
The company i work for tows a lot of gear for product demo’s. our whole fleet of tow vehicles are Chevy 2500/3500 Duramax’s. I’ve towed and hauled quite a bit of gear in those trucks. While the earlier models aren’t great on ergonomics or creature comforts they never lack in power or hauling capacity. the newer models are great on the ergo and internal trim factors.
Funny thing i’ve noticed while on the road. I typically only see Chevy 3500 or Dodge 3500 diesel trucks towing heavy loads. sometimes i see a Ford towing a trailer, but really heavy loads are usually being pulled by a Chevy or Dodge.
La’[/quote]
My boss has had several diesel excursions and has had major issues with every one.
OP it doesn’t really sound like you need anything more than a 1500 series. I haul all kinds of things with my silverado 1500, from my 4500 pound boat to the 3800 pounds of slate I hauled this summer in the bed.
I concur on the Cummins they really are bulletproof.
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
[quote]thehebrewhero wrote:
Looking for a cheap work truck for mostley demo work & hauling material. [/quote]
I’ve had zero problems with the Toyotas and they ride better on the highway.
[/quote]
x2 Hate to say it but go for a toyota, 90s version were extremely reliable.
My kind of thread!
[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
[quote]thethirdruffian wrote:
[quote]thehebrewhero wrote:
Looking for a cheap work truck for mostley demo work & hauling material. [/quote]
I’ve had zero problems with the Toyotas and they ride better on the highway.
[/quote]
x2 Hate to say it but go for a toyota, 90s version were extremely reliable.[/quote]
The 80’s and 90’s Toyotas are probably the most reliable trucks ever made. Every deer camp I have ever been to has at least on parked out front. You literally cannot tear them up and they go everywhere. Great trucks and easy to maintain.