Good Small Used 4 Door Pickup Truck

[someonesomewhere]

My Saturn got totaled on the 19th when I was rear ended on the freeway. I'm not in any rush to get a replacement vehicle since I bike to the train station every day this time of year, and we still have our minivan. However, come November, I'm not sure my resolve is going to hold up.

I really don't wanna buy something new, unless it plugs in, and I got to thinking a small used pickup would work well. Mostly SWMBO wouldn't yell at me for using HER minivan to haul stuff in it if I got a pickup.

I know the Toyota Tacoma is on Consumer Reports list of Top 10 best used vehicles for a number of years dating back to the 1999 models. I eyeballed new Tacomas on a dealer lot last night. Whoa! Pricey. The handful of used ones weren't at much of a discount.

I really like the 4 doors, but it appears they've only ever been built as 4x4s or 4x2 Prerunners. Both seem a little more spendy.

Can anyone recommend other good used 4 door pickup trucks?

[jq26]

All I can say is my father in law has a 20 yr old Toyota pick-up and it is the most reliable and useful vehicle. The utility of the thing is great. And it won't die.

[GlitterGal]

Funny enough, my husband and I recently had this same debate.

He needed a truck, I demanded 4-doors so he could take the kids if an emergency happened.

After looking at the small 4-door trucks, we couldn't find anything that fit our needs. Our oldest child is 7, and we really needed something he would be comfortable in.

Most of what we found had horrific repair records.

So, I know this absolutely doesn't help you, we wound up buying a Ford F-350 crew cab, deisel. Our fuel efficiency is a little over 20 miles to the gallon (that's average, not highway) and we are running 20% biodiesel. We would run 100%, but we can't find it here and the conversion package for refined vegetable oil is about $2000.

Of course, even when I replace my little compact car with a plug-in, we'll be keeping that truck (he's a blacksmith), so we'll need the hauling capacity.

[jq26]

Why a pick-up though? Just for the fun of it? If you don't need one, go for a run of the mill 10yr old 4dr Honda Accord or Civic. Mine has 237k miles on it and runs perfectly. And I put my kid in it and feel safe. 30mpg, little maintenance costs (tires & occasional oil), and $500/yr in insurance for a $1,000,000 liability auto policy. For comparison sake, my previous vehicle was an Explorer and my insurance was $2200 for state minimum liability ($50,000).

Pickups are useful and fun. But if you are bridging the gap until some of these new vehciles come out and you have kids, it may not be the best way to go unless you buck up for a newer 4door. 0.02.

[nascar]

[someonesomewhere]

Originally Posted by jq26

Why a pick-up though? Just for the fun of it? If you don't need one, go for a run of the mill 10yr old 4dr Honda Accord or Civic. Mine has 237k miles on it and runs perfectly. And I put my kid in it and feel safe. 30mpg, little maintenance costs (tires & occasional oil), and $500/yr in insurance for a $1,000,000 liability auto policy.

I was thinking small pickup simply for the hauling stuff capability so SWMBO doesn't yell at me for hauling stuff in HER minivan. Homeowner type stuff. Also firewood.

If I don't go with a pickup, the other possibilities I'm considering are:
- 10 year old Camry/Accord/Civic/Saturn
- Convincing the wife to drive me to the train station for 5-6 months starting in November

Fun factor really didn't enter into it for me. 2 wheel drive is fine with me.

[cap1kid]

I was in the market 1 1/2 years ago for a used P/U- just something to take stuff to the dump- or haul firewood. I ended up getting a very base model brand new Nissan Titan- It's a king cab (half doors on rear) but the seating capacity is awesome- I've got three kids and can take them all. I am fortunate to have a company car , so I save mileage and gas. The prices have really gone down on trucks in the past 2 years.
How much are you looking to spend?