The BEST automobile for SSers?

[noobiechickenlady]

I've been having crappy luck with autos here recently. Mine are fine, the cars I've bought for myself (with one exception) have been junky runners and have lasted me on average 3-5 years. The problem comes in when we try to get a vehicle for DH. He doesn't work out of the house, so he doesn't need a regular ride, but we get tired of borrowing dad's truck when he needs to run somewhere. All 3 (granted veeery cheap) vehicles we've bought for his use are flat out junk.

So, that being said, what is your recomendation for a good car or truck, that could be bought fairly cheap, fixed easily with a reference book (shadetree style) has parts available and gets decent milage? Diesels are a plus, cause I can get used veggie oil and don't have a problem with coooold winters where it would gell in the tank.

I do want input, but I'm thinking 1970-1980s Isuzu Pup. We had an 81 that ran for-ever. Matter of fact, its still on the road. Regret getting rid of it... Stupid tax.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

How 'bout a horse and buggy

 

[Dace]

 

[big brown horse]

Not practical, you are always picking up the "exhaust".

 

[Wifezilla]

I had a pup. Good little truck. I also once had an Issuzu Trooper. What a POS!!!

Another good little truck is a Toyota. Anything with a SR-5 engine. We had one we bought with 100,000 miles on it. We drove it until it had 170,000 miles on it and sold it to a friend who wanted it to tinker with. He had it well past 200,000 miles before his kid trashed it

 

[jessejames]

toyota anything but especially those little pickups 4 runners etc. they are awsome i have put 500000 plus kms on 2 of them over the years one of which is now at 600000 and i still use it as a bush truck and it never gets stuck and can go ANYWHERE. cheep on gas and easy to fix lots of parts around if you are handy with cars get one with high milage and putter with it as it breaks you wont regret these are great trucks!!!
i find most toyota stuff stays pretty user friendly for the home mechanic up to the end of the nineties then they start making it harder.
good luck!!

 

[Henrietta23]

My parents had an Isuzu Trooper that was a piece of junk too. They bought it used to pull their pop-up camper. Nothing but trouble from day one.
I love our diesel Jetta. I don't know about finding one cheap though. I drive a 1994 Volvo wagon that was free. It's got 212,000 miles on it and we've never done anything except routine maintenance and replace headlights etc.

 

[reinbeau]

Not practical, you are always picking up the "exhaust".

Very practical, that exhaust can be used to fertilize the garden!!

I agree, look for a Toyota, but you'll have to look pre 95 or so - Toyota had a big problem with frames, they rusted out, we actually got $13K for our ten year old Tacoma because of it - that's why I'm driving a new Camry. They gave us 150% of the Blue Book value. Our other vehicle is my 2001 Ranger, the only vehicle I've ever purchased brand-new. It's a great truck, but so was our Tacoma, which was four-wheel drive - I miss it!!

Anyways, be careful with 95 - 2000 Toyota trucks, check the frame thoroughly if you find one. Then again, if you luck out and find one with a rotten frame and the owner doesn't know about the buy-back, grab it - it's worth money at Toyota (if that program is still going on).

 

[noobiechickenlady]

How 'bout a horse and buggy

I actually thought about it one day when I found one in the TradeWinds. Not good for a 25 mile drive to work 5 days a week, though. Jaunts around town would be pleasant, but my bike works for that.

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

 

[patandchickens]

It's worth sniffing around ahead of time to find out what parts are going to be readily available. If there are plenty o older Toyotas filling the junkyards of your region, great; but it can be very frustrating to have a car that is perfectly well fixable if you can find a <whatever> but only two people in your whole state seemed to have *owned* that make/model/year I suppose these days you can probably source old parts through the innernet but that is always much more aggravating and Fraught than just going down the road to the yard, you know?

I don't know from older trucks, so will not try to make any specific suggestions.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat