Some advice and opinions please.

[M.Metz]

I know this has nothing to do with reenacting, well in a small wayit does. I am in need of purchasing my first brand new vehicle. My truck is dying and with out a reliable transportation I wont be going to many reenactments. After I bought a lemon last time I refuse to buy a used truck. I have narrowed my selection down to three trucks. I would like some advice and or opinions on each of these three: Chevrolet, Colorado; Ford, Ranger; or a Nissan, Frontier. I do not wish to start the war on which truck is better. I just wish for some advice or personal experiences some of you might have had.

Thank you for you time,
Mike

[huntdaw]

"I know this has nothing to do with reenacting"

You're right. Test drive them and buy whatever you like best.

[M.Metz]

I was hoping to get more information other than what I have read on thier websites and what dealers tell me. You cant test drive a vehicle for years on end.

[Poor Private]

Personally I owned a ford ranger 90 bought it new and the engine puked at 125k. rode ok was a v6 got decent milage for the time. If you eveer have to have one of the engines (v6) rebuilt better to trash out, they have continous oil pressure issues after that.
Now I think i would look into buying the small dodge, or the toyota.
Good luck in your search.

[rebelyell62]

I've owned Fords, Chevys, and GMC's (full size P.U's)
All gave me good service. But with that said, I am a FORD man dyed in the wool.

The key to keeping a vehicle on the road is maintainence, oil, filters,brakes, bearings, fluids,belts. You get the picture.

Good luck in your decision.
Wendell Brown

[Graves Mercantile]

If you are looking for a compact pickup I'd reccomend the toyota. They make the best cars in America and my Toyota tacoma has 150K+ and still going strong. Great trucks.

I'm a FORD man too.....for full size. The ranger STINKS. Underpowered and slow on the road. Don't waste your time.

I've had 5 Chevy S-10's and they are lost compression and dumped coolant in the oil. Great trucks until that happened.

Good luck.

[rick35ovi]

We were just discussing this over the fourth at an event we were at, A tow truck driver in the unit said the only truck he would own is the ford f150, He tows less of them than any other truck out there!!
As for the chevy colorado, It is a inline five cylinder engine with a lot of torque but still fairly new, haven't heard much about problems with them.
Nissan is o.k. but doesnt have the resale value a Toyota would have and not quite as reliable.
The Ranger has been around for ever but in my opinion is too small and a little underpowered unless you get the v6.
I personaly am leasing a 2006 f150 crewcab 4x4 and it is the best truck i have ever owned, I have had ford trucks for over 15years now and haven't had a major problem yet!! (knock on wood).
Bottom line is What are you looking for, Gas mileage or gear hauler? The f150 i have now gets pretty decent mileage for a full size truck and i can pretty much haul anything i would want to.
Good luck on your search!!
Let Us Know What You Get, Just Curious!

[Micah Trent]

Of the three trucks you are looking at, I would take in the consideration of which vehicle has better miles to the gallon, the way gas prices are anymore.
Good luck on your pickings!

[jurgitemvaletem]

That would be the Frontier by far.

[WestTN_reb]

As an earlier gentleman stated, instead of the Ford, look to the small Dodge.
My dad, my brother, and myself all own Dodge Dakota trucks. My truck has had an engine rebuild, but it still runs fine at 275,000 miles. The manual transmission has never been touched, except to change a clutch. My brother's truck is barely over 100,000 miles, so it dosen't count. My dad's truck is a marvel though. At 301,000 miles, the most extensive repair work it has had done to it was a radiator replacement. The engine and transmission have never been touched.

Just my humble suggestion.