Old cute trucks that are easy to use as daily drivers
May 25, 2019 11:28 PM Subscribe
I'd love to buy an older adorable truck to drive daily. I found a '73 GMC camper hauler but my mechanically savvy uncle said buying it would be a "disaster". What other options might I have for w 20+ year old pickup that is very reliable/easy to keep fixed?
Some kind of Toyota pickup from the 90's. They're wonderful.
posted by Tunierikson at 3:22 AM on May 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
posted by Tunierikson at 3:22 AM on May 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
A good friend swears by cute little old Nissan trucks, and she drives the hell out of them. I don't know what they're called.
posted by mareli at 5:00 AM on May 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by mareli at 5:00 AM on May 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
But she lives in Florida so never drives in snow. They're front wheel drive and probably would not handle well in those conditions.
posted by mareli at 5:02 AM on May 26, 2019
posted by mareli at 5:02 AM on May 26, 2019
It would probably help if you described a bit more about what you are looking for and how you drive. Pretty much all trucks are rear wheel drive or four wheel drive, including Nissan Hardbody trucks (which is what the 90s trucks were called). I think the VW Caddy might be the only front wheel drive trucks ever sold in the US. Rear wheel drive trucks (and generally speaking, rear wheel drive vehicles) are generally harder to drive in the snow than front wheel drive, as the front or rear can easily pivot due to too much force coming from the rear. Also, there is more weight over the front wheels in pretty much every car save a Porsche 911 (rear engined), so the rear wheels have less traction in snow. I say this having driven both front and rear wheel drive vehicles in the snow, including small trucks, big trucks and sports cars. In snowy places, many people put sand bags or other heavy, cheap items in the pickup bed during winter to give the drive wheels more traction.
As for your question, perhaps your mechanically savvy uncle thought that the particular truck you looked at was a mechanical disaster? Reliable and easy to keep on the road with old vehicles are kinda two different things, in my opinion. Almost no old car (pre-1990s, to me) is reliable in comparison to a modern car, if for no other reason than the 90s saw the widespread adoption of fuel injection, which meant a computer took over more of the duties of getting the thing to start and run and idle smoothly. On the flip side, sometimes older cars have simpler and cheaper fixes to get them back on the road.
Keep in mind, too, that a truck made up to the 80s will not have antilock brakes and may not have shoulder seatbelts, which are the top two safety features of a car. They certainly won't have airbags.
I think if you are looking at 70s trucks and want something that looks a bit retro or vintage, but with modern conveniences, you might use the word 'stepside' in your searches. I just did a Google image search to refresh my memory of this, but if you look for 'Chevy S10 stepside' or 'Ford Ranger stepside,' you can find late 90s trucks with a particular bed aesthetic that was meant to evoke trucks of the 50s. In that way, you can have late 90s technology (ABS, fuel injection, good seatbelts, possibly airbags), with an homage to vintage styling. My sister had an early 90s Ford Ranger stepside that was bright blue with colorful graphics to boot.
Lastly, if you have a bit of money to spend on this, and want a high quality vintage truck, I might suggest you peruse the Website Bringatrailer.com. They have curated listings of more or less unique cars from a variety of time periods and almost always have a few trucks up for auction. The emphasis there is on quality, so you might find a well cared for truck that has been restored or updated enough to be a daily driver. This is an example of what I mean in terms of a spiffed up older truck from BaT, although you will also pay for this kind of quality.
Good luck!
posted by Slothrop at 5:47 AM on May 26, 2019 [10 favorites]
As for your question, perhaps your mechanically savvy uncle thought that the particular truck you looked at was a mechanical disaster? Reliable and easy to keep on the road with old vehicles are kinda two different things, in my opinion. Almost no old car (pre-1990s, to me) is reliable in comparison to a modern car, if for no other reason than the 90s saw the widespread adoption of fuel injection, which meant a computer took over more of the duties of getting the thing to start and run and idle smoothly. On the flip side, sometimes older cars have simpler and cheaper fixes to get them back on the road.
Keep in mind, too, that a truck made up to the 80s will not have antilock brakes and may not have shoulder seatbelts, which are the top two safety features of a car. They certainly won't have airbags.
I think if you are looking at 70s trucks and want something that looks a bit retro or vintage, but with modern conveniences, you might use the word 'stepside' in your searches. I just did a Google image search to refresh my memory of this, but if you look for 'Chevy S10 stepside' or 'Ford Ranger stepside,' you can find late 90s trucks with a particular bed aesthetic that was meant to evoke trucks of the 50s. In that way, you can have late 90s technology (ABS, fuel injection, good seatbelts, possibly airbags), with an homage to vintage styling. My sister had an early 90s Ford Ranger stepside that was bright blue with colorful graphics to boot.
Lastly, if you have a bit of money to spend on this, and want a high quality vintage truck, I might suggest you peruse the Website Bringatrailer.com. They have curated listings of more or less unique cars from a variety of time periods and almost always have a few trucks up for auction. The emphasis there is on quality, so you might find a well cared for truck that has been restored or updated enough to be a daily driver. This is an example of what I mean in terms of a spiffed up older truck from BaT, although you will also pay for this kind of quality.
Good luck!
posted by Slothrop at 5:47 AM on May 26, 2019 [10 favorites]
I'm glad someone brought up the safety issue. I love old trucks and very reluctantly gave up my '78 Bronco when gas was nearly $6/gallon. :/ It was an absolute blast to drive, but had zero safety features. No ABS, it did have shoulder belts, but no airbags, no crumple zones, no collision fuel shutoff. As much as I love the idea of having a classic as a daily driver, this video of a modern car vs a classic car in a collision shows just how much progress has been made. The people in the classic care are super dead. :(
I agree with the other suggestions about finding a more modern pickup, maybe a stepside, that has safety gear like ABS, airbags, and so on. You can still make it your own with a wicked paint job, rims, whatever.
posted by xedrik at 6:38 AM on May 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
I agree with the other suggestions about finding a more modern pickup, maybe a stepside, that has safety gear like ABS, airbags, and so on. You can still make it your own with a wicked paint job, rims, whatever.
posted by xedrik at 6:38 AM on May 26, 2019 [6 favorites]
A standard 1984 C-10 Chevy has mechanical fuel injection, I owned one for a few years. It was a beast.
posted by nikaspark at 6:54 AM on May 26, 2019
posted by nikaspark at 6:54 AM on May 26, 2019
Every old truck I have owned has needed a lot of work to keep running. I mean, a Toyota of that vintage will be more reliable on average than a Chevy, but you should still be expecting to be working on it routinely. Trucks live hard lives and stuff wears out, in addition to the problem that older vehicles weren't as reliable as cars are now.
For reliability, stay with Toyota or Nissan. The advantage of a Ford or Chevy is that parts may be cheaper and they are easy to work on, but in my experience you will definitely be doing more of that work.
Look at gas mileage, too -- I had a beater 1970s Chevy pickup at one point and the gas mileage was comically bad, like it would have been cheaper to just pour the gas on the ground bad. Those were the days of $0.35/gallon gas, which isn't the case anymore.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:03 AM on May 26, 2019
For reliability, stay with Toyota or Nissan. The advantage of a Ford or Chevy is that parts may be cheaper and they are easy to work on, but in my experience you will definitely be doing more of that work.
Look at gas mileage, too -- I had a beater 1970s Chevy pickup at one point and the gas mileage was comically bad, like it would have been cheaper to just pour the gas on the ground bad. Those were the days of $0.35/gallon gas, which isn't the case anymore.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:03 AM on May 26, 2019
Just as a side note to what other posters have mentioned (and, only tangential to your question- you have maybe already considered the safety issues) I drive a 1958 AMC Rambler wagon and the lack of safety features makes my husband extremely nervous. We did put shoulder belts in when it was being rebuilt but that’s it. I can’t drive it in poor weather conditions - even in hard rain it doesn’t handle well.
However - since I work from home and don’t need to drive often, and since my husband can re-arrange his schedule to help me out if I need to get somewhere on an inclement day, it’s generally worked out for us.
But as much as I love my car, if I had it to do over - I’d buy a Subaru.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:20 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
However - since I work from home and don’t need to drive often, and since my husband can re-arrange his schedule to help me out if I need to get somewhere on an inclement day, it’s generally worked out for us.
But as much as I love my car, if I had it to do over - I’d buy a Subaru.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:20 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
My dad has a 1999 Dodge Dakota that's a freakin' rock. He's fixed a couple things over the years but it's been a daily driver that tows a small trailer a couple times a week and just keeps going. No idea if that's the truck in general or he's just lucky, but it just squeaks in under your 20 year old truck requirement so I'd thought I'd mention it!
posted by cgg at 7:51 AM on May 26, 2019
posted by cgg at 7:51 AM on May 26, 2019
Driving an old truck because it’s cute is sort of irrational thinking, like many buying choices people make around cars based on aesthetics rather than purpose and cost. There’s nothing wrong with that and everyone thinks about how they look in any given car (although no one else notices or cares nearly as much as advertising and American car culture would have you think).
But it is a short ride from irrational to foolhardy.
N’thing that there is no such thing as a “reliable” 20 year old vehicle. You will end up doing lots of work to keep it running. Also you will be fighting the demon rust from day one, harder depending where you live. If you don’t know how to work on a truck yourself it will eat you alive in costs (not to mention fuel economy). They aren’t comfortable. They aren’t efficient. They aren’t safe AT ALL (compact pickups from the 90s or older lol). They don’t handle well (unless 4x4 and then your costs go up sharply cough transfer case cough differentials cough 11mpg) in bad weather.
The reason to buy a truck is to haul shit, tow shit, or go off the road. That’s it. You trade a ton of basic comfort, safety, efficiency, and utility for that one purpose. Or you spend a lot of money on a newer vehicle. The one good thing about newer trucks is they hold their value really well. That also makes late model used trucks expensive.
posted by spitbull at 10:05 AM on May 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
But it is a short ride from irrational to foolhardy.
N’thing that there is no such thing as a “reliable” 20 year old vehicle. You will end up doing lots of work to keep it running. Also you will be fighting the demon rust from day one, harder depending where you live. If you don’t know how to work on a truck yourself it will eat you alive in costs (not to mention fuel economy). They aren’t comfortable. They aren’t efficient. They aren’t safe AT ALL (compact pickups from the 90s or older lol). They don’t handle well (unless 4x4 and then your costs go up sharply cough transfer case cough differentials cough 11mpg) in bad weather.
The reason to buy a truck is to haul shit, tow shit, or go off the road. That’s it. You trade a ton of basic comfort, safety, efficiency, and utility for that one purpose. Or you spend a lot of money on a newer vehicle. The one good thing about newer trucks is they hold their value really well. That also makes late model used trucks expensive.
posted by spitbull at 10:05 AM on May 26, 2019 [2 favorites]
I love my 95 Chevy 4x4 - she hauls stuff, offroads, and is a great mobile dog-house.
I agree with Spitbull - buying can be so irrational- after making a checklist of all the sensible qualities I needed, once I saw the lovely vintage maroon interior, that was it. heart eyes.
posted by cabin fever at 11:10 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
I agree with Spitbull - buying can be so irrational- after making a checklist of all the sensible qualities I needed, once I saw the lovely vintage maroon interior, that was it. heart eyes.
posted by cabin fever at 11:10 AM on May 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Grandysaur at 11:39 PM on May 25, 2019