Cheap ($1000) trucks & utility vehicles

I realized today that with every vehicle I've owned, all 50+ of them, I have never owned a truck. I've had vans and a lot of lifted Subarus but never anything that could really be called a truck, be it a pickup or SUV.

In August I will be moving to a new house that lacks off-street parking. I'm not too worried about it other than winter; I am planning on mothballing the E46 from Nov-Mar to avoid the inevitable winter scratches and dings (god forbid the fearless plow drivers around here). So, I'm toying with the idea of picking up a 4x4 that I can park on the street; bonus points if it's versatile enough to help with the moving process. I don't plan on towing any vehicles or big trailers, so I don't need a whole lot of power, and gas mileage is not a huge priority. I'm mostly looking for something that can carry a bunch of people, get through anything, and deal with some occasional off-road hoonage. 5-speed is a BIG plus but not a requirement.

I'd like to spend about $1000. The obvious answer is XJ but they are VERY easy to steal and a friend of mine that is into them had one of his stolen last fall. Explorers and Blazers fall into the same theft category but lack the capability, so they are out. So I am looking at other stuff. I prefer SUVs to pickups; I would love a Trooper II but worry about parts availability. Older Monteros and Raiders have always caught my eye but they are pretty hard to find now. I see the odd Discovery for less than $1k but...no. Might consider an older 4Runner but they seem to keep their value...what am I forgetting? Comments and suggestions?

It seems like truck season is the time to buy a convertible and vice-versa, so I'm shopping now/soon while people are giving them away.

Nissan Pathfinder?

Rodeo/Passport?

Trooper II with the 2.8 V6. Parts are stupidly cheap and easy to get; my autozone has everything from water pumps to ball joints to calipers to transmission rebuild kits in stock. And I have a well-priced source for literally every other part, direct from Isuzu. Heck I just installed brand new vent window gaskets in mine a few days ago.

Toyota (Hilux?) pickup like Clem's: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-threads-and-project-cars/1987-toyota-4x4-pickup/52537/page1/

Can carry a bunch of people in the tray.

I'm also a big fan of these earlier-model Suburban 4x4s:

Oh! Even better: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/200x-classifieds/1971-4wd-gmc-suburban-in-chicago/63650/page1/

Over budget, but take into account how much it totally rules.

Unfortunately Toyota stuff is either wildly priced or ridiculously rusty around here. Those full-size GM trucks are cool, but also an extraordinary theft magnet...pretty much anything involving the words "domestic" and "full size" is around here though. Must be an economically downtrodden post-industrial midwestern USA city thing.

The main appeal of something like a Trooper/Montero/insert-import-here is that nobody would ever attempt to steal it or even want to. A manual gearbox helps too. Stuff like that 'Burban is a target just because of sheer simplicity. Laughably easy to steal and drive.

With that tight of a budget, I wouldn't restrict myself too much. Basically, I'd go for whatever I can find in decent shape that meets your criteria.

BTW, anything is steal-able for a motivated thief. I don't know that I'd use that as a factor. Put a Club in it and hope for the best.

Tom_Spangler wrote: BTW, anything is steal-able for a motivated thief. I don't know that I'd use that as a factor. Put a Club in it and hope for the best.

Ehh, if you saw the kind of vehicles that were "popular" in my area you'd understand. Some vehicles ARE targets due to ease, and 80's GM stuff is REALLY easy. You can normally break the steering lock with a cleverly-routed breaker bar through the wheel...and let's not even get started on the E36 M3ty key mechanisms. When I used to work in property management I dealt with the occasional abandoned vehicle...let's just say I learned a thing or two about moving vehicles without any keys.

Think about it. If you were looking to steal something, would you go for something like a Trooper that you're unsure of, or a Suburban that you KNOW will open by pounding a screwdriver in the lock, break the wheel loose with a pipe, and start with the same screwdriver you opened it with?

In reply to SlickDizzy:

Beyond being rusty and expensive, '80's Toyota's are really easy to steal too. Break vent window, screwdriver in ignition, drive away.

Trooper II with the 2.8 V6. Parts are stupidly cheap and easy to get

I think these things are completely overlooked, but i would recommend them. People like to be snooty about the boringness of a tbi 2.8 gm v6, but that thing is ridiculously reliable and easy to work on. It's exactly what you'd want for a drivetrain if you were primarily worried about serviceability in the wild. I had a 2.8/5spd Rodeo for a short time and it was an EXCELLENT vehicle! I mean really good! The body/interior quality blew away any other suv you could get in 1990, the 2.8/5spd combo was tractable and endearing in a utilitarian kind of way, and it was reliable, easy to work on, and parts for the motor were everywhere. Nothing else was going to break, so that about covered it. Great vehicle.. i just didnt have a use for it. I bought it really cheap and flipped at 300% after i couldnt sell it to any of my friends.

Hard to steal, SUV/truck, 4x4, not rusty, and $1k.........pick 2 if you're lucky.

I'm about $700 all in (including purchase/strip/scrap of the blue/green one - I made about $100 on it) and am averaging about 17.5mpg with my 60 mi/day commute. 1/3 is 45mph country rd, 1/3 bumper to bumper, and 1/3 70mph highway.

Oh, and it seats 7.

m4ff3w wrote: Oh, and it seats 7.

How does it seat seven? I thought all of these were two row.

In reply to tuna55:

Monteros were available with jump seats in the rear

v8 Dodge Dakota. It's easy to steal, but lets face it, who'd want to.

Hell, cut the price in half, I bet Mr. Clementine Sparks could find one for ya.

'96-'01 V8 Exploder?

They seem to run forever. There's an example for sale locally that was not taken care of and has 400,000+ miles yet still runs. The transmission is slipping...

The_Jed wrote: '96-'01 V8 Exploder? They seem to run forever. There's an example for sale locally that was not taken care of and has 400,000+ miles yet still runs. The transmission is slipping...

You must not live near the ghetto...HUGE theft magnet. No domestic SUVs, seriously.

I'm digging the Montero idea. Yamaha, I'm not too picky on rust as long as it's not catastrophically bad. Up here in WI SUVs are dirt cheap right now since spring has sprung and everyone wants convertibles...

1st Gen Kia Sedona

Overbuilt to a fault, these things are indestructible. More room than an SUV, and who would steal it?

pinchvalve wrote: 1st Gen Kia Sedona Overbuilt to a fault, these things are indestructible. More room than an SUV, and who would steal it?

The vehicle I've seen stolen the most is the Dodge Caravan. They don't care what it is. Their going to use it to joy-ride or do a drive-by. The fact that it is a van is no deterrent. Just install a hidden kill switch in what you get.

pinchvalve wrote: 1st Gen Kia Sedona Overbuilt to a fault, these things are indestructible. More room than an SUV, and who would steal it?

No ground clearance...don't want a van. I do want to try some light off-roading, too.

m4ff3w wrote: I'm about $700 all in (including purchase/strip/scrap of the blue/green one - I made about $100 on it) and am averaging about 17.5mpg with my 60 mi/day commute. 1/3 is 45mph country rd, 1/3 bumper to bumper, and 1/3 70mph highway.

Tell me more about these. Are manuals tough to find? How are they to work on? Parts availability? I rather like the style.

yamaha wrote: Hard to steal, SUV/truck, 4x4, not rusty, and $1k.........pick 2 if you're lucky.

Agreed. Around here, even the worst rustbuckets are worth at least $2k if they have 4wd.

I tried doing this a few years back, I wanted a pickup (pretty much any pickup) for $1000. 4x4s were completely off the table, and the few that I looked at were seriously rusty, like structurally unsound rusty. I came to the conclusion that I needed to spend at least $3k to get something decent. Not saying you won't find something, but you may need to be patient, it could take a while.

In reply to Tom_Spangler:

I've gone through the same thing the last year or so, after flipping the '99 350 for its trans slipping while towing, I've relegated myself to wanting something manual, IDGAF if it is 4x4, and more than capable for what I'm doing......what'd I come up with? A 60's International.

Dizzy, just go buy Aussie's Binder(yes, I know 2k) if it hasn't sold yet. As far as antitheft trickery, I'd put a hidden master power kill switch under the dash with a removable key.