Light pickup help for a student on a budget

[SpeedyManiac]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at buying a little pickup truck this summer so I can (1) bring my bike to edmonton and extend my riding season by a couple months, (2) actually get around the city instead of having to rely on public transit, (3) drive home instead of fly home and (4) make some road trips to the mountains for snowboarding during the winter. My main requirements are (1) reliability, I can't afford a money pit right now, (2) must have four-wheel drive and manual transmission, (3) must be decent on gas - no 8 cylinder engines, (4) can fit a dirtbike in the bed with tailgate up - I'm a little flexible on this, but I'd prefer to not use a bed extender, and (5) fairly cheap to buy. Right now I think I can budget about $4000 CDN straight up out of pocket, but if I could finance a vehicle that would be better. Do dealerships sometimes finance used vehicles?

Anyways, right now I think a little Toyota 4x4 extended cab would be perfect. I think the extended cab would be nice just so I have some storage room inside, but I'm also thinking about a canopy for the winter so extended cab isn't absolutely necessary. For the engine, I'm not quite sure if I'd rather have the 4 or 6 cylinder model. I have heard of head gasket troubles on the 80's V6's. Beyond that, I really don't care about options. A radio and AC would be nice, but I'll survive without it. I'm just looking for a cheap pickup that I can use to haul my bike around, plus do the journey from Trail to Edmonton and back a few times.

So, does anyone know of any other problems with the Toyotas besides the head gasket on early V6's and rusting boxes in the 80's? I've been reading online reviews and most people seem happy with the little 'Yodas. Also, what about the Mazda and Nissan light trucks? They were significantly cheaper looking at online classifeds, but I'm wondering if there's a reason for that. I also doubt I'll buy domestic after seeing the trouble my parents have had with their GMC Yukon. Thanks for the help.

 

[chevy383cid]

A toy would suit you well!!! The only reason the other are cheaper is that there not as desirable as toyota's. I have a 89 mazda as a run around truck- it has 258,000 and still going. Make sure you really look at it well and drive the snot out of it before you buy!!

 

[CaNaDiAn,Eh?]

From what i've heard toyotas are great pickups, the only problem is that they are a bit more money than a domestic. I don't think you are going to get much for 4000 bucks though, whatever it is will definitely be miled out. I always look on canadatrader.com to see whats out there for the money. Hopefully you can find something decent.
Oh by the way, do you know of any riding areas up in the Edmonton area? I was thinking of having my dad bring the bikes up a few times this summer but don't know if there is anywhere to go.I think Budweiser Motorsports Park has a motocross track but that's all I know of.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Thanks for the replies. Supposedly Redwater has a riding area, plus there's the motocross track. I'm mostly looking into it because there's a doubleheader race in Quesnel/William's Lake in October that I need to make it to to complete the PNWMA Interior series.

The $4000 limit has been killing me on finding trucks. It seems that early 90's models run between $6000-10000, then it goes down from that. Hopefully I can find something this summer.

 

[FruDaddy]

I do recommend an extended cab. I think all of the Japanese trucks are great, and most of the domestic minis are crap. Remember the Mazda b2000 and the Ford Ranger are the same truck, as well as S10/Izuzu. My recommendations would be Nissan, Toyota, and Dodge Dakota (mid size). If you are concerned about using a bed extender, remember that you can put the bike in at an angle and close the gate. I have a shortbed Dodge Ram and have hauled my 250, my son's 65, and my friends TTR on the truck and closed the gate. Some of the gear had to be thown in the back seat. In the US, most dealers can finace used for you, albeit at a higher interest rate, but I do not know how these things work in Canada.

 

[Patman]

If I were to go looking for a small 4x4 pickup I would go straight to a Toyota. Bomb proof little rigs that are known to run forever. Basically they are the Honda XR's of the mini truck world. No doubt I would also only look at the 4 cylinder because it's a proven long lived engine that's pretty decent on fuel and easy to fix.

 

[Chili]

You and my son are in very similar circumstances. He is also looking for a used smaller pickup with a budget around 4-5k. It's been a very discouraging search so far to say the least. I'm not sure we have even seen a used toyota for sale here that still had any body panels left intact. The most common are S-10 rattletraps with 300+ K on them or older rangers with similar high mileage. He's pretty much at the point of opting for a smaller car and tossing a hitch on it, then pulling our small utility trailer for practice days.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Thanks for the tips. Does anyone know more about Nissan's light truck? I'm hoping for a Toyota and I have plenty of time to look, but I'd like to buy it by mid-June so I have it for most of the summer (mostly a road trip to Calgary for Stampede in July). Thanks again.