What truck?

[madmatt]

Let's pretend you needed a pick-up truck - something large enough to accommodate a full size sport bike in the bed (most can anyhow) and you were willing to drop up to $5K.

What would you get - taking into account that it'll stay parked on the street most of its life, but need to make it an hour or two out of the city periodically. Think usable, practical. Oh, and easy on gas, so leaning away from V8's.

Ranger?
Frontier?
Tacoma?

[Grampa]

5 k may limit "good" options


older toyos are better that the old fords and nissans

[derby]

5 k may limit "good" options


older toyos are better that the old fords and nissans

yup... "newest" thing i'd get is a toyota.

[gm2]

that or a diesel.. but you probably won't find that for 5k

[RST]

I paid $5k for my F150 four years ago.  60k miles later, nary a problem except for regularly scheduled maintenance.  I get 12 mpg empty and 8-10 mpg towing a loaded, enclosed 6x12.  I plan on selling it for 1-2K when the Ram 1500 diesel comes out next fall.

I'd probably get a 4-banger Toyota for what you're trying to do.

-R.

[madmatt]

OR...

An Astro van.

[RST]

If you're going to get a van I'd get Chris Kelley's E250 if he still has it.  It's a little bigger than what you're looking for but I think it may be worth it.

http://www.ca-cycleworks.com/

-R.

[MetalDuc]

I llike the Toyota for what you are thinking, but if its a van...

[Duck-Stew]

I picked up a '96 C3500 Chevy 1-ton van 2 years ago for $1500 with a 350 V8 and an automatic overdrive trans.  It consistently got 15-18mpg loaded or not, depending on the freeway/city driving and I could fit 3 bikes in it.  1 bike was SOOOOOO easy, 2 was still good (with enough shit to do a track-day and extra room too), and 3 bikes was challenging but do-able.  It had 140K miles on it when I got it, had to put 1500 into it over the course of the next 18 months and I sold it w/167K miles on it needing cylinder heads for the same $1500 I bought it for.

All in all, I'd buy another one in a minute!.

Oh, another benefit to an enclosed van (cargo van too, so no windows).  You can leave ALL your shit inside and no one sees what you've got in there.  Hell, at one point I had $80,000 worth of bikes in the back of it and never worried about prying eyes...

[madmatt]

yup... "newest" thing i'd get is a toyota.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/cto/874764936.html

I can get it on the way back from WSIR.

[derby]

I llike the Toyota for what you are thinking, but if its a van...

those are by no means cheap.

[derby]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/cto/874764936.html

I can get it on the way back from WSIR.

no ramp needed.

[darylbowden]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/ant/cto/874764936.html

I can get it on the way back from WSIR.

That thing is H34T!

[Grampa]

I llike the Toyota for what you are thinking, but if its a van...

pimp my van

[madmatt]

That thing is H34T!

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