Need help -BEFORE I buy??

I started looking at trucks 3 days ago and I need to dump my 2003 Ranger XS4 while I can. If you can point me to a truck- give me a shout back.

I need to use this truck 60% Hwy (Colorado 30mi round trip to Groceries or upto 1,200mi to unexplored dirt roads) and 40% off road- Moab dirt at picture taking speeds Or get me up a narrow rocky ( get out and build up or move away 6"rocks road) -to get to my favorite fishing spot.

Access cab ONLY and manual tranny ONLY w/tow pkg- for to get other guy out Bucket seats and long bed.

* I am thinking Gen I maybe 98-2004 , but I only want because of smaller width- alot of pinion tree trails. ( they have already ate my little ranger,on the right

Big ISSUE- I have to pay a mechanic for all work done and I plan to keep maybe 4 years, so they can work out the bugs on these new engines and I can get some decent fuel economy and buy a BRAND NEW TACOMA then.

Do I look for just a TRD pkg or what pkg ,on these older ones-and how many creampuff odometer miles, should I be looking for? At at what miles will I EXPECT to re-build things?

Thanks

 

If you haven't already, check out the For Sale section - although a lot of those may be built up more than you need. You'll find that 1st gens are going for a premium, so expect to pay top dollar for a truck in good shape. Don't be scared off by higher mileage vehicles - these trucks will go 300k miles easily, so buying something with up to 200k miles is not a big deal. You will probably want to have a mechanic go through the truck before you buy, and then take care of some major maintenance items after you get it, such as timing belt (if V6), water pump, belts, hoses, check CV axles, lube driveshaft, etc. After that, all you'll need to do is regular maintenance like oil changes and you'll be fine for a long time.

If you can find one with all the options you want, and it's a TRD, so much the better. The TRD has a electric rear locking differential, which will help you get through those sticky spots. Other than that, there is no significant difference with the TRD over the non-TRD. It seems there are a lot of 1st gens for sale in Colorado, so hopefully you can find what you're looking for without too much trouble. Good luck!