Help me find a new rig!

[mnutz]

I've posted in some other threads about the recent death of my beloved Pathfinder. I drove that truck all over Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and North Carolina for 10 years. It was my rock climbing rig, took me on many great adventures.

I need to find something to replace it. I need something with a backseat. I'm leaning towards Trooper, Montero, 4Runner, Cherokee. I currently live in south central Nebraska and realize I'll probably have to travel about 400 miles to find something. Not much around here except farm pickups.

Here's where it gets even trickier. I have no cash to put into this, my only choice is to sell or trade my other rig. I have a nice, clean 1988 Dodge Power Ram W150 4WD. 318 TBI, auto. Low original miles, 110,000. Brand new tires, new starter, battery, ECU, water pump, hoses, +, well maintained. Runs and drives great. Starts right up and I do not hesitate to drive it anywhere. It's relatively rust free and very clean inside and out. Here's pics.

What do you think? Am I asking for a miracle? Should I just hang on to this old truck till I can afford a new newer rig? My apologies if this needs to be moved to the For Sale threads. Thanks!

 

[coreys88burban]

from the ones you listed id say 4runner!, i admit o being a hater one anything not chevy ford or dodge (for the most part) hahah BUT ive been in a freinds on 33" mudders and it does great (1986 i think) lightweight and capable, plenty of room for two or 3 people and decent milage, easy mantinance and they are all over for cheap, i see em one CL all the time with SAS and 350s and 4 link for 10k or so and just lifted and ready for 4k also see lots thay want a pickup for trade.

 

[coreys88burban]

or trade for a Ramcharger of the same body as your pickup:victory:

 

[mnutz]

from the ones you listed id say 4runner!, i admit o being a hater one anything not chevy ford or dodge (for the most part) hahah BUT ive been in a freinds on 33" mudders and it does great (1986 i think) lightweight and capable, plenty of room for two or 3 people and decent milage, easy mantinance and they are all over for cheap, i see em one CL all the time with SAS and 350s and 4 link for 10k or so and just lifted and ready for 4k also see lots thay want a pickup for trade.

Well, I think I can probably sell this truck somewhere around $3000. I'm not finding anything comparable in that price range though.

 

[78Bronco]

No offence but if you can get $3 large for that truck I would be very surprised especially if you are in a used vehicle market where there are lots of farm trucks.

I have a Japanese Montero and it's got a lot more room then a 4runner or Cherokee and you might be able to find one in your price range. Personally I would look for a fulsize Bronco, Blazer or Ramcharger thats isn't all rusted out because repairs will be a lot cheaper.

That's my $0.02 worth:smiley_drive:

 

[Rot Box]

If you can by all means HANG ON TO THE DODGE! That is a really nice truck :bike_rider:

Those old pickups just don't sell for what they're worth anymore and I don't think you will get anywhere near what you want out of it. If you need a back seat and can't do without one that's one thing, but if you can make that work you have a great starting point. You can convert the front to use selectable hubs to free up some extra fuel mileage too.

For a cheap reliable SUV I would recommend a 84-89 4runner (22R/RE 4Cyl) or a XJ Cherokee with the 4.0 I6. Good luck,

Andrew

 

[mnutz]

I know what yall are saying about the truck, but I really get a lot of interest in it. It's rare to find rust free trucks like this around here. Even though this is pickup country, people really like the older ones if they've been taken care of. I just don't know that I can find something similar to my old Pathy that is in good shape for that amount of money. I've been looking for about a month now, and what I see in that range is stuff with 200,000+ miles. But I really need a backseat, we just had a baby. It's time for family adventures!

 

[maximumrob]

I'll put in a vote for an old blazer. It'll give you the same thrill of tinkering as your old Dodge does but has that all important backseat. Since you're now haulin' around the most important thing in your life (the kid), grab an old full-size Blazer, do a complete brake job on it, then get everything else up to speed.

Safety just became your #1 priority Congrats on the kiddo Mr. Nutz.

 

[mnutz]

Sold it!

Well, I sold the old truck. So now the search gets serious for a new rig. Anybody got anything in the $2500 range?

 

[mnutz]

Safety just became your #1 priority Congrats on the kiddo Mr. Nutz.

Thanks! The baby amazes me every day! What an awesome way to learn how to appreciate life!