Cheap truck for hobby woodworking and home improvement

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Yuri_S

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Joined
Jan 10, 2012
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18
Guys,
I would like to get your opinions on buying cheap ($2k-$3k) truck. Is it reasonable?
I just got tired of needing some transportation for sheeting goods, WW machinery and etc. Besides, I recently became single family house owner in addition to my woodworking hobby and will need to buy some garden related stuff and things for home improvement projects. Not going to use truck/pickup for everyday usage so buying shiny new one does not look like a necessity.
Let's talk about finding, using and other thing on the subject.
 
If you are talking about mostly transporting supplies and occasional machinery, I'd suggest just getting a trailer. Particularly if you currently have a vehicle that can support a decent hitch. Lower bed equals easier loading. Simpler, less maintenance, lower insurance (do trailers require insurance?) etc...
 
Elfick,

I thought about a trailer, but it does not attract me. I need modify of my cars (have two sedans), store trailer somewhere, ... Having truck looks more convenient.
 
I would agree with the trailer as the best option, and I speak from experience.  I had a truck that was used for getting materials and everything.  It worked good, but having to insure, yearly registration and finding a place to park became more of a hassle.  I would find out how much you go and get materials to really see if it makes it worthwhile.  I can pay $3 more at one place to get plywood, but they offer free delivery.  Check around to see if you can find a place that offers free or modest delivery charge, but I can also go to one of the big box stores and rent a truck, van or flat bed for $20 for 75 minutes.
 
How 'bout trading in one of the sedans for a truck or even a van.
A trailer can be a hastle to park, more so than a truck or van.

What sort of neighborhood do you live in.  Some areas might have zoning laws against trucks & trailers.  Check that out

The advice to check where you buy your lumber to see if they do free delivery is good.
Also, if you don't haul often, rental could be a good solution.
Tinker

 
I was a contractor that worked out of a car for years. It stunk "because i cant sware" but i made it happen.

I have had truck for about seven years now. I am both a homeowner and part time contractor. Yeah make sense of that, anyway i could live without a truck but i would never want to again. The fact is you figure out how to get by with one. On the flip side you do all kinds of things you never would had considered prior. Kinda like owning a domino ;)

Get a cap though. Actually in all honesty i kinda loath my truck as the cap on cap off thing really is a pain. And i often need the cap off in the spring, summer and fall. Winter i must have cap to fit all my tools protected from the elements to and from jobs.

The reality is a full size Sprinter is the only real solution. I don't have 50k for a car though and if i did i would not spend it on one.

I have a friend that's a legitimate 52 week a year residential home builder and he drives a toyota hatchback and has a trailer. Fact is you can have just about anything delivered or throw it on a trailer if not. I. Just not up for that headache!
 
Well, since the original question was about a truck- 2-3K is pretty low for a running used car these days, so I'd look for one of the Japanese brands that have bulletproof engines.  Fords runs well, but once you get above 100K miles, they start to nickel and dime the hell out of you.  I have a Nissan Frontier that has 130k on it, and I have never had it in the shop.  I'll leave if for weeks and it cranks right over every time.  I've also owned a couple of Tacomas that I ran well over 200K with no problems at all.  Had an F150 for awhile.  I liked it, but lots of small maintenance issues.  I'm a big fan of scouring craigslist in sunny places where there's no rust and taking a bus to pick up a good vehicle.  There are services that will actually go to the vehicle for you for about 100.00 and give it a once over and send you a report.  I've gotten some good cars on Ebay and far flung craigslist cities like that.  Then I've either had them shipped or taken the train/bus/cheap filght to get them.
 
Iceclimber said:
I was a contractor that worked out of a car for years. It stunk "because i cant sware" but i made it happen.

I have had truck for about seven years now. I am both a homeowner and part time contractor. Yeah make sense of that, anyway i could live without a truck but i would never want to again. The fact is you figure out how to get by with one. On the flip side you do all kinds of things you never would had considered prior. Kinda like owning a domino ;)

Get a cap though. Actually in all honesty i kinda loath my truck as the cap on cap off thing really is a pain. And i often need the cap off in the spring, summer and fall. Winter i must have cap to fit all my tools protected from the elements to and from jobs.

The reality is a full size Sprinter is the only real solution. I don't have 50k for a car though and if i did i would not spend it on one.

I have a friend that's a legitimate 52 week a year residential home builder and he drives a toyota hatchback and has a trailer. Fact is you can have just about anything delivered or throw it on a trailer if not. I. Just not up for that headache!
Click to expand...

Back in 1949, I was just out of HS and looking for a job.  I was looking for a farm job, but not any around.  I had met up with a mason contractor who had done some stone walls at the farm where I had been working during high school.  He called me up one day and for the next 30+ years, i was in the building business, mostly as a mason contractor. 

When i started working for that mason, his "truck" was a big Caddy.  The trunk on that old Caddy was a cavern about the length of the bed on my present 1/2ton Chevy.  He had a sand bank where he would send me the dig sand .  I could cram a half yard, or more, of coarse sand into that car with no trouble.  The biggest part of the problem came when trying to shovel it out.  When I started dabbling with side jbs, I had a '41 Mercury Club coupe.  That was in the days of a single cross spring in the back.  I put about three extra leaves in the spring, and that was my truck until i went into the service for a two year vacation.  I had stored the car while away for those two years.  When i came out, I got rid if the Merc and got a four door ford that I took the back seat out of so the trunk extended all the way to the front seats of the car.  That was my truck until I started my own biz full time.  At that point, I decided I had better get a truck.  I have never been without since. 

I now use a 1/2T pickup with a trailer to do everything.  I use a 2-axle trailer and would not go back to a single axle.  One flat tire on the road where i had to park trailer and mowers in a stranger's yard while I went home for the spare tire (I know! i should have had a spare with me but that didn't happen).  I went out and bought a 2-axle trailer right away, unloaded the single and never looked back.  I have gotten flats with the two axle, shifted the load a little and gotten home with the load in tackt. I will keep the pickup/trailer combo 'til I retire (probably when I get to be 40, or look up and see them throwing dirt over me) and after.

Tinker
 
I'm in a similar boat with two sedans and no way to get plywood.  I toyed with the trailer idea, but also don't want to install a hitch, nor do I have room to store it.  A truck would be ideal, but once again, gotta store it somewhere and I don't really want to leave a beater truck on the street in front of my house all the time.  Lastly the insurance was really want killed it, even if its only a 2k truck, insurance will still be a couple hundred bucks a year.
I've resigned to just renting a truck when I need it.  I find it to be a huge hassle though even if its not a big expense.
 
One option not yet mentioned is that you might want to check and see if you have a place that rents trailers in your locale.  It could be a via option if so up until the time that you really "need" to have something else.

Peter
 
There are trailers that are sturdy enough for hauling lumber and other materials that can be stood on end for storage and even one that I've seen that can be folded in half. Installing a hitch isn't a big deal for most vehicles though I can think of some sportier cars that would have trouble. I guess if you're really fixated on a cheap truck, I'd probably look at a Toyota hilux/pickup/tocoma. They last forever and they are one of the most, if not THE most, widely sold trucks in the world so there should never be a shortage of parts.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1195-lb-capacity-48-inch-x-96-inch-heavy-duty-foldable-utility-trailer-with-12-inch-wheels-90154.html
 
I actually use Zipcar quite a bit for vehicles that I don't want to own- they have trucks and cargo vans.  A lot less of a hassle than going to uHaul or another rental car company. 
 
Do it!

Every home owner needs a truck. Even if its just for fun. Anything with a decent body and motor is good to go. I'm finding toyota Tundras cheaper than Tacomas.
 
Lots of thoughts, thanks you guys.
It seems I am pretty set up for truck or nothing.
Trailer idea does not attract me, still need to invest at least $1K and too much of inconvenience.
Renting is too involving and a lot of time wasted. Seems good only for cases when need to stock up on a lot of material, but I do not have enough storage in me shop.
Truck rental from Lowes and Home Depot was good, but it is not available anymore in my area.
All that leaves me with truck purchase idea. I've never owned a truck/SUV/van, so do not have a feel if it worth to buy old cheap one, but I guess it be not that expensive to mountain them, especially domestic models. Sure Toyotas or even Nissans are promising to be better, but I do not much of them for sale especially in my price range and on top of that long bed variant are sparse.
 
I sold my truck (Chevy Avalanche) and went to the other end of the spectrum driving a BMW Z4.  Fun to drive, but realized somewhat quickly it wasn't an everyday vehicle (for me) and definitely a challenge for hauling anything larger in mass than a couple of bags of groceries. 

One year later, bought a new F-150.  It's my everyday drive, the Zed is kept in the garage now, three years old with 17K miles on the odometer.  Haven't decided whether or not to keep it, but if I keep buying Festool, I might have to sell it to finance more tools.  [eek]

Once you are used to having a truck, and all of the benefits a truck offers in terms of hauling equipment or sheet goods, it is hard to do without.  I won't get into the situation again of not having a truck.....

Getting back to the $2-3K used truck, carrying liability only shouldn't cost too much annually, I would think 2 or 3 rentals of a truck from the Borg would probably equate to the annual premium.  If you take into consideration how often you might need the truck, or have to rent one annually, add up the cost, you will probably come out ahead if that need/frequency is once every 1 or 2 months.  I would go the route of the old truck, not trailer, if me.
 
I recently bought a military 1984 m1028 from a government auction.  I paid $2400 for it and it had 38000 miles.  It has a 6.2 detroit diesel,  4.56 gears with lockers all around.  Its an awesome truck.  Its a non turbo but not a big deal.  I dont get anywhere fast but its fun to drive and my 3 year old daughter loves it.  Max speed is 55mph but i get 16mpg and i run it on used motor oil, veg oil, and any thing else i can find to throw in it.  Not for everyone but they are awesome trucks. 
 

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I know it will be no help to you, but I 55 & never own a car. So any truck that  runs & is somewhat safe should work.
 
I know you said you didn't think buying a new truck is a necessity but would you think of selling your car and buying a used truck as your full time vehicle? I went from a Jeep wrangler to a 2006 Tacoma and It was a great decision. I paid 13k and it had 12k miles on it. 4 cylinder manual single cab and I was able to get 28 mpg it was unreal.

I had to get a bigger truck to haul my young daughter around but that Tacoma was killer if you didn't need to fit a car seat. Just a thought.
 
When I said two cars, I meant my wife's car and mine. We both use them everyday. I know a lot of women like SUVs or even trucks, but my wife do not want even to listen about changing car style. Me too, I just love my W210 E55 AMG and could not imagine driving a truck everyday ;-)
 
I roll with an 8/9-year old Tundra "Work Truck", which is very simple and has a 6-cylinder engine. It has a "cap" that works great for me and gets reasonably good mileage. I have filled it up with Festools and driven on long delivery trips at 80 MPH more than once. It purrs. The last time was to NM and it got about 19 MPG. The previous trip to Laredo had similar results.

I bought it used (40-50K miles) for under $10K and would certainly buy it again.

Tom
 
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