I Need A Cheap And Sturdy Truck To Haul Furniture! What Should I Buy?

Steven lives in Massachusetts; he and his wife have two Ford Focus hatchbacks. While the small cars have been making do, it’s time to upgrade one of them to a pickup for home projects. Ideally, a cheap one, but he can be convinced to spend a bit more. What car should he buy?

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Here is the scenario:

My wife and I own 2 Ford Focus hatchbacks. Hers is older and will go in the next year or two. Mine is a 2016 that I bought new and expect to last another 5 or so years. We recently bought our first house and are always working on different projects to make the place our own (putting in a fire pit, remodeling a bathroom). After spending the last year cramming more into a Focus hatchback than should be allowed, we realized that our lives would be a lot better if we had a truck so that we could throw building materials and leaf bags in the bed without worrying about messing up the interior. .

I’d like a cheap but sturdy truck that I can use to move furniture, lumber, and mountain bikes easily. I also need it to be reliable because it will bring me the 2.5 miles to work when I can’t take my bicycle. Gas mileage isn’t really an issue because we will only drive it short distances or when we need to haul. This vehicle is all about utility, no points for looks. Bonus points if it can tow a jetski or two.

If it really came down to it I could spend up to $30k…but I would be much happier spending under $10k.

Quick Facts:

Budget: Can spend $30,000, but doesn’t want to…cheaper the better

Location: Northboro, MA

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Cheap, reliable, can tow

Doesn’t want: Something with too old

Steven, I can’t imagine a two car household with twin Ford Focuses. You folks must really be living on the edge. But with the remodel looming it’s certainly time for a rig that can handle the job a bit better. As you already know the trucks on the cheaper end are going to be higher miles with limited life left in them, especially ones that have lived through several New England winters.

Since the priority is moving things, not people, I would suggest looking for the long-bed/shorter cab configurations as they tend not to be as popular so you are likely to get a better value score compared to the full cab trucks. The downside is that these are a bit harder to find. Also, forgoing some creature comforts and targeting a work or “fleet” style truck will likely give you a better ratio of price to mileage. 

For example, here is a 2022 Colorado LT with “Fleet Safety Package”; it only has 43,000 miles for under $17,000. The downsides are that you only get a 4cyl motor, but that can tow a respectable 3500 lbs, and 2WD, but it doesn’t seem like you need this to navigate bad weather. I will also state that this price seems a tad suspicious and it’s being sold at a Mitsubishi dealer, so proceed with caution.

Buddy, congrats on moving on from having two Ford Focuses. No one should have two Ford Focuses. To commemorate this occasion, I’ve got a very special vehicle picked out for you. Sure, there are plenty of small and midsize trucks to pick from, but who wants that trash? If you’re going to buy a truck, you need the truckiest truck there is: you need a dually with a massive diesel engine.

Is six wheels, an eight-foot bed, and heavy-duty suspension overkill if you’re just moving furniture, lumber, mountain bikes, and commuting to work overkill? Maybe, but Steve, this is America. If you’re not doing overkill, you’re not doing it. With a rig like this 2016 Ram 3500 Tradesman dually, you can tow a lot more than a jet ski or two. I mean, this thing – fitted with a fifth wheel hitch — can tow over 31,000 pounds. Buddy, that’s like 6 million jet skis.

I’m a really good guy, so I found you a perfect example: this guy right here is total “Twisters” spec. It’s finished off with a very clean maroon paint job over a gray interior. It even has extra goodies like marker lights on the cabin and plastic fender covers to give it a tougher look. Under the hood, you’ll find a massive 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel motor that’ll throw down more power than you’ll know what to do with. Is its fuel economy awful? Sure, but who the hell cares? Steve, make the dumb (read: correct) choice. Buy a dually. It’s the American way.

So Steve, you need a truck that can haul some stuff every now and then and get you to the office on occasion. I’d be willing to bet when you first started thinking about it, the Toyota Tacoma immediately came to mind. Obviously, you didn’t immediately go out and buy one, or you wouldn’t have written in asking for buying advice, but you at least thought about it.

I’d also be willing to bet you assumed you wouldn’t be able to find one for less than $10,000 unless it had been driven to the moon and back at least seven times. Considering the reputation Tacomas have, that’s understandable. And yet, when I started looking at used trucks in Massachusetts that fit your budget, I found this 2006 Toyota Tacoma with a manual transmission and only 50,950 miles on it for a mere $8,995.

Sure, it’s a four-cylinder and not the V6, but it’s a truck, and it should be reliable. Plus, it’s a manual, and shockingly, according to the CarFax, it has a clean title. Since it’s a Tacoma, you should be able to sell it for about what you bought it for. It’s a boring pick, but you don’t sound like you care much about how interesting something that’s “all about utility” and gets “no points for looks” is. Just get the Tacoma, and be done with it.

Steve, you don’t need our help to get a pickup truck. They’re everywhere, any one of them will do what you need — we’re redundant here. Unless, of course, you’re asking us because you’re looking to get into something a little more interesting than your average F-150 or Tacoma. If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right website, because I have a truly Jalop pick for you: A brown 1979 El Camino.

Pickup bed? Check. Room for furniture, lumber, and mountain bikes? Absolute check, so long as you don’t mind some of those 2x4s sticking over the roof or past the end of your bed (both of which are common on full-sized pickups too). Towing? El Camino owners claim that, depending on the spec, you can get up to 5,000 pounds out of this setup. You’ll have to check the rear gearing yourself, and maybe throw a transmission cooler on, but it’ll be worth it to have the coolest tow vehicle in the boat launch parking lot.

This El Camino is V8-powered, located right in Springfield, and did I mention it’s brown? It has a bench seat, Steve, come on. All that for just $9,500! Don’t be another lumbering pickup on the roads, get something a little more Jalopnik for your utility vehicle. You deserve it