Blog Posts
15 Pickup Trucks Built To Last 15 Years (And 5 Built To Crumble)
- by Cameron Eittreim
- –Oct 3, 2018
- in Motor Hub
Long before the advancement of the automotive industry, there were simple vehicles that didn’t have all of the advanced features that we've grown accustomed to today. One of the cornerstones of the pickup truck used to be that it would last forever even with amazingly difficult workloads put onto it. And this is why farmers and all kinds of tradesmen depended on their pickup trucks for centuries. But with the turn of the new millennium, many trucks have become more reliant on advanced technology and electronic systems that end up costing thousands to repair, and the engine reliability can be lackluster at best.
There have been quite a few pickup trucks in the last couple of decades that are built to last and have stood the test of time thus far. These trucks were built with superior powertrains and engines that were built to handle work and play with minimal maintenance, as a truck should be an investment instead of a money pit. The pickup truck market has varied over the last few years, as the market has been hit by all kinds of different models, including the new generation of midsize trucks, which are more practical for today's families. When it comes to choosing a pickup truck, we're going to take a look at some of the most reliable models that have been released in the last few decades and which have been shown to give the least amount of trouble to potential owners in terms of reliability.
20 Chevrolet Colorado I-5
When it comes to stellar pickup trucks that have been released, the Chevrolet Colorado with the I-5 Vortec 3700 is one of the most reliable small pickup trucks to be released from GM. The engine, with an aluminum block design that makes the engine extremely lightweight and fuel efficient, was very simplistic to repair. The Chevrolet Colorado also has a pretty sturdy interior made of durable plastics and fabrics that make the truck an excellent mid-range workhorse, and you’ll see this truck on all kinds of professional fleets. (Car complaints)
19 GMC Canyon I-5.
The GMC Canyon, with a much more refined-looking exterior and interior, is the upmarket version of the popular Chevrolet Colorado. Again, the truck featured the bulletproof I-5 Vortec 3700, which was a first for a pickup truck in the US market. You'd think that a five-cylinder engine might lack the power to get most jobs done, but you'd be wrong, as the engine had just the right amount of power and fuel efficiency to make the truck a decent seller for GM. These trucks are known for being reliable, and the resale value is reasonably affordable. (Car complaints)
18 Ford Ranger First Generation (1983-1988)
There are very few trucks that have as much of a foothold on the compact pickup truck market as the original Ford Ranger does.
This small basic pickup truck is still known to this day for being a reliable workhorse that doesn’t even have power steering.
Nevertheless, this was one of Ford's most bulletproof designs, and the truck was available in quite a few different body styles, which make it a very versatile choice for the compact truck buyer who had a few different needs for the truck. (Car complaints)
17 Ford Ranger Second Generation (1993-1997)
With a truck that's as stellar as the first-generation Ford Ranger, naturally, a redesign had to be carefully considered by the Ford Motor Company.
The second-generation Ford Ranger took the basic simplistic design that made the original truck great and built on it with a stellar design that managed to carry on for twenty years.
The second-generation Ford Ranger is a winning combination of function and style that still looks good to this day, and for a reasonably low price, you can still find one of these trucks in good working order. (Nadaguides)
16 Ford Ranger Third Generation (1998-2000)
When the Ford Ranger was redesigned in 1998, Ford was careful to keep the original formula of the truck in order while giving it a modern style to compete with the GM S-Series trucks. The second-generation truck has a more handsome design that gave it a nice flared nose and a much better-looking tailgate that made the truck look like an excellent pickup truck. The Ford Ranger third generation also had an updated motor that took advantage of Ford's latest technologies, and this truck, to this day, is still a stellar deal for a used truck. (Nadaguides)
15 Ford Ranger Final Generation (2006-2012)
The Ford Ranger went on basically unchanged for almost two decades, but because the design was so stellar and reliable, the truck still always maintained stellar sales. One of the major complaints with the Ford Ranger was that it had a small design compared to other midsize trucks on the market. Still, this generation of the Ford Ranger wasn't only one of the best-looking models, but they also still had one of the most reliable V6 engines that Ford has ever sold and that makes this truck a winning combination of power and comfort. (Car Complaints)
14 Chevrolet S10 First generation (1982-1993)
The Chevrolet S10 was the replacement for the tiny Isuzu-derived LUV pickup truck, and what it did was introduce the world to a very reliable and sturdy little truck that could be used for work or play.
The first-generation S10 was the home to many unique models including the Baja edition and the Cameo edition, which featured a more powerful engine and a lowered, mean street-racing look.
This generation of the S10 was also a popular choice for mechanics to jam a small-block V8 into, which, when coupled with the lightweight design, can be quite the drag racer. (Hot Rod)
13 Chevrolet S10 Second Generation (1994–2004)
When it came time for Chevrolet to redesign the S10, there was a popular design that was already in place, and GM had to improve upon this design. The second-generation Chevrolet S10 was a more modern truck in every sense of the word, with a one-of-a-kind design that incorporated a modern feeling with a powerful new Vortec V6 engine. Now, what made this truck increasingly unique was that the aftermarket community still found a way to cram a small-block V8 engine into these trucks, which proves a popular modification to this day. (Hot Rod)
12 GMC Sonoma First generation (1982-1993)
The first-generation GMC Sonoma was basically the same truck as the Chevrolet S10 in every sense of the word. What separated the two were some serious performance packages that GMC offered on the Sonoma, which were the GT and the Syclone. Both of these trucks featured the 4.3 L LB4 turbo V6, which was one of the best performers of its time, and it was almost as powerful as a comparable Mustang. Jay Leno even owns one of these trucks and has it featured on his popular television show. (Jay Leno's Garage)
11 GMC Sonoma Second generation (1994-2004)
10 Isuzu Hombre
There was a time when the Isuzu Motor Company actually sold vehicles in the US, and for the latter part of the nineties, they released a rebadged version of the S10 pickup truck that was known as the 'Hombre.'
Although the Hombre didn’t offer all of the body styles of the S10, it did feature the bulletproof Vortec V6, which made the truck reliable and functional.
This was one of the reasons that the Hombre remains a popular choice on the used truck market, and these trucks are traditionally less than a comparable S10, which means that you get pretty much the same product for a little less. (Edmunds)
9 Toyota Tacoma First generation (January 1995-August 2004)
During the nineties, Toyota was getting serious about the pickup truck market, and although the T100 was a commercial failure, the Toyota Tacoma blew new doors open for Toyota. Not only did the truck have a rugged new design; it also featured a nice big interior that made the truck comparable for a growing family or just someone who needed the legendary Toyota reliability when they were doing a job. The Toyota Tacoma first generation has held its value well, and these trucks are historically known to run well into the 300k mileage range. (Edmunds)
8 Toyota Tacoma Second generation (August 2004-August 2015)
7 Toyota Tacoma Third generation (September 2015-present)
The brand-new Tacoma is a beautiful truck in every sense of the word and builds on what the company has already accomplished with the previous models. This Tacoma has a beautiful new interior with all of the new technology that was introduced in the larger Tundra model. You’ll notice the interior is a lot more upmarket, and that's because the Tacoma has increased competition from the new GMC Canyon and the upcoming Ford Ranger which looks to build on that truck's already stellar reputation. (Edmunds)
6 Dodge Dakota First generation (1987-1996)
The original Dodge Dakota was a groundbreaking truck in many senses of the word, with the first being that it was the first midsize truck to hit the market. To make the first-generation Dodge Dakota even better, it was also the first smaller truck to offer a full-sized V8 engine, which allowed the midsize truck to take on a full-size job with ease. These Dakotas are some of the most reliable that you can find, and their full body-on-frame design makes the truck increasingly durable in a world where pickup trucks are becoming more beautiful and less functional. (Edmunds)
5 Dodge Dakota Second Generation (1997-2004)
Of course, when a pickup truck innovates and creates a market, it can be hard to build on the success, but the second-generation Dakota took the stellar aspects of the first designs and made them even better. The second generation of the Dakota introduced the world to the popular 5.9 R/T model, which gave the small pickup truck a massive V8 motor and an aggressive stance that made the truck a notable performer with a reasonable price tag, and this attracted a whole new set of buyers. (Edmunds)
4 Dodge Dakota Third Generation (2005-2011)
The third and final generation of the Dodge Dakota took on an even more modern design, but the 5.9 R/T model was dropped in favor of the Dodge Dakota Night Runner. This generation of the Dodge Dakota wasn't as popular as the previous generation, and Dodge decided not to offer the Hemi V8 engine in this model. Yet, this generation of the Dodge Dakota is one of the more reliable models, and you’ll find many of this generation in great running order. (Edmunds)
3 Mazda B-Series Third Generation (PE/UC/UD; 1977-1985)
One of the best compact trucks on the market has always been the Mazda B-Series truck. The original models incorporated the legendary rotary engine, and the third generation was amazingly popular with aftermarket modifiers who loved to slam these trucks and give them an aggressive stance and look. The Mazda B-Series was a stellar track that combined a decently sized interior with a peppy engine that gave the truck a much sportier feeling than your average run-of-the-mill pickup truck, and this is what made the model so popular. (Edmunds)
2 Mazda B-Series Fourth generation (UF; 1985–1998)
The Mazda B-Series fourth generation was based on the popular Ford Ranger pickup truck, and it managed to take all of the stellar attributes of the lofty little Ford model and make it even better. The Mazda B-Series is a stellar pickup truck in many aspects, from the one-of-a-kind interior to the stylish paint colors that they're offered in. This was one of the best-selling and most notable models for the Mazda brand, and the long-term effect of this compact truck on the automotive industry has lasted to this day. (Edmunds)
1 Mitsubishi Raider
The Mitsubishi Raider was a gorgeous-looking compact truck that was actually based on the popular Dodge Dakota model. The Mitsubishi Raider took all of the positives of the Dodge Dakota and made the truck a lot more livable. The Mitsubishi Raider had a more complementary interior that got rid of all of the hard plastics that were in the Dodge Dakota, and then, there was the one-of-a-kind exterior design that looked extremely sporty at the time. The Mitsubishi Raider also featured the same reliable V6 and V8 engines as the Dodge Dakota. (Edmunds)
