Mine would be my much missed 2004 F250. It was plain as plain can be, gas V8, 6sp manual, 4x4 and nothing else, didn't even have door pockets. Gave a pittance for it with 75k on it and drove it for 3 years with the only repair being an alternator that went bad. I'd still be driving it if it had been equipped with A/C but I chose to leave it in the good hands of a close friend when I moved south.

Had an 04 Ranger 4x4 that was a good truck too, but it wasn't quite as trouble free as the above mentioned 3/4 ton.

Still have my 1979 Bronco Ranger XLT that I've had since high school. Put some fresh gas and oil, a carb kit and a new battery in it when I moved back and it fired right up after sitting for a decade. Slapped a new set of tires on it and drove it daily for the first 6 months I was here. It's got LS differentials front and rear and in all these years has never got me stuck. Been a hell of a rig and I'm trying to give it some NorthernDaveesque love as time and money allows, hopefully maybe if he's good enough my boy can drive it someday.

What was the best rig you ever had the pleasure of owning?

The one I miss is my 1975 f100 4x4...
390 v8 with a burnt valve so it had a miss
very high factory suspension
had the stupid slave cyclinder power steering on front that everyone bent and you had to do a major conversion to fix
single speed transfer case

But it had just the right gearing and it was a beast to maneuver and too much project to keep around.

Now I wish I had it as a beater in its raw state.

1996 Tacoma extra cab 4x4


It went anywhere I needed to go on or off road.



The best I've had off road is my little Samurai. It's not much of an interstate vehicle but it's unreal off road.

1970 Dodge 3/4 T with a 383 engine, 4:1 gears and a 4 speed
Worst was 85 Ford, 3/4 T long box extra cab, 460 Engine 4 speed 4:10 gears.

Rea Brakes, every 15K because the seals would not hold up, rear main seals, transmission leaks, warped exhaust manifold, vapor locks,and whole bunch more. 8mpg empty, 3mpg pulling

Every Land Cruiser I have had - drove them all to at least 24k miles with nothing but oil changes and brakes and batteries. BEASTS that run forever.

1971 GMC 3/4 ton. 350, 4 speed Muncie, 205 case, Dana axles, Detroit Locker. Bare bones, highly capable off road. Had a 1988 3/4 ton GMC I put 297,000 miles on. Miss it a little, but not as much as the 71. Can't see ever missing anything newer I've had. mtmuley

probably the two I have right now....

'02 Chevy 2500 HD crew 6.0L gas..short bed...bought it new in May '02..

has led a sheltered heated garage life...always serviced...has 108K on it now.....good truck..

my daily beater I bought 11 yrs ago with 113K miles...'98 Tacoma V6 ext cab 5 speed...pd $10K or so...

still driving with no issues.......has 229K or so now......will go about anywhere you point it.......

My current one. A 2000 GMC 3/4 ton with the 6.0, 4X4

82 F150, bone stock with the inline 6 (300 ci, as I recall) and manual transmission. It was the essence of what a truck is. I wish they still made the inline 6/manual combo.

It has to be my current ride; 2011 Tacoma LB 4WD 4Door. All I've done to it in 93,400 miles OTHER than tires, oil change and air filter are a set of brakes. (to be honest, I'd have to check my paper work and see if it was front or rear as I just don't recall!)

2001 Toyota Tundra Access Cab 4x4 V8.
Drove it almost 10 yrs. / over 90,000 miles. Over the highway and thru the woods.
Had to replace the battery at 9 yrs. That's it.
Foolishly let my wife talk me into trading it on a new Tundra. Hated it.

Would probably be my 99 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad cab. 5.9 gas, 5 speed manual, 4x4 on 35" Nitto mud grapplers. Ranch hand bumpers front and rear. Replaced the water pump and the fuel pump. Not fast, but so reliable.

My old 1970 Chevrolet 1/2 ton long bed 4X4.

Blueprinted 350c.i. Turbo 350 tranny, N.P. transfer case. Dana 44 front end, 12 bolt rear.

Special made 3/4 ton leaf springs.

Dead simple to work on, parts dirt cheap.

Drove it for 20yrs. It never let me down, ran like a raped ape.

The bad, rode like a tank, got 10 miles per gallon, and no air conditioning.

I've grown to love my daily driver '03 F350. Extended cab long box that is loaded with all kinds of tools and clothes and random chit.

Probably 5-6 lbs of dog hair alone....

6.0 diesel that runs a little funny but pretty much trustworthy.

Remsen, my dad's buddy who lived across the street from us when I was a kid bought an 87 or 88 Ford F150 with the 300 six and a five speed brand new. He put 480k on it and only replaced tires, oil, filters, battery, and an alternator in all those miles. He gave it to a coworker and the last time I saw it he had it up to 532k and was having a new clutch put in it.

My uncle works construction as an equipment operator and basically lives in his truck at times due to scheduling and travel. Last time I saw him his truck looked like Sammo described with it being full of clothes and stuff, but the 5.9 Cummins and 6sp manual were still ticking right along at 330k. I think his was an 04 model. Before that he had a 97 F150 4x4 with a 5.4 that he ran to almost 400k. He gets all the good out of his pickups.

145k miles and just broke in......grin

1996 Toyota Tacoma AND a 2002 Dodge Dakota. Both equally the best I've owned.

That era of Tundra was a damn good truck and a little more simple that the new POS, except for the frame rust issues. I have my eye on a 2000 here locally and it's awfully tempting. Probably twice as reliable as my 2004 GMC sierra 4x4.....

1982 Toyota 4x4, standard shift 4 cylinder back before they started naming them and making them more like cars. It pulled out stuck full size Fords, Chevys and even a dump truck. Body rotted away, but that engine was still purring at 200,000 miles.

Sam-o! You using Gorilla tape there?? That is some good $hit for trim, and dashboards, tail lights, other misc auto repair! Just like other stuff never leave home without it !!

I still have this 2007 Tacoma, but my wife mostly drives it now. Almost 180,000 miles and I've done almost nothing to it other than routine stuff. Love the truck, but it is just too small for some of the things we need to do. I bought a F-150 Supercrew about a year ago and we decided the old Tacoma was worth more for us to keep. Amy loves it. She wouldn't drive a big truck but this is perfect for her to pick up stuff for her flower garden or stuff she finds at estate or yard sales.

96 Dodge Cummins regular cab long box 5 speed....will pull like a tank and still get 20 mpg on the highway

290 K on the clock and its been beat to hell around the farm....., but I could spruce it up some and would not be afraid to drive it coast to coast anytime.....

2002 Tacoma Reg. Cab 4X4 4cyl Auto
Just like a Timex takes a licking
keeps on ticking!

2000 Ford F250 Diesel. 217,000 miles. Replaced turbo at 186K and clutch at 201K. Still strong truck and can even take it to Sunday go-to-meeting.

It would have to be my current truck, a 2016 Sierra 2500HD Duramax. I have owned 9 trucks in my lifetime, but this one stands out by all metrics except one- longevity. I just haven't had it long enough to judge, but so far it is flawless.
To win on the long life category, it will have to beat a '99 Ram 2500 Cummins, which never failed me in 100K miles and 17 years.

Not sure how to define "best", but my 2006 Dodge 2500 Cummins was an awfully capable truck. Put 110,000 miles on it in three years, towing 8,000 lbs with it for at least 25,000 miles. Had to re-do the front end at 100,000 miles. That truck never missed a stroke, and did everything I ever asked of it.

Ex wife tried to drive it off an over-pass outside of Rawlins, WY on black ice while I was sleeping. Thank goodness the guardrail held..... Hated to see it go, but everyone in the truck was just fine.

My 1997 Tacoma was a very close runner up. Only once let me down (at the gun club due to a bad battery after 7years) in 360,000 miles. To this day I wish someone made a small pickup. Can't see the point of the mid-size pickups. or the side by sides, either one. Someone make a small pickup with a 2 liter 4 cylinder and a manual, please?

I still own it, a 1999 F150 with the 5.4 liter.

So far my 2011 F150 with the 5.0. About 55K (miles) on it, not a whimper yet. (just did front brakes). Empty and driving the speed limit I can get 27 mpg (imperial) on the hwy, low 20s in the suburbs. It could have more ground clearance but long ago I stopped trying hard to get my 4x4s stuck on rough ground! Previous 97 F250 with the 7.3 was good but was a beast to drive and not comfortable for long trips. Great towing platform though and before ULSD I could pull high 20s (imperial) empty.

I think my current 2001 Tundra is my favorite. It is an access cab, so I wish it had 4 door room in the back, but it is about the right size for me. It can't tow much, and it has limited payload, but I think of it as a hunting buggy. It has new frame, new radiator, brake lines, exhaust, battery, headlights, and always regular maintenance. It runs like new with 160,000 miles. I was thinking of trading it in on a new Tundra, but all my friends tell me to keep it. I think it is a great balance of reliability and cost. It is in great shape, but if I would bang it up hunting, that would be OK with me. I think I would get sick if I dented up a new 40K Tundra, so the 2001 is carefree.
My second would be a 1994 F150. 300 -6 cylinder with 5 speed manual - no granny gear. It got really good mileage for the day, and had a ton of torque. I replaced a starter and a fuel pump relay in 100,000 miles. All plastic interior and floor, crank windows, buy it did have AC.

2003 GMC 2500 Sierra powered by an 8.1L (496 cu in) gas engine and 6 spd manual. Despite a few hiccups along the way, like a fuel pump and rebuilding the front end, it has 186K miles on it, and I still view it as new.

All the B.S. about Obama Motors is just that. My brother bought a diesel Ford F-250 the same year I bought my pickup. The turbo failed on his pickup within 6 months, he had the turbo replaced and traded it in. 14 years later, he is on his 4th Ford...

I would buy another GMC in a heart beat if I needed a new truck, but I don't. (Bighorn, I am jealous).

'68 Ford F100, 4 spd, 6 cyl. 2x4
That thing lasted almost forever. If it had had 4x4 & AC, I'd probably still have it. It didn't even have the 300 inch engine. It had a 240 which was identical except with a shorter stroke. All parts except the rods were interchangeable.

Current 2011 F-250 w/6.7L diesel crew-cab short box. I've put 108K on it and replaced a radiator and an EGR valve under warrantee. They had a bad batch of radiators back then, mine went 80K and replacing the EGR was sort of preventative as cleaning would likely have taken care of it but warrantee was almost up and the guys @ Ford have been very agreeable to work with. Just put new brakes all around. Other than that, just fuel, oil changes, tires, and cat-piss in the blue hole.

It's comfortable on the highway and spends a lot of time there pulling the boat or getting to/from hunting trips. It hauls/tows anything I want to hook to it without any sort of drama. It's got a ton of room when we want to go on a trip as a family. It pretty much goes anywhere I ask it to go, though admittedly I do very little true "off-road" driving, there's almost always some sort of "trail". All the weight really helps it get through deep snow which is probably the most challenging conditions it sees with any regularity. Every Dec-Jan I swear this is my last diesel because they become sort of a pain in the rump keeping the right fuel for temps and the long warm-up time. Then I hook up a 7-8K # trailer, set the cruise @ highway speed and never see a shift out of 6th gear and am reminded how much I like having the diesel. There's something to be said for making a deal on a 30' camper @ 2:00am while sitting around a campfire and then when morning comes, not having to worry, "How am I gonna get this summbitch where it needs to go?" Flip the drawbar to the 2 5/8" ball, take some headache medicine, get a big mug of coffee and set the cruise @ 68.

I really only have 2 "complaints" about the rig. Someone @ Ford shoulda been kicked in the nuts repeatedly until they figured out how to get a lot more than just a 26gal fuel tank under it. I bought a closeout model and REALLY wish I had a backup camera for hooking up trailers.

Probably have to say 1966 Series II Land Rover. Not fast (around 55mph flat out) and noisy in the cab, but rugged as all hell. What endeared me to "Old Thunderbolt Greaseslapper" was its ability to claw its way over stumps, logs, rocks- or maybe it was just the spare tire mounted on top of the hood. Had to double clutch when shifting up and down ( synchronizers?haha!), and braking required multiple stabs of the brake pedal to build up a little hydraulic pressure- you had to think ahead about shifting and stopping. Low range gearing made "granny gears" in other 4WD's seem like overdrive. The gasoline 4 cyl. engine was based on an agricultural diesel engine- absolutely bullet proof.

I drove that thing for years back in the 80's to the utter dismay of my wife (another reason I kept it around ). I doubt that any "snowflake outdoorsman wannabe's" today could even figure out how to start it let alone drive it.

2011 F350 6.7 Power Stroke.
Sold the 5th wheel toy hauler due to lack of use, so I went back to a F150

That's a very nice truck. I'll take GMC styling over the Silverado any day of the week

i don't know if its my favorite truck but this is what i currently use and i am loving it. 2017 Toyota Tundra Platinum Recall

I miss having my 2003 GMC 1/2 ton Z71. Bought new the week I graduated from college, made payments that were too much. To be young and dumb again....

Drove it for 10 years. Put 228,000 miles on it. Only non-routine repairs done to it were a seeping water pump and it seemed to like catalytic converters, left one at 150k, right one at 200k, left one again at 220k, a single 02 sensor, and the famous GM instrument cluster that was fixed by a little soldering and a few $5 stepper motors off of ebay. Traded on a 'family' car, and wishing I still had it.

Current is a 2006 F250 with the dreaded 6.0. I bought it with 50k miles 5 years ago, knew what to expect with the 6.0. Now its been bulletproofed and do love driving it. Diesel maintenance is quite a bit higher, but enjoy the room and power.

Would have to be my current one so far- 2005 Chev 2500HD, 6.0 with 4.10s. Just turned 90,000 and had to replace front air bag sensor. Not the best mileage, but sure tows which I bought it for.

My 1972 ford F100 6cyl with 3 speed on the tree and 1987 toyota 4 banger 4 wheel drive pickup.

2002 Ford Explorer Sport-Trac that I bought with 86K and now has 213K.

It has been very reliable, just regular maintenance and replace the parts that wore out though normal use.

It has been across I-80, I-86, and I-25 so often that it can almost make the trip on auto-pilot.

Any of my Toyotas😊😊 My 84 has 260,000+ & my 85 has 305,000+ , the 2012 tundra 176000+😀

85 dodge w350. Dana 70 rear, Dana 60 front, 456 gears, 360, NP435 4 speed, 205 transfer case. Dually still running 875-16.5 tires. I like it so much I just picked up an 85 w150 4x4 with 318, 4 speed to go through and freshen up everything

My Mazda B2000 got me 300,000 miles before I gave it to my son. My 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD gave me 212 K miles before I got tired of shifting the 5 speed. Now my 2012 Tundra Rock Warrior is much more comfortable with no shifting on my part but at 50,000 I don't know how it is going to hold up. It is a really nice riding truck though, with plenty of room in the back for my Grand kids!

95 Dodge Dakota. Still have it in the driveway. Has 308k on it so far. Replaced the transmission at 220k and the ac compressor while still under warranty but that's about it. Other that a s^#tload of tires and oil changes and wiper blades etc.

I had an '87 Suburban that never broke anything expensive. I had the engine overhauled at 212,000 miles and gave it to my BIL at 265,000. It was also the handiest vehicle I'll ever own.

My 91 toyota has 325k miles on it, my 00' excursion powerstroke has 250k and my 05 duramax has 150k.....not a one has needed anything that I couldn't fix. My duramax has the hood open for services only.....it's the most reliable today. .....although that yota has been to hell and back twice.

2003 Ford F150 King Ranch. 5.4 V-8. 256,000 trouble free miles. Got scared of the mileage. Ran into the guy that bought it. Had 335,000 miles and only normal maintenance still done.

Hands down my 1994 Ford Centurion C350 which I just sold to a friend two weeks ago. Bought it from the original owner July of 1997 with 30k on the odometer. When I sold it it had 119k. Completely loaded Centurion package....leather, roll top andf overhead consoles. etc. Has a 7.5 L. 460, with auto transmission. Only reason I let it go is I bought a pristine 2002 Ford Excursion with a 7.3 diesel.

Pics of the excursion? How many miles? I love those and would buy one in a minute if I could find one

Another Toyota fan here!

I bought an '04 Tacoma 4X4 TRD V6, 5 speed, in '06 with 18,000 miles on it.

It now has 159,000 and still running strong.

I replaced the clutch at about 125,000

And the radiator at about 100,000 but still have the factory brakes on it.

I checked my oil a few days ago, and it had used a half quart in 4,000 miles.

Not bad, for the miles on it!

This is absolutely my all time favorite vehicle!


Virgil B.

2004 Dodge 2500. Cummins goes and goes!