Best pickups ever made?

Rather than hijack the other thread.......going back in time.........say to 1960 or newer, what would you think were the best pickup trucks ever made? If you could have a new one just like it, what would it be? Twenty years ago, Toyota made some good trucks. Tacos and Tundras.

Never drove one, but back in the day, Jeep made pickups, as did International. Drove an IH Scout with diesel engine for part of the year around 1980 and I was impressed with it.

The old Dodge power wagons were almost disposable tin cans, but in recent years, if you look at commercial haulers on the road these days, those are almost all Ram trucks with Cummins diesels.

So what say you?

Dang, it is hard to beat Savell's post. But I might choose a 98-04 Tacoma with extended cab and the locking rear differential... as long as I upgraded the springs, they have long been a weak point in Toyotas.

Jeep Honcho step side.
I would buy a new one in a second

M37 dodge. 3/4 ton removable top and fold down wind shield. can run troop seats and cover with bows on the back, factory with 36" tires and gun rack. pto winch options were also available

I had 3 67 m715's the jeep kaiser 5/4 ton trucks but sold them do to lack of time. Think I would like the older dodge better. There are bolt in motor swaps for 350 avaliable or a 4cyl Isuzu diesel out of a cab over would fit nicely in them. Fun but you would not want to be in a hurry. I also have notices the front end of what looks like one backed in lean-to.

My wife

5.7 Tundras. Motor and trans were sound, had the tow capacity if needed, comfortable but durable. Only real knock is fuel mileage is not great. Personally I prefer the 2016 and older as they didn't have the touch screen yet, I'm not a fan of touch screens in trucks, kinda fruity.

any of the 90s toyota trucks seen many drive right out of the body and could go anywhere and where the mudder truck guys truck of choice at the time because very little mods needed to make it do what you wanted

Mine had to be 92 F250 diesel 7.3 non turbo 4X4 was extended cab with wingsot right at 20 MPG. Had a 95 with turbo but it couldn't compete

not dodge that I am sure of

after that it askes the question , best truck for what ?

highway truck , off road truck , full size , compact , towing , long lasting , easy to work on , ect...

Jeep gladiator

1967-1969 Chevy, hard to find something as simple as these.
350 and 4 speed manual.

1994-1998 dodge with a p-pump 12 valve, 4x4, and a 5 speed tranny

Gotta agree with this, I've had a 24 valve and 2 6.7s, all manual, but the old 12 valves with a 5 speed were hard to beat. Dependable, easy enough to add a little power to, and decent fuel economy. When running correctly, didnt need to crank more than about half a turn and they were running

The older Toyota's or hard to beat

As long as u aren't needing them to pull or haul a real load.

I’m going to agree with this. I’ve had lots and lots of pick up truck over my lifetime, all makes and models. The two Tundras I’ve had have been the two best that I’ve owned. One was a 2008 and the current one is a 2018.

I miss the days of the 60s – 70s Chevy half tons with rubber floor mats and vinyl seats, bare bone trucks that got it done. But there’s no way I ever got 200,000 miles out of one of them without lots of maintenance and repair work.

Don't forget a lot of those trucks in the 70s - 80s were rust buckets....engines were thirsty but ran forever....had to change the valve cover gasket or you had oil stains in he driveway...lol

Yep, those 70's Chevy's were rust buckets, but had strong motors...Gen 1 Toyota Tacoma's are my all time favorite for a trapping truck.

Is it really a question? I think everyone knows that overall it has to be Toyotas, particularly those made before about 2004 or so. Other notable mentions would be older Nissans, and maybe Datsun.

lol....Not even close and I have owned them all.

Yep. I got one. Mines dark green. A 94 Toyota pickup with the 22re motor and 5 speed. Great little hunting and fishing truck. Mines got air and cruise control too. Just enough power to pull my boats. 165,000 original miles and the paint is still good. Seats not broken down. No boogars wiped under the seat. Never been 4 wheeled.....................

I bought it from a lady bank clerk few years ago. She was the original owner. I ask her, what she was doing with a truck like that and she said she had bought it when she was younger and just wanted good transportation to get her to work on winter roads but now she was older and wanted a car.

I love the Tacomas, I drive one every day, but it’s a glorified car with a little bed. A truck means I can put a sheet of plywood in the bed and shut the tailgate. These modern trucks with 5’ beds are about useless. I can’t even put my potato rake for beaver trapping in the bed of my Tacoma straight. Gotta put it in there diagonal and block the whole bed. I have to pull a trailer if I want to take my jet sled trapping

I’ll echo that the old 12 valve manual transmission dodge diesels are what I consider to be the best ever made, from a mechanical standpoint. Creature comforts in the cab were lacking and the dash and heater core were junk but the parts that mattered were built tough.

first gen Tacoma......but they lost the wing windows after 94! I've had 91sr5 98 and 06 taco currently. that 98 was amazing. work truck 95-97 Ford tonner is hard to beat

1977 f-150 300, 6cly, motor 4 speed with creeper gear, short box,

I have at least one of each generation of Cummins powered dodge, and the p-pump 12 valves are my favorites. The 6.7's are great after they're deleted and tuned, but it's a lot of work (or money) on top of a truck that already costs more than a few shiny nickels. I like the look of the first generation the best, but those rotary pumps are hit and miss at best

72 chevy

Building an 86 as we speak.

This way my favorite...

Nice looking trucks guys!

This . I had an '82 with 35" tires and the 22R engine. That truck would go anywhere, looked like a Tonka, and ran until the body rotted away, about 15 years after I bought it.

Mid 80’s F-150 or Chevy 1500 custom model. Pretty tough to beat as far as simplicity in the engineering and cleaning the interior. Which is a big deal for a work truck.

1967-72 chevrolet truck with a v8

1972 Chevrolet Cheyenne camper special...bucket seats with console...carpet...automatic ....air....west coast mirrors....smoothest suspension in a truck I ever had....only 10 miles.....guy that ordered it.....Chevy dealer told me deal fell thru....can't remember price...but when I payed off ...rust and mechanical problems kicked in.......

Shear toughness the old international pickups are hard to beat, available parts I’d say goes to Chevy, ford had the best gas motor lineup, dodge with a Cummins is really hard to beat.

AND if you didn’t mind all the frigin road gravel & small rocks hitting you and your passenger as they came through the holes in the floorboards!!! Always special!

I'm more into getting into places in the woods.Those full sized trucks just get in the way of themselves.

Bruce that’s what chainsaws are for.

Yep.

Are those chevy factory hubcaps.....I thought they were only in history books today....

Need I say more ;-)

lol....You would never get it turned around in the woods

SJA that looks like a completely useless contraption to me but to each his own. I'm sure that picture of the truck is sarcasm too.

There's Party Limos and then there's Party Trucks . . . they can drive on beaches too!

Yes , the fronts are very hard to find ......dana 60 one ton........rears are GMC

YOTA

Had a 83 Toyota with the 22r she was tough. Put a mess of miles on a 2000 Toyota Tundra it was just as tough and could pull pretty well for its size. Those Toyota’s are tough to beat, but don’t like the new ones. Last two trucks have been gmc sierras.

We have had many favorites. All Fords from 1931 to the current truck.

1979 F-250 4x4 with a 351M engine and a four speed transmission was a brute. In creeper gear and four low it moved like a tank. With mudder tires it would go just about anywhere.

My current favorite is quite comfortable. Here it is after a bath.

1992 Jeep Comanche,if I recall right mine had a 4.0 "straight 6", with a 7' bed.Great trapping truck,it took hitting 2 deer to put it out of commission.

I can’t argue with the Toyota for a driving around truck but the newer f250 and f350 are hard to beat for a work truck.

beautiful truck right there!

I have to change my underwear every time I see that picture…….

'86 f250
2wd
460
4 bbl
4 spd
4100 lbs empty
GVWR of 11800

You could take of from standing sill in 3rd gear.
Tow start farm tractors
And still hit triple digits on the speedo with ease
6 mph loaded or empty

The Nessy special

Still a ford……

Where do ya dump the rice in that thing? lol

Those things aren’t trucks.
They are the prelude to todays side by side atv’s lol

I had one one time. The frame rusted so badly that it pert near fell in two!

My 1990 Dodge w250 standard four speed 318 never let me down. Bought new and just sold her last year.

the old Toyota 4 cylinder 4x4 with a standard trans-we beat the snot outta those trucks hunting fox and coyotes in our young and stupid days-they kept going no matter what.1985-90 I believe. Remember driving down blown in snowy roads in 4 low right to the pin-seriously burry the tachometer and get to the end of the mile road going like 2 miles an hour because the snow was so deep and it would go right back to idle at 800 r.p.m.We still laugh about it these days.Great trucks indeed for trapping anyway.

Sounds like a Toyota Hilux. Not sure if they don't sell them here because they don't want to or are not allowed to. Off road vehicle of choice for the rest of the world, including middle east rat patrol types.

Shame they don't sell them here.

Nice bobcat

The old Jeep J series pickups were good trucks

One reason Toyotas got so many complaints about their frames rusting out, is because unlike so many other brands they were still running and driving by the time the frame rusted.

They are making side by sides these days that are bigger than that Toyota! And they cost way more, and if you manage to get 20,000 miles on one it is completely worn out.

1981 new Toyota full length bed diesel ....yes I said diesel........2WD pickem up truck......due to ongoing arab oil crisis back then.......tried a diesel.........cannot regret it......used for work....built my own 1 1/2 in. Square tubing ladder rack....added 2 leafs to rear springs......always had deep lug snow tires on original rims......came with double battery.....I had dealer add only block heater and am/fm radio......could not kill it......almost to 200,000 mi......only expensees.......tires.....batteries....oil changes.....and minor recommended mgf maintenance ....wish I'd bought 3 and put 2 in long term storage to use as they wore out one by one........." beam me up scotie "........

I had an 83 diesel. Some people don't believe me when I tell them Toyota sold diesel pickups in the US. Great little pickup. The only reason I got rid of it was because it wasn't 4 wheel drive and I was tired of shoveling it out of the snow. Traded for an 87 4x4. I wish I still had them both.

Always find it odd that those small, clean, efficient, high mileage diesels.......small cars and trucks.........are not sold in US because they claim they can't pass emissions tests........yet those older Dodge pickups with Cummins diesels could, yet when you punch one of those it looks like it is running on a burning tire.

Bruce, they can't resist the bag.

Hey......mine was solid as a rock.....don't know for sure, cause I had all work done.by shops........but was that a International diesel.......and where would it be marked.........snow is really no big issue in my area.....

74 hi-boy

International Harvester Scout

X 2

a scout (best ever made)!? every scout or ih I've been around has been a cobbled together pos from factory

My best truck I ever owned was my 2004 Toyota Tacoma. I had 276000 miles on it but the frame rusted. I sill got $2500 for it through Craigslist for parts.