Welcome back to another week of questionable automotive decisions! We’re starting off this week with a pair of pickup trucks with unusual numbers of cylinders in their engines. Which oddball makes more sense? That’ll be up to you to decide.
On Friday, I showed you a couple of imports that had been altered from their factory color schemes. I had a feeling that the stripey Toyota Van was going to be hard for you all to resist, and I was right. It won handily. A lot of you liked the idea of the Tracker, but the one-two punch of the Tijuana interior and two-wheel drive ruined its chances.
I actually have no interest in that van, so you all can fight over it. It’s cool to look at, and I’m glad it exists, but I don’t want it. I’d have a lot more fun with the Tracker. And I’m used to 2WD SUVs; we’ve had a couple of them, and for general use, they’re just fine.
For a long time, no matter which manufacturer you went with, your engine choices for a pickup truck were pretty much the same: a standard inline six, or an optional V8. The inline sixes gave way to V6s eventually, not long after small trucks gained popularity, all of which offered a standard inline four or an optional V6. The details and displacements differed, but the formula was pretty much the same across the board. Only occasionally did truck manufacturers mess with this formula; Mazda (in)famously tried to power a small pickup with its rotary engine in the ’70s, but it was another couple of decades before anybody else tried anything weird with truck engine configurations. We’re going to look at a couple of those weirdos of the truck world, and see which one makes a better cheap truck today.
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT Laramie – $2,999
Engine/drivetrain: 8.0-liter OHV V10, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Joliet, IL
Odometer reading: 245,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Dodge’s all-new Ram pickups made a big stir when they came out in 1994. No one had seen anything quite like them, and they arguably set the stage for today’s enormous family-toting crew-cab trucks. Advertised as being not only more comfortable and civilized than earlier trucks, but also damn near indestructible (even tornado-proof), Dodge had a hit on its hands with the new trucks. This is one of more than 400,000 of its kind sold in 1996.
Most of the Ram’s engines were carryovers from the old bodystyle, including the LA-series V8s and the popular Cummins diesel inline six, but Dodge had something bigger on offer as well: a V10 engine, displacing a frankly ridiculous 488 cubic inches. This is not the Viper V10, by the way, even though it’s the same size; this one is cast-iron and tuned for torque rather than high-RPM horsepower – note the low redline on the tach. Fuel economy, as you might imagine, is not its strong suit, but if you need to pull a big-ass trailer, this is the right tool for the job. This one is approaching a quarter-million miles, but its seller says it still runs just fine.
If you were used to the trucks of the ’80s, sitting in a mid-’90s Ram was a revelation. It was more like a contemporary Chrysler LeBaron inside than a typical truck, with comfy seats, a car-like dashboard, and all the creature comforts. They held up pretty well inside, too. This one looks great for its mileage, but there is an extra cushion on the driver’s seat that might be hiding some wear.
It’s a little rough outside. White paint in the mid-1990s wasn’t fond of staying on the cars to which it was applied, and had a tendency to come off in sheets like this. It mainly happened to horizontal surfaces like this truck’s hood. The seller says it has “minimum rust,” which I suppose it does, by Chicagoland standards. It’s pretty crispy along the rocker panels, and there’s some bubbling on the front fenders. But some cosmetic flaws won’t stop it from doing truck things, which is what you buy a truck this old for.
2008 Chevrolet Colorado LT – $3,499
Engine/drivetrain: 3.7-liter DOHC inline 5, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Howell, MI
Odometer reading: 233,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Chevy replaced the long-running S-10 with the all-new Colorado in the mid-2000s. And in this case, it really was all-new; the new truck shared the same basic layout as the old one, but no parts. Two new engines were available, part of GM’s Atlas line of engines: an inline 4, and – bizarrely – an inline 5.
The first version of the Colorado’s inline 5 displaced 3.5 liters, but this one has an improved version, enlarged to 3.7 liters. Unusual as it may be, it puts out plenty of power for a truck this size: 242 horsepower and 242 pound-feet of torque, though both at higher revs than trucks typically see. It runs and drives fine, even with all the miles on it. It drives the rear axle through GM’s ubiquitous 4L60-E automatic, which at this mileage has almost certainly been rebuilt once.
It looks good inside, especially for the mileage, and as an LT model, it has a bunch of power options. It also has a pretty snazzy stereo for 2008:
That’s right; it plays MP3s and WMAs. Do WMA files even exist anymore? I mean, I guess someone out there could still be using a Zune…
It’s a single-cab short-bed, the typical “sporty” configuration for trucks. It’s not as useful as some other truck styles, but it’ll still haul stuff home from the hardware store just fine. It’s a little beat-up outside, and it’s hard to tell from the photos if it has any rust, but if it does it isn’t serious.
Having a good, cheap truck around is very handy; take it from me. Yeah, it’s another vehicle to keep up, more insurance, more gas, but when you need a truck, it’s there waiting. One of these is an absolute beast that can do anything, but will take up a lot of space when you’re not using it, and burn up a whole lot of gas when you are. The other is less capable, but a whole lot friendlier. Which one fits your life better?
Chevy. It’s still too big but it’s less too big.
The V10 is cool, but small trucks are cooler, and this one is red!
The first gen Colorado/Canyon was the last small truck sold here, so points for that.
They gave us the I4 and I5, but why not also the I6 that they’re based on? The Atlas I6 from the Trailblazer GMT360 was the only postwar DOHC I6 from an American company until the Hurricane that just came out.
Swap a Viper V10 or swap an LSx? 😉
Roughly 2006-2008 was a weird time where car stereos bragged about playing MP3’s, but I wouldn’t expect it to connect to an MP3 player, iPod, Zune or otherwise. My 2006 Charger had “MP3” plastered all over it too. What it meant was that if you burned MP3’s onto a CD the CD player would be able to read and play them (most CD players didn’t).
oddly, my 2001 Pathfinder had a mp3 compatible unit!
that’s correct, it was a transition time where neither MP3 playback (as a format) nor an AUX input (for MP3 players was taken for granted.
Some vehicles has the former (like the Chevy), a few had the later, some had both (like my contemporary Jetta with the non-intuitive AUX input in the glovebox), while others still supported neither.
What a great time to be an audiophile looking for a new car!
Weren’t these inline 5’s known to be problem children? I voted for the Dodge not that I would need it or well either of these trucks since I have my 1st Gen Cummins that already has a rear end swapped from a 2nd gen truck into it.
earlier ones had overheating, head issues. Once the 3.5 was stroked out to 3.7 (2007MY) the head issues were pretty much over. This Colorado shows as it’s north of 200K
I never felt the Colorado was much of an upgrade from the S10. No dis to Isuzu who did most of this platform but it really didn’t move the needle. They should have done some S10 refinements, gone with the Atlas 4 banger as base and kept the 4.3 V6. As for the Dodge that was a Bob Lutz program that totally DID move the needle.
Already have a truck for tow duties, so I’ll go with the little guy for around town and runs to the big box home improvement store.
If the Colorado had the easy brakes to replace like the cheap Aveo and big boy Silverado 3500 of the same era, then I would’ve chosen it, but I’m not going to live in the Northeast and fight to hammer off the freaking wheel bearing to replace rotors.
It didn’t even need to be a Magnum V10 truck, or even a Dodge. That design is stupid beyond relief for me to not chose a vehicle because of it.
Lol a friend bought a Colorado from that era, it needed brakes and his mechanic called him, was struggling to get the rotors off (S.E. Wisconsin), and recommended just getting rid of it. I think he had like 48 payments left.
Yeah, screw that.
The Colorado’s body looks OK, but is the frame about to fold in half?
Neither one interests me very much, but I really don’t need a giant truck to do my normal stuff. I guess it’s 5cyl time.
There is no way that RAM is getting into my available parking, and if I Did shoehorn it in, I’d have no room for my two darling Civics, so I’m going for the Colorado, which does all the truck things I’d need it to do anyways. Wish it were a stick, though it probably doesn’t matter too much.
With fuel bouncing between $1.20 and $1.50/L in my Canadian region, I’ll take a hard pass on a truck that consumes 26L to drive 100km. I don’t need to spend $60 in gas every time I visit my sister in law.
Also, I had an ’07 Canyon and it was a great truck. I’d gladly drive one again.
Honestly, the answer is both. But I already have a big truck, and the single cab of those Colorados is shockingly roomy, so I’ll have the little guy for bopping around town.
I’m actually going to forward the Ram ad to my buddy. He lives right across the river from Joliet, and his 2nd gen Ram is MUCH rustier.
Easy, Id take a second V10, Ive had one since 2011 and its been an awesome truck.
Not interested in either, but if I were, I’d go Ram. If I am going to buy a truck, I’d want a TRUCK. Plus, Tremclad comes in white.
There’s no way that Ram is fitting in my garage. The Colorado should. As someone who feels that the best truck for their lifestyle is actually Keitruck, the midsize will do.
Also MP3s? Man, gotta smash “Scarlet Fire” through those speakers.
I will be in the market for a small, inexpensive truck soon. That Chevy would fit the bill nicely, it’s even in budget. We just need something for plowing a longer driveway, hauling firewood, and making Home Depot runs.
These are pretty equivalent in my eyes — both beat a bit, but ready for some more honest days of work. Question is if you need a bigggg boi or the practicality of a smaller truck. For my needs the small truck would be better but…
I’d be pretty happy with the v10…a weird, completely artificial objective of mine is to own a car of every main engine type at some point. I’ve already had a few 5cyls over the years (Volvo, Mercs). Already checked off Wankel, 4, 5, 6, 8 cyls but got a few to go. 10 is limited to Viper/Ram and Gallardo/R8. This is probably the cheapest way to get a 10cyl engined car whereas 5s are quite a lot more common. So v10 it is!
Ford trucks are generally the cheapest and easiest ways to own 10 cylinders.
Ah you’re right, I totally forgot about the Tritons! Absolute workhorses
Don’t forget about the Audi C6 S6/S8 with the 5.2L V10s. They cost around $10k to purchase and all your remaining money to keep on the road!
Goldilocks likes the Dodge because it comes with a full tank of fuel (past the ‘F’ line!) and a clean interior with V10 goodness. Goldilocks thinks the Dodge is too large and too rusty though, and knows that the included $100+ of fuel will soon be gone once she turns the key.
Goldilocks likes the Chevy because it can be used for most of her light-duty truck jobs since Goldilocks isn’t operating a contracting business. She likes that it can be easily parked and driven around without consuming fuel at a Boeing 747 rate. She does think it might be a little too small with that regular cab and short bed, and it being sold by a buy-here-pay-here lot does give her pause. She also has five-cylinder flashbacks to her VW Jetta that seemingly had four-cylinder power combined with six-cylinder fuel economy.
Goldilocks really wants a just-right GMT400. She grudgingly chooses the Chevy.
Going smaller for sure here. If I really need anything bigger I can just rent or borrow a trailer. And for the big jobs I can borrow an assortment of much larger trucks from work. 10 yards mulch? No problem, I can just borrow a small dump truck.
I picked the Ram. Let’s get stupid.
These are both very decent options for the money, depending on your mission and the available parking space. That being said, I recently switched from a succession of GMT800-platform trucks to a ’21 Frontier, and I’m absolutely smitten with the smaller footprint and substantial bump in fuel economy, combined with a negligible loss in towing capacity. In concert with with my preference for overall simplicity, I’m going with the Colorado here.
I’ve got a GMT800 that I’ve owned since new, and have no plans to sell. But if I needed a new truck, one of those Frontiers is high on the list. I think they’re really good looking.
I finally came to terms with the fact that the newest example is almost 20 years old at this point, and that I really just don’t need that much vehicle anymore. Those 800s are fantastic trucks, but I’ve had zero regrets with the Nissan to this point.
Yeah, mine is about to turn 20, and it was one of the last ones. I bought it in May of ’06, and got a crazy good deal on it because they were clearing out the 800’s to get ready for the new 900’s due any month now.
Glad to hear the Nissan is treating you well.
My dad has a colorado with the 5-cyl, so I’ll choose that. It’s a nice basic truck.
What kind of a question is this?
About to change your name to I5omous?
Maybe just my left side.
Came here looking for your response, and it was exactly what I expected and hoped for.
Hey if you buy a Colorado and a H3 of similar vintage you would have you 10 cylinders /s
I’ll adhere to Occam’s Razor here. 5 cylinders > 10 cylinders.
Hey, I still have a Zune and it still works!