Truck advice

This Novemeber I will be turning 16, I have been saving all summer and plan on getting some serious molla for my B-day . I know i want to get a Chevy S10 in a 1996-2000 year. My question that i need advice is, Im going to be pulling a 16′ boat around with it. Should i look into a V6 is there going to be much differance in a V6 and V4 when hauling around a boat. Also what kind of gas milage differance would there be between a V4 and V6? I also need 4wheel drive is this going to effect gas milage? If I could get answers to these questions that would be awsome. Also if you have good recamendations with reasons why to get a differante truck brand i would like to here those also! Thanks BK27

Well there is no such thing as a V4 in the GM line – the 4 cylinder is a 2.5 liter inline 4 cylinder is plenty to pull a 16′ tin boat. The 4.3 liter v-6 is very impressive however when it comes to power

A v-6 is better for hauling a boat, but will cost you more to purchase and to drive (fuel).

4 wheel drive will cost you more in fuel and repairs but may be necessary when launching a boat with any weight to it. You use the low gear when pulling boat+trailer at the ramp.

As for brand, I would personally stay away from anything domestic. I’m partial to Toyota’s. They may rust up and be foriegn, but as for drivetrain quality they can’t be beat. I’m sure most people on this site will disagree w/me, but that’s my preference.

In the 96-00 models the I4 is a 2.2L. And it is not very gutsy. If you are pulling a boat, Id definitely recommend the 4.3L V6. More power and torque, and not much worse mileage. The 2.2 I4 will probably get you around 22 mpg, while the 4.3 V6 will run closer to 18mpg. Plus Im not even sure you can get a 4×4 with the 4 cylinder in those model years.

iam not positive but iam pretty sure you cant get a 4cyl 4×4 S10 i think you would have to get a v6 if u want 4whl as far as gas milage a v6 4×4 will use a little more than a 2whl 4 cyl both are going to do pretty fair . you might want to look at a chevy WT ( work trk) thats the modle name they are priced about the same as a s10 only there full size . they just dont have all the options pretty basic trk not bad on gas depending on the size motor you get.

A full size Chevy PK will do as well as a S-10 on fuel milage and has alot more towing capacity .. with propper maintanance foriegn is the way to but cost more to fix..
As a mechanic the the problems Ive seen with domestic trucks are: Intake gaskets and fuel injectors and fuel pumps going bad, even on as new as 2005 trucks.
If I was buy one to tow a boat with and drive ANY length of distance, it would be a chevy Z-71 style truck with a 5.7 vortec. Lots of power for towing and good milage 17-19 pending on fuel and driving standards.
I think the S10 4.3 is a little under powered to tow any boat bigger than 14 foot(my opion )Of all the engines I have ever put in ,the most has been the 4.3 chevy in the S10 and the Blazer.. People think just because they are a Vortec than can go to beat heck and tow the world. Not so,…..

I would go with a V8 truck my self if your wanting a GM truck…
JUST MY .2 worth

Go with a full size truck, the milage hardly differs. Better ride, towing capacity, and you have room. Used full size trucks are more appealing than the smaller ones to most anyone who really needs a truck. I wouldn’t have anything less than a 8 ft box either.

We tow our boat ( Alumacraft 175 Trophy) with a 99 Jimmy and a 05 Trailblazer both with the 4.3 Vortec and have had no issues. I also have 2 fishing buddies pulling either 165 class ( 16’6″ ) and a 1850 ( 18′ 6″ ) with their 4.3’s with no problems.

4.3 and you will be happy.

I think we just got too many 16 yr olds on the road as it is. I vote for a canoe strapped to your back on a mountain bike

I have got a 97′ S-10 extended cab, 4×4, with the 4.3 V6. I pull a 17 ft fiberglass boat around all over the place with it. The 4×4 is nice to have on boat ramps. It gets about 14/15 pulling the boat if I am not hard on the throttle and gets around 18/19 unloaded. I would definitely go with the V6. You would be over working the 2.2 pulling a boat around!

You need to ask you self a few questions.
how heavy is the boat you are pulling and how often will you be pulling the boat? If you boat is just a plain Jane tin boat with bench seats most any vehicle will pull a light boat. Ask your self how many times a year you will be pulling the boat and would the extra gas you would use with a V6 all year long be worth it. If this is a light weight boat you may be able to get by with a 4 banger. With the price of gas these days I would even consider going with a car that gets good gas mileage. A truck with a V6 or a V8 will cost you a small fortune in gas money, so much so that you may not be able to afford to go fishing after you fill up your truck.

Just go in Cades boat then you won’t have to pull your own. Then you can buy a small economy car and have money to buy fishing equipment.

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Just go in Cades boat then you won’t have to pull your own. Then you can buy a small economy car and have money to buy fishing equipment.

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That is the best idea I have heard so far

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Go with a full size truck, the milage hardly differs. Better ride, towing capacity, and you have room. Used full size trucks are more appealing than the smaller ones to most anyone who really needs a truck. I wouldn’t have anything less than a 8 ft box either.

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What he said. Except I like a shorter box.

I am with the full-size guys. The smaller trucks are over-priced right now and you are going to pay for more than what you are going to get and if the price of gas keeps going down the value of the smaller truck is going to go right down with it. My ’97’ Z71 Chevy has 150K on it and it has been a great truck!!! Good mileage, no major mechanical problems and the re-sale on it is going to still be good even with the high miles but there is no way that I am going to sell the truck!!! My $.02 .

My experience with the 4.3 is it has enough power to pull just about anything. Really strong motors. However, the chevy tranny is weak and won’t stand up to a lot of pulling. Definitely get a tranny cooler for it before pulling long distance.

As far as full vs. mid-sized, take a look at carsoup and compare prices in the same year to get a feel for the used market.

Either way, it’s costs a lot to own a boat, pull it, fish, do maintenance etc… Take some shop classes if you don’t have anyone to show the ropes. It will save you some money and it will also give you a sense of pride in your vehicle. I noticed among my friends the guys who had to work for their stuff sure appreciated it and took care of it. It also lasts longer than other’s equipment.

Couple questions…

Do you need a truck? Why?

How important is Gas mileage? How important is towing? How heavy is whatever you are towing?

Personally I’d go one of two routes.

1. Toyota pickup, run forever, dependable, should tow everything the average person needs.

2. A car, my preference would be a “newer” subaru, all wheel drive, max towing of 2000#’s 25-30 mpg. Not your perfect towing mobile, but I’ve towed with my subaru, my last boat that weighed around 1000 lbs and for a short trip to the lakes or rivers, it worked great and still pulled off 18-19 mpg, with me driving as hard as normal, I’m sure you could do better. A big reason I bought my subaru was for the towing capacity, and it’s served me well, I’ve moved my ice house , I always tow my wheeler to the lake to ice fish with my car, and as long as your smart enough to not get in over your head, never stuck. Does about everything my truck did with better gas mileage, of course I take a trade in overall space to carry gear, but I’ve never had an issue with that, and the truck is much easier to tow with overall, but I do a lot of local fishing and don’t normally venture more than 15 miles or so with the boat, so it works, and I get the everyday gas mileage with all wheel drive

Now if your planning on making big trips all the time, or towing somethign really heavy a car is not the route you want to go with, but if your looking and doing some towing to the lakes, and a long trip or 2, then I think a car is a good choice as long as you remember it’s a car and drive easy on it, you’ll have no more problems with a car than a truck.

Atleast something to think about…..

I also think the 4 banger is enough to tow with, probably not the first choice if you’re doing a lot of towing, but do-able for sure. Ask me about towing with an Ford Escort

Make sure you check the differnce in insurance prices of all your choices, it could change you mind on which on you want to buy.

P.S. New boat and trailer weigh as much as my car now so I can’t tow it with my car anymore We also have a Ford F150 with the 5.4L engine 4×4, which is the tow mobile 100% of the time now, but it was really nice to have the option to tow with my car.

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the chevy tranny is weak and won’t stand up to a lot of pulling. Definitely get a tranny cooler for it before pulling long distance.

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Also keep it in 3rd if the transmission is hunting. Or get a 3/4 ton with a 4L80E or Allison Transmission.

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My experience with the 4.3 is it has enough power to pull just about anything. Really strong motors. However, the chevy tranny is weak and won’t stand up to a lot of pulling. Definitely get a tranny cooler for it before pulling long distance.

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Totally agree. I ran a 4.3 for a long time. Pulled loaded (with camping gear)17′ Lund Angler to Canada for several years up to 80 mph when I-35 is flat. Oil cooler is a good idea and not bad to install, also as someone else mentioned, use “3” instead of “D”. Plenty of power.

Here is my experience on the subject
Get a full size truck with a V-8. I had an F-150 with a 6 in it. The truck was nice to look at, rode awesome, but was underpowered bigtime with this motor. I traded it off for a full size Silverado with the smaller V-8 and can’t be happier. Well, if it was a Ford, I would be much happier Plenty of power, plenty of room, and gas mileage is better than the V-6 I had

Guys lets keep in mind that Nick is only 16 years old (almost) my guess is that he is on a pretty tight budget, if he has a small light weight boat why does he need a full size truck to tow his boat ???? Think about the budget of a 16 year old and what it would cost him to drive a full size truck every day, I am willing to bet that he could not afford the gas to run a full size truck everyday. Do not get me wrong I am a firm believe in a full size truck with a V8 for towing heavier loads but I also have a Geo prizm with a 4 banger for everyday driving.

buy a ford better tranny’s and engines.

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Guys lets keep in mind that Nick is only 16 years old (almost) my guess is that he is on a pretty tight budget

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Keep in mind that most 16 year olds have vehicles just as nice as we have. However, mine is paid for.

gas is going down Maybe ill look into a Semi . Thanks for all the advice it gives me a great Idea of what i should be getting. Thanks steve i was waiting for someone to speak up for the yougin . I wouldn’t mind having a full sized truck but if i can get away with the 4.3 then thats probobly the route i will take a little bit better gas milage and still a descent tow vehical. Thanks for the input!

Nick just out of curiosity how much does your boat weigh?

I don’t no for sure i would have to guess between 600 and 800 pounds it’s a 16′ V with a big Deck and a floor with a 40 horse motor. Could be more but i know it’s not less!

I have a bit of exsperiance with this type of thing. When I was 16 I got a 2wd S-10 with the 2.8 lt v-6. I used it to pull around my dads 18′ Lowe walleye rig that had a 60hp evenrude. It was way under powered and I must have burned out 2 clutches, of course that could have been because of inexperiance. Later I pulled the same boat with a 2.9 Lt Ford Ranger 4wd. Since I had 4wd I used that at all the boat lanchs and I saved on the clutch. Even so both engines required me to run in 4th gear and I could hold at a steady 60mph tops. If I want to go faster I would alwasy have to down shift to 3rd gear. I would assume that the 4.3 liter would do a bit better then the 2.9 liter, so I would try and go for that and skip the 2.9 even though it will do it in a pinch. Currently I use a F150 with the 4.6 Liter V8 with no problem but considering gas prices it get driven very little.

I also had a small 6 cylinder S-10 from high school through college. Small trucks and small boats are great for getting into tight, low maintenance boat launches, 4 x 4 is great for getting out of the water at such areas.
Small trucks are also great for ice fishing, you will be driving out long before my diesel touches the ice.
Good Luck

I would try and get a full size truck myself. But with limited $$$ a S-10 with a V6 will do a fine job. Just don’t be in a hurry to buy one. There is many many trucks out there for sale so do alot of hunting for your truck. You would be amazed at some of the good equipment around.

Just my 2 cents worth

GundeZ-71