There are many good pickup trucks that are still in good operational condition from 10 and 20 years ago that are for sale at reasonable prices in the used vehicle market. The thing is to avoid costly repairs and avoid models that are prone to rusting away as labor costs are high in the west, and therefore that bargain price can become a headache if you get sucked into a trap.

What you want is something like a 4 cylinder S-10 from the 90s. You don't want something like an Uplander from the mid-2000s because these minivans can't be fixed practically. The cost of ownership is as different as night and day. One can be fixed with a multi-meter and a basic set of hand tools, the other requires engine removal for almost anything. Same deal with rust-out, it's expensive to deal with.

15 Chevy Colorado

Speaking of the S-10, its replacement the Colorado is good mechanically but the frames and lower rocker areas are prone to rust in areas where lots of salt are used to maintain the roadways during inclement weather. If you are going to buy one, do it in a location that wasn't prone to snow and ice.

The mechanicals of this truck seems fine, but the pictures of rust-out in the northern-states reminds you of a bygone era before Canada forced the issue of rust-worthiness which caused the manufacturers to start using things like dipping the body panels in galvanizing compounds and using composites where possible.

14 1990s-mid 2000s Dodge Fullsize Light Trucks

These trucks are known for rocker panel rust. Like most Chrysler products from that era, their electrical wiring seems prone to fouling from electrolysis which is also a pain in the butt to deal with. The one good thing about these models is there is a large store of useable parts in the wrecking yards because of rust and wiring issues which caused the prior owners to dump these things long before the engines quit.

Keep the milage of your prospect buy to under 150k and you would probably be ok. The short answer is this is not the truck where you are going to be bragging you drove it up to 300,000 miles with only a few repairs. It's simply not in the cards for this one. Whether it's a 1500 or a 3500 it makes no difference.

13 Early 2000s Nissan Frontier

These trucks are so-so mechanically. Definitely not the best or the worst in reliability. Where they suck, is their affinity for electrolysis all over the thing. Body rust isn't significant on the cases we know of, however, the battery cable connections, as well as the brake calipers and wiring connections, are under constant attack from corrosion.

That's an insidious form of rust because the fun starts when your brakes lock-up as the calipers seize or the clutch pedal goes to the floor because the third master cylinder failed in 18 months due to pitting. Maybe the engine will surge because it's getting erroneous sensor parameters because the computer can't get a proper read from its inputs. If it's over 150k, consider this one suspect.

12 Generation 2 And 3 Ford Bronco

The mechanicals of these trucks didn't permit high-milage longevity, but should you find one, be suspect because they were holdovers before Ford got serious about rust-proofing. By the mid-80s Ford had dramatically improved its corrosion resistance on models designed from then on. This one, however, was designed in the late '70s and the improvements in that area weren't incorporated.

You may be ok with one built after 1987 as they started making changes to those. It's up to you as to how you would deal with their ugly interiors and "bing-bong" interior alarms that annoy you.

11 Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra 1998-2012

This one should see a website such as Letgo or Craigslist listing you as a seller. Sorry, but these things had great drivelines, much improved over their predecessors, but the bodies fail on these.

Usually, these trucks are high milage by the time you find them, and they only die above 250k unless not taken care of. However, the bodies are prone to rust around the wheel wells and lower rockers. If it's a good running southern truck, consider buying it. If that thing saw winter usage in the rust belt, look elsewhere to buy it.

10 Mitsubishi L200

According to a popular car-buyer website, 2011 models were having warranty repairs for rust along the footrails after less than 13 months ownership. Carbuyer.uk.com has several ratings for post-2011 models claiming only fuel consumption and lower body and chassis rust issues as the only major complaints among half of the reporting owners.

Basically, if you read between the lines you can probably deduce this truck is only rustproofed to the level of a typical Japanese world market vehicle. So if you are in Africa, Australia or Mexico it's probably a safe buy as a used vehicle. If you are in a northern area, buyer beware!

9 Toyota Tundra And Tacoma Model Years 2005-2008

According to Forbes.com: Toyota covered 2005 – 10 Tacoma models; 2007 – 08 Tundras and 2005 – 08 Sequoias in a class-action lawsuit. case law can be researched as: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA Case No. 2:15-cv-02171-FMO-FFM.

Toyota did have a serious problem with rust back in the 1970s and '80s. As a man on the street, you do not see too many of the aforementioned trucks with serious rust that you can see from the street without serious examination, so if you are considering one of these trucks, see if it's covered under the extension of warranty agreement within this settlement. You want to cover your own hide.

8 1st Generation S-10 And S-15 GMC

Very few of these trucks are still on the road because the drivetrains and wiring were inferior when compared to Japanese trucks from the same era. Unlike the second-generation trucks that replaced them, which were really well built, these early models really had nothing good going for them.

Chances are if you find one of these for sale, its already either had a v-8 conversion and been completely gone through and redone or at least its been stored inside and the engine has been rebuilt. Be careful and look under it thoroughly before buying. The bodies were meant to last about 10 days after the warranty expired.

7 Ford 150

These trucks are generally built to last 150,000 miles and then too many things start to break making the truck unmanageable to maintain for most people, who hopefully will buy another Ford. The cam-chain tensioners and transmission on certain models fail at that milage.

Repair by replacement engine is the usual recommendation for certain model years. You will see a lot of Ford half-ton trucks that are still running that were built with other engines that last longer, but the rocker panels underneath the cab are all rotten. Quite often that 1998-2010 F-150 that is still running has a lot of frame rust if it was used in the midwest or northeast portion of the United States.

6 Any Stake-Body Truck Used In Construction Or Landscaping

If you are looking to buy a used truck and you want a stake-body, make sure the mileage is low if it was used commercially. Carrying the concrete, debris, and dirt used in industry seems to act as a catalyst for serious rust.

It makes sense because drywall, concrete and dirt are very alkaline and anything far from ph-balanced causes corrosion when it touches metal. Also, the mud that is tossed all over the wheel wells tends to sit there for weeks because the vehicle is in use for long periods of time. All of these situations cause a truck to rust earlier than if used for more mundane purposes.

5 Any Dump Truck Model With High Mileage

Many times these trucks are available in 2-ton and larger sizes. 40 Years ago, hardly anybody bought one. Now, it's quite common to see Billy-Bob driving one as his daily driver. Due to all the sand and concrete carried in these, these trucks rot quickly. Many times it will only be the dump-bed, but the frame and the cab will stay in serviceable condition.

Make sure you track the usage thoroughly before you make an offer. Since only the hardiest gas and diesel engines are used in them, these trucks tend to last over 250,000 miles. Just be careful before you buy one.

4 Dodge Tradesman RV Conversion

These were never truly trucks, as they started as vans. However many of the 1-ton versions had 2/3 of the body cut off and an aluminum aftermarket body installed, making the van a step-through similar to a high-cube. They weren't built to last.

Anytime you mount an aluminum shell on top of a steel front body, you will have electrolysis. It's just going to happen. You will see these things in good condition at over 40 years old. Do give it a thorough looking over, as there can be hidden rust on the frame or pin-holes in the aluminum shell.

3 Toyota SR5 And Hi-Lux

Another older truck that would run well over 200,000 miles if cared for. Unfortunately, the bodies on the vintage models didn't fare well when used in the rust belt area of the country. Known for serious rust in the bed, there was also a lot of frame rust if the truck was never sprayed with a rust protectant.

You see a lot of them where the owner adapted a bed from another truck to keep them in service. Quite often that works as a legitimate fix. Other than rust issues where road salt was used, these trucks were known to last a long time.

2 Chevrolet C/K Series Over 15 Years Old

Some of these trucks were much better than in other years. The ones you really have to be careful of before buying as a used vehicle are the ones built between 1973 and 1994. GM just didn't rustproof them as well as they did the newer trucks that replaced them. The frames on some of those years were weak when new, so that situation could even become dangerous when exposed to corrosion.

Oddly enough models older than 1973 can often be found in more serviceable condition than the models that replaced them. That may be because GM cut manufacturing costs for certain years. Buyer beware.

1 Dodge Ram 50, Mitsubishi Mighty Max

Well built engines, transmissions, and wiring which last many years, but they had typical Japanese steel from that period, with no rust-proofing. Most of these long left the roads, but if you find one for sale, make sure it was from a warm climate.

Like Toyota and Nissan trucks from 35 years ago, these didn't have much in the way to protect them from corrosion. One of the likable things about them is they were available with great diesel engines so finding them running isn't uncommon. Just make sure it's not a rust bucket underneath.