Good morning! It’s a new month, and we’re starting it out with a couple of trucks, ones you don’t see quite as often as the usual suspects. They’re very different beasts, but both recognizable as “trucks.” Which one fills that role better will be up to you to decide.
We ended the month yesterday with a couple of green coupes, and I’m not surprised that the MG won. That Firebird’s color is a lot to take, and apart from the crazy paint, there’s nothing particularly special about it. An MGB GT, on the other hand, is special no matter how ratty it is.
And make no mistake: That car is ratty. And according to one commenter who looked at it in person recently, it’s worse than it shows in photos. My advice, if you really have your heart set on an MGB GT, or another small British car like that, is to find the club nearest to you, go to a meeting, and talk to folks. Someone is bound to have one for sale, or know someone who does. You’d be amazed at the cars that change hands within clubs for less money than this one, in far better shape. The best deals often aren’t advertised.
Moving on: Yes, once again, I have used a movie reference in the headline, one that will probably sail right over David’s head. But that’s all right; we all know it. (Right?) A customized Toyota 4×4 like the one Marty drools over and eventually gets in Back To The Future is way beyond our meager price range these days, of course, but I did manage to find a couple of pretty cool old 4WD trucks for reasonable prices. Which one of them is worthy of taking Jennifer up to the lake? Let’s see.
1989 Nissan D21 Hardbody King Cab – $4,950
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, part-time 4WD
Location: Seattle, WA
Odometer reading: 162,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
“What’s in a name?” asks Juliet, in her famous balcony scene. Quite a lot, if you’re in marketing, actually. Naming products is part art, part science, and when you’ve just changed the name of your whole company, the stakes are even higher. Nissan, formerly Datsun, needed a good name for its new D21-series compact truck, styled in the US and meant to breathe new life into its competition with Toyota. Something strong, but friendly, and maybe even a little sexy. It settled on “Hardbody.”
For the first couple of years, the Hardbody carried over the same NAPS-Z four-cylinder engine from the 720 series. In this case, it’s backed by a five-speed manual transmission and a 2WD/4WD transfer case with a low range. It runs great, and has had a ton of work done, including a new clutch. The ad also claims it has a new timing belt, but the Z engine uses a chain-driven camshaft, so either the seller is confused or their mechanic is a bit shady.
Inside, it’s a good basic truck, with a bench seat and everything. Technically this bench can seat three, but pity the person stuck in the middle; not only do they have to straddle the shifter and the transmission hump, but they only get that truncated cushion to sit on. The inward-facing jump seats in the back of the cab are probably a more comfortable option.
It’s straight and, as far as I can tell, rust-free. It looks like there are a few dings, but that just adds character to a truck. I never could understand why these Nissan trucks shed the paint on their wheels, but they all seem to do it. A can of silver Rust-Oleum would brighten them back up, and probably make a word of difference to its appearance.
2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 – $3,850
Engine/drivetrain: 5.3-liter overhead valve V8, four-speed automatic, part-time 4WD
Location: Frisco, TX
Odometer reading: unknown
Operational status: Runs and drives great
SUVs took over the US in the 1990s, and pickup trucks moved off of the farm and into the suburbs. But what if you needed an SUV that could also haul big items like a truck? Chevy had you covered with the Avalanche, basically a Suburban with the rear portion of the roof removed, and a clever “midgate” divider that could be raised to enclose the passenger compartment, or lowered to enlarge the bed space, at the expense of the rear seats.
Mechanically, it’s a GMT800 truck platform, including a 5.3 liter LS-style V8, 4L60E automatic, and push-button four-wheel-drive. This one has been in the same family since new, and they say it has been well-maintained. The ad does not, however, list the mileage on the odometer, which makes me think it’s a lot. That’s not an issue for the GMT800; a quarter-million miles are easy to come by. But it would be nice if they told us how many miles are actually on it.
There are some signs of wear inside, and the seat covers may be hiding even more. These are nice comfy trucks, though, and while it’s almost certain to have some electrical stuff that doesn’t work, the parts are available and it’s not really hard to work on.
The Avalanche’s funky looks are just part of the package; either you like it or you don’t. I couldn’t stand it when it first came out. I won’t say it has grown on me, but maybe I’ve gotten used to it, and everything else on the road has gotten uglier. The practicality and reliability overshadow the weird looks anyway. This one looks pretty clean, but I don’t remember the lower body cladding being quite that black. I think someone painted it somewhere along the line, hopefully not to conceal rust.
You’ve got lots of choices for used trucks these days, but when I went looking for trucks so I could use that headline (yes, I sometimes do the headline first), these two struck me as something special, something a little outside the norm, and both quite good trucks as well. Which one would you drive home?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I love D21s and as a matter of fact my mom owned a last MY King Cab with the 4 spd auto and KA24E engine when I was in elementary.
FF 20 years later and I owned an ext cab 1984 Nissan 720 4×4 with this Z24 engine (mine had a carb, though) and I can tell you right away this is not the engine you want in a Hardbody King Cab 4×4. My truck was slow, it could barely get out of its own way and once in the HWY it would barely break 70 MPH. There was nothing wrong with the engine; it had been rebuilt during my ownership, it was just the way it was on those.
If it had been powered by a KA24E or the VG30E I would’ve gone Hardbody all the way, but not even nostalgia can make up for an engine that was totally inadequate for this truck.
Hardbody for me. My dad had one of these with over 200K, and it was an amazing truck. I loved driving it. Nissan used to know how to make great vehicles, but forgot somewhere along the way.
The Hardbody would be my choice for something to use once every weekend to do some small stuff around town,but I went for the Avalanche because it’s cheaper and more usable for everyday stuff.
I’ll take the hardbody since I prefer it better- it’s a small truck, it’s stick, and looks better. Well, the Avalanche looks in better shape but doesn’t look better as far as design
Hardbody because of the Extra Cab, and the truck is proper sized. I’m lazy, so what’s the difference between the old and new engines in the Nissan?
That was a dog of an engine. I owned the previous gen truck with 4×4 and the carb’d Z24 engine and it would barely break 70 on the hwy. It would also only do about 18 MPG combined. The only difference with this truck is it has TBI which added a whopping 5 or so ponies so it wouldn’t be that much different, I guess.
That Avalanche looks pretty shabby for having only 1 mile on it.
A Hardbody with a manual from the non-rusty PNW? I think I could build a neat little off-roader with that.
If I got a truck right now, it wouldn’t be a vehicle to be used every day, it’d be quite occasional duty and honestly, the extra functionality of the Chevy is a detriment in relation to my truck needs. Nissan.
The Avalanche is probably a better truck in almost every way but I’m spending my imaginary dollars on the Nissan because I really liked the look of that era of trucks.
I’m going hardbody over dadbody.
Wholesome chuckle.
David’s head is not the only one your alleged movie-inspired article title went over. I want to understand the reference, but I’m not seeing it.
You’ve gotta be kidding me! Any gmt 800 vs a ‘meh’ era Nissan? gmt 800 every time. Seattle is a place of many steep hills. I was living there when that was the current Nissan truck. Those things are WEAK. Need to go up Denny way with a bed full of sheetrock? Find a different rout. I do love the King-cab era Datsuns though.
Agreed. I owned a 720 4×4 ext cab and it only did 70 MPH on flat hwy. But I can attest it would only do 55 on I-15 between Rainbow and Temecula.
I think that generation of Nissan truck marks the beginning of Nissan’s descent from good (510, king cab, Z cars, 210, etc) to being the ‘cheap one’ of Japanese cars. Now they are mostly on my don’t buy list when people ask me for advice.
The Avalanche is suspiciously cheap. And who paints the plastic cladding? Nissan for me.
WTF is going on with the headliner/trim on the driver’s side?
The picture taken from the passenger side is weird too. The headliner is all sliced up and the whole thing just looks janky. The dash is all warped and cracked too, although it is a 22 year old Texas truck so that’s probably normal.
for a moment I thought it had it’s curtain airbags deployed but these didn’t come with them
I wouldn’t touch the Avalanche with your hurricane.
I’m not in a hurry – gimme the Nissan.
The Avalanche is perfectly Florida scumbag so I’m buying that.
OMG…FLORIDA MAN SPOTTED! I’m sure alcohol/drugs of some kind, an alligator, and a dark area will be involved somehow.
Granted, this is when Nissan actually built things that didn’t disintegrate into dust at the first strong wind, but, still…Avalanche, although there will be an “avalanche” of fuel costs to pay (see what I did there?! Subtle, but it’s there…).
To be fair, my various 720s with the z24 in them only get about 14-18mpg, so the fuel difference between these two trucks is rather underwhelming
Wait; an Avalanche that hasn’t been covered (quite poorly) in Plasti-Dip—or have one whole side smashed in? I’ve seen both of those in the last week, but haven’t seen an unmolested straight one in a good while.
Hardbody for me
The Avalanche is a great buy as long as the seller isn’t hiding something about it. Mileage isn’t a big concern on a GMT 800 as long as the transmission is sound. I’ll vote for the Avalanche today but wouldn’t hand over any money until I can get the truck inspected.
Texas Avalanche means less likely to have rust under the cladding and I always wanted one, though I would prefer the 8.1 liter 2500 version and I would want to fill the wheel wells a bit better than the factory did. I would take the GM over Nissan here mostly because I just don’t like the Hard Body nose much. I do recall my mother having the prior body style with both Datsun and Nissan on the back. and I did and still do appreciate a clean one of those. this one is not very clean even though everything else about it makes a ton of sense of the GMT800.