Seeking assistance choosing the right vintage truck

I am looking for advice on exactly which make and model of old truck I can buy which does the following things. I am female and lack even basic automotive knowledge outside of getting my oil changed, changing wiper blades, checking fluid levels, etc. Thus I cannot even locate a website to make basic searches and try to find something to suit. Here is what I seek:

MUST HAVE:
Be a truck or Class B van
Diesel engine
NO computerized parts
4 wheel drive

LIKE TO HAVE:
Two gas tanks with the switch thing that alternates between them
Power steering
AC

Can anyone suggest which make/model/years I should be looking out for?

Cost does not matter, I can't imagine an old truck being more than I have plus I am a good saver and can save up.

Condition does not matter, I will get everything repaired that needs to be even if I have to take baby steps to reach the condition I want.

Thank you in advance.

The only thing with vintage vehicles is...do they still make all the parts for it? If something goes wrong, will you be able to find the part it needs or have it custom made? Could be costly. This coming from someone who has no knowledge whatsoever about vehicles. LOL

A couple of searches that might help if you haven't tried Google already:

best Diesel truck with NO computer parts

best pickup truck with NO computer parts

emp proof Diesel truck

When did cars start having computer parts

When did cars start having computer parts? (EMP vehicle)

reply to post by Ameilia
I have an old 4/4 chevy scottsdale...runs on regular gas though...It will suit its purpose the engines on these are super easy to understand even for us girls...

reply to post by Night Star

PICK APART YARDS...
for parts...manual book for repairs, older trucks are a piece of cake, if you can bake a cake you can teach yourself how to keep a good older american truck running sweet...get a book for that year and make of truck at like auto zone. All women should be able to fix basic things on your vehicle no matter what you drive...take a basic auto mechanics class at adult night school or your local community college...plus lessons are free when you are having a guy work on your auto...just stay outta their way be quiet and watch...It empowers yourself the first time you change your own oil...

Its all good even if the # does not hit the fan...If you can change your own tire and be able to do the basics for yourself it might save your life one day...In the least it helps save that money to go towards other things...

Gee that is a hard call . Aside from retro fitting a diesel into a old truck ,the only one I can think of is a ford ranger .I think they had a model with a small perkins in them ...VW had a diesel truck but it was only a 2 wheel drive .Possibly one of the old Rovers might have what you are looking for ..I am not familiar with them but I would check them . peace

1987 gmc suburbabn 4x4 6.2 liter diesel. I do have to say though... If you know nothing of vehicles, a diesel engine isnt the way to go. To repair and replace items on diesels can be very difficult. Alot of dismantling to get to the problems it seems in my experience. I would go for same vehicle i mentioned but with gas engine equivalent. Big 8 cylinder.
I personally have a 78 ford f-150 short bed 4x4, we took small 8 out and put a 460 in it. 38 inch tires.This thing is a beast now!!!

reply to post by Ameilia


This artical from wiki gives a good history on the land rovers engines en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by Ameilia


Thank so much to everyone who has responded to this thread.

I'm not at all concerned about having to locate parts for an older vehicle. I know a mechanic who can source them, or one of the male members of my family will assist me in junk yard picking. I have junk yard picked before, for a window crank and a tail gate, so I at least know to do that.

I definitely won't be getting a big ol' truck like in that video (though it is cool) because I want the ability blend in. Should've mentioned that in to OP. Those links/keywords are extremely helpful, I have been able to make a few Bookmarks. That's the type of research I am looking for!

An old Ranger is definitely something I'd be interested in, I had one before but it was 1990s and I'll need one at least a decade older.

I will take seriously the warning about diesels being harder to work on yourself if you know nothing of cars...I basically know nothing & the plan is to learn MY CAR and I didn't realize diesels might be harder to grasp...but I'm also sure you understand why I would be wanting diesel. The only thing I currently know about them is how to start one in the cold.

And oh, Land Rovers, man, that would be nice because I just like the look so much! (Totally beside the point though.)

Thank you guys for pointing me in some directions to head. It is much appreciated. With a narrower field, I can research easier, and shop easier too.

in my opinion, if you opened up your search a bit to include gasoline and 2 wheel drive trucks you will have WAY more options to choose from. vintage/classic trucks are not too hard to come by these days. diesel is gonna cost you more in regular fuel costs as well as in parts/labor.
just my thoughts

CardiffGiant
in my opinion, if you opened up your search a bit to include gasoline and 2 wheel drive trucks you will have WAY more options to choose from. vintage/classic trucks are not too hard to come by these days. diesel is gonna cost you more in regular fuel costs as well as in parts/labor.
just my thoughts

I want a diesel for several reasons, one being diesel fuel storage life is greater than regular gasoline. I am not worried about the price of fuel, yes it's more expensive for diesel per gallon but you usually also get greater miles per gallon, to even it out.

reply to post by Ameilia


your reasons are your reasons. the biggie for me would be more choices with a gasoline engine. there are just more out there. just giving an opinion.
not worrying about fuel costs is cool.
another factor for me personally would be the sound of some high compression diesel cruising down the road. im just not into that sound.

they always seemed like a pain to me. some things i personally would not want to risk. i got turned off diesels years ago. a guy i know had one and it jumped time. piston came up to the top and slammed a valve and mushroomed one of the glow plugs. not something i would want to deal with. not very common but it spooked me.
you go have more options if you throw gasoline engines into the mix.

i love the looks of the vintage trucks.

Well I am a tad biased.... but I sure like my vintage truck. 1973 Ford Bronco and it fits every one of the OP's criterion. My avatar is the very truck I am talking about

locality makes a big difference... like in psychology

where y'all livin' on an island or something

bronco73
Well I am a tad biased.... but I sure like my vintage truck. 1973 Ford Bronco and it fits every one of the OP's criterion. My avatar is the very truck I am talking about

Well you must really be a fan if it's your avatar! Thank you.

Look for an old International Scout, Scout II or Travellall. Or a Dodge ... anything ... PowerWagon primarily. Or, more pricey, a Land Rover. Petronics makes an ignition system that is supposedly EMP proof. These may be primarily gas engines, but frankly, a gas engine (IMO) would be easier to find fuel for. If TSHTF. Good luck!

Edit - Keep in mind availability of parts. Personally speaking, anything powered by a small-block Chevy would be your best bet.

I am not sure you would want one of the older diesel picups most of them only had modified gas engines that could not hold up to the temps that a diesel needs. If you want older truck with a diesel I would find one of the old gas ones that you like and have one of the newer diesel engines put in it they are true diesels

Depending on what you like. As far as diesel trucks go in late 70's and 80's datsun/nissian had 4x4 and diesel but there not common. Ford the full size trucks came with diesel in mid 80's the small ford ranger also came with a diesel. Again rangers are kinda hard to find with diesel[. Chevy in the 80's also had diesel way more common but it was a modify gas engine they weren't the best engine . On dodges I stay away from 80's trucks .There where thousands that had bad headlight wiring and burnt to the ground . My grandfather's burnt up .but there diesel engines where good .i]reply to post by HistoryFan

If your really going out there Land Cruiser or Land Rover circa 1978-before fuel injection,theres a hundred suvs and trucks in Australia but once you get into the true outback these are the 2 vehicles you'll see the most.

I know this is an old thread but if you haven't found a vehicle yet I would suggest a mid 80's full size chevy/gmc with a 6.2 diesel. They don't have as much power as most diesels but they are non-turbo charged ( one less thing to worry about) and they tend to be quite reliable and full size chevy's of that era are probably the easiest/cheapest of all vehicles to get parts for. Just my 2cents.

Harry