In the early process of looking for a good project truck

Hi, I am mike and am about turn 16. For my first vehicle I decided on a pick up truck as I do a lot of hauling. As far as fuel economy my parents have other cars I will be insured under for long trips.

I decided I wanted a Diesel fromt he early to mid 90's. While I am not looking for links to exact sales at this time I had a few questions:

1. Who makes the most reliable diesel pick-ups
2. I want to jack this thing up and use it off road for fun, what type of stock suspension should I look for
3. I want to be able to plow
4. I want an auto tranny
5. I want four wheel drive(absolute must)
6. I want a strong frame
7. I want a reliable truck that isnt too hard to work on and isn't predisposed to many problems.

Should I be looking at Ford, GMC, Chevrolet, Dodge....? I want something that is strong(frame wise) and can take a beating.

I NEED a reliable diesel engine and tranny.

I want beefy axles or a truck that would allow an upgrade.

No duallies

I want to lug stuff around in it, and be able to plow with it. I also wanted it raised up pretty high, want a fair bit of suspension travel, to redo the interior, and add a plow kit but that will all be in later threads.

I am basically asking you guys what the best truck for 1-3k is that I can really overhaul bit by bit while getting a lot of use out of.

I apologize for how poorly written this is

Thanks,

Mike

I NEED a reliable diesel engine and tranny.


I am basically asking you guys what the best truck for 1-3k is that I can really overhaul bit by bit while getting a lot of use out of.


Mike

u need something that is a manual or drop some $$$ into a really reliable tranny. u really narrow the kinf of truck down u will be lookin at the older 6.9 ford diesels and the chevy i think its a 6.5. they are old motors pretty reliable but not powerhouses like the new ones.

DRew

I found someone selling a 94 F350 with a 7.3 non turbocharged engine for 1k. He says that the injector pump needs replacing, but ebay has OEM rebuilt pumps for 300 bucks.

Here is a link to that posting
http://boston.craigslist.org/car/117363902.html

What kind of mileage is acceptable on a regularly maintained diesel?

Mike