Your Choose: Honda or Toyota?

[RogueRV2]

If one is a Snowbird, I can not see that a 4wd is worth the expense, but if one might stay where it is remote, cheap, and snows, then it really is necessary. I'm preparing to hit the road and have a choice of towing a 2wd 4cyl Toyota Pickup, or a 1986 4wd Honda behind a RV. I'll probably have to sell the one I do not take with me. Tough choice. The Toyota will be much more reliable, yet if I come home to Montana and stay a winter up in the mountains, I will really need that Honda. And it gets 30mpg. The fuel economy is really not the big issue tho, 24mpg verses 30mpg, as should the Honda not run one day, then it gets 0mpg, and it will take money to repair it. The Honda is however is 800 pounds lighter, but then it cannot do as much work either. The Toyota can tow 2,500lbs, and carry 1/4+ cord of wood, or 1,500 pounds. The Honda is rated for only 1,000 pounds and although a wagon, it's suspension is weak in comparison. Perhaps someone might provide some insight as I'm too close to the problem. Here's my Pro/Con list...perhaps I've miss a point or two, or three:

1986 Honda Civic Wagon 4WD

Pros:
Curb Weight: 1,950lbs (800 pounds lighter than the Toyota)
Real World MPG: 30
4WD
4 Door Wagon (can be slept in)


Honda Cons:
185,000 miles on the odometer
Higher maintenance costs expected (currently needs $600 in parts)
Rated to tow only 1,000 pounds
No trailer hitch
Light duty suspension- can't haul much
No A/C
Towing capacity, 1000lbs


1985 Toyota Pickup Extra Cab

Pros:
130,000 miles on the odometer (Very Reliable)
Low maintenance costs expected. (currently needs $100 of parts)
Towing capacity, 2,500lbs
Can haul 3+ times the weight that the Honda can.
Has A/C
6 foot bed with camper shell (easier to live than Honda)
Trailer Hitch

Cons:
2WD
Curb weight, 2,800lbs
24mpg

 

[Reducto]

I'd go with whichever one you would hate to get rid of the most. The pickup may be more practical in most situations, but if you sold it and wanted another you could find one anywhere in the country. You might even gain a feature missing on your current one like EFI or 4wd. Once the Honda is gone, however, you may never find another one. Ask yourself - are you ok with that? If so, keep the truck. If not, keep the Honda.

 

[RogueRV2]

Thanks for the food for thought. It will help. I'm torn. My Pro/Con list, an analytical approach, did not make the choice crystal clear. I'd rather have a 4WD Toyota Pick up shortbed, carb or EFI. The current 2WD is EFI. Toyota Pickups with the 22R are so popular that they are worn out. Mine is rare example. That vintage Honda Wagon 4WD is simple and cheap to fix, and would be the most difficult to replace. You make a good point. It would indeed be easier to replace my trusty Toyota. I can rebuild them in my sleep, but I know and trust it so well. Thanks for the input. I'm closer to a decision....

I'd go with whichever one you would hate to get rid of the most. The pickup may be more practical in most situations, but if you sold it and wanted another you could find one anywhere in the country. You might even gain a feature missing on your current one like EFI or 4wd. Once the Honda is gone, however, you may never find another one. Ask yourself - are you ok with that? If so, keep the truck. If not, keep the Honda.

 

[akrvbob]

You've said enough that I get the idea you have a leaning toward a survivalist, which is fine because I feel the same way. Which would be the better Bug Out Vehicle? To my mind the pickup would be far better so I would keep it.

BUT, how realistic is it you may live in snow country again? If you are likely to live in snow country then you will greatly miss the 4wd! That's the only reason I would chose the Honda over the Toyota.
Bob

 

[RogueRV2]

Another very good question. Yes, I believe it is very likely that I would live in snow country again. In fact I am plan on returning to 'home base' once the snow is gone, or should things go bad this is the part of the county that will be safer. This fact could make the Honda the better choice. I do have a 1 ton flatbed that I would have here for hauling purposes, so that role is filled. Yet out there on the road, especially if I stay away from home base longer, the Toyota would be so practical, especially if one needs to make a living. For example, I could bring in wood for sale into Quartzite, either for personal use, or for selling, or use it for hauling trash, a yard service, a service vehicle and so forth. The Toyota's usefulness, especially for making a living, I hadn't given enough weight to. The Toyota as BOV, I hadn't even considered, and there it would shine too. I've lived in the truck for 3 months once, and hauled very heavy trailers with it. And It would be far more reliable and easier keep it running. And should I loose the MH for some reason , or need to leave it behind, the Toyota would be the better vehicle. Thanks again. It does help to talk things through. The Toyota is now in the lead.

You've said enough that I get the idea you have a leaning toward a survivalist, which is fine because I feel the same way. Which would be the better Bug Out Vehicle? To my mind the pickup would be far better so I would keep it.

BUT, how realistic is it you may live in snow country again? If you are likely to live in snow country then you will greatly miss the 4wd! That's the only reason I would chose the Honda over the Toyota.
Bob

 

[Fearnoevil]

I've never owned a Honda, which is kind of strange cuz I've always known that they have such high customer satisfaction and a great rep. But maybe that's because when it comes to Japanese imports, I've always been a Toyota fan :heart:. I've owned a few Toyota cars, including a Corolla and a 240Z, both back in the '70s (wrecked the 240Z just 8 months after I'd bought it).

Then in 1993 I bought a 1982 2L Diesel Pickup to have as a work pickup. It had 180,000 miles on it at the time, but it ran like a top, and I think I only paid like $1200 at the time. Looked exactly like this one, real beaut:

Shortly after that I got a job offer to work on the reconstruction in South Miami after Hurricane Andrews, so I packed her up and drove from Idaho to Miami, where I drove her for another 2 years. After that I decided to move my family down to Honduras (where my wife was from) and started a business there (don't ask, you wouldn't believe me, lol).

For the next 3 years I used her in my business, drove the hell out of it over ROUGH dirt roads, day in and day out, and it took a real beating. At the end of that 3rd year she looked pretty rough, missing both front quarter panels and dented up from all the cargo hauling and rough roads (and a few minor accidents caused from dodging cows and other livestock on the roads ). I'd managed to put another 110,000 miles on that car before I was done, and although my business ultimately did not survive, that little pickup did. With nearly 300,000 miles on it, and as beat up as she was, she STILL ran like a top AND I still managed to sell her for $1000!
That was a great little truck, and made me into a loyal Toyota fan.

So my vote is DEFINITELY go with that Toyota, those are well made little trucks!
;?D

 

[RogueRV2]

Hi Fear No Evil,

Your story is quite appropriate. Although the Honda has it's advantages, my trust is in the Toyota, trust in it's durability and in it's utility. These are tough little trucks. My favorite Toyotas are the 1979 to 1983 models, and tho I always wanted one, the diesel model was so rare, I never did see one for sale. I did drive one in Brazil a couple of times and loved it. It does well enough in the snow in part of Montana that I could get by with the 2WD most of the winter. But should I live up in the mountains, even chains will not be of much help. This is my only concern and in comparison to the other important considerations, all total, it is a relatively small concern.
One of the advantages of the Toyota is that I could decide to downsize further, and buy a utility trailer to go with it. This combination would allow travel at one third the price. If I sold it, I would only get about $1,000 around here because it is not a 4WD, even with only 130,000 miles on it! The 30 year old A/C still blows cold. To myself, it is worth every bit as much or more than a newer Toyota Pickup, because it the time tested drivetrain that made Toyota popular in the first place. BTW, I believe that 2L diesel is essentially the 22R block with it's crank shaft, with only a diesel top end added. The 18R, 20R, 22R, 22RE bottom ends are mostly the same.

Inspiring story! Toyota Wins! Thank you.

I've never owned a Honda, which is kind of strange cuz I've always known that they have such high customer satisfaction and a great rep. But maybe that's because when it comes to Japanese imports, I've always been a Toyota fan :heart:. I've owned a few Toyota cars, including a Corolla and a 240Z, both back in the '70s (wrecked the 240Z just 8 months after I'd bought it).

Then in 1993 I bought a 1982 2L Diesel Pickup to have as a work pickup. It had 180,000 miles on it at the time, but it ran like a top, and I think I only paid like $1200 at the time. Looked exactly like this one, real beaut:

Shortly after that I got a job offer to work on the reconstruction in South Miami after Hurricane Andrews, so I packed her up and drove from Idaho to Miami, where I drove her for another 2 years. After that I decided to move my family down to Honduras (where my wife was from) and started a business there (don't ask, you wouldn't believe me, lol).

For the next 3 years I used her in my business, drove the hell out of it over ROUGH dirt roads, day in and day out, and it took a real beating. At the end of that 3rd year she looked pretty rough, missing both front quarter panels and dented up from all the cargo hauling and rough roads (and a few minor accidents caused from dodging cows and other livestock on the roads ). I'd managed to put another 110,000 miles on that car before I was done, and although my business ultimately did not survive, that little pickup did. With nearly 300,000 miles on it, and as beat up as she was, she STILL ran like a top AND I still managed to sell her for $1000!
That was a great little truck, and made me into a loyal Toyota fan.

So my vote is DEFINITELY go with that Toyota, those are well made little trucks!
;?D

 

[highdesertranger]

you could sell both and buy a Toyota 4x4 pickup. for me it would be no contest Toyota would win over Honda any day. fearnoevil a 240z is a Nissan our should I say Datsun back then. highdesertranger

 

[wagoneer]

Huge Toyota fan here, Drove a gutless 1974 with the R18, chinook pop-top camper. slow but un-stopable. No matter how much abuse I presented it came through. On a different note I want to thank you guys-n-gals for sticking with me.

 

[Fearnoevil]

Lol, you're right High Desert, of course I knew it as a Datsun back than and somehow my faulty memory swapped Toyota for Nissan :blush: They were cool cars, and I loved that they looked like my dream car, a Jag XKE. Sadly wrecked it taking a corner too fast in the dead of an Alaskan winter, and after that I got the Corolla. I also forgot I did own a '75 Celica, another good car, but had to sell it when I moved to Central America. On a side note, when I got down there I was amazed to see how many of the cars on the road were Toyotas, seemed like nearly a third of them were, so that's probably a testament as to their quality and value.
;?D

 

[RogueRV2]

Hi highdesertranger,
That's another good thought. I'm so overwhelmed fixing up the MH that the help is appreciated. Just found out my tires, although they look new, are from 2001. Thanks for your post on that topic. Somehow I've got to come up with more money and tires. My funds are running seriously low and I must still go though the mechanical end as well. I may end up having to sell both the Honda and the Toyota simply to fix up the MH and have funds for the trip to Quartzite. I hope to find work there. Of course one could eventually find a Toyota 4WD rust free in Phoenix or somewhere out there in the desert. Around here, rust is a serious problem on older vehicles. Except for newer models, there is almost no such thing as a rust free vehicle here.

I hope to keep the Toyota 2WD. Unfortunately a used tow dolly will run $800 adding to the cost of keeping it. It would be a shame to sell a low mileage (130K) Toyota for only $1,000 to buy tires for the MH. I've had it since it 53,000 miles, and it has another 100K left in it or more. Perhaps I should sell the MH!

you could sell both and buy a Toyota 4x4 pickup. for me it would be no contest Toyota would win over Honda any day. fearnoevil a 240z is a Nissan our should I say Datsun back then. highdesertranger

 

[RogueRV2]

Hello Highdesertrange,

I need to change all 6 tires on the RV, and might find some used ones. How old is the oldest you might accept. No older than 7 years?

Thank you,
Rogue

you could sell both and buy a Toyota 4x4 pickup. for me it would be no contest Toyota would win over Honda any day. fearnoevil a 240z is a Nissan our should I say Datsun back then. highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

on such a critical piece of equipment I personally would get new tires from a reputable manufacturer(no Chinese tires). I have seen to many of "these tires are just as good as (insert name here) tires". I know tires are expensive but in the long run you will be happier and safer. highdesertranger

 

[RogueRV2]

Hello Highdesertranger,
Agree. And no Chinese junk! That is if I can afford it. I may have to resort to used tires. I'm not working at the moment other than to get ready and go. The jobs that I can work are hard to find. I've got bad feet and a bad back, so unfortunately I may have to skimp. Other than Quartzite, finding work on the road may prove difficult, so I'll have to budget accordingly. Getting old sucks.

 

[highdesertranger]

I hear you there buddy. highdesertranger

 

[anm]

Hello Highdesertranger,
Agree. And no Chinese junk! That is if I can afford it. I may have to resort to used tires. I'm not working at the moment other than to get ready and go. The jobs that I can work are hard to find. I've got bad feet and a bad back, so unfortunately I may have to skimp. Other than Quartzite, finding work on the road may prove difficult, so I'll have to budget accordingly. Getting old sucks.

I've done used tires before, if you have to, you have to. Just go easy on them for a bit until you get to know them...