Buy/Drive/Burn: The Cheapest Trucks in America for 2021
We closed out last week with a Buy/Drive/Burn entry that covered the three cheapest sedans available in America this year. Nearly all of you decided you’d buy the most expensive of the three, the Hyundai Accent.
Today’s trio are the least expensive trucks on sale today with plain paint, two driven wheels, and steelies. Think you’ll select the most expensive truck of today’s trio for the Buy? Let’s find out.
Toyota Tacoma
It might surprise you, but the Tacoma is the cheapest new truck you can buy in America. Its six trims start out at SR and end at TRD Pro, with prices starting at $26,250 and ranging to over $44,000. In shorty Access Cab format, it comes with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder good for 159 horsepower, with a six-speed automatic. Five different colors are available for no charge, and all are metallic except the white. All interiors are Cement Gray cloth whether you like it or not. Toyota allows you to select an option that cuts the Tacoma’s price. The Utility Package – available on four-cylinder Access Cab configuration only – removes the rear seats, seatbelts, speakers, and intermittent wiper functions. It adds black door handles, mirror caps, and bumpers, and means you can’t open the rear window. After the $1,095 delivery fee, the super stripped Tacoma asks $25,630.
Chevrolet Colorado
The Colorado is the middle-priced truck here in its basic format. Colorado has four trims in its extended cab, long box guise, and they range from the WT at $26,395 to the ZR2 which starts at $42,795. In WT trim, the base engine is a 2.5-liter inline-four good for 200 horsepower, paired with a six-speed automatic. Only three colors are available with no upcharge, and they’re all greyscale. Interiors are of Jet Black cloth or vinyl, buyer’s choice. Destination charges are $1,195, and though there are temporary incentives (unspecified) of $2,500 we can’t include those today. Final ask for the Colorado is $26,395.
Ford Ranger
The Ford Ranger is the newest model of today’s trio and just edges out the Colorado in terms of pricing. Ranger has only three trims: The XL starts at $24,820, XLT at $28,870, and Lariat enters at $32,910. The XL SuperCab has a six-foot cargo bed and uses the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine (270 hp) as the rest of the line, as well as the same 10-speed automatic. There are six no-charge paint colors available, and Ford lets you select Ebony cloth or vinyl at no additional charge. Ford assesses a $1,195 destination charge and a $645 acquisition fee (eyeroll) for a final cost of $26,660.
This may be the first B/D/B entry where we have such a considerable disparity in power among three vehicles of the same price and class. But are the reputation of the Tacoma and Colorado enough for you to ignore the superior power of the new(ish) Ranger? Off to you.
[Images: Chevrolet, Toyota, Ford]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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As configured for this article, none of them, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Ranger, at least it could get onto the freeway without drama. I drove a neighbor's 2.7 manual Tacoma, it's pretty close to bare bones and it hits the penalty truck target dead center. Slow, uncomfortable, and I don't understand why anyone would buy something like it.
I would buy the stripped Tacoma since it would more than meet my needs and wants. The Ranger would have the most zip and be a little more fun to drive but with the turbo it would not last as long. I could live with any of these trucks.