@Null so here's a list of generally reliable, NON-driveby wire cars available all over in the states. I've tried to keep it 80s/90s so they aren't super old
- 8th and 9th Gen Ford F Series: super reliable and have a ton of options, including manual, dually, longbed/shortbed etc and the indestructible 7.3IDI, as well as super good gas engines. Fuel guzzlers tho. 1987-1997. Previous generations are also good, albeit now classics
- Chevrolet/GMC GMT400: basically the GM version of the above F series. Widely available and cheap. 1988-1998. There's also a family of SUVs related to these that are the same
- Jeep Cherokee XJ: perhaps the most indestructible offroader of all time, 4.0 equipped XJs will still be fucking around and finding out when the sun explodes. Manufactured from 1984 to 2001. The 4.0 engine models are known for not only being indestructible, but also being indestructible even when poorly maintained or abused, such as me driving mine 40 miles with no oil in it at highway speed. The issue with these is that they are either clapped or expensive because they are becoming collectors cars.
- Jeep Comanche (MJ): pickup truck version of the above XJ. 1985-1992.
- Ford Panther platform Cars: manufactured from 1979 to the mid 2000s, this Includes the crown vic, Lincoln Town Car and other large sedans known for being indestructible fleet machines. There's also a wealth of police related second hand items such as stab proof seats, shotgun racks etc available for these, even still installed on some ex-cop models. Really no downside with these besides being fuel guzzlers. Later models are drive by wire but the majority are not.
- late 80s - Mid 90s GM B Platform cars: GM's B platform was around since the 20s, but it's final cars rolled out in the mid 90s. The 90s offered a wealth of reliable, tanky V8 RWD Sedans on this platform from GM, like the Impala, Roadmaster, Caprice etc. These are basically GM's crown vic.
- toyota camry XV20 (US XV20): manufactured from 1996 to 2002, these were the interlude camrys between the shopping carts that were previous camrys, and the later, larger and unreliable camrys. They retain the reliability of some of the previous cars, but with much of the creature comforts that the later models had. The only real downside to these is that they are slow for a car of their size, and they are about as boring as boring comes. My grandma drives one of these. Beige on beige. FWD. If a bowl of plain oatmeal was a car, this is it.
- 1st thru 3rd gen Ford Rangers, 1983- 2011.
Basic small truck. Later 3rd gens have drive by wire. Generally reliable and cheap to maintain, not as capable as their larger F series big Brothers.
- 1st-2nd Gen Chevy S10/GMC Sonoma/S15 Jimmy/S10 Blazer. 1982-2004
GM's small truck of the time. Definitely sports a better lineup than the ranger with its SUV variants and an number of more aggressive offroad variants. Generally reliable and cheap to mmaintain. These were also sold as the Isuzu Hombre
- Final Gen Chevrolet Elcamino 1978 to 1987. This the last gen of chevrolet's coupe utility. Last gen elcaminos are generally super reliable and will do everything you ask of them. They are cheap to maintain, and the older ones don't even have electronics at all, besides HEI. While the diesel V8 was a turd, the majority of these came with gas engine options. The downside to these cars is that most are old enough to have grandkids, and they are pretty damned slow out of the box for such an aggressive looking car, which was a symptom of the crippling emissions regs of the 70s/80s.
- Mercedes W201: 1982 to 1993. While European cars are generally not reliable, the W201 line has a number of more reliable models that can be found for cheap, including diesels that can run off of vegetable oil. The downside to these is that they are excessively slow, unless you buy one of the higher end models....which are unreliable. The other downside is that German car parts are relatively expensive even for a car this age.
- 4th/5th/6th gen Honda Civic 1987 to 1999: these gens of civic are generally reliable and incredibly cheap and simple to work on. The downside is that like most Japanese cars of this era, civics are exceptionally prone to paint problems and rust. Honda CRVs from this era are basically this same concept but in a small, AWD SUV
- Manual Transmission Equipped Cummins 12 Valve vehicles (this also applies to the 7.3 IDI although somewhat less): basically anything with one of these and some know how, and a manual trans, can be run with EXCEPTIONALLY minimal wiring, let alone electronics. This is handy for surviving things like EMPs. These engines were available in a range of things, most notably dodge rams.
I'll update this if I think of anything more. This is largely based on personal experience in the car world.
It's worth noting that there's a large amount of pre 1980s cars that are cheap, have 0 electronics let alone DBW and are basically a blank canvas if you have an angle grinder and a welder. Any truck manufactured then will run until the heat death of the universe. They are incredibly simple and cheap to work on, and will continue running until something physically stops them. The issue is that when you get into this era, you start to dive into the classic car market, which is a maze to navigate that you don't want to deal with if you don't know cars
One thing I really wanna drive home here: Please, for the love of God, do not get into the toyota truck hype. Marketing has led to the internet loving these things, but everyone who I've known who's had one has had an absolute nightmare with theirs, ranging from snapped frames to cracked heads, stretched timing chains, corrosion ruining every line on the truck, constant overheating issues the list goes on. Don't buy the hype, you'll regret it.
