What is the most reliable used pickup truck one can buy?

full size Ford six...

The 2004 Tacoma 4X4 is a 2- or 4-door, up to 5-passenger compact pickup, available in 4 trims, ranging from... the Regular Cab to the Double Cab V6. The 2004 Tacoma 4X4's closest competitors include the Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab 4WD, the Ford Ranger Super Cab 4x4, and the Subaru Baja. Upon introduction, the Regular Cab is equipped with a standard 2.7-liter, I4, 150-horsepower engine that achieves 18-mpg in the city and 21-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard, and a 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is optional. The Double Cab V6 is equipped with a standard 3.4-liter, V6, 190-horsepower engine that achieves 16-mpg in the city and 19-mpg on the highway. A 4-speed automatic transmission with overdrive is standard. You should just go for it. The 2004 Tacoma 4X4 is a carryover from 2003.

You do, of course, have to be careful when buying any car used, esp. a pick-up truck. No matter the mileage, it could have been "hard" miles, like from a construction worker.

Assuming your towing won't be extreme, Toyota's have a good reputation on the used market. If the needs get heavier, I prefer Ford over the others (F series aren't the #1 selling truck for no reason), but if it's real heavy towing, then I'd go for a Dodge with a Cummings diesel.

Best of luck.

Toyota Tacoma

Toyota Tacoma

Tacomas seem to run forever since they are Toyotas. Chevys hold up really well too. My dad has driven his 85 S10 with one transmission rebuild for more than 20 years.

Chevy, GMC, Toyota, Ford, Dodge...hmmm...everyone really narrowed it down, huh? Isn't that just about all of them?

Chevy or a GMC is the only model that will give you that.