Are Chevy S-10/GMC Sonoma's with the 2.5L Iron Duke reliable?

[sasquatch]

I'm looking at geting a small pickup for light duty work.

Will use mostly for a daily commute as well as work.

Won't pull a trailer, though carry some materials, such as broken drywall from renovations, lumber, steel rebars, wood beams.

I would want a very basic truck, regular cab with manual windows, locks, mirrors, no a/c, manual transmission. Less to go wrong. 2wd is fine.

I can afford the older 80's - 95 Chevy S-10/GMC Sonoma.

The 4 cylinder should be enough for my needs.

I like the 87-93 Chevy S-10/GMC Sonoma with 2.5L Iron Duke and 5spd manual.

Comparison to a Ford Ranger 2.3L?

I like the 2.5L 4tech a bit more because it uses 4 spark plugs instead of 8 and uses a timing gear/chain instead of a rubber belt.

It looks to be pretty simple to work on. New parts are fairly cheap.

Is the 2.5L Iron Duke going to be reliable?

How long is life expectacy? I've seen a few 2.5L's with over 160,000 miles still running strong.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Molson02536]

The 2.5 L for the Sonoma is reliable and if you pick one up that is 2002 and newer, there built with the 4 bolt main and can take more. But the older 2.5 are still going strong as to what i can see around from the parts delivery truck used around here, and it simple and basic to what you have mentioned. Good luck and hope this helps you answer some of your questions.