Good afternoon, Scotty. I'm looking to buy my first truck. I live in Cali, so cars are already expensive, and I'm not quite ready to purchase since the market is ridiculous right now (I, personally, wouldn't spend more than 3 grand for these trucks). But for future reference, if you could help me decide between:

-2002 Ford Ranger Supercab 2.3L, 5-speed standard, with 170k miles. Seller is asking $4,250.

-2002 Toyota Tacoma SR5 2.4L, 5-speed standard, with 208k miles. Seller is asking $4,000.

Both of them are in great cosmetic shape, have clean titles, along with rear "seats", and are 2WD. From watching your videos I know the obvious answer to this question would be, buy the cheap Ranger to save money, and buy the quality Taco if you can afford it. But my main question is, "Is it worth buying a higher mileage Toyota for a similar price, or will the Ranger suffice?"

I'd like to drive it 'till the wheels fall off, as well as learn to work on it myself. I know both are reliable, especially with a standard. But the Ford gets a bit better gas mileage along with a few more 'amenities' (as far as old trucks go, anyway), so is the Tacoma reputation of 500,000 relatively trouble-free miles worth it in a case like this? Or would the Ford be just fine?

Thank you in advance (Scotty, or whoever else can help me out).