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Pickups are the multi-tool of the automotive world, but these used American examples are best avoided.

Pickups have become the multi-tool of the automotive world, able to haul loads to and from a jobsite during the week and then double as the weekend adventure vehicle.

There is no denying the appeal of such a vehicle, especially for those who only wish to own one vehicle. The market for pickups has seen explosive growth and as a direct result the used car market has also seen steady growth. Unlike similarly priced cars, pickups have also proven to be more durable and still have a lot of life left in them even when others perceive otherwise and upgrade to another vehicle (most probably another pickup).

That doesn’t mean there isn’t the odd exception to the rule, some cheap pickups really are cheap for a reason, and we wouldn’t touch them with a 10-foot pole.

Related: The New Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Pickup Now Has A Hardcore Racing Model

Ford realized there was a market for a more leisure oriented pickup but defied logic by opting to use their Explorer platform instead of upgrading their top-selling F-150 (which also had problems but not quite so many).

Their choice of platform meant the bed was a bit shorter than most would have liked, but more concerningly this was a platform with a less than stellar reliability record. All told the Explorer from this era got recalled a whopping 16 times in an era when recalls were still kept pretty quiet.

The latest Colorado is one of the better pickups on the market, and is a far cry from where it all started back in the 2000s.

It was developed and built on the cheap thanks to how cash strapped GM were at the time. Pretty much anything they made then had below par build quality, but the Colorado took it a couple steps further by being underpowered and unreliable too.

Another superstar from the dark pre-bailout GM days was the Hummer, and by extension, the “pickup” SUT version.

The rugged H1 was a cult hero, and was everything it claimed to be, unfortunately being a troop carrier it wasn’t all that comfortable, and it guzzled diesel at a barely believable rate. The H2 was supposed to be the refined version, unfortunately it was anything but refined thanks to its woeful build quality. All it ended up doing was guzzle gas instead of diesel and occasionally catch fire.

Over the years the Dakota won over many fans but those that live anywhere near the coast or along the rust belt might have a very different impression of this pickup.

Rust will occur primarily above the front bumper and the rear fender flares, seeing a Dakota today without any rust in these areas is highly unusual. Cosmetic rust is one thing, but their brake lines have also been known to rust through… which is deeply concerning.

Related: Here's Why We're Looking Forward To The 2024 Ram Dakota

The single biggest complaint with this generation F-150 was the fact that it ejected spark plugs, something you might think could easily be rectified, but Ford chose to rather just repair under warranty instead of resolving the actual issue.

It is one of those issues that could be overlooked by fans of the brand but in reality can be very dangerous if it happens in conjunction with another known fault; a leaky fuel line.

Diesel pickups have become incredibly popular in recent times, and none more so than the Cummins powered Rams of the 80s.

Prices reflect that, but if you do spot one that is cheap, beware, these were work vehicles that may or may not have been properly maintained. You might just end up taking on something that requires a lot of expensive maintenance work that has been deferred for several years.

Related: This Is What Makes The Dodge Ram 1500 A Great Full-Size Truck

The issue with the great looking J10 lies in the fact that they didn’t start life out as a body-on-frame design, but a unibody SUV.

So, they essentially grafted a pickup bed onto an SUV, and by they, we mean a cash strapped AMC. As a result, rust is a big, very obvious problem, and it can ruin the bed… Then there is that AMC V8 most of them came with that likes eating oil pumps.

Much like the Sport Trac, the Avalanche was launched to cater to the need for a more leisure focused pickup.

Although they were able to get something to market that was certainly more car-like to drive, it also suffered from poor build quality and a long list of frustrating issues including an interior that will just fall apart over time. The more concerning issue isn’t really GM’s fault though, as they were supplied with bad airbags by the now infamous Takata.

Luke Zietsman is an all out automotive enthusiast based in The Philippines. If it has two or four wheels he has either owned it, researched about it or dreamed about it.