The compact pickups from General Motors are getting old, we must say. And so much better are their replacements (due in late 2003), that if you can wait that long, then wait. Still, they offer a lot of features for the dough, and let's face it, value is as prime a motivator as anything for many truck buyers, so if you need a truck right now, you don't want to spend a lot of cash yet you demand stuff in addition to utility, you could do worse than the S10/Sonoma duo.

One thing that the GM twins have going for them are their availability in a variety of body styles, from standard cab to extended cab to the 4-door Crew Cab (which, by the way, won RTM's Most Athletic pickup award in 2001). Now while the standard and extended cab are essentially made for two people only, the Crew Cab features four front-hinged doors and real legroom for real adults in an interior that nonetheless lacks the kind of panache and fine materials found in other trucks such as the Toyota Tacoma.

The base engine is a wheezy old 120-horsepower 4-cylinder, so if you can afford to step up to the 190-hp 6-cylinder, you'll thank us for the suggestion. You can choose between the just the rear or all four wheels to be the ones that move with the engine. The Crew Cab, incidentally, comes only with the V-6 due to its extra weight, and you also should be aware that its abbreviated cargo area helps to keep overall length under control.