I agree with the DI crowd (granted that's what I have) but the simplicity is important. If you are in high school you are going to want to have time to do other things besides just wanting to wrench every spare moment. The DI is generally cheaper to fix (with a few exceptions) and is simpler to wrench on. The electronics alone on the DII are enough to turn me off. Something else to consider about the DII is the newer they get the worse the quality control was and the more problems they have with the block itself (generally speaking). With the DI there are a small handful of common problems. With the DII there are so many they actually had to split up the forum and create a space just for the DII guys as their threads tend to multiply exponentially. (Just gotta give these DII guys a hard time when I can lol ) So in summation, follow Spike's advice. Get a DI.

 

Yeah, a d1 is probably better for me. don't I wish I lived in SoCal, I'm from the midwest. I suppose I'll go off and look at some D1s. It may be a good idea to get a DII later. There seem to be more IIs than Is for sale so hopefully that door will still be open if i ever want a DII.

 

Good luck. I paid 2300 after TT&L for my '96 with approx 150,000 miles and a power steering leak. Since I have replaced my wires, plugs, fluids, and rebuilt both driveshafts. I am about to put in a new water pump. It already had new coolant hoses and a new belt. Interior wasn't too pretty and sunroofs don't work but I think it was a decent price. So there are some out there to be had. Make sure you do a ton of reading on here so you are armed with knowledge. Then you can get one that the owner doesn't know why it won't start and pick it up really cheap. Do a cheap fix and there you go. There was one for sale here in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for 1500. Had like 130,000 miles but wouldn't start. Had a bad fuel pump. Fairly cheap, easy, and quick fix. Nothing else wrong with it. I just didn't have the money to pick it up at the time. So there you go. I will quit preaching. Good luck.

 

I've owned both, for your first car, get a DI....and as you said, there are PLENTY of DII's for sale so you can "upgrade" (hahahahaha) later

Good luck with your search you've already got a leg up asking questions prior to buying.

 

Anita, you don't say how old you are, so no idea if this is an option, but you might want to consider finding a southern car and flying to get it and driving it back home if you have the time.
IMO you're better off getting a rust free car that needs a bit of mechanical work, than a mechanically near perfect one that has a bit of rust, because if it has a bit of rust, there's probably a lot more where you can't see it. The mechanical stuff is usually a lot easier and cheaper to fix that rust issues.
If you shop around you should be able to find a decent 94 or 95 D1 for 2-3000, and if its lived in the south it will be essentially rust free.

 

Flying South and getting one is a good idea, but my parents wouldn't like it. I will check out the mechanical sections, always useful to find things that you can use to haggle down the price.

 

check out ebay and autotrader.com...thats wher i found my daughters truck...

 

No matter which model you get, DI or DII, make sure it has service records! No matter what anyone tells you, these trucks need to be taken care of regularly. You can buy a cheap DI that has been neglected and it will won't make a difference how easy it is to work on because the problems will linger and linger. Proper maintenance will change the entire ownership experience.

Even though the DI guys will tell you DII's have lots of issues, there are plenty of people on here who don't. My DII made it all the way through HS (and its with me in college) and I only had one issue in the first month with a worn out part. Don't be afraid to jump on one if you think its a good deal and been taken care of. Both are great trucks IMO.

 

Good point. I'll look for Discos that have the options and whatnot that I want, and make sure that it's well maintained, regardless of generation.

 

Unless you get a early DI SD trim line they are all going to have duel HVAC, leather, heated seats, cruise, power windows, locks....all standard stuff.
95% have dual sunroofs...and they almost never work.