Cheap Truck for landscaping
I'm an 18yo homeschooler in Northern Virginia trying to get my landscaping business off the ground. I still have another year of school, so I'm not paying rent or anything, however, I'm stuck only working in my neighborhood with only the tools I can fit in my small dump trailer (small push mower, blower, string trimmer/edger, and gas) that I can pull with my new John Deere tractor-style mower. I've been to almost every house nearby, and I've only been able to get 3 customers (one of which is my grandparents.) I've been able to get some other jobs outside of the neighborhood, but only if the homeowner lets me use some of their equipment.
Here's where I'm going with this: my family is going to need to buy another car (too many drivers, not enough cars) and I might be able to convince my dad to help me buy a cheap used truck and let me use it for jobs outside of our neighborhood.
What types of trucks (models/years) should I be looking for? I'm hoping to find a reliable, but also pretty cheap Truck that I can run for a little bit until I have enough money to get an upgrade. I also want to get the truck painted and branded, even if it's a beater, just to stand out in my area and for the fun of it.
I have some concerns buying an old beater because you never know if you can trust it and my dad doesn't really want to go for anything with really high mileage. And obviously I cant go too new either because I don't have much to spend. Is it worth it buying from a private for a better price?
Any ideas or tips are appreciated.