Small pickup nostalgia and why they are gone

Lots of small pickups from the past and why they are no longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siKi79rwnYY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azI3nqrHEXM&t=0s

 

But the Ford Maverik and the Hyundai Santa Cruz fill in those spots now.

 

I kept my 1991 Toyota Truck after buying the new 2023 Tacoma.
My only real gripe with the 2023 is it is too damn big.

I understand the small Truck sized models and manual transmission is available outside the US.
Here, the buyers want "life style" trucks instead.
Yawn.

I don't tow, but if I did, I'd look hard at a Tundra before considering an American mfg full size truck.
I just don't want the problems (or expense) of Ford-GM-Chrysler products.

 

^For your inconvenience, 2024 Tacoma is 3" wider and 4" taller.

 

Blame it all on the Dakota.

Those little guys were cool, but I’m not sure I’d feel very safe today driving something the size of a Hardbody p/up.

Maverick is a solid choice as a contemporary small truck. I might also submit that if you park a Gen3 next to a Gen4 or GM twins, it now looks like a compact. So there you have it.

 

EPA aside, people are bigger now. Half the buyers won’t fit in a 1st gen or an old S10/Ranger. At least not comfortably and without bitching about it being too cramped.

 

^Hell, some buyers complain about 2nd/3rd gen being cramped.

 

My ‘91 s10 had plenty of room with the bench seat. When I looked at a Colorado in2015, it felt cramped and I went full size. After dropping 8 stone, I have plenty of room in my ‘23.lol

 

Congrats on the weight loss! 8 stone is over 100lbs….correct?

 

That’s fine, but parking spaces have not increased in size. You park a midsize truck in parking spaces around here and in most places you’ll have barely 3-4 inches on each side of the white line and your ass sticks out.

 

Back in the 80s, my father would let me borrow his Datsun pickup to get up the mountain to go skiing. I loved that little truck. Skis and all my gear fit in the bed and I never got stuck in the snow. This link is very close to my father’s truck.

http://secondlifetruck.com/truck.php?listing_id=25108

 

The first time I put the Tacoma in my driveway the wife said: Honey, it's so big.

I acted like I didn't hear her so she would say it again...

Those were the first and last times I've ever heard that phrase directed at me from a woman.

 

They dont sell might be one reason you dont see them anymore. My 1st gen was as small as I want to go, and I had compadres with full size V8 Chevy and Fords that got 5 mpg better on local roads and on the interstates in West Texas got 10 mpg better. My 79 Ford Courier got 21 mpg full or empty and had a top speed of 84 mph.

Couple hundred people on the net saying they want small, probably doesnt justify tooling up for production. LOL

 

Ha!





- there is a LOT behind this post, isn't there!

 

I loved my '92 pickup. I was young and tired of dealing with high-mileage used vehicles, but I didn't make a lot of money. But, I could afford a simple base model with no radio. Size was fine for what I needed. Cheap to purchase, run and maintain. I think plenty of people would go for one today.

 

I paid $6,700 for mine, brand new.

 

I paid I think $8,500, but they gave me $2,600 for my '78 Datsun 280Z trade-in. It had some body damage in the back, and the front end was messed up. It was a holiday weekend and their used car guy that values trade-ins wasn't there. The salesman parked it where they couldn't see the back and suggested that number, sales manager said OK. I told them to put a damn bumper on the truck, not sure why they were doing that back then.

I loved that Z, but it was junk by then. Paid $1,800 for it, got $1,600 from it getting rear-ended, and just got a tail lens from a junk yard to make it legal. Traded in for $2600. I'd say it served me well.

 

No

 

We heard you wanted a small truck, so we gave you a car based SUV with the ass cut off and a tiny bed. Enjoy. It has more payload than a small truck that you can’t do anything with, you’re not welcome.

 

I still have an 82 Toyota pickup 4x4. I would kill for a modern version. I love the amenities, but miss the feel of a small truck.