My gen 1 Dakota was reliable,affordable,and you could fix anything on it with basic tools and bad language. You can’t even find a 6 cylinder 4speed small pickup anymore. If they would build something like it I’d buy one
I agree, we need a right to repair legislation for everything we make too.
I think even battery tech there should be options for people to repair that stuff.
As would many others, myself included. I’ve been looking at new vehicles lately. Holy smokes! The tech and convenience features are flat-out overwhelming. It’s a pipe dream, but one can wonder: Is there a market for a much lower cost version of some vehicles? As little tech as possible to keep them running reliably (achieved decades ago), just bare bones with all the advantages of modern suspensions, brakes, and safety features. Something that doesn’t email me when one of my tires is low, for example (this recently happened to me with a 2024 vehicle...).
As someone once pointed out, owner’s manuals used to include procedures for normal maintenance, like adjusting carburetors and valves. Today, the manuals begin with a warning to not drink coolant...
With the high price of new vehicles, the cost of maintenance, fuel, insurance, and traffic choked roads with idiot drivers, a Toyota Hi-Lux makes sense.