Posted on 08/15/2018 4:12:35 AM PDT by Leaning Right
Light trucks and SUVs are protected by a 25% tariff. That's where the money is, so that's where Ford is heading. GM and Chrysler won't be far behind.
Talk about...who in the HELL would want that?!?!?!
Modern pickup trucks are way too big and expensive. Absurdly so. I would love to see a return to the “mini” trucks of the 80’s. I had two Dodge D50’s, one of which I turned into a convertible. Those were really awesome and got great gas mileage.
I’m stuck with a 2004 Chevy Z71 4x4 now that is parked because the brake lines rusted out. I swore I’d never buy another GM produce two decades ago, but this was such a good deal. Except it wasn’t.
This truck is like living in the 60’s. Everything breaks. Electric mirrors stop working. fan control stops working, instrument cluster fails, etc. And all of these problems are CHRONIC! Including the brake lines rusting out.
This one truly is the last GM product I’ll ever own.
But I really would like to see smaller (and cheaper) trucks make a return. $40k+ is stupid for a half ton pickup.
Ive never heard of the Ford Ranchero before. I remember riding with my grandpa in his El Camino when I was quite young. My mom sent a picture of him last night so he was on my mind. Little trucks made me think of his El Camino :).
You couldnt have paid him to own a Ford; he was a loyal GM customer. Ive never bought a Ford, probably due to that. My suburban is 14 years old and I mentioned to my teen daughter that I was thinking about a Ford Flex to replace it. She told her friends, some who are in or planning to enter the mechanics program at the local community college, and they were all horrified-said to never buy a Ford. I guess Ill continue the family tradition, my moms side, anyway. My paternal grandpa drove only Fords ;).
It looks like a Subaru Brat redux.
My grandfather had one of those on the farm for a light work truck. It was a great little truck except for the fact that it was painted this horrible 1970s green color.
The Chevy LUV was actually an Isuzu as I recall.
great story, both of my kids (now in their 20’s), learned to drive a manual. I felt it was a life skill worth having.
I heard that the reason the new ford trucks use all that aluminum is that pickups have become so bloated that if they made it out of steel it would be too heavy for its class and would enter into a completely different government vehicle type for licensing purposes. It’s kinda nuts.
Those of us who want a pickup for what they were originally designed just need something more practical. That is what a pickup really is supposed to be - something you can haul hay, lumber, dirt, quadrunners, etc in, and pull a trailer.
Lol!
Then I should buy a monster truck?
I was thinking the same thing, lowriders will love it.
That’s called “GM-itis.”
LOL
And we will see it go down the road with El Illegal Construction Company with 25 ladders on it.
Seems more like a Dodge Rampage.
I bought a Rampage in 1982 and loved it... I may have been the only guy on earth who thought they were great.
Mr. niteowl77
I just bought my first pickup, a Toyota Tacoma.
I really like the truck, it replaced a 2004 4Runner with 195k miles on the odometer. That thing never needed anything but brakes, tires, and oil changes.
What bugs me about the Tacoma is that while I elected for the “tech” and “premium” packages, it is missing basic things the 2004 had. Like a locking gas door, built-in garage door openers, and more than one 12v outlet.
It has tons of stuff I don’t really need, though, like the adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, and collision avoidance.
It’s like they are skipping some of the basics in favor of advanced stuff people don’t really need.
They are adding the items that will be used to move towards self driving vehicles.
whether you want it or not.

Can't go wrong with a Sprinter. I drove it 1200 mies on dirt roads in Alaska and Canada. The computer feels the road and adjusts. Mine is 12 years old and going strong
Other than that I love it. Manual transmission which prior to this vehicle I'd never driven, now it feels weird to drive an automatic. Commuting in Boston traffic as I,do evey day can be painful but on any road that's moving along the manual is just plain fun, even on a truck.
I did similar...”stole” my sisters stick shift peugeout 505....got stuck on a hill...rolled back to lodge tires against curb...and thats how I learned to feather in the clutch. Missing car almost reported to police. I had license so ok to drive.
As a guy who drove a ‘76 Chevy van, I like those Sprinters.
I wonder if they come in 4WD.
No way that I’d be able to afford one, though.
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