[Drew68]

Pickups were never that expensive. But they were also a little more basic. I’d like to see a return to that. But to get that kind of truck I have to buy used.

Compact pickups traditionally were a young, single man's first vehicle and were priced about $500 above the cost of the ceapest compact car that the automaker offered. Ford Rangers, Toyota SR-5s, Mazda B2000s, Datsun 720s, Dodge Ram 50s, Chevy S-10s... These were the small trucks that young men bought after they graduated high school and landed their first decent job. They were affordable.

[cuban leaf]

I actually owned two Dodge D50’s. The first was actaully the mitsubishi. I turned it into a convertible. It was a lot of fun.

The second had a braking problem. The rears would lock up at the drop of a hat on wet roads. Guaranteed spinout. I had to be very careful when braking. Loved ‘em both, though. I believe they were the first engine to have the balancing shafts. They were very smooth for four cylinder engines for their day.