Nice. I’m planning to get a compact pickup soon. The prices are starting to get really steep where I live. It’s like $4000+ for a 25 year old truck with 180,000 miles on it.
It’s so stupid, if you actually need a small truck your options are to buy used basically.
We just need a couple small (easy to navigate in cities, good on gas) 4wd trucks on the market. You’re basically stuck in Ford Transitsright now, which they’ve just stopped making, or buying 20yr old Mazdas and Rangers. Or being forced into the same F150s every other fleet operator has. I know the market for these vehicles exists (though demand is low) why does no manufacturer try to fill it?
Actually small trucks stopped being made in the early 2000s. Mid size, which has also been growing for several years, is the smallest kind that got made after the EPA regulations changed.
People like to blame truck owners for their bigass vehicles, but I think they’re only half responsible, with the other half being that actually small trucks just don’t really exist anymore.
My grandfather drove around a beat up Datsun pickup, smaller than most sedans these days. But it did the job for what he used it for, and ran forever. I think I’ve seen less than five on the road in the decades since. They seem out of place in today’s SUV/huge truck world.
…manufacturers cater to the compact + economy truck market overseas but protectionist tariffs pretty much give them a captive market for luxury yank tanks stateside; your best bet for something new is finding it in puerto rico and paying the premium to ship it across the gulf…
They are starting to at least make some more reasonable vehicles. Not exactly small but not the oversized monsters.
Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, etc.
Honestly if the towing capacity was more I would have gotten the Maverick instead of the F150 for work. Sadly it can only haul 7,000lbs and I haul around a 10,000 GVW trailer all the time. The F150 in got can haul 13K.
There’s a reason there are “full-size” pickups. The box is 49" wide at the narrowest point across the wheelwells so you can fit full sheets in it. There have been compact pickups for a long, long time (Toyota), but they’re narrower than fullsize and you have to build a deck in them above the wheels to get full sheets in. Sometimes even then you have troubles.
Nice. I’m planning to get a compact pickup soon. The prices are starting to get really steep where I live. It’s like $4000+ for a 25 year old truck with 180,000 miles on it.
we have reached a time when the normal size vehicle is called a compact
Everything has gone the way of the fast-food soft drink size.
It’s so stupid, if you actually need a small truck your options are to buy used basically.
We just need a couple small (easy to navigate in cities, good on gas) 4wd trucks on the market. You’re basically stuck in Ford Transitsright now, which they’ve just stopped making, or buying 20yr old Mazdas and Rangers. Or being forced into the same F150s every other fleet operator has. I know the market for these vehicles exists (though demand is low) why does no manufacturer try to fill it?
Actually small trucks stopped being made in the early 2000s. Mid size, which has also been growing for several years, is the smallest kind that got made after the EPA regulations changed.
People like to blame truck owners for their bigass vehicles, but I think they’re only half responsible, with the other half being that actually small trucks just don’t really exist anymore.
My grandfather drove around a beat up Datsun pickup, smaller than most sedans these days. But it did the job for what he used it for, and ran forever. I think I’ve seen less than five on the road in the decades since. They seem out of place in today’s SUV/huge truck world.
I think 70s-80s small pickups are going to become collectables in the future.
…manufacturers cater to the compact + economy truck market overseas but protectionist tariffs pretty much give them a captive market for luxury yank tanks stateside; your best bet for something new is finding it in puerto rico and paying the premium to ship it across the gulf…
They are starting to at least make some more reasonable vehicles. Not exactly small but not the oversized monsters.
Ford Maverick, Honda Ridgeline, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, etc.
Honestly if the towing capacity was more I would have gotten the Maverick instead of the F150 for work. Sadly it can only haul 7,000lbs and I haul around a 10,000 GVW trailer all the time. The F150 in got can haul 13K.
…i’m not sure they’re actually made any differently; everything in europe gets a dramatically greater tow rating…
The new Toyota Hilux Champ seems kinda nice too I think. It’s kinda ugly but kinda not - and dirt cheap
There’s a reason there are “full-size” pickups. The box is 49" wide at the narrowest point across the wheelwells so you can fit full sheets in it. There have been compact pickups for a long, long time (Toyota), but they’re narrower than fullsize and you have to build a deck in them above the wheels to get full sheets in. Sometimes even then you have troubles.
And even worse if you’re picky about features, like a manual transmission or four wheel drive.
Those were the requirements I had on top of a black color.