I used to think that old little Nissan trucks were the ugliest thing in the world, but I saw one today and thought, gee it'd be nice if there were more of those on the road
Well, regrets always comes later But for real though, 'merica need to revise their trucks laws, it kills the competition and just making their national manufacturer more greedy by making a truck as big as a semi
How old... "Hard Body" era or the.. ones before... No worries.. my 1st Japanese Truck was a 97 Nissan... Only after, trying to kill it,, miles from Touring, No Mercy,, treatment... It earned my respect... Plus when I sold it.... Took about 45min.. Bidding war between two dude's.... Cheers from Southern California 🇺🇸
If a Vehicle can pass all the necessary requirements... Standards etc.. example like the MX5 then No real reason We can't be given a Actual Compact Truck... Right!?... Full size Trucks I've driven.. stock to.. just passed obnoxious... No dignity can be expected while climbing.. What I am going to say, not a single Lifted Truck owner has argued with me... At almost every second driving, Navigating traffic... A near miss is avoided.. I've done this too.. yell up at Douche in the Lifted Truck.. as this stupid monster is using my lane as well.... My Friends lifted Tahoe is mild.. seriously in comparison... I always hated driving it... 51 this year... Never been in a Accident, while driving.. I've never hit another Car..
As a carpenter, someone who actually uses a truck for "trucking", this infuriates me. Modern American pickups have gotten so large as to be impracticable. Ladder racks end up more than seven feet off the ground. The beds are too short for boards because they need "crewcabs" and you need a ladder to get on and off them. The engines are ridiculously powerful allowing them to be driven like demons. My early trucks had less than 200hp and were completely serviceable. No wonder older trucks fetch a premium.
Ya I coughed up 10 grand for a super clean low mile 2wd long box square body. Just needed a work truck, and as some of my friends pointed out it’s nice enough it could be put in a car show or two. But it’s a shame I gotta go back at least 25 years to find a full size single cab long box truck that is half reliable and not $30,000
Back in the 80s and 90s, my dad was a contractor and drove one of those original model Toyota pickups with the 22-RE engine. He put 400,000+ miles on it, without any major engine work, and ended up selling it to someone else in town, and he saw them driving it around town for years. The body rusted through before the engine went out 😂 I don't think there's anything that size for sale now, and certainly nothing that lasts that long. I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat if they were available. Edit: It also got like 25mpg.
Agreed, today new truck are for upper class people to live-action role-play as someone like yourself, while still not looking like the poor rednecks and cowboys who know how to use a truck as a truck.
Me: "I'd like to buy a small, economical truck with a 4 cylinder engine that weighs about 2500 lbs. Because it is so cheap I can afford to have a hybrid/electric/small car and only use the truck when I need to, thus creating an even smaller carbon footprint." EPA: "Too much pollution ☹️" NHTSA: "It has to be really safe to be road legal." Me: "Then I would like to, instead, get a 6000 lb 8 cylinder truck. Because of the price I won't be able to afford another vehicle, meaning this gas guzzler will be my daily driver. It will increase my carbon footprint 10x. I won't be able to see pedestrians crossing the street. If I get into an accident the bumpers are so high that I will harm or kill passengers in a sedan in any crash more than 30 mph." EPA & NHTSA: "Our rules don't apply to big cars, go nuts!"
@@bogtrottername7001 these cars wont last long enough to offset the emissions. the best thing you can do for the environment to reduce carbon footprint is to just not buy a new car
I think the recent popularity of japanese kei trucks lends a lot of credibility to the idea that a cheap small truck would be popular in the US. Toyota sells a sub $10K truck overseas, but lobbyists and the government have conspired to prevent us from getting them.
I usually had a thought about that 10k Toyota truck: What Toyota could do is just import them as a UTV (example: Polaris RZR/Ranger) like the Mahindra Roxor. Less import regulation, less transportation regulation, all that. The issue is that some, if not most, states allow UTV on public roads, even if not on the highway.
They're surprisingly common on Catalina Island just off the coast of Los Angeles. I would totally rock one of those. Give me two seats and a six foot bed, that's all I'm asking for. Mayyyyybe 4x4? This video is excellent and Bart has earned my viewership.
that's one of the things I love about my 2002 F150. Even with the 4x4 package, it's still low enough that I can reach into the bed over the side, and getting heavy things into the bed isn't a struggle.
This is really what killed the little truck, they decided to only make one frame and they chose the 4 wheel drive frame. Now all little trucks are to high to be used for anything. Blame the u no whats in Detroit.
That's why you see newer "slammed" trucks, so shorter people can fit things into the bed easier. Also, having coil overs gives the truck a classier look. Most of the ones I see are single or extended cabs lol
One thing he didn’t touch on: One main reason foreign trucks can’t compete in the U.S. is there’s a 25% tariff on any truck not made in America. It’s called the chicken tax.
@@don2deliver That's exactly why. In the 1960s, Volkswagen was selling large numbers of pickup trucks (based on the Transporter van) while Ford was just getting started with the Econoline. The United Auto Workers complained and the tariff was slapped on foreign truck manufacturers. It was called the chicken tax because Germany slapped a tariff on American-produced poultry. As you pointed out correctly, Toyota and Nissan began building trucks here in the U S. to get around the chicken tax
@@gcfifthgear But there was no tariff on the VW Rabbit pickup or the small Japanese trucks with a low cargo capacity. The tariff was modified to protect 1/2 ton pickups and vans.
My first vehicle at 17 was a 2004 all manual everything Ford Ranger. I bought it new for $8999 (15K today) at a Labor Day sale, and I would do anything to be able to buy it again today.
At 18 years old I bought 2001 Ford ranger xlt with 28,000 miles for $12,000. Awesome little truck 3.0 v6. Drove it to 200,000 miles and sold it due too getting married and first child.
A real farmer/rancher here. I've been raising and selling cattle since the 1960's. I need two kinds of pickups in my operation. One is the Chevy with the DuraMax engine and Allison transmission (or equivalent unit) to pull the stock trailer. The other is the small chore pickup to drive from pasture to pasture and check cows, carry a little bit of feed and mineral, and some emergency vet supplies. Something that can be driven over minimum maintenance county roads and through pastures. Up through the early 2000's, I had a series of S10's to perform this role. Then you couldn't buy them anymore. I became more dependent on John Deere Gators. John Deere has gotten so greedy that a four wheel drive Gator with a cab is over $40,000! Same with Polaris and other UTV makers. This spring, I went a different direction. I bought a Daihatsu HiJet. I had the suspension beefed up, tires switched to all-terrain, and lift kit installed. It has a dump bed that will handle 3/4 ton. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. It was a new unit and had to be imported as an agricultural machine, not road transportation, therefore, it had an electronic speed limiter on it to hold the speed down to 25 mph. The engine is 660 cc and is adequate for getting around but in hill country, you better keep the gears shifting. For some reason the speed limiter has quit functioning and it will go road speeds with no problem. Fortunately, my state (Iowa) and county allows these off-road intended vehicles on county roads so it's working out very well. I have pastures between seven and fourteen miles apart so it is practical for getting around. Gets 45 mpg hauling light to moderate loads. Not the S10 I yearn for, but $15,000 less than a Gator and it does more than the Gator.
One of the LTs in my unit has a decently sized property, and I've been goading him into looking at a Kei truck for getting around his land. Even better for him, as he owned a Kei van when he was stationed in Japan.
When I was a kid, giant sedans were the norm and they were powered by bigger and bigger engines. Then the Japanese especially, came in and ate the Lunches of the Big 3 and began eyeing their Dinners too. Looks like it's that time again.
I got a small Toyota truck in the 70s and it was great work truck. It’s a shame there are so few small trucks. I now have a Toyota minivan I bought for $6000 that serves as a passenger transport and with seat down serves to haul furniture and building materials. It has a 4 by 12 carrying space. Easy to get in with side sliding doors. I even use it to camp in.
90% of people don’t need a full-size pick up truck. A small pick up truck will do just fine. However, there’s absolutely no reason that you should have to pay $30-$50,000 for a small pick up. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
it's due to us automaker protection tariffs(even though those same us automaker import their vehicles) example if a foreign import is has a 50 percent tax then they have to reduce production cost to match but if the "domestic" car doesn't have to pay that then the can have more profits to pay lobbyist to continue the tariffs. if all foreign car have high tariffs then why is the domestic ones almost the same price? easy there is no law saying they have to have a reasonable profit margin . this caused all prices to spike to the same level as the foreign car cost. ford makes their cars in mexico where worker pay is very low and toyota makes them in japan where worker cost is very high the difference is toyota ceo makes much less then the "american" companies
If the ranger had a V8 or a non turboed V6 I'd buy 2 right now. But the price point that they fall into is crazy, there's no reason for me to buy one when I can get a F150 for marginally more and get a tried and true engine with more capabilities.
I just got a 24 Ford Maverick XL with the hybrid engine. Cost 28k and averages 46 mpg over a tank, which lasts over 600 miles. The start is silent, the ride is overall super quiet and electric-like. I like it a lot but it is still too expensive like everything else. Only has a basic warranty, 3/36, which is total garbage. The economy sucks, we need to totally overhaul who gets to have influence. I'm really really tired of libtards and evil people in general. The Mav as a short little bed, just needed any bed for my business needs. Honestly don't like the big lumbering feel of modern F150s. The old 97 F150 I had was outstanding. I would've gotten a Ranger this time but they bumped those up in pricing and are now stupidly expensive.
@@householdhackseven with those tariffs foreign truck manufacturers were still able to compete in the small truck market. Asinine EPA regulations killed that market. Chinas dirt cheep EV’s threaten US automakers so much that even higher tariffs are being put on them. “Compromise” in the United States government can sometimes just get the worst of all sides.
@@AltereggoLol1 Look up corporate capture. Just about every government body in charge of regulating an industry has it's regulations written directly or indirectly by the companies they are supposed to regulate. They achieve this through lobbying (Legalised corruption).
90% of drivers don't need to pull a boat or haul tons of gravel. We just need to carry a small sofa or a dozen bags of mulch home from the store. How is that so difficult for manufacturers to understand? Not every guy treats his vehicle like an extension of his junk. I'm not trying to impress anyone. I just want to move my kid to his dorm.
I use my S10 to tow my jet skis and occasionally my RX-7 when I gotta go to track days. Other than that I use it for dirt bikes and that barely pushes it at all! Minitrucks are such a must with a big bed and extended cab so I can throw all of my gear and tools and parts in there. Really love it!
They do understand very well, its just more profitable to produce pickup truck sports cars the size of a battleship. So they beg the govt to take out their competition and leave the consumer with no alternatives.
@@chkpik It's also the car manufacturers who vehemently argue keeping the price of fuel at the relatively speaking very low point it has been for decades. One reason for that is that it directly feeds into the "bigger is better" philosophy US car manufacturers still push very hard. Another factor is that huge, luxury pick-ups have been status symbols for yuppies and wannabe's for quite some time and these monstrous pick-ups, both in size and power, are what yuppies and wannabe's want. It basically a self-sustaining endless loop created by the car manufacturers.
If you're only going to need to haul something once in awhile it'd probably be a lot cheaper to rent one when you need it or just get your stuff delievered.
If you want to move your kid to his dorm, you'd be way better off renting a U-Haul for $28 bucks and owning something like an SUV/wagon/hatch/crossover which is way more fuel-efficient, has more usable enclosed space, a significantly more comfortable ride, etc. Practically everything is better about a vehicle like that. Mulching happens once a year. This mindset of people naming activities they do once a year and thinking that they need an open bed truck for that purpose is part of why trucks got to where they are today. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people simply do not need trucks. Now, if you love trucks just because you love the way they look, you have fun with them, and they're just a part of your life - that's a different thing. But people who try to justify their trucks are part of how this problem even came to be in the first place.
I had the opportunity to talk to a corporate guy at Ford. I asked a question about a single cab or more powerful option ever coming out. He said that 2 door F series trucks sales were low enough that they won't be doing a 2 door maverick sadly.
@@bwbuskethat guy was confused, if we can’t or won’t spend $40k on a truck why in the hell wouldn’t we spend $15k on a utilitarian purpose built truck ? College educated idiots.
It’s interesting if you ever see a truck doing actual truck stuff these days it usually an old beat up ford ranger or Chevy s10 with a bed so full it’s dragging the ground… can’t hardly remember a time I’ve seen a loaded f250
My 2000 Toyota Tacoma: 406,000+ miles. I've had it for 24 years. I've used it to drive through snowstorms, haul my military equipment when I was a reservist, get between two trees in a field to pull out a stuck lawnmower, and move from LA to Atlanta. I've hauled dogs, kids, and for a delivery job I once had, $12 million in medical equipment every night. It's never left me on the side of the road. It takes off faster from a traffic light than most people stuck beside me. I can tell exactly where I am on the road, and turn it around easier than most people can their bigger trucks. It has outlasted many of the friends I had in high school, the advent of CDs, the end of cassette tapes (it has both), and is one of the only vehicles I ever see that still has physical roll-down windows. An amazing vehicle. And no, I've never had a rust problem.
Everyone parking huge pickup trucks for their daily commute to their white collar job in my apartment parking garage is sooo embarrassing. It does not fit
I live in N NV near the Tesla Factory (batteries and cyber trucks). In my 30 mile commute to nearby Reno I'd estimate a solid 50% of the rush hour traffic is single drivers in a shiny clean full sized PU (not used off road or for trade work). My Honda Fit gets 45MPG doing the same job as these 15MPG pigs. It's disgusting. I own a Forester as a second vehicle. I'd rather have a small efficient PU as a SECOND vehicle but not at current prices:).
Truth is, these truck are the single most comfortable luxury vehicle available these days because classic luxury brands are all about being sporty (i.e. hard, fast and uncomfortable) now. That's why a lot of people who can afford them buy the trucks.
Everybody knows deep down that white collar work is not real work. It's incredibly hard to feel like your job is real and makes a difference when you see in your corporate mail that you've been assigned mandatory training on your company's new official TPS report process involving 5 different "Champions". It's hard to feel like you make a difference when your salary has been the same as when you entered the company 5 years ago, while the salary of your regional manager who is the son of the vicepresident and also a fucking idiot has inflated from 10,000 US dollars a month to 60,000 US dollars a month; when they keep posting record high profits, which you or your city will never see because they're earmarked for a country on the opposite side of the planet founded on crocodile tears and narcissistic emotional blackmail. We were designed to feel stressed because a sabertooth tiger or an enemy tribe are threatening to kill our entire clan in one go, not because some "Scrum master" told you that you have to finish a "Scrum valumaxxing proposal" tomorrow or else he'll submit negative feedback to an office on the opposite side of the planet that will aggregate it with other negative feedback and cascade it to another office on the opposite side of the country which will then cascade it to a "Board of Vicepresidents" in an ivory tower 400 meters above Manhattan that will determine you need to be fired. And because in the United States even your entire personality and life experience are products that brandcorps sell you, the easiest way out of that disastrous consequence of the Industrial Revolution is... the flagship fruit of the Industrial Revolution that is the Ford F-350, which will instantly turn you from milquetoast urbanite to REAL MAN 😎👌🏻, from Scrum manager that knows nothing about life outside of his ivory tower to REAL, WISE AND SKILLED CULTIVATOR OF THE EARTH 🤠👌🏻, from overweight nerd that can be knocked out with a single punch and cowers at the idea of being in a place wider and less crowded than Times Square to A REAL MAN OF THE UNTAMED WILDS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING ⚔👌🏻 8 hours a day, you see your life slowly go down the drain in TPS reports, back to back meetings and angry managers... but if you have an F-350, 2 hours a day you're high on life living the true life of wise rural men that make their living with their clean, honest elbow grease, and life suddenly has meaning now.
I feel like there's a real backlash forming to the big pickup. I've been mad for years, but "trucks are too big" has begun to take root in places other than my grumbles, which has to mean... something
Mine too, I was ready for a new Tacoma after many years in my 98 and they want over $40 for a "plain" model and over $50K for a fancy one!! I just want a simple little pickup like I have only newer and with no miles! The "EPA" is a monster....
I dont own a pickup but man when I see these gigantic POS things on the road, taking up 1.25 parking spots at a lot, speeding down the highway I get so infuriated. It might be irrational hate it might not be but I do HATE these vehicles with a passion. I do not get the appeal. Why bother with them for a family? Much better sedan and SUV options are available in all categories. You cant even use them for work there are again SUVs with the same abilities some of the pickup beds are so small now SUVS compare! Why buy the sport versions of these? Why not just get a real sports car? Just dumb dumb dumb,
@@dalecarson645 Pay attention to what's going on. Federal CAFE standards are why this is happening. There's so much demand for small trucks that people are importing 25 year old Japanese K trucks and older small trucks are selling at higher prices. Just do your research on how federal CAFE standards destroyed the market for small trucks. It's not a lack of demand, it's the unintentional consequences of government interference and bad policy.
a gutless 90's little truck with a 4 cylinder and a stick is truly a unique and strangely zen experience to drive. Just enough power to pull out into traffic without being nervous, but so little that if youre not in the right gear youll lose speed up a hill. Everyone in the world should know what its like.
I had a 1991 GMC Sonoma with the 2.5L 4tech iron duke and 5spd manual. It was wonderful in city traffic but didn't like hills. The iron duke made 90 hp. Now I have a 2016 Nissan frontier with 2.5L and auto trans that puts out 152 hp, the frontier does really good, it doesn't faceplant on hills like the iron duke.
I took a manual 2wd ranger over berthoud pass in colorado in a blizzard back in my poor college boy days. That was the day I learned how to really drive.
I daily an 89 Nissan d21 5 speed with 50 BILLION miles on it. I run a landscaping business with this truck. Towing and hauling. Original motor and tranny. Slow….very slow.
My first ever vehicle was a 2wd 1994 Ford Ranger my dad found through craigslist. This was around 2012 or so and I had just got my license and needed my own vehicle to puts around in. Dad was damned determined it was gonna be a little 4 banger with a 5 speed, because he insured I knew how to drive stick thanks to a 93 Toyota he had and quite literally drove the guts out of. That little 94 has a 4.0L with a 5 speed because he couldn't find a 4 banger, but couldn't pass up the price at the time (about $1600) and it had close to 225k miles on it and the motor had been replaced once. It had also been in an accident based on the front right quarter panel being replaced, but nothing major was hurt. I've had that truck since then, the check engine light has been on since about 2014, even a Ford Master Mechanic we know couldn't figure out what was causing it and didn't have access to a diagnostic scanner for that old a truck. Despite her high miles, despite the decade of a check engine light, despite the rough driving I've put her through being a dumb teenager growing up on a farm, she still runs and drives with minimal issues. She's small but got a full size bed I can literally just step up into, the extended cab has just enough space with the rumble seats out to store a basic tool box and some other misc bits and bobs, and she's just a handy little thing to have cause I can squeeze her in and out of places bigger trucks can't. I look at the new Maveric, and new Ranger and even I despair. The new Ranger's are the same size as the full size 90s F150s and it's ridiculous. The Maveric is barely any smaller than that and both are way bigger than my little ranger. Then you look at the new F150s, or Silverado or Ram and they're so damn cumbersome and they don't need to be. They still get piss poor gas mileage, they're not as useful as they should be because they're too big to fit places, too tall to easily load or unload, too fancy and computerized to be reliable. I'm not even that old, I'm a couple years shy of 30, but I miss the small trucks as much as anyone who was around when they were new. I rambled alot, but oh well. Point is, having a 94 Ranger myself, even being young as I am, I miss the small trucks too.
Spot on. I have a 2000 Tundra, that was a "full size pickup" in 2000. Really love that pickup. Now it's smaller than the 2024 Ranger. Insane. Great video!
@@GNMi79No dude the tundra was a full-size pickup. Compare it to a same year f-150 or Silverado they’re relatively the same size. Trucks have just gotten stupid big over the years for no real reason
I’ve always said I don’t like Tundras because they’re huge. But then I realized the other day that 2000s tundras are actually incredibly smaller than anything out today.
In the county where I live, local ordinances had to be updated. You see, to keep people from parking their big work trucks, dump trucks, box trucks in their driveways, the original ordinances stated that we couldn't park vehicles in our driveway if they weighed more than 3 tons. Fast forward 40 years, and the rich folks couldn't legally park their Ford Excursions in their driveways. Rather than buy something smaller and lighter, they changed the rules. I suspect your town will re-stripe the parking lots so the spots are larger.
I live in a small town in Iowa and the amount of big-ass trucks and SUVs is beginning to clog up some of the town’s streets to the point people can barely get out of their vehicles when they’re just driving to get groceries or get a drink.
@@stevezilla68 I live in a small town in North County San Diego and all the trucks and SUVs have gotten so big that it's caused a huge parking crisis for our tiny streets that have already been beyond packed for decades. And part of the reason is all the extra space they need to parallel park if they don't get close enough to each other there goes another vacant spot that just disappeared because it's barely not big enough for a tiny hatchback or small sedan to park. Sometimes folks have to park nearly 2 blocks away from home even getting there around 5pm!
Also here in Australia we’re calling pickup trucks (trayed vehicles based on light truck platforms) utes, when a Ute is a trayed vehicle based on a saloon car platform
Well, part of the package comes with an ego boost and your balls get bigger. I miss the old days when the only guys with F250's or similar sized trucks were ranchers/farmers, or were urban douchebags. I would kill for an El Camino, it would be my daily and I would have just enough space for the crap I occasionally haul.
Just bought a 2000 Ford Ranger. I drive it every day while my 2024 Subaru sits in the garage. Excluding the air conditioning, its so much more enjoyable to drive. Windows down, cruising the backroads through the Colorado front range, hitting the fire trails for camping trips, no stupid Ipad for a entertainment display... I wish trucks like that were still made.
Not only is it not much heavier than the original miata despite having modern safety and tech, it's a good bit lighter than the generation that came before it which was more barebones. Mazda has the right philosophy for a car company, aside from actually making an effort to lighten their cars the base engines on all their cars are N/A (unlike almost every other brand) and the touchscreen doesn't accept touches when the car is moving
The NC miatas arent bad either, a little chunky but if you're taking it on trips it might actually serve you better than an ND if you can find one clean with lower miles. Or you can always go the old school route of the suitcase rack on the trunk
Bruh the EPA is owned by car companies. It's not stupidity, they didn't just pass measures that coincidentally made car companies and oil companies make more money. It's not supidity, it's malice.
Absolutely, the same as the FDA owned by big ag and big Pharma. For instance, the current head of FDA Robert Cliff working in big Pharma before his current position or Scott Gottlieb before him who came from big Pharma to the FDA and then back to representing big Pharma after leaving. You can look at them all and find similar patterns.
Yeah, it's never "Big Gubmint Dumb" it's government gets paid by lobbyists by companies. Government officials who are anti government are more like to run government badly...
Yep, I have a 2004 F-250 diesel that I use to tow a heavy trailer. I take real good care of it and hope to own it until I die because I will not spend what a new diesel costs.
I'm so attached to my beat up '99 Chevy that I am seriously considering adding a nearly identical one for sale in much better condition, even with over 300,000 miles, nearly double mine. At least they have many compatible parts?
Id pay extra to get a small pickup that actually works for hauling things in the bed and doesnt have 2 seats in the back that nobody’s ever going to sit in.
My in-laws have a little old Toyota Tacoma that works beautifully for hauling furniture, mulch, firewood, you name it and it fits in a standard parking space. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law sent a picture of his seven year old daughter standing in front of a new truck with a _front facing camera_ because the nose is so massive you can't see stuff near you. Give me a cargo truck with a simple bench seat in front, I've got a minivan for my crew.
when my old truck was stolen a couple years ago, my first instinct was to look at trucks to replace it. I could no longer afford any kind of truck, nor did I want any of these massive trucks.
It's almost like you guys have a cramped car fetish. Screw those shitty old pickup trucks. My 2018 F150 Crew cab is still too small for me. Needs more room.
Can't do that in America. There's a thing called the Chicken Tax. A direct 25% tariff on ALL on light trucks imposed in 1964 that has remained ever since.
My first vehicle i bought with my own money was a 1997 Tacoma which i used for my job, which involved some light hauling work. I loved that truck - it was just the right size, it drove really well, it had a dirt simple engine and dashboard, and was good-looking to boot! I loved how simple it was and the only "frills" it had were air conditioning and a tape deck stereo. I eventually gave that truck to my dad and thought I'd get another one sometime in the future. At that time, i had switched jobs and didnt need a truck and so went with more practical sedans as my daily drivers. So around 2015 or so, i started looking at trucks again, thinking i could get another low-frills, relatively inexpensive truck that could double as a daily driver as well as light hauler for home improvement, etc. Nope! Trucks in the 21st century have become defacto luxury cars. 40k+ for a base model pickup is outrageous, considering you can buy a really nice Camry or Accord with a high trim level for that kind of money. Trucks have become outrageously overpriced because of the "bro" culture where "real men" (lol) can't be seen in anything weaker than a lifted, V8 monster that gets 12mpg and can roll coal and is capable of towing an M1 Abrams (but strangely always has an empty bed 😂) . Who tf can afford $75,000+ vehicles anyway who aren't filthy rich?
Maverick was popular because it was supposed to be around $20k, and some people do actually realize "hey, I could use truck features some times.. but lets be honest here, I ain't going to use it as a truck 99% of the time."
Yep, I was definitely one of those people, got on the waiting list for the first Mavericks and everything! Never had a new car before, and while we do use the truck bed for gardening supplies and wood for my budding woodworking hobby, 99% of the time we use our Hybrid Maverick as just the family vehicle. Also it having better fuel economy than my old Nissan Versa hatchback is definitely a plus! It's been frustrating watching Ford slowly raise their prices over the past few years on the Maverick, and incentivizing the non-hybrid option. It makes no sense to me, the early excitement around the Maverick was mostly around a smaller pickup with good gas mileage that's around 20k!
@@kidfantastic93It makes perfect sense, they don't want people to buy the maverick. They want them to opt for a more expensive ranger, but preferably F150
Right On! I shoulda bought one of those first base Mavericks (AWD for where I live) at sticker $23,000 when I had the chance! Pissed around (I hate buying vehicles but my 2011 Ram 1500 served it's purpose well). So, like an idiot I waited (too long). Now you can't touch that same base AWD Maverick under $30Gs (I shy away from used as I put alotta miles on my trucks). Ended up w/ a new Honda Ridgeline Sport for about the same money as new base AWD Maverick (I couldn't even find a base Maverick in 2023!). BUT, Ridgeline still has way too many bells & whistles NOT NEEDED in it's base form. GIVE ME A STANDARD TRANS PLEASE!
The root of the problem is car companies not being interested in making cars anymore. All they want to do is innovate with the newest tech garbage that nobody is going to care about in 10 years.
Real question, I ain't very knowledgeable about cars, but a company like Dacia making "smart" cars (aka, cheap but reliable. Not always pretty, but that's not the goal), does it still exist today in the US?
@@marcbuisson2463 it pretty much doesn't exist in the way dacia exists. the epa stuff bart mentions plays into it all. toyota and isuzu and tata etc innovate in cheap work trucks all the time, you just can't sell them in usa as it is. so the usa market is just throwing in more stuff. would you believe that toyota diesel is seen as unreliable? the usa versions are, say that in thailand and people look at you funny.
@@marcbuisson2463 also dacia pretty much stopped doing that a couple years ago. The base dacias are increasingly complex and expensive as they want to position themselves as a more premium brand. So basically, doing the basic reliable car thing is what's best for the people and argueably the environment, but it's the worst for car companies benefits, hence why less and less companies do it.
@@theautomaticfiend me too, I drive an older Passat with a ton of miles and I know it isn’t going to last forever and can’t figure out what I’m going to replace it with. I hate the way SUVs drive, they lumber compared to a good sedan.
I remember when I got my license in the late '80s and realized that if I wanted a new vehicle for under 10k, I had to get a motorcycle or a pickup. The latter was so much better and versatile. I miss those trucks deeply and have always wondered why we don't have them anymore. Now because of you, I know why. Thanks, EPA.
I have a 2005 Ranger Edge. I drove it to work. Later my son drove it to get back and forth from school. Now my daughter loves the thing and she is driving it. It has served us very, very well.
@@fredflintstone4715 The new Maverick doesn't even hold a candle to the old Ranger, reliability and even usability wise. I used to own a 2000 Ranger. I freaking regret getting rid of it, but living in an HOA neighborhood sucks and I'm only allowed to park four vehicles on the driveway. So when I have family over, they always b!tch about having more than four cars on the driveway :/ I'm going to move right as the housing market collapses.
@@swanhernandez6875 I just hope the replacements last as long. At least these have grease zerks... My friend keeps telling me to see about a lemon law claim on it. LOL
Back in the day, I paid $500 for a Datsun (big font) by Nissan (small font) pickup with only 500,000 miles on it. In addition to oil changes, tires and a battery over the years, I had to change the plug wires and 2 vacuum lines. 240,000 miles later, I sold it for $500. I saw it a couple of years later still running on a ranch, working hard. Love your videos!
They are importing Kei trucks from Japan that cost about 10,000 to purchase. Not the same as the small trucks you are describing but good little trucks for what they do and very inexpensive. My home state of Massachusetts tried to take them off the road but got some much backlash they gave up. Legal for now.
Thomas R. Marshall (Vice President to Wilson) once said "What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar." I say: "What this country needs is a really good $20k truck." Just give me a bench seat, 6-8 foot bed, AC/heater, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS, and a optional V6. Something simple that can get you and some tools somewhere, or back up in the mountains with a camper shell.
Badass.. I've always liked them.... Plus the Dakota Starter is a great Hack for any of the Old L.A platform also Big Block.. all except the HEMI.... Go from 16+ pounds to what.. like 7lbs maybe.. I will always want a Dakota... Mopar or Nothing... I Daily Driver a 68 Dodge Dart...
@@jasonmay6368 Who Hurt You Jason?.. It's ok .. I understand brand loyalty... But,, did a Dodge Harm you ... Ruin Christmas etc ... Cheer Up Bro ... Just buy whatever a Ford is....
It’s easy to blame the EPA (Gov’ment) for the demise of small trucks. It’s a large nebulous “thing” we can all point to as the problem without specifically blaming anyone. The EPA responds to whoever pays their salary, Congress. Congress responds to big business, and they respond to profit. The big three know if you buy a truck, you’re only buying one and I guarantee the profit for a huge F-150 is much greater than on the old Ranger. Forcing Japanese truck makers out of the market or reducing their share was icing on the cake. This is America, and in America it ALWAYS comes down to profit.
It is annoying how Auto Guys mention the CAFE standards without bothering to explain how they were butchered by the Big 3. Just another Reaganite rationalisation of how "regulations bad"
@@Dong_Harvey Regulations are bad. The more of them you have, the more opportunity they can be manipulated. And the answer to bad actors manipulating regulations to benefit themselves is not...more regulations.
So... good explanation, to clarify you're saying EPA standards are essentially a scam? I considered borrowing my neighbor's Dodge Ram to pick up some lumber. Until he tells me the truck bed is only 5'6". And then I realize my beater Honda Accord will HAUL MORE LUMBER than his gas guzzler pickup when using a roof rack and interior space (a full 8'). Plus the Accord is also a more luxurious daily driver.
I bought a 1995 Ranger XLT Supercab with the 4cyl & 5-speed trans that had 183,000 miles on it to have a cheaper vehicle to maintain while I went through college - and because no one in my family had ever owned a truck before and I always wanted one. While I had to rev the nuts off of it to get it to go anywhere, I loved that truck. It never once left me stranded, and it always did what I asked it to do. Besides being reliable, it was very comfy to drive and very easy to park. The small truck era of the late 80's to early 00's was the best and I wish it would make a comeback.
I drive a 2002 Toyota Tacoma and it’s great. I live i the suburb-country, I live in an organized neighborhood but like 12 miles away from town. I use my truck for work but I don’t need a big truck. It halls my tools, supplies, a buck, fishing poles, and other stuff as well as being pretty good at off-roaring. Now the new tacomas are like the size of a 1st gen tundra. Such a shame.
I just got my dad's 2007 ranger on the road, he left it to me in his will. Seems like a fun truck!! its a base model, 3.0 V6, manual windows and locks, no AC, 5 speed manual transmission, 2 wheel drive, single cab. only 119,988KM on the odometer.
You'll love it. Drove my dad's 03 Ranger for a fair years until I bought an '05 Crown Vic. It's a truck that will keep you on your toes but will get the job done.
I have the exact same truck with the same base options. I've had it for ten years and it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. It's actually pretty peppy with the stick. It's terrible on snow though, so I don't drive it in the winter. Only 65,000Km.
@@cyberpleb2472 I was thinking of using it for a winter truck haha. Have you put 8 sand bags or so over the rear wheels for traction? I have a 2001 f150 4x4 as well but 4wd doesn't work so its only rear wheel. I shovel snow into the box and with the freeze thaw cycles it makes some descent disappearing weight over the back wheels too. Works great
Enjoy it. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I bought a 2004 Ranger last year and my kid and I have been fixing it up for him to have. Like I told him, 90% of "Drivers" out there don't know how to drive a stick shift, so be proud of yourself.
@@FDSixtyNine I live on the side of a mountain in central BC where we often get five feet of snow in the winter. I can't get home in the winter without four wheel drive. If you add some weight in the back and have snow tires though, you should be OK in the city. Take care of it, it's a great truck.
Henry Ford, when he started, wanted to make vehicles that a family could afford and be reliable. Affordable and reliable. We have lost on both accounts now. Time to get the government out of business and have the marketplace dictate what we buy.
Ive been living out of the back of an 04 Tacoma for the last 4 years, anything that could happen to it has and I know it can still take years of beating on. Back into a tree? Whoops, oh well. Door handle breaks? Got another one waiting to swap it out and can replace it in 30 mins. Its never left me stranded and has taken me places a stock pickup has no right being. I can help friends move if I need and can make money on the side doing saw work and hauling shit to the dump. A reliable 4x4 with the ability to sleep in the back is all I want from a vehicle. I dont understand why people who live in snowy states buy/lease new sedans that are impractical 5 months of the year just so they can have apple play and a touch screen instead of an older pickup/suv with 4x4. I love my truck.
I live in Europe. A friend in Washington loaned me his Toyota pickup to run around town and I needed to call him up from the mall: how do I get it started? Do you have the clutch pedal down? Why do I need to do that, it's not in gear...? A great little runaround with no space inside, plenty of space in the gas tank and a funny rule about clutches. My current car? For the last 27 years, a 1991 Wrangler with the back seat removed, whose only electronic component is the radio. I kinda like small trucks. Your "suggestion to the industry" had me in tears.
Needing to depress the clutch is a ubiquitous feature for manual transmission vehicles. I'd say generally automatics need the brake pedal pressed to start, too. Is this not the same in Europe?
I went to school with a dude who had a Jeep YJ, and he never had the top on, even if it rained. He would go to the parking lot, pull the drain plug, wait for the water to drain, then drive off. There was nothing inside for the water to destroy.
@@sabbywins No, here we can start a manual car in gear, but usually feel pretty dumb if we do. I believe there was a case in the US where someone started a car in gear, it lurched and hurt or killed someone, so the rule there was introduced. The guy who put lead in gasoline apparently got whacked on the head whist cranking a car to start it, which is why he invented self-starting engines. One trick the YJ has is that the handbrake is foot operated, which means you have to stop the car in the right order in order to be able to start off again if you're on a hill (stop with footbrake, clutch, gear in neutral, depress handbrake, right foot to gas, clutch, select 1st gear, bite the clutch and move off with hand release of handbrake. It's not in the manual.)
I've had a great experience with a small car recently. I am in Morroco and I rented a 2nd gen Daccia Sandero with a 1.5 liter HDCI diesel. This car is extremely cheap; it's a Renault made in Romania for like $10,000. It get's 72 MPG US! The motor is genius. It's a 8 valve, OHC, turbocharged, common-rail, direct injection diesel. It's got quite a bit of power, something like 89hp and 145-169 ft/lbs of torque. It's extremely responsive, good passing power, with a simple 5 speed manual. I've learned to really respect french cars. They're kind of what most people want, tough, hard working, efficient cars that are well thought out in their design. I see a lot of french cars that are 40 years old or more. Yesterday I saw this Mitsubishi compact truck with kind of a raised fence around the bed and it said, Mitsubishi Turbo - Best Truck Ever!. I believe them, Mistsubishi makes very good trucks, they're known for having cheap, toughm, hardworking commercial trucks, and they're known to make very good diesels across the range from compact diesel, to commercial Inline 6 turbodiesel trucks, up into giant diesel motors for marine fishing vessel. They actually have this very strange 20 liter, non turbo, V8 diesel in Japan that people like because it has no turbo lag at 700 rpm. Isuzu makes great trucks as well. And then there was the Volkswagen Rabbit pickup, the ultimate compact pickup with front wheel drive, and a diesel with a 5 speed that got 50-60mpg!
I daily an old 1st gen single cab RWD Tacoma and I absolutely love it. It's about the same size as my '90s and '00s Subaru Legacy wagons, but it only weighs 2500lbs (less than a Honda S2K). It gets 30mpg, and is relatively quick with 140bhp/160lb-ft out of the 2.4L and a 5-speed manual. Oh, and having a 6.5ft bed means that it has more cargo space than most 4dr half ton trucks (I'm aware that it has lower payload and can't tow).
my best friend curt has a 95 2.4 taco and he “tows” more than we ever thought he could. we recently used his truck to flat tow a 2500 yukon xl 80 miles! its also moved a 70s rv that was buried into the ground for about 20 years
My V6 Taco has the ext cab and 6' bed. I've hauled landscaping stuff, drywall, plywood, fire wood . . . towed a 21' Sea Ray, towed another truck on top of a flat bed trailer from FL to MI. I'd love to see the new Taco 4 banger work that hard.
I bought a brand new Toyota pickup (before they were called Tacoma) in 1993 for $7500. Stripped down model: no radio, no AC, no rear bumper or passenger side mirror, single cab 5 speed. Upgraded to a king cab Tacoma in 2003 for $14k brand new. Both good, reliable, affordable vehicles that were cheap to own and maintain. Those days are loooooooong gone.
I bought a 2 year lease return on my Taco TRD Sport ext cab V6 for 28K. I'm so glad I did since Toyota decided to killed they're best seller with a 4 cyl starting at $45K.
I had a 87 s15 with the 2.5 4sp manual trans. i bought used in 99. hit a deer on night and insurance declared it total loss. i bought back and install new front end off another s10 my friend had. i just sold it last year. If they would produce more small trucks like the maverick or figure how to import some of the small truck versions sold in other countries I think the auto makers would have a hit in their hands. i think would help boost their bottom lines (hint hint mopar) not every one wants or can afford a big truck. Use to alot off the little trucks on the road, and they seemed to run forever.
There is a market for an inexpensive economy truck. That is NOT the market manufacturers want. If you build a larger truck there is a LOT more markup/profit to be had. You'd have to build a dozen mini-trucks to make the same profit. If you were a manufacturer which would you rather do: build one for a certain profit or build a dozen for the same profit? In other countries there are numerous reasons why they have a choice of smaller trucks. The American marketplace is savage. Its about stockholders more than consumers. I own a 2000 ranger that I have spent thousands on to keep it in great condition. It still is much less cost with much less worry if something breaks compared to a newer truck. It keeps running.
Yes. think of it like economics. all vehicles need some of the same parts that will cost about the same no matter the size of the vehicle. Making a bigger vehicle just really means more steel and materials like that, not more catalytic convertors or a second engine, so the cost of going bigger is not much, makes a bigger truck have more profit.
I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention the recently released Hilux Champ, Toyota's compact truck released exclusively for the Asian market. Alot of problems with modern trucks is that they're passenger cars first, THEN trucks, which is why the truck bed only takes up about a 3rd of the total length. They're essentially SUVs but with an exposed trunk. Go back the the 70s and the truck bed would be at least half the truck's length
they had a champ on show at the local bigbox shop(like kmart? whats that place that sells like 12 packs of stuff in usa? that kind of a place where vendors go buy stuff from). they had put like a food truck thing on the back of it(like a box with roof, places to put things for cooking etc and sides that opened and the combo was being advertised for like 15k. I think it's toyotas answer to suzuki carry and the tata truck. anyway champ isn't that much smaller or anything than the normal hilux(16k+ start), just more bare bones more 'work' oriented. it's fairly common they take off the beds and change them for whatever they're using the regular hiluxes for. they also commonly beef up the frame and suspension to uprate the carrying capacity. also in southeast asia it's still relatively common that the bed is used as passenger space. the pickups are also often used as local busses (with a built in thing in the back to travel in). you could say the society runs mostly on pickup trucks, that's how the produce gets to the market from the farms, that's how the vendors buy it from the markets and move their stuff, that's how the delivery companies drive their stuff, that's how hay gets transported.
My everyday car is a 1985 Ford Ranger standard cab, fully manual, 4-cylinder. I bought it 15 years ago for the camper shell for my Ranger 4WD, but ended up falling in love with it. Today, people comment on it regularly. They tell me they miss small pickups. They wish modern trucks were available with manual trans and no options. They try to buy it and make nice offers (I live in Arizona where Rangers aren't as common as they are in California.) Don't fret - the small pickup will return, along with small engines and 4-and 5-speed transmissions. It will just take a few more years, when the public gets tired of huge cars (just like they always have in the past.)
but the public is just getting lazier and would rather not think when it comes to shifting, and thus would rather just have the autocrappic, not to mention the fact that so many cars nowadays are being sold with NO ACTUAL GEAR SHIFTER and instead just a little dial.
it should go without saying that the EPA is doing this because of decades of lobbying by automobile manufacturers. The profit margins on larger, higher end vehicles are bigger because they were able to successfully exempt larger vehicles from regulations.
I bought a 1997 Nissan Hardbody last year and I absolutely love it!! It's the most base of the base models, and has only one option: A/C (which still works fantastic!) Single cab, 2wd, manual transmission, roll down windows, manual locks. I have used it a lot more than i expected to already, picking up large/bulky items, helping friends move, etc. It's so nice to be able to reach over the side of the bed and be able to touch the bottom and grab anything you need. The best part? It gets low to mid 20s MPG combined! Not bad for a nearly 30 year old truck that's shaped like a brick!
Granddad told me "You never know how many friends you have until you buy a pickup truck." And then there's the saying "A friend will help you move; a true friend will help you move a body."
Bought a 1978 Ford Courier new for $5600 with a long bed, a/c, am/fm radio, 5 speed manual, 2.3 litre motor. Drove it for 3 years. 99,000 miles and NO issues. Bought anew Datsun King cab. also good truck. Bought a used Mazda 1987 with a 5 speed and long bed. drove it 4 years and only needed a clutch. We have right now w 1999 GMC Sonoma 4 cyl automatic in good shape. In 6 years, it has needed nothing. GOOD Basic Trucks and Transportation. Bring Them Back !!!
Don't fully blame the EPA, i am sure their standards were influenced by the auto industry to make bigger cars. Early on there were offset tax breaks for these behemoth trucks and suv's then they shaped the rules to get rid of the small vehicles (hell you can't even see the road in front of you in a small vehicle anymore). I drove a Datsun pu threw the 70's and 80's and a Mazda B2000 after that, and would love to have any of them back again, no that they don't make a truck those sizes anymore.
I have a Nissan D21 Hardbody, and it is by far the best pickup I've ever owned. That thing has helped me drag home dozens of motorcycles in the last 8 years, and will probably help me collect dozens more in the decades to come.
I drive a 94 D21 and love it. Keeps up with 80mph freeway traffic, hauls what I need, and gets good mileage. Recently I’ve come to realize they are becoming a cult vehicle. I frequently get waves from other hardbody drivers, and have younger guys wanting to buy it. Still works fine at nearly 200k miles. If there was a similar new truck offered, I’d buy it.
I bought a set of used black widow motorcycle ramps and the first day I learned how to use them when I bought a motorcycle the same day and made it to Harbor Freight to buy heavy duty motorcycle straps the only thing I was using in the meantime was a nylon rope to tie down the bike 17 MI to the store
My dad put 100k miles on his 01 Tacoma TRD. Then bought a new one and gave that one to me when I got my license. I put another 600k plus on it over the next 15 years as my daily driver, work truck, off road fun machine, tent with wheels, and road trip vehicle. When I was in the army I drove it from my station in Wisconsin back to home in Georgia very frequently and it was a good comfortable ride. Visibility was great and safety and repairability was awesome. I got t-boned at 65mph in that thing and all that happened to me was a broken nose from the air bag. And I don't know where the insurance company took it but they had it back to me fixed and driving like new in 2 weeks. If it didn't happen to me I would have never believed that thing was in an accident like that. That thing could go anywhere and do anything you asked of it and never broke down. Life changes and you can't fit a baby seat in the back of a 2 door taco, and I couldn't financially justify 2 vehicles at the time, so I traded it for a new Camry in 2022. Despite over 700k on the clock, having a major accident on its record, and being 21 years old, they still gave me $9000 for it towards trade in. The salesman is a good friend of mine and he said they did the next scheduled maintenance on it and sold it for $18k within 2 weeks. Everyone I know, myself included is dying for a "brand new" first gen Tacoma. If the manufacturers would make a truck like that at a reasonable price, I'd be the guy leading the army of customers to beat down the dealer's door to get one
My dad use to own a 1978 GMC K15. He absolutely adored that thing. Although it didnt have the best gas mileage, he loved it because it was a practical and sturdy vehicle. It was made specifically for work and didnt have any of the extra bullcrap trucks have nowadays. He used for everything from cutting trees to hauling literal tons.
The rise of luxury SUVs and luxury pickup trucks with high hood heights is a total disgrace when it comes to safety. These things have giant blindspots right in front of them, and even larger blind spots directly behind them. Children are getting slaughtered by them and it's all for aesthetics. It's a disgrace. Now when I see a pickup truck I can pretty much bet the driver does not use the truck for work and bought it simply as a luxury status symbol at the expense of everyone else's safety. It makes me despise pickup trucks. If you have a pickup truck for work, you should be disgusted at how the luxury SUV and pickup truck industry is portraying you as an entitled man child.
One of my favorite vehicles of all time was a 1992 Chevy S-10 extra cab with a 5-speed manual. I bought it for $200! The odometer had stopped working at 192,000 miles, but it just kept going and going!
In Australia. We have plenty! we got the Ford Ranger, VW Amarok, Izusu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton and way more I can't think of
In Brazil we got both those (apart from the Isuzu and mazda ones), all together with the chevy s10/Holden Colorado, and currently we have got a grey FLUX of medium trucks from Chevy and the Montana that has returned, RAM and the rampage, Renault and their Oroch, fiat and the toro. And we also got the small sized stuff like the fiat Strada and vw saveiro.
Great topic! I remember the early to mid '70's, I was right out of high school, working at the local lumberyard. We could load up the back of a Chevy or Ford pickup with 4x8 pieces of plywood, sheetrock, etc, (laid FLAT between the wheel wells) slam the tailgate shut, and off they drove. Summer nights at the drive-in or down by the lake.... I bet that the vast majority of current "pickups" will never be used for any kind of work/utilitarian purposes.
My wife's '90 ranger and my '92 ranger had little platforms/pockets in the walls of the bed. If you cut 2x4s or 2x6s to fit across those platforms, you could carry 4x8 materials flat with the tailgate down.
That one story you told about people buying trucks as commuter vehicles because they’ll last longer is probably a thing because it used to be true. 90% of people rarely loaded up or haul big things with their trucks, which back in the day WERE made to take the abuse. I’ve got a 98 Sierra which was designed to be a towing machine, but it just cruises around without a care. It’s less applicable to newer vehicles because it’s all plastic and electronics, and they’re really no different than a crossover or an SUV, they just have a different body style. You see all these old trucks with 200k+ miles on them because they were made to go the distance, and when not ran hard and maintained consistently, they just never die
My little 1998 S10 is my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. There's just so much you can do with it, and it's a blast to drive. Even with its gutless 2.2l, I still smile driving it around.
Great content as always. As a 1961 midget owner, I fully agreed with your video on small sports cars. Now, as a 2001 Ranger owner, I fully agree with this video. It's why I'm keeping my ranger rust free. I'm never gonna buy a truck made after 2005. Keep my ranger running till I'm dead.
Just picked up a well maintained, stored Winters 2001 Mitsubishi eclipse Spyder GT convertible with the upgraded leather, brakes, infinity stereo and17" alloys. Doing the timing belt and water pump in a week. I'm stoked.
I remember my best friend had an F150 in high school. It was mainly for transporting his drum set around town, and he loved it because even if he wasn’t going to practice, the smaller cab meant he didn’t have to worry about giving friends rides.
Got an old 94 ranger xlt back in 2019 from a dude on fb marketplace who was living out in the sticks. Told me his dad had been using it for work, and then I continued using it for my landscaping gig. Old thing has been through so many things and repairs. Now that I've changed industries, it doesn't get used like a work horse anymore just my daily driver, tbh I plan on keeping this thing as long as possible.
I'm in sales, and my boss asked me to put a picture of the truck I want to purchase as motivation. So, I'm putting up the 2000 Tacoma PreRunner! Thanks for the video-you and millions of others feel the same way. Bring back the small pickup!
My grandpa’s 95 ranger (6 cylinder extended cab) lasted 450k miles. And he beat that thing working drywall keeping up with off-roading to boot. Mine was a 98 4 banger which had been in a rollover crash before I got it and lasted over 100k (355k total) miles before it finally had a catastrophic engine failure (someone had neglected oil changes before I purchased it unfortunately) My absolute best memories are in the seat of a classic ford ranger. Even though the badge is back, the truck will never be the same.
I agree 100%. My parents paid for me to start up a lease on a '99 back in 1999 and told me if I screwed it up we were done. That got me kinda scared and motivated and when I scrapped it in 2020 it had 418K. It was the only vehicle I had from 99-2010 and if it had failed my life would have been in a world of hurt. Awesome trucks and awesome memories.
This was all stuff id thought about before, until you said that one phrase that hadn't even occurred to me. "Suck it up, get the loan." And that's another aspect of it. These companies are selling expensive-ass, unnecessarily large trucks, and then they're the ones financing them to you, making all that sweet, sweet interest money. So they make a profit on the truck, then pull another 20-50% of the price out of you through interest, depending on your credit score. Its a joke, and the consumer is the punchline.
I mean you are just wrong. Maybe what you are saying applies to idiots with terrible credit but I'd much rather finance through a manufacturer than with a bank. I got an interest rate below 2% when the best any bank was offering was 6.5%. I could have gotten below 1% if I wanted to payoff the loan in 2 years. In the end they are getting $500 out of me after 3 years which I am happy to give them. It's really the dealers that are getting the cut whenever they run your credit through one of their banks. The manufacturers on the other hand offer some nice deals if you qualify.
@@ferretsmiles dealer take money on the finance , the bank and manufacter too take more money, ther should be a way to pay in cash but its impossible with new prices and low wages
@@ferretsmiles how about this! i paid cash for mine at 15 , my dad had to drive it home! in 85 i paid 4900 for a new mitsu truck. oh wait you cant do that now because of all the garbage they put on them.. thats what its about... not some idiot that got lucky in life and has a perfect score dude... affordability .. not finacabilty ....
@faulker6751 that's not on the manufacturers. And don't even try to act like that old truck is any comparison to a modern full size. It's equivalent is a ford maverick for under 30k. And even then that maverick is leaps and bounds the better truck if for the only reason that you will be guaranteed to survive a head on collision going 35 mph.
Cute little reliable truck. I used to have a '91. Dealer could never find me the teal, with manual, no power steering so I got their 'show truck' they had on display, red with ground effects and tint. Minitrucks had a big following in the 90s mostly modders
Nice thought at the end but you said it yourself. They literally can’t due to regulations. And it’s not just the CAFE standards. It’s crash standards, it’s safety feature requirements, it’s cost per unit.
I am thankful to own a 1990 Chevy 1500 that I bought for $2,700 a few years ago. It's in amazing shape, no rust, and still has the original engine at 254,000 miles.
The U.S. "chicken tax" is a 25% tariff on imported light trucks from a 1960s trade dispute. It raises prices on foreign trucks, reduces competition, limits consumer choice, and stifles innovation. Combined with EPA regulations, it also impacts fuel efficiency and environmental progress. To change this, everyone should contact their representatives, support free trade policies, and advocate for consumer choice and competitive markets.
My first two vehicles were a 2002 and 2001 Ranger, with a gutless 4 banger and a manual. Both former work trucks, both just great to drive. Blew up the rear axle in the first one, swapped it out, then blew the head gasket about three months later. Still have the second one, and it’s still going strong despite not getting driven as much. When I was looking to upgrade, I was going between a Maverick and a 2-door Bronco. If the Maverick had a manual option I would have done that in a second, but I don’t regret my cheapest-possible-except-these-two-options Bronco. Super fun to drive and it should be able to claw its way out of anything a Minnesota winter can throw at it
Funny- I remember my Lady Wife dusting off wannabe sports cars at stop lights with her '90 Ranger 4x4. And my '92 Ranger had a motor with two plugs per cylinder, and for a small four-squirrel it had torque out the @$$. I'd be sure I stalled it out, but when I pushed in the clutch to restart it, it would catch up and keep running.
I bought a 91 Chevy Silverado k1500 in 2021 and although I had a ton of problems with it for the first year or so, I slowly fixed all of them and I now have a very reliable old school truck and I love it. It can do some serious towing and the bed is way bigger than anything on the market today.
I drive a 2001 Ford Ranger with 250,000 miles, and that thing's lifters are making more noise than a drummer boy. The transmission slips more than a banana peel at a clown convention. It's losing about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. The power steering pump is a supercharger at home, and I beat the shit out of it every day. But it starts up fine every day without fail and hasn't let me down. I intend to fix everything that's wrong with it. (I'm going to replace the lifters here tomorrow.)
I just sold my 98 5 speed 4x4 Ranger few weeks ago i drove it for 10 years had 202k miles on it still had the factory clutch only ever had regular oil/fluid changes 1 brake job 1 set of spark plugs and 3 sets of tires. It was a good truck but she was getting tired but never left me sitting on the side of the road not one time did it break down.
Yo 96 owner here bought it with odometer still stuck at 117216 miles. Radiator coolant disappears every week and half. Have to sometimes force the the transmission to shift to next gear but all in all there rangers and hella fun to have.
I used to think that old little Nissan trucks were the ugliest thing in the world, but I saw one today and thought, gee it'd be nice if there were more of those on the road
Well, regrets always comes later
But for real though, 'merica need to revise their trucks laws, it kills the competition and just making their national manufacturer more greedy by making a truck as big as a semi
How old... "Hard Body" era or the.. ones before...
No worries.. my 1st Japanese Truck was a 97 Nissan...
Only after, trying to kill it,, miles from Touring, No Mercy,, treatment...
It earned my respect...
Plus when I sold it....
Took about 45min..
Bidding war between two dude's....
Cheers from Southern California 🇺🇸
I make a point to give the driver a thumbs up if I see a Datsun 720 on the road.
If a Vehicle can pass all the necessary requirements... Standards etc.. example like the MX5 then No real reason We can't be given a Actual Compact Truck...
Right!?...
Full size Trucks I've driven.. stock to.. just passed obnoxious...
No dignity can be expected while climbing..
What I am going to say, not a single Lifted Truck owner has argued with me...
At almost every second driving, Navigating traffic...
A near miss is avoided..
I've done this too.. yell up at Douche in the Lifted Truck.. as this stupid monster is using my lane as well....
My Friends lifted Tahoe is mild.. seriously in comparison...
I always hated driving it...
51 this year...
Never been in a Accident, while driving.. I've never hit another Car..
I’ve got a first gen frontier and I love it
As a carpenter, someone who actually uses a truck for "trucking", this infuriates me. Modern American pickups have gotten so large as to be impracticable. Ladder racks end up more than seven feet off the ground. The beds are too short for boards because they need "crewcabs" and you need a ladder to get on and off them. The engines are ridiculously powerful allowing them to be driven like demons. My early trucks had less than 200hp and were completely serviceable. No wonder older trucks fetch a premium.
nailed it! I have Never needed a larger truck. and look at what people do with Kei trucks in 3rd world countries.
Ya I coughed up 10 grand for a super clean low mile 2wd long box square body. Just needed a work truck, and as some of my friends pointed out it’s nice enough it could be put in a car show or two. But it’s a shame I gotta go back at least 25 years to find a full size single cab long box truck that is half reliable and not $30,000
That's why the rest of the world uses vans.
Back in the 80s and 90s, my dad was a contractor and drove one of those original model Toyota pickups with the 22-RE engine. He put 400,000+ miles on it, without any major engine work, and ended up selling it to someone else in town, and he saw them driving it around town for years. The body rusted through before the engine went out 😂
I don't think there's anything that size for sale now, and certainly nothing that lasts that long. I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat if they were available.
Edit: It also got like 25mpg.
Agreed, today new truck are for upper class people to live-action role-play as someone like yourself, while still not looking like the poor rednecks and cowboys who know how to use a truck as a truck.
$7000-$9000 for a 2010 ford ranger. We are so fucked.
So happy I just got to pick up a 2010 for 4k from a family member
@@Louisville502alc that's great man that's a good deal
We are so fucked
2003 Toyota Tacoma 209,000 miles listed for $12,000 on Denver Craigslist right now...
@@ColoradoStreaming damn
Me: "I'd like to buy a small, economical truck with a 4 cylinder engine that weighs about 2500 lbs. Because it is so cheap I can afford to have a hybrid/electric/small car and only use the truck when I need to, thus creating an even smaller carbon footprint."
EPA: "Too much pollution ☹️"
NHTSA: "It has to be really safe to be road legal."
Me: "Then I would like to, instead, get a 6000 lb 8 cylinder truck. Because of the price I won't be able to afford another vehicle, meaning this gas guzzler will be my daily driver. It will increase my carbon footprint 10x. I won't be able to see pedestrians crossing the street. If I get into an accident the bumpers are so high that I will harm or kill passengers in a sedan in any crash more than 30 mph."
EPA & NHTSA: "Our rules don't apply to big cars, go nuts!"
The manufacturing of two vehicles is way more polluting than one vehicle tho
@@awepossum1059 Maybe, if you don't consider the long term.
@@bogtrottername7001 these cars wont last long enough to offset the emissions. the best thing you can do for the environment to reduce carbon footprint is to just not buy a new car
@@bogtrottername7001well in the long term these new vehicles will become landfill
@@awepossum1059 then use public transpor... Oh wait, the US doesn't have a proper public transport system in most of their cities
I think the recent popularity of japanese kei trucks lends a lot of credibility to the idea that a cheap small truck would be popular in the US. Toyota sells a sub $10K truck overseas, but lobbyists and the government have conspired to prevent us from getting them.
I usually had a thought about that 10k Toyota truck:
What Toyota could do is just import them as a UTV (example: Polaris RZR/Ranger) like the Mahindra Roxor. Less import regulation, less transportation regulation, all that. The issue is that some, if not most, states allow UTV on public roads, even if not on the highway.
Thanks so much LBJ 👍
They're surprisingly common on Catalina Island just off the coast of Los Angeles. I would totally rock one of those. Give me two seats and a six foot bed, that's all I'm asking for. Mayyyyybe 4x4?
This video is excellent and Bart has earned my viewership.
Which one and where? Here in Germany we only get the Hilux of which the base model has a price tag of 34.8k alone
Most states in the U.S. have outlawed driving kei trucks on the roads. I was really upset about that
The thing I hate most about modern giant pickups is the bed is too high. I dont want to lift bags of concrete any higher than I have too.
that's one of the things I love about my 2002 F150. Even with the 4x4 package, it's still low enough that I can reach into the bed over the side, and getting heavy things into the bed isn't a struggle.
Everything is too high on them.
This is really what killed the little truck, they decided to only make one frame and they chose the 4 wheel drive frame. Now all little trucks are to high to be used for anything. Blame the u no whats in Detroit.
because its not used as a work vehicle 90% of the time. And if youre a business owner a van is just better anyway.
That's why you see newer "slammed" trucks, so shorter people can fit things into the bed easier. Also, having coil overs gives the truck a classier look. Most of the ones I see are single or extended cabs lol
One thing he didn’t touch on: One main reason foreign trucks can’t compete in the U.S. is there’s a 25% tariff on any truck not made in America. It’s called the chicken tax.
Toyota and Nissan make them here.
@@don2deliver That's exactly why. In the 1960s, Volkswagen was selling large numbers of pickup trucks (based on the Transporter van) while Ford was just getting started with the Econoline. The United Auto Workers complained and the tariff was slapped on foreign truck manufacturers. It was called the chicken tax because Germany slapped a tariff on American-produced poultry. As you pointed out correctly, Toyota and Nissan began building trucks here in the U S. to get around the chicken tax
@@gcfifthgear But there was no tariff on the VW Rabbit pickup or the small Japanese trucks with a low cargo capacity. The tariff was modified to protect 1/2 ton pickups and vans.
Then why doesn't Toyota make cheap trucks here?
@@forkthepork money
My first vehicle at 17 was a 2004 all manual everything Ford Ranger. I bought it new for $8999 (15K today) at a Labor Day sale, and I would do anything to be able to buy it again today.
I still own that truck. Clutch is rough, but everything else works perfectly.
At 18 years old I bought 2001 Ford ranger xlt with 28,000 miles for $12,000. Awesome little truck 3.0 v6. Drove it to 200,000 miles and sold it due too getting married and first child.
Bro I had that same truck! Mine was a 2004 red Ford Ranger with a stick. Have never driven a better quality truck since.
I had no idea the rangers were that cheap new, had a 2000 Saturn sc2 as my first car, and sticker said it was like 16k
A real farmer/rancher here. I've been raising and selling cattle since the 1960's. I need two kinds of pickups in my operation. One is the Chevy with the DuraMax engine and Allison transmission (or equivalent unit) to pull the stock trailer. The other is the small chore pickup to drive from pasture to pasture and check cows, carry a little bit of feed and mineral, and some emergency vet supplies. Something that can be driven over minimum maintenance county roads and through pastures. Up through the early 2000's, I had a series of S10's to perform this role. Then you couldn't buy them anymore. I became more dependent on John Deere Gators. John Deere has gotten so greedy that a four wheel drive Gator with a cab is over $40,000! Same with Polaris and other UTV makers. This spring, I went a different direction. I bought a Daihatsu HiJet. I had the suspension beefed up, tires switched to all-terrain, and lift kit installed. It has a dump bed that will handle 3/4 ton. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. It was a new unit and had to be imported as an agricultural machine, not road transportation, therefore, it had an electronic speed limiter on it to hold the speed down to 25 mph. The engine is 660 cc and is adequate for getting around but in hill country, you better keep the gears shifting. For some reason the speed limiter has quit functioning and it will go road speeds with no problem. Fortunately, my state (Iowa) and county allows these off-road intended vehicles on county roads so it's working out very well. I have pastures between seven and fourteen miles apart so it is practical for getting around. Gets 45 mpg hauling light to moderate loads. Not the S10 I yearn for, but $15,000 less than a Gator and it does more than the Gator.
One of the LTs in my unit has a decently sized property, and I've been goading him into looking at a Kei truck for getting around his land. Even better for him, as he owned a Kei van when he was stationed in Japan.
>For some reason the speed limiter has quit functioning and it will go road speeds with no problem.
What a shame 🤣
Churn through some used Subaru's for the pasture vehicle?
When I was a kid, giant sedans were the norm and they were powered by bigger and bigger engines. Then the Japanese especially, came in and ate the Lunches of the Big 3 and began eyeing their Dinners too. Looks like it's that time again.
I got a small Toyota truck in the 70s and it was great work truck. It’s a shame there are so few small trucks. I now have a Toyota minivan I bought for $6000 that serves as a passenger transport and with seat down serves to haul furniture and building materials. It has a 4 by 12 carrying space. Easy to get in with side sliding doors. I even use it to camp in.
90% of people don’t need a full-size pick up truck. A small pick up truck will do just fine. However, there’s absolutely no reason that you should have to pay $30-$50,000 for a small pick up. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
it's due to us automaker protection tariffs(even though those same us automaker import their vehicles) example if a foreign import is has a 50 percent tax then they have to reduce production cost to match but if the "domestic" car doesn't have to pay that then the can have more profits to pay lobbyist to continue the tariffs. if all foreign car have high tariffs then why is the domestic ones almost the same price? easy there is no law saying they have to have a reasonable profit margin . this caused all prices to spike to the same level as the foreign car cost. ford makes their cars in mexico where worker pay is very low and toyota makes them in japan where worker cost is very high the difference is toyota ceo makes much less then the "american" companies
If the ranger had a V8 or a non turboed V6 I'd buy 2 right now. But the price point that they fall into is crazy, there's no reason for me to buy one when I can get a F150 for marginally more and get a tried and true engine with more capabilities.
I just got a 24 Ford Maverick XL with the hybrid engine. Cost 28k and averages 46 mpg over a tank, which lasts over 600 miles. The start is silent, the ride is overall super quiet and electric-like. I like it a lot but it is still too expensive like everything else. Only has a basic warranty, 3/36, which is total garbage. The economy sucks, we need to totally overhaul who gets to have influence. I'm really really tired of libtards and evil people in general.
The Mav as a short little bed, just needed any bed for my business needs. Honestly don't like the big lumbering feel of modern F150s. The old 97 F150 I had was outstanding. I would've gotten a Ranger this time but they bumped those up in pricing and are now stupidly expensive.
@@householdhackseven with those tariffs foreign truck manufacturers were still able to compete in the small truck market. Asinine EPA regulations killed that market. Chinas dirt cheep EV’s threaten US automakers so much that even higher tariffs are being put on them. “Compromise” in the United States government can sometimes just get the worst of all sides.
gee, who would have thought that allowing lawmakers to take bribes from manufacturers would have lead to this? nobody could have seen this coming.
that's the government job, to screw population, and they always get it done
Wait until you realize all US government policies are written by lawmakers taking bribes from various special interests
It wasn't lawmakers: the EPA wrote the regulations.
@@AltereggoLol1 Yes the EPA wrote the laws....at the request (through corporate lobbying) of the Big 3 to shutout foreign competition
@@AltereggoLol1 Look up corporate capture. Just about every government body in charge of regulating an industry has it's regulations written directly or indirectly by the companies they are supposed to regulate. They achieve this through lobbying (Legalised corruption).
Finally a car channel calling the cybertruck out for what it is. THANK YOU!
90% of drivers don't need to pull a boat or haul tons of gravel. We just need to carry a small sofa or a dozen bags of mulch home from the store. How is that so difficult for manufacturers to understand? Not every guy treats his vehicle like an extension of his junk. I'm not trying to impress anyone. I just want to move my kid to his dorm.
I use my S10 to tow my jet skis and occasionally my RX-7 when I gotta go to track days.
Other than that I use it for dirt bikes and that barely pushes it at all! Minitrucks are such a must with a big bed and extended cab so I can throw all of my gear and tools and parts in there. Really love it!
They do understand very well, its just more profitable to produce pickup truck sports cars the size of a battleship. So they beg the govt to take out their competition and leave the consumer with no alternatives.
@@chkpik It's also the car manufacturers who vehemently argue keeping the price of fuel at the relatively speaking very low point it has been for decades. One reason for that is that it directly feeds into the "bigger is better" philosophy US car manufacturers still push very hard.
Another factor is that huge, luxury pick-ups have been status symbols for yuppies and wannabe's for quite some time and these monstrous pick-ups, both in size and power, are what yuppies and wannabe's want. It basically a self-sustaining endless loop created by the car manufacturers.
If you're only going to need to haul something once in awhile it'd probably be a lot cheaper to rent one when you need it or just get your stuff delievered.
If you want to move your kid to his dorm, you'd be way better off renting a U-Haul for $28 bucks and owning something like an SUV/wagon/hatch/crossover which is way more fuel-efficient, has more usable enclosed space, a significantly more comfortable ride, etc. Practically everything is better about a vehicle like that.
Mulching happens once a year. This mindset of people naming activities they do once a year and thinking that they need an open bed truck for that purpose is part of why trucks got to where they are today. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people simply do not need trucks. Now, if you love trucks just because you love the way they look, you have fun with them, and they're just a part of your life - that's a different thing. But people who try to justify their trucks are part of how this problem even came to be in the first place.
the maverick needs to have a single cab long box option
I had the opportunity to talk to a corporate guy at Ford. I asked a question about a single cab or more powerful option ever coming out. He said that 2 door F series trucks sales were low enough that they won't be doing a 2 door maverick sadly.
A single cab short bed maverick would be awesome.
We should have World peace also.
It makes the wheelbase too short (unless they just put a huge box on it) which is why it comes as a 4door now...
I wish it had that option though.
@@bwbuskethat guy was confused, if we can’t or won’t spend $40k on a truck why in the hell wouldn’t we spend $15k on a utilitarian purpose built truck ? College educated idiots.
It’s interesting if you ever see a truck doing actual truck stuff these days it usually an old beat up ford ranger or Chevy s10 with a bed so full it’s dragging the ground… can’t hardly remember a time I’ve seen a loaded f250
in so cal lot of the gardeners drive Toyota pus
It's a well established fact little trucks work harder...
That's cuz the owners of the F-250's pay other people to haul or tow their stuff. Those of us with little trucks have to haul or tow our own stuff 😄
Ive seen a fully loaded F-250.. albeit it was from the 90's or 80's, such a strong truck and yet it seems smaller than a modern Maverick
Hell, I have seen ford rangers do things ford rangers shouldn't be doing!
My 2000 Toyota Tacoma: 406,000+ miles. I've had it for 24 years.
I've used it to drive through snowstorms, haul my military equipment when I was a reservist, get between two trees in a field to pull out a stuck lawnmower, and move from LA to Atlanta. I've hauled dogs, kids, and for a delivery job I once had, $12 million in medical equipment every night.
It's never left me on the side of the road. It takes off faster from a traffic light than most people stuck beside me. I can tell exactly where I am on the road, and turn it around easier than most people can their bigger trucks.
It has outlasted many of the friends I had in high school, the advent of CDs, the end of cassette tapes (it has both), and is one of the only vehicles I ever see that still has physical roll-down windows.
An amazing vehicle. And no, I've never had a rust problem.
i’ve got an 01 TRD 4x4 Xtracab 320k miles on the original 3.4 and auto transmission. They’re gold
Everyone parking huge pickup trucks for their daily commute to their white collar job in my apartment parking garage is sooo embarrassing. It does not fit
They got handicap tags in my office and block the sidewalk with their long beds.
I live in N NV near the Tesla Factory (batteries and cyber trucks). In my 30 mile commute to nearby Reno I'd estimate a solid 50% of the rush hour traffic is single drivers in a shiny clean full sized PU (not used off road or for trade work). My Honda Fit gets 45MPG doing the same job as these 15MPG pigs. It's disgusting. I own a Forester as a second vehicle. I'd rather have a small efficient PU as a SECOND vehicle but not at current prices:).
Truth is, these truck are the single most comfortable luxury vehicle available these days because classic luxury brands are all about being sporty (i.e. hard, fast and uncomfortable) now. That's why a lot of people who can afford them buy the trucks.
The majority of blue collar people don't even use their pickup for their actual job. It's just something dudes buy because "real men drive trucks."
Everybody knows deep down that white collar work is not real work. It's incredibly hard to feel like your job is real and makes a difference when you see in your corporate mail that you've been assigned mandatory training on your company's new official TPS report process involving 5 different "Champions". It's hard to feel like you make a difference when your salary has been the same as when you entered the company 5 years ago, while the salary of your regional manager who is the son of the vicepresident and also a fucking idiot has inflated from 10,000 US dollars a month to 60,000 US dollars a month; when they keep posting record high profits, which you or your city will never see because they're earmarked for a country on the opposite side of the planet founded on crocodile tears and narcissistic emotional blackmail. We were designed to feel stressed because a sabertooth tiger or an enemy tribe are threatening to kill our entire clan in one go, not because some "Scrum master" told you that you have to finish a "Scrum valumaxxing proposal" tomorrow or else he'll submit negative feedback to an office on the opposite side of the planet that will aggregate it with other negative feedback and cascade it to another office on the opposite side of the country which will then cascade it to a "Board of Vicepresidents" in an ivory tower 400 meters above Manhattan that will determine you need to be fired.
And because in the United States even your entire personality and life experience are products that brandcorps sell you, the easiest way out of that disastrous consequence of the Industrial Revolution is... the flagship fruit of the Industrial Revolution that is the Ford F-350, which will instantly turn you from milquetoast urbanite to REAL MAN 😎👌🏻, from Scrum manager that knows nothing about life outside of his ivory tower to REAL, WISE AND SKILLED CULTIVATOR OF THE EARTH 🤠👌🏻, from overweight nerd that can be knocked out with a single punch and cowers at the idea of being in a place wider and less crowded than Times Square to A REAL MAN OF THE UNTAMED WILDS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING ⚔👌🏻
8 hours a day, you see your life slowly go down the drain in TPS reports, back to back meetings and angry managers... but if you have an F-350, 2 hours a day you're high on life living the true life of wise rural men that make their living with their clean, honest elbow grease, and life suddenly has meaning now.
I feel like there's a real backlash forming to the big pickup. I've been mad for years, but "trucks are too big" has begun to take root in places other than my grumbles, which has to mean... something
Mine too, I was ready for a new Tacoma after many years in my 98 and they want over $40 for a "plain" model and over $50K for a fancy one!! I just want a simple little pickup like I have only newer and with no miles! The "EPA" is a monster....
I dont own a pickup but man when I see these gigantic POS things on the road, taking up 1.25 parking spots at a lot, speeding down the highway I get so infuriated. It might be irrational hate it might not be but I do HATE these vehicles with a passion. I do not get the appeal. Why bother with them for a family? Much better sedan and SUV options are available in all categories. You cant even use them for work there are again SUVs with the same abilities some of the pickup beds are so small now SUVS compare! Why buy the sport versions of these? Why not just get a real sports car? Just dumb dumb dumb,
If the same number of people who have watched this video just contacted their representative then Congress would take notice of the issue.
Trucks are far too big. I really despise them. The drivers are usually just as tacky as their trucks.
@@dalecarson645 Pay attention to what's going on. Federal CAFE standards are why this is happening. There's so much demand for small trucks that people are importing 25 year old Japanese K trucks and older small trucks are selling at higher prices.
Just do your research on how federal CAFE standards destroyed the market for small trucks. It's not a lack of demand, it's the unintentional consequences of government interference and bad policy.
a gutless 90's little truck with a 4 cylinder and a stick is truly a unique and strangely zen experience to drive. Just enough power to pull out into traffic without being nervous, but so little that if youre not in the right gear youll lose speed up a hill. Everyone in the world should know what its like.
I had a 1991 GMC Sonoma with the 2.5L 4tech iron duke and 5spd manual. It was wonderful in city traffic but didn't like hills. The iron duke made 90 hp. Now I have a 2016 Nissan frontier with 2.5L and auto trans that puts out 152 hp, the frontier does really good, it doesn't faceplant on hills like the iron duke.
That was basically my first car:1989 Nissan Sentra. I had to be very strategic with hills and passing.
I took a manual 2wd ranger over berthoud pass in colorado in a blizzard back in my poor college boy days. That was the day I learned how to really drive.
I daily an 89 Nissan d21 5 speed with 50 BILLION miles on it. I run a landscaping business with this truck. Towing and hauling. Original motor and tranny. Slow….very slow.
Just bought a 2000 Ranger. 4 cylinder, manual, 2wd, crank windows. It’s gives the nostalgic old truck vibes on a budget.
My first ever vehicle was a 2wd 1994 Ford Ranger my dad found through craigslist. This was around 2012 or so and I had just got my license and needed my own vehicle to puts around in. Dad was damned determined it was gonna be a little 4 banger with a 5 speed, because he insured I knew how to drive stick thanks to a 93 Toyota he had and quite literally drove the guts out of.
That little 94 has a 4.0L with a 5 speed because he couldn't find a 4 banger, but couldn't pass up the price at the time (about $1600) and it had close to 225k miles on it and the motor had been replaced once. It had also been in an accident based on the front right quarter panel being replaced, but nothing major was hurt. I've had that truck since then, the check engine light has been on since about 2014, even a Ford Master Mechanic we know couldn't figure out what was causing it and didn't have access to a diagnostic scanner for that old a truck.
Despite her high miles, despite the decade of a check engine light, despite the rough driving I've put her through being a dumb teenager growing up on a farm, she still runs and drives with minimal issues. She's small but got a full size bed I can literally just step up into, the extended cab has just enough space with the rumble seats out to store a basic tool box and some other misc bits and bobs, and she's just a handy little thing to have cause I can squeeze her in and out of places bigger trucks can't.
I look at the new Maveric, and new Ranger and even I despair. The new Ranger's are the same size as the full size 90s F150s and it's ridiculous. The Maveric is barely any smaller than that and both are way bigger than my little ranger. Then you look at the new F150s, or Silverado or Ram and they're so damn cumbersome and they don't need to be. They still get piss poor gas mileage, they're not as useful as they should be because they're too big to fit places, too tall to easily load or unload, too fancy and computerized to be reliable. I'm not even that old, I'm a couple years shy of 30, but I miss the small trucks as much as anyone who was around when they were new.
I rambled alot, but oh well. Point is, having a 94 Ranger myself, even being young as I am, I miss the small trucks too.
Spot on. I have a 2000 Tundra, that was a "full size pickup" in 2000. Really love that pickup. Now it's smaller than the 2024 Ranger. Insane. Great video!
the first gen tundra was a 7/8 🛻
@@GNMi79No dude the tundra was a full-size pickup. Compare it to a same year f-150 or Silverado they’re relatively the same size. Trucks have just gotten stupid big over the years for no real reason
@@meh...4966 I totally agree. I think @GNMi79 deleted his post lol
I looked at the specs. Those Tundras are almost the exact same size as a new Tacoma.
I’ve always said I don’t like Tundras because they’re huge. But then I realized the other day that 2000s tundras are actually incredibly smaller than anything out today.
I’ve noticed in older parts of town where I’m at that vehicles are getting to big for the older style streets and parking spots.
Try parking it in any lot. They simply won't fit into a regular space.
The truck might be "between the lines" but if you actually Park two cars either side of it, nobody's going to be able to get out of their vehicle! 😂
In the county where I live, local ordinances had to be updated. You see, to keep people from parking their big work trucks, dump trucks, box trucks in their driveways, the original ordinances stated that we couldn't park vehicles in our driveway if they weighed more than 3 tons. Fast forward 40 years, and the rich folks couldn't legally park their Ford Excursions in their driveways. Rather than buy something smaller and lighter, they changed the rules. I suspect your town will re-stripe the parking lots so the spots are larger.
I live in a small town in Iowa and the amount of big-ass trucks and SUVs is beginning to clog up some of the town’s streets to the point people can barely get out of their vehicles when they’re just driving to get groceries or get a drink.
@@stevezilla68 I live in a small town in North County San Diego and all the trucks and SUVs have gotten so big that it's caused a huge parking crisis for our tiny streets that have already been beyond packed for decades. And part of the reason is all the extra space they need to parallel park if they don't get close enough to each other there goes another vacant spot that just disappeared because it's barely not big enough for a tiny hatchback or small sedan to park. Sometimes folks have to park nearly 2 blocks away from home even getting there around 5pm!
We loved our Aussie "utes" - now Ford Australia want us to pay 250k for a F250 - WTF!?
Also here in Australia we’re calling pickup trucks (trayed vehicles based on light truck platforms) utes, when a Ute is a trayed vehicle based on a saloon car platform
Does Ford sell the Maverick in Australia?
@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 i wish
Well, part of the package comes with an ego boost and your balls get bigger.
I miss the old days when the only guys with F250's or similar sized trucks were ranchers/farmers, or were urban douchebags. I would kill for an El Camino, it would be my daily and I would have just enough space for the crap I occasionally haul.
@@monsoonthagoon I had a right hand drive El Camino with a 400 ci SBC here in oz 1980s
Just bought a 2000 Ford Ranger. I drive it every day while my 2024 Subaru sits in the garage. Excluding the air conditioning, its so much more enjoyable to drive. Windows down, cruising the backroads through the Colorado front range, hitting the fire trails for camping trips, no stupid Ipad for a entertainment display... I wish trucks like that were still made.
Are you from the springs
My Grandfather had a brass colored 2000 Ford Ranger, sadly my grandmother sold it for 1k after he passed. I wanted that thing but what can you do
The other thing with the Miata is that the newest Miata is no larger than the original Miata, and only gained about 200lbs.
Not only is it not much heavier than the original miata despite having modern safety and tech, it's a good bit lighter than the generation that came before it which was more barebones. Mazda has the right philosophy for a car company, aside from actually making an effort to lighten their cars the base engines on all their cars are N/A (unlike almost every other brand) and the touchscreen doesn't accept touches when the car is moving
The NC miatas arent bad either, a little chunky but if you're taking it on trips it might actually serve you better than an ND if you can find one clean with lower miles. Or you can always go the old school route of the suitcase rack on the trunk
Changing from steel to aluminum works wonders.
Idk what crack you are smoking, the miatas of recent years are all significantly larger than the late 90s miatas...
lotus elise is super light! love that sucker!
Bruh the EPA is owned by car companies. It's not stupidity, they didn't just pass measures that coincidentally made car companies and oil companies make more money.
It's not supidity, it's malice.
@@KLRJUNE when somebody leaves a comment that attacks the commentor and not what they wrote you know they're from the lead paint generation.
@@KLRJUNE bruh
Absolutely, the same as the FDA owned by big ag and big Pharma. For instance, the current head of FDA Robert Cliff working in big Pharma before his current position or Scott Gottlieb before him who came from big Pharma to the FDA and then back to representing big Pharma after leaving. You can look at them all and find similar patterns.
Like the FDA is owned by pharmaceutical companies. Hello, vaccine mandates
Yeah, it's never "Big Gubmint Dumb" it's government gets paid by lobbyists by companies.
Government officials who are anti government are more like to run government badly...
Holding on to my old 90s truck for dear life.
Just sold my 1993 pickup. I am in mourning.
Yep, I have a 2004 F-250 diesel that I use to tow a heavy trailer. I take real good care of it and hope to own it until I die because I will not spend what a new diesel costs.
I'm so attached to my beat up '99 Chevy that I am seriously considering adding a nearly identical one for sale in much better condition, even with over 300,000 miles, nearly double mine. At least they have many compatible parts?
My dream truck would be a 90s Chevrolet 1500 W/T
Crate motors are gonna be your friend if prices for new trucks don't change
the mazda b2000 and 3000 will forever hold a place in my heart
i have a 94 b3000 and its the best purchase ive ever made
Also, the B4000. I love that 4.0L V6.
Id pay extra to get a small pickup that actually works for hauling things in the bed and doesnt have 2 seats in the back that nobody’s ever going to sit in.
I like the ranger with the fold down back seats cause I use that space for tools and roadside kit!
Me too. I don't need a huge truck. Simple. Perfect for the jobs I do.
My in-laws have a little old Toyota Tacoma that works beautifully for hauling furniture, mulch, firewood, you name it and it fits in a standard parking space. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law sent a picture of his seven year old daughter standing in front of a new truck with a _front facing camera_ because the nose is so massive you can't see stuff near you. Give me a cargo truck with a simple bench seat in front, I've got a minivan for my crew.
when my old truck was stolen a couple years ago, my first instinct was to look at trucks to replace it.
I could no longer afford any kind of truck, nor did I want any of these massive trucks.
It's almost like you guys have a cramped car fetish. Screw those shitty old pickup trucks. My 2018 F150 Crew cab is still too small for me. Needs more room.
@@yeeterooni7352 think that says more about your eating habits than anything else
@@kirtil5177 I'm 6' 2" 180. Those small trucks are crammed for someone with longer legs.
@@yeeterooni7352 PUSH THE SEAT BACK, STUPID
@@yeeterooni7352 How fat are you, exactly?
It's almost like Toyota is selling a utilitarian truck overseas for less than 20k. Just give us that.
The hilux champ. And all 3 sides of the tailgate are foldable for easy loading. Sadly we will never see it here.
25 years@@MonolithFanatic
Can't do that in America. There's a thing called the Chicken Tax. A direct 25% tariff on ALL on light trucks imposed in 1964 that has remained ever since.
The safety standards won't meet US regulation, but it's still an awesome truck.
you will have nothing and be happy.
My first vehicle i bought with my own money was a 1997 Tacoma which i used for my job, which involved some light hauling work. I loved that truck - it was just the right size, it drove really well, it had a dirt simple engine and dashboard, and was good-looking to boot! I loved how simple it was and the only "frills" it had were air conditioning and a tape deck stereo. I eventually gave that truck to my dad and thought I'd get another one sometime in the future. At that time, i had switched jobs and didnt need a truck and so went with more practical sedans as my daily drivers.
So around 2015 or so, i started looking at trucks again, thinking i could get another low-frills, relatively inexpensive truck that could double as a daily driver as well as light hauler for home improvement, etc.
Nope! Trucks in the 21st century have become defacto luxury cars. 40k+ for a base model pickup is outrageous, considering you can buy a really nice Camry or Accord with a high trim level for that kind of money. Trucks have become outrageously overpriced because of the "bro" culture where "real men" (lol) can't be seen in anything weaker than a lifted, V8 monster that gets 12mpg and can roll coal and is capable of towing an M1 Abrams (but strangely always has an empty bed 😂) . Who tf can afford $75,000+ vehicles anyway who aren't filthy rich?
Maverick was popular because it was supposed to be around $20k, and some people do actually realize "hey, I could use truck features some times.. but lets be honest here, I ain't going to use it as a truck 99% of the time."
Yep, I was definitely one of those people, got on the waiting list for the first Mavericks and everything! Never had a new car before, and while we do use the truck bed for gardening supplies and wood for my budding woodworking hobby, 99% of the time we use our Hybrid Maverick as just the family vehicle. Also it having better fuel economy than my old Nissan Versa hatchback is definitely a plus! It's been frustrating watching Ford slowly raise their prices over the past few years on the Maverick, and incentivizing the non-hybrid option. It makes no sense to me, the early excitement around the Maverick was mostly around a smaller pickup with good gas mileage that's around 20k!
@@kidfantastic93It makes perfect sense, they don't want people to buy the maverick. They want them to opt for a more expensive ranger, but preferably F150
Right On! I shoulda bought one of those first base Mavericks (AWD for where I live) at sticker $23,000 when I had the chance! Pissed around (I hate buying vehicles but my 2011 Ram 1500 served it's purpose well). So, like an idiot I waited (too long). Now you can't touch that same base AWD Maverick under $30Gs (I shy away from used as I put alotta miles on my trucks). Ended up w/ a new Honda Ridgeline Sport for about the same money as new base AWD Maverick (I couldn't even find a base Maverick in 2023!). BUT, Ridgeline still has way too many bells & whistles NOT NEEDED in it's base form. GIVE ME A STANDARD TRANS PLEASE!
I have had one vehicle, a 95 Nissan pickup, never needed another, still runs
Take care of it - easier to work on, easier to have worked on, the new are unbelievably expensive and when you do buy your insurance will really jump.
The root of the problem is car companies not being interested in making cars anymore. All they want to do is innovate with the newest tech garbage that nobody is going to care about in 10 years.
Real question, I ain't very knowledgeable about cars, but a company like Dacia making "smart" cars (aka, cheap but reliable. Not always pretty, but that's not the goal), does it still exist today in the US?
@@marcbuisson2463 it pretty much doesn't exist in the way dacia exists.
the epa stuff bart mentions plays into it all. toyota and isuzu and tata etc innovate in cheap work trucks all the time, you just can't sell them in usa as it is. so the usa market is just throwing in more stuff. would you believe that toyota diesel is seen as unreliable? the usa versions are, say that in thailand and people look at you funny.
@@marcbuisson2463 also dacia pretty much stopped doing that a couple years ago. The base dacias are increasingly complex and expensive as they want to position themselves as a more premium brand. So basically, doing the basic reliable car thing is what's best for the people and argueably the environment, but it's the worst for car companies benefits, hence why less and less companies do it.
I hate how we just don't make cars anymore. I just want a nice sedan.
@@theautomaticfiend me too, I drive an older Passat with a ton of miles and I know it isn’t going to last forever and can’t figure out what I’m going to replace it with. I hate the way SUVs drive, they lumber compared to a good sedan.
The OEM's want you to buy high feature vehicles and they keep adding more tech to them and that drives the price up even higher.
I remember when I got my license in the late '80s and realized that if I wanted a new vehicle for under 10k, I had to get a motorcycle or a pickup. The latter was so much better and versatile. I miss those trucks deeply and have always wondered why we don't have them anymore. Now because of you, I know why. Thanks, EPA.
I have a 2005 Ranger Edge. I drove it to work. Later my son drove it to get back and forth from school. Now my daughter loves the thing and she is driving it. It has served us very, very well.
But how is it holding up? I have a 98 Ranger (bought new) and after only 352K miles, I had to replace ALL the ball joints!! LOL
@@fredflintstone4715 The new Maverick doesn't even hold a candle to the old Ranger, reliability and even usability wise. I used to own a 2000 Ranger. I freaking regret getting rid of it, but living in an HOA neighborhood sucks and I'm only allowed to park four vehicles on the driveway. So when I have family over, they always b!tch about having more than four cars on the driveway :/ I'm going to move right as the housing market collapses.
@fredflintstone4715 is that a joke I hope 325k on ball joint is incredible
@@swanhernandez6875 I just hope the replacements last as long. At least these have grease zerks... My friend keeps telling me to see about a lemon law claim on it. LOL
Back in the day, I paid $500 for a Datsun (big font) by Nissan (small font) pickup with only 500,000 miles on it. In addition to oil changes, tires and a battery over the years, I had to change the plug wires and 2 vacuum lines. 240,000 miles later, I sold it for $500. I saw it a couple of years later still running on a ranch, working hard. Love your videos!
They are importing Kei trucks from Japan that cost about 10,000 to purchase. Not the same as the small trucks you are describing but good little trucks for what they do and very inexpensive. My home state of Massachusetts tried to take them off the road but got some much backlash they gave up. Legal for now.
Thomas R. Marshall (Vice President to Wilson) once said "What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar."
I say: "What this country needs is a really good $20k truck."
Just give me a bench seat, 6-8 foot bed, AC/heater, ROLL DOWN WINDOWS, and a optional V6. Something simple that can get you and some tools somewhere, or back up in the mountains with a camper shell.
$20,000 is still goddamn ridiculous for a car. That's very nearly my entire yearly income.
Make it available with an optional V8 or I6 and you got a deal
@@RT-qd8yl Even so, if they did become more popular and available, you’d be able to get a decent used one for a lot less.
Found a 95 ranger for less than 1k. Runs great now
There's no profit in a $20k truck. That's why they now cost 40k.
I've been building up a 1999 Dodge Dakota V8 5SP as some kind of mucle truck and it's been really fun! Love this truck.
Badass.. I've always liked them....
Plus the Dakota Starter is a great Hack for any of the Old L.A platform also Big Block.. all except the HEMI....
Go from 16+ pounds to what.. like 7lbs maybe..
I will always want a Dakota... Mopar or Nothing...
I Daily Driver a 68 Dodge Dart...
Gonna do the same with my 94 gmc sonoma. Good luck to ya.
@@AtZero138 Dodge sucks. Just make nothing but turds.
@@jasonmay6368 Who Hurt You Jason?..
It's ok .. I understand brand loyalty...
But,, did a Dodge Harm you ... Ruin Christmas etc ...
Cheer Up Bro ...
Just buy whatever a Ford is....
@@jasonmay6368 I got a 2000 dodge Dakota, absolutely love that thing but I can't disagree lmao. It's fine, just a tranny every 120k miles💪
It’s easy to blame the EPA (Gov’ment) for the demise of small trucks. It’s a large nebulous “thing” we can all point to as the problem without specifically blaming anyone. The EPA responds to whoever pays their salary, Congress. Congress responds to big business, and they respond to profit. The big three know if you buy a truck, you’re only buying one and I guarantee the profit for a huge F-150 is much greater than on the old Ranger. Forcing Japanese truck makers out of the market or reducing their share was icing on the cake. This is America, and in America it ALWAYS comes down to profit.
Absolutely correct.
It is annoying how Auto Guys mention the CAFE standards without bothering to explain how they were butchered by the Big 3.
Just another Reaganite rationalisation of how "regulations bad"
@@Dong_Harvey Yeah they act like the EPA is just pure evil and did this completely on their own to fuck the american consumer.
EPA regulations tend to hurt business as much as they help them. There’s a very real possibility that people were just incompetent.
@@Dong_Harvey Regulations are bad. The more of them you have, the more opportunity they can be manipulated. And the answer to bad actors manipulating regulations to benefit themselves is not...more regulations.
So... good explanation, to clarify you're saying EPA standards are essentially a scam? I considered borrowing my neighbor's Dodge Ram to pick up some lumber. Until he tells me the truck bed is only 5'6". And then I realize my beater Honda Accord will HAUL MORE LUMBER than his gas guzzler pickup when using a roof rack and interior space (a full 8'). Plus the Accord is also a more luxurious daily driver.
I cant buy a small truck because it doesn't get 200 mpg but Taylor swift can take her private jet to get her morning coffee
Welcome to Biden’s America.
Do some research and learn that this ordeal has been going on for more than 30 years, but go ahead and be ignorant.
Welcome to Trump’s America
@@PabloCruise1 Reagan's America*
why dont we just ignore those regulations and do what we want?
2:07 Can you imagine the salesman just casually resting his elbow on the roof of a truck? He'd have to be 12 feet tall these days.
I bought a 1995 Ranger XLT Supercab with the 4cyl & 5-speed trans that had 183,000 miles on it to have a cheaper vehicle to maintain while I went through college - and because no one in my family had ever owned a truck before and I always wanted one. While I had to rev the nuts off of it to get it to go anywhere, I loved that truck. It never once left me stranded, and it always did what I asked it to do. Besides being reliable, it was very comfy to drive and very easy to park. The small truck era of the late 80's to early 00's was the best and I wish it would make a comeback.
I drive a 2002 Toyota Tacoma and it’s great. I live i the suburb-country, I live in an organized neighborhood but like 12 miles away from town. I use my truck for work but I don’t need a big truck. It halls my tools, supplies, a buck, fishing poles, and other stuff as well as being pretty good at off-roaring. Now the new tacomas are like the size of a 1st gen tundra. Such a shame.
I just got my dad's 2007 ranger on the road, he left it to me in his will. Seems like a fun truck!! its a base model, 3.0 V6, manual windows and locks, no AC, 5 speed manual transmission, 2 wheel drive, single cab. only 119,988KM on the odometer.
You'll love it. Drove my dad's 03 Ranger for a fair years until I bought an '05 Crown Vic. It's a truck that will keep you on your toes but will get the job done.
I have the exact same truck with the same base options. I've had it for ten years and it is the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. It's actually pretty peppy with the stick. It's terrible on snow though, so I don't drive it in the winter. Only 65,000Km.
@@cyberpleb2472 I was thinking of using it for a winter truck haha. Have you put 8 sand bags or so over the rear wheels for traction? I have a 2001 f150 4x4 as well but 4wd doesn't work so its only rear wheel. I shovel snow into the box and with the freeze thaw cycles it makes some descent disappearing weight over the back wheels too. Works great
Enjoy it. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I bought a 2004 Ranger last year and my kid and I have been fixing it up for him to have. Like I told him, 90% of "Drivers" out there don't know how to drive a stick shift, so be proud of yourself.
@@FDSixtyNine I live on the side of a mountain in central BC where we often get five feet of snow in the winter. I can't get home in the winter without four wheel drive. If you add some weight in the back and have snow tires though, you should be OK in the city. Take care of it, it's a great truck.
Henry Ford, when he started, wanted to make vehicles that a family could afford and be reliable. Affordable and reliable. We have lost on both accounts now. Time to get the government out of business and have the marketplace dictate what we buy.
The car companies are dictating to the govt. !
I'm glad there's still a market and scene for keeping old trucks running. For $18K you can get an old Ranger restored to almost factory condition.
Where?
Where and what years? My 04 ranger is looking like a bar at 2am with the lights on
no 30 year old truck is worth 18k dude 5+ years ago u could find rangers for like 5k
@@toddsalisbury3851 try to sell ur ranger for 18k and it will sit on marketplace for a year
@shinski8114 the '09s, 2010s, and 2011s are. But I agree, no much older Ranger is worth that.
Ive been living out of the back of an 04 Tacoma for the last 4 years, anything that could happen to it has and I know it can still take years of beating on. Back into a tree? Whoops, oh well. Door handle breaks? Got another one waiting to swap it out and can replace it in 30 mins. Its never left me stranded and has taken me places a stock pickup has no right being. I can help friends move if I need and can make money on the side doing saw work and hauling shit to the dump. A reliable 4x4 with the ability to sleep in the back is all I want from a vehicle. I dont understand why people who live in snowy states buy/lease new sedans that are impractical 5 months of the year just so they can have apple play and a touch screen instead of an older pickup/suv with 4x4. I love my truck.
Government ruins everything
Facts
Really?
@@OliverofAllTrades yes. All problems are caused by the government
@@OliverofAllTradesyes, really
You get what you rigged vote for
I live in Europe. A friend in Washington loaned me his Toyota pickup to run around town and I needed to call him up from the mall: how do I get it started? Do you have the clutch pedal down? Why do I need to do that, it's not in gear...? A great little runaround with no space inside, plenty of space in the gas tank and a funny rule about clutches. My current car? For the last 27 years, a 1991 Wrangler with the back seat removed, whose only electronic component is the radio. I kinda like small trucks. Your "suggestion to the industry" had me in tears.
Wish Euro manufacturers would make tiny open-bed pickups again. Like the old VW Caddy, or the Skoda Felicia pickup.
The less "high trim" crap to break, the better. Those weevils have not their fangs into everything!
Needing to depress the clutch is a ubiquitous feature for manual transmission vehicles. I'd say generally automatics need the brake pedal pressed to start, too. Is this not the same in Europe?
I went to school with a dude who had a Jeep YJ, and he never had the top on, even if it rained. He would go to the parking lot, pull the drain plug, wait for the water to drain, then drive off. There was nothing inside for the water to destroy.
@@sabbywins No, here we can start a manual car in gear, but usually feel pretty dumb if we do. I believe there was a case in the US where someone started a car in gear, it lurched and hurt or killed someone, so the rule there was introduced. The guy who put lead in gasoline apparently got whacked on the head whist cranking a car to start it, which is why he invented self-starting engines.
One trick the YJ has is that the handbrake is foot operated, which means you have to stop the car in the right order in order to be able to start off again if you're on a hill (stop with footbrake, clutch, gear in neutral, depress handbrake, right foot to gas, clutch, select 1st gear, bite the clutch and move off with hand release of handbrake. It's not in the manual.)
I've had a great experience with a small car recently. I am in Morroco and I rented a 2nd gen Daccia Sandero with a 1.5 liter HDCI diesel. This car is extremely cheap; it's a Renault made in Romania for like $10,000. It get's 72 MPG US! The motor is genius. It's a 8 valve, OHC, turbocharged, common-rail, direct injection diesel. It's got quite a bit of power, something like 89hp and 145-169 ft/lbs of torque. It's extremely responsive, good passing power, with a simple 5 speed manual. I've learned to really respect french cars. They're kind of what most people want, tough, hard working, efficient cars that are well thought out in their design. I see a lot of french cars that are 40 years old or more. Yesterday I saw this Mitsubishi compact truck with kind of a raised fence around the bed and it said, Mitsubishi Turbo - Best Truck Ever!. I believe them, Mistsubishi makes very good trucks, they're known for having cheap, toughm, hardworking commercial trucks, and they're known to make very good diesels across the range from compact diesel, to commercial Inline 6 turbodiesel trucks, up into giant diesel motors for marine fishing vessel. They actually have this very strange 20 liter, non turbo, V8 diesel in Japan that people like because it has no turbo lag at 700 rpm. Isuzu makes great trucks as well. And then there was the Volkswagen Rabbit pickup, the ultimate compact pickup with front wheel drive, and a diesel with a 5 speed that got 50-60mpg!
good job habibi👍👍👍
Nice
The fact that the Hilux isn't a household name in America is a crime. Most people here never heard of it.
What are the reasons why a Japanese pickup truck that is so successful worldwide cannot be found on the US market?
Small trucks use to be basic an manufactures use to advertise they had most affordable one😢
I daily an old 1st gen single cab RWD Tacoma and I absolutely love it. It's about the same size as my '90s and '00s Subaru Legacy wagons, but it only weighs 2500lbs (less than a Honda S2K). It gets 30mpg, and is relatively quick with 140bhp/160lb-ft out of the 2.4L and a 5-speed manual.
Oh, and having a 6.5ft bed means that it has more cargo space than most 4dr half ton trucks (I'm aware that it has lower payload and can't tow).
1st gen tacoma beds are 6’2
my best friend curt has a 95 2.4 taco and he “tows” more than we ever thought he could. we recently used his truck to flat tow a 2500 yukon xl 80 miles! its also moved a 70s rv that was buried into the ground for about 20 years
My V6 Taco has the ext cab and 6' bed. I've hauled landscaping stuff, drywall, plywood, fire wood . . . towed a 21' Sea Ray, towed another truck on top of a flat bed trailer from FL to MI. I'd love to see the new Taco 4 banger work that hard.
I bought a brand new Toyota pickup (before they were called Tacoma) in 1993 for $7500. Stripped down model: no radio, no AC, no rear bumper or passenger side mirror, single cab 5 speed. Upgraded to a king cab Tacoma in 2003 for $14k brand new. Both good, reliable, affordable vehicles that were cheap to own and maintain. Those days are loooooooong gone.
I bought a 2 year lease return on my Taco TRD Sport ext cab V6 for 28K. I'm so glad I did since Toyota decided to killed they're best seller with a 4 cyl starting at $45K.
Did this 1993 pickup have the big TOYOTA wordmark on the tailgate?
@@trentpettit6336 yes
I had a 87 s15 with the 2.5 4sp manual trans. i bought used in 99. hit a deer on night and insurance declared it total loss. i bought back and install new front end off another s10 my friend had. i just sold it last year. If they would produce more small trucks like the maverick or figure how to import some of the small truck versions sold in other countries I think the auto makers would have a hit in their hands. i think would help boost their bottom lines (hint hint mopar) not every one wants or can afford a big truck. Use to alot off the little trucks on the road, and they seemed to run forever.
There is a market for an inexpensive economy truck. That is NOT the market manufacturers want. If you build a larger truck there is a LOT more markup/profit to be had. You'd have to build a dozen mini-trucks to make the same profit. If you were a manufacturer which would you rather do: build one for a certain profit or build a dozen for the same profit?
In other countries there are numerous reasons why they have a choice of smaller trucks. The American marketplace is savage. Its about stockholders more than consumers.
I own a 2000 ranger that I have spent thousands on to keep it in great condition. It still is much less cost with much less worry if something breaks compared to a newer truck. It keeps running.
Yes. think of it like economics.
all vehicles need some of the same parts that will cost about the same no matter the size of the vehicle. Making a bigger vehicle just really means more steel and materials like that, not more catalytic convertors or a second engine, so the cost of going bigger is not much, makes a bigger truck have more profit.
I'm kinda surprised you didn't mention the recently released Hilux Champ, Toyota's compact truck released exclusively for the Asian market. Alot of problems with modern trucks is that they're passenger cars first, THEN trucks, which is why the truck bed only takes up about a 3rd of the total length. They're essentially SUVs but with an exposed trunk. Go back the the 70s and the truck bed would be at least half the truck's length
they had a champ on show at the local bigbox shop(like kmart? whats that place that sells like 12 packs of stuff in usa? that kind of a place where vendors go buy stuff from). they had put like a food truck thing on the back of it(like a box with roof, places to put things for cooking etc and sides that opened and the combo was being advertised for like 15k.
I think it's toyotas answer to suzuki carry and the tata truck. anyway champ isn't that much smaller or anything than the normal hilux(16k+ start), just more bare bones more 'work' oriented. it's fairly common they take off the beds and change them for whatever they're using the regular hiluxes for. they also commonly beef up the frame and suspension to uprate the carrying capacity.
also in southeast asia it's still relatively common that the bed is used as passenger space. the pickups are also often used as local busses (with a built in thing in the back to travel in). you could say the society runs mostly on pickup trucks, that's how the produce gets to the market from the farms, that's how the vendors buy it from the markets and move their stuff, that's how the delivery companies drive their stuff, that's how hay gets transported.
My everyday car is a 1985 Ford Ranger standard cab, fully manual, 4-cylinder. I bought it 15 years ago for the camper shell for my Ranger 4WD, but ended up falling in love with it. Today, people comment on it regularly. They tell me they miss small pickups. They wish modern trucks were available with manual trans and no options. They try to buy it and make nice offers (I live in Arizona where Rangers aren't as common as they are in California.)
Don't fret - the small pickup will return, along with small engines and 4-and 5-speed transmissions. It will just take a few more years, when the public gets tired of huge cars (just like they always have in the past.)
but the public is just getting lazier and would rather not think when it comes to shifting, and thus would rather just have the autocrappic, not to mention the fact that so many cars nowadays are being sold with NO ACTUAL GEAR SHIFTER and instead just a little dial.
Auto manufacturers have no reason to make small trucks. Look at the death of the mirage this year. Only luxury vehicles are being made.
@@mbeecher9921 Give it time; that pendulum will swing back in the other direction, just like it always does. Small cars will be back.
Great story and good optimism . I think your spot on. Loving my compact 08 Tacoma single cab .
it should go without saying that the EPA is doing this because of decades of lobbying by automobile manufacturers. The profit margins on larger, higher end vehicles are bigger because they were able to successfully exempt larger vehicles from regulations.
Love my 2002 S-10, when getting gas I've had a few old guys compliment it and tell me about their old ones.
I will always miss mine...
89 , 89 blazer, 91 blazer and 02 S-10..
had a 89 S10 4cy automatic long box, good lil work truck
I have the same truck lmao, 4.3?
Same. Had a 2002 S-10 Zr2 a couple of years ago and it was my first truck I bought myself. Definitely enjoyed it.
@@caseytilley9260 then u woke up
I bought a 1997 Nissan Hardbody last year and I absolutely love it!! It's the most base of the base models, and has only one option: A/C (which still works fantastic!)
Single cab, 2wd, manual transmission, roll down windows, manual locks. I have used it a lot more than i expected to already, picking up large/bulky items, helping friends move, etc. It's so nice to be able to reach over the side of the bed and be able to touch the bottom and grab anything you need. The best part? It gets low to mid 20s MPG combined! Not bad for a nearly 30 year old truck that's shaped like a brick!
Granddad told me "You never know how many friends you have until you buy a pickup truck." And then there's the saying "A friend will help you move; a true friend will help you move a body."
Bought a 1978 Ford Courier new for $5600 with a long bed, a/c, am/fm radio, 5 speed manual, 2.3 litre motor. Drove it for 3 years. 99,000 miles and NO issues. Bought anew Datsun King cab.
also good truck. Bought a used Mazda 1987 with a 5 speed and long bed. drove it 4 years and only needed a clutch. We have right now w 1999 GMC Sonoma 4 cyl automatic in good shape. In 6 years, it has needed nothing. GOOD Basic Trucks and Transportation. Bring Them Back !!!
Don't fully blame the EPA, i am sure their standards were influenced by the auto industry to make bigger cars. Early on there were offset tax breaks for these behemoth trucks and suv's then they shaped the rules to get rid of the small vehicles (hell you can't even see the road in front of you in a small vehicle anymore). I drove a Datsun pu threw the 70's and 80's and a Mazda B2000 after that, and would love to have any of them back again, no that they don't make a truck those sizes anymore.
I have a Nissan D21 Hardbody, and it is by far the best pickup I've ever owned.
That thing has helped me drag home dozens of motorcycles in the last 8 years, and will probably help me collect dozens more in the decades to come.
I drive a 94 D21 and love it. Keeps up with 80mph freeway traffic, hauls what I need, and gets good mileage. Recently I’ve come to realize they are becoming a cult vehicle. I frequently get waves from other hardbody drivers, and have younger guys wanting to buy it. Still works fine at nearly 200k miles. If there was a similar new truck offered, I’d buy it.
I bought a set of used black widow motorcycle ramps and the first day I learned how to use them when I bought a motorcycle the same day and made it to Harbor Freight to buy heavy duty motorcycle straps the only thing I was using in the meantime was a nylon rope to tie down the bike 17 MI to the store
@@stoundingresults when I started racing motorcycles in the 60s tie down straps hadn’t been invented yet. It was roped all the way!
My dad put 100k miles on his 01 Tacoma TRD. Then bought a new one and gave that one to me when I got my license. I put another 600k plus on it over the next 15 years as my daily driver, work truck, off road fun machine, tent with wheels, and road trip vehicle. When I was in the army I drove it from my station in Wisconsin back to home in Georgia very frequently and it was a good comfortable ride. Visibility was great and safety and repairability was awesome. I got t-boned at 65mph in that thing and all that happened to me was a broken nose from the air bag. And I don't know where the insurance company took it but they had it back to me fixed and driving like new in 2 weeks. If it didn't happen to me I would have never believed that thing was in an accident like that. That thing could go anywhere and do anything you asked of it and never broke down.
Life changes and you can't fit a baby seat in the back of a 2 door taco, and I couldn't financially justify 2 vehicles at the time, so I traded it for a new Camry in 2022. Despite over 700k on the clock, having a major accident on its record, and being 21 years old, they still gave me $9000 for it towards trade in. The salesman is a good friend of mine and he said they did the next scheduled maintenance on it and sold it for $18k within 2 weeks.
Everyone I know, myself included is dying for a "brand new" first gen Tacoma. If the manufacturers would make a truck like that at a reasonable price, I'd be the guy leading the army of customers to beat down the dealer's door to get one
Only an idiot or woman trades their vehicle in rather than selling privately! You get much more!!!
i have my uncles 01 taco it has been driven by every single member of my family it is my ship of Theseus
you're still an idiot for selling it.
sorry for your loss
My dad use to own a 1978 GMC K15. He absolutely adored that thing. Although it didnt have the best gas mileage, he loved it because it was a practical and sturdy vehicle. It was made specifically for work and didnt have any of the extra bullcrap trucks have nowadays. He used for everything from cutting trees to hauling literal tons.
EPA did it and manufacturers just changed the chasis. Whats funny is the gas mileage is worse than 30 years ago.
I just put a 1/2 yard of rocks in my Tacoma , slammed to the bump stops.
I've hauled a full yard of rocks in my Taco. It was a little scary but it got the job done.
you can bend them leafs all u want on them tacos just bend em back heck yeha brother
I bought a 95 sonoma last year and I haven't regretted it since
The rise of luxury SUVs and luxury pickup trucks with high hood heights is a total disgrace when it comes to safety. These things have giant blindspots right in front of them, and even larger blind spots directly behind them. Children are getting slaughtered by them and it's all for aesthetics. It's a disgrace. Now when I see a pickup truck I can pretty much bet the driver does not use the truck for work and bought it simply as a luxury status symbol at the expense of everyone else's safety. It makes me despise pickup trucks. If you have a pickup truck for work, you should be disgusted at how the luxury SUV and pickup truck industry is portraying you as an entitled man child.
Unfortunately safety standards don't apply to trucks because they're supposed to be (wait for it) industrial vehicles.
THANK YOU. Was really disappointed he didn't talk about this.
The best vehicle i ever had. 1985 GMC. 1.9 liter motor great on gas and reliable. It cost about 7000.00 brnd new.
One of my favorite vehicles of all time was a 1992 Chevy S-10 extra cab with a 5-speed manual. I bought it for $200! The odometer had stopped working at 192,000 miles, but it just kept going and going!
Haha my first car ever was a 1995 S-10 with a 5 speed,and my odometer was also broken, didnt seem to mind it though lol, just kept running
@@Mike-zl4zs I really miss that little truck! Simpler times.
My family had a similar era Sonoma. The old Iron Duke engines were hard to kill. Everything about that truck was easy to work on.
In Australia. We have plenty! we got the Ford Ranger, VW Amarok, Izusu D-Max, Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton and way more I can't think of
And we used to have the ford Falcon Ute and the Holden Ute. RIP to both
@@Valiant_1971 Proton Jumbuck 😭
Well the Amarok IS a Ranger so...
In Brazil we got both those (apart from the Isuzu and mazda ones), all together with the chevy s10/Holden Colorado, and currently we have got a grey FLUX of medium trucks from Chevy and the Montana that has returned, RAM and the rampage, Renault and their Oroch, fiat and the toro.
And we also got the small sized stuff like the fiat Strada and vw saveiro.
The _correct_ size for a pickup truck. Anything bigger shouldn't be a pickup.
Great topic! I remember the early to mid '70's, I was right out of high school, working at the local lumberyard. We could load up the back of a Chevy or Ford pickup with 4x8 pieces of plywood, sheetrock, etc, (laid FLAT between the wheel wells) slam the tailgate shut, and off they drove. Summer nights at the drive-in or down by the lake.... I bet that the vast majority of current "pickups" will never be used for any kind of work/utilitarian purposes.
My wife's '90 ranger and my '92 ranger had little platforms/pockets in the walls of the bed. If you cut 2x4s or 2x6s to fit across those platforms, you could carry 4x8 materials flat with the tailgate down.
That one story you told about people buying trucks as commuter vehicles because they’ll last longer is probably a thing because it used to be true. 90% of people rarely loaded up or haul big things with their trucks, which back in the day WERE made to take the abuse. I’ve got a 98 Sierra which was designed to be a towing machine, but it just cruises around without a care. It’s less applicable to newer vehicles because it’s all plastic and electronics, and they’re really no different than a crossover or an SUV, they just have a different body style. You see all these old trucks with 200k+ miles on them because they were made to go the distance, and when not ran hard and maintained consistently, they just never die
I think the fact that trucks still have a full frame instead of a unibody is why they seem to last longer.
I like how he says new small trucks are 30k+ but shows the tacoma ad and those are like 60+ for decent trim models
used trucks are being sold for not much less than that thats the core problem. people need to stop being dumb with their money.
He's referring to the base Tacoma single cab 4 cylinder.
Calling the Tacoma a 'small truck' is funny.
I have a 94 Toyota pickup I bought from a family friend last year for about $1000 it only had 150k miles and I like it a lot more than my 2011 tacoma
My little 1998 S10 is my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. There's just so much you can do with it, and it's a blast to drive. Even with its gutless 2.2l, I still smile driving it around.
Great content as always. As a 1961 midget owner, I fully agreed with your video on small sports cars. Now, as a 2001 Ranger owner, I fully agree with this video. It's why I'm keeping my ranger rust free. I'm never gonna buy a truck made after 2005. Keep my ranger running till I'm dead.
Just picked up a well maintained, stored Winters 2001 Mitsubishi eclipse Spyder GT convertible with the upgraded leather, brakes, infinity stereo and17" alloys. Doing the timing belt and water pump in a week. I'm stoked.
I remember my best friend had an F150 in high school. It was mainly for transporting his drum set around town, and he loved it because even if he wasn’t going to practice, the smaller cab meant he didn’t have to worry about giving friends rides.
Got an old 94 ranger xlt back in 2019 from a dude on fb marketplace who was living out in the sticks. Told me his dad had been using it for work, and then I continued using it for my landscaping gig. Old thing has been through so many things and repairs. Now that I've changed industries, it doesn't get used like a work horse anymore just my daily driver, tbh I plan on keeping this thing as long as possible.
I'm in sales, and my boss asked me to put a picture of the truck I want to purchase as motivation. So, I'm putting up the 2000 Tacoma PreRunner! Thanks for the video-you and millions of others feel the same way. Bring back the small pickup!
My grandpa’s 95 ranger (6 cylinder extended cab) lasted 450k miles. And he beat that thing working drywall keeping up with off-roading to boot. Mine was a 98 4 banger which had been in a rollover crash before I got it and lasted over 100k (355k total) miles before it finally had a catastrophic engine failure (someone had neglected oil changes before I purchased it unfortunately)
My absolute best memories are in the seat of a classic ford ranger. Even though the badge is back, the truck will never be the same.
I agree 100%. My parents paid for me to start up a lease on a '99 back in 1999 and told me if I screwed it up we were done. That got me kinda scared and motivated and when I scrapped it in 2020 it had 418K. It was the only vehicle I had from 99-2010 and if it had failed my life would have been in a world of hurt. Awesome trucks and awesome memories.
This was all stuff id thought about before, until you said that one phrase that hadn't even occurred to me.
"Suck it up, get the loan."
And that's another aspect of it. These companies are selling expensive-ass, unnecessarily large trucks, and then they're the ones financing them to you, making all that sweet, sweet interest money. So they make a profit on the truck, then pull another 20-50% of the price out of you through interest, depending on your credit score. Its a joke, and the consumer is the punchline.
I mean you are just wrong. Maybe what you are saying applies to idiots with terrible credit but I'd much rather finance through a manufacturer than with a bank. I got an interest rate below 2% when the best any bank was offering was 6.5%. I could have gotten below 1% if I wanted to payoff the loan in 2 years. In the end they are getting $500 out of me after 3 years which I am happy to give them.
It's really the dealers that are getting the cut whenever they run your credit through one of their banks. The manufacturers on the other hand offer some nice deals if you qualify.
@@ferretsmiles dealer take money on the finance , the bank and manufacter too take more money, ther should be a way to pay in cash but its impossible with new prices and low wages
@@ferretsmiles how about this! i paid cash for mine at 15 , my dad had to drive it home! in 85 i paid 4900 for a new mitsu truck. oh wait you cant do that now because of all the garbage they put on them.. thats what its about... not some idiot that got lucky in life and has a perfect score dude... affordability .. not finacabilty ....
@faulker6751 that's not on the manufacturers. And don't even try to act like that old truck is any comparison to a modern full size. It's equivalent is a ford maverick for under 30k. And even then that maverick is leaps and bounds the better truck if for the only reason that you will be guaranteed to survive a head on collision going 35 mph.
@@ferretsmiles HAHAHAAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHHAAHAH
I have a 92 mazda b2200 in teal. Carb and no power steering. Great little truck and lots of great memories
Cute little reliable truck. I used to have a '91. Dealer could never find me the teal, with manual, no power steering so I got their 'show truck' they had on display, red with ground effects and tint. Minitrucks had a big following in the 90s mostly modders
Nice thought at the end but you said it yourself. They literally can’t due to regulations. And it’s not just the CAFE standards. It’s crash standards, it’s safety feature requirements, it’s cost per unit.
Out of context, 1:35, the Scout commercial is hilarious.
We used to consider the small truck part of the family. See here as one leaves from the living room
I am thankful to own a 1990 Chevy 1500 that I bought for $2,700 a few years ago. It's in amazing shape, no rust, and still has the original engine at 254,000 miles.
The 89 /91 gmc with the 3.08 rear was the last truck I would buy. BUT, you don't live anywhere near the salt belt.
The U.S. "chicken tax" is a 25% tariff on imported light trucks from a 1960s trade dispute. It raises prices on foreign trucks, reduces competition, limits consumer choice, and stifles innovation. Combined with EPA regulations, it also impacts fuel efficiency and environmental progress. To change this, everyone should contact their representatives, support free trade policies, and advocate for consumer choice and competitive markets.
Ive had 2 rangers (97, 99), a mazda b series (01) and 2 tacomas (96, 97) over the years. Little trucks are wonderful.
i got my 2022 ford maverick for 23,500. It gets 45mpg. Most economical/ practical vehicle ever.. :)
Yeah but the bed is like 2ft long.
@@happilyham6769 it's only 6 inches shorter than a Tacoma's bed...
@@YuhNinja6 inches is all I have to play with
@@urgamecshk same, same...
Are they all hybrid? The one I see in the garage here sounds like it's electric when it's under 15 mph or so.
My first two vehicles were a 2002 and 2001 Ranger, with a gutless 4 banger and a manual. Both former work trucks, both just great to drive. Blew up the rear axle in the first one, swapped it out, then blew the head gasket about three months later. Still have the second one, and it’s still going strong despite not getting driven as much. When I was looking to upgrade, I was going between a Maverick and a 2-door Bronco. If the Maverick had a manual option I would have done that in a second, but I don’t regret my cheapest-possible-except-these-two-options Bronco. Super fun to drive and it should be able to claw its way out of anything a Minnesota winter can throw at it
Funny- I remember my Lady Wife dusting off wannabe sports cars at stop lights with her '90 Ranger 4x4. And my '92 Ranger had a motor with two plugs per cylinder, and for a small four-squirrel it had torque out the @$$. I'd be sure I stalled it out, but when I pushed in the clutch to restart it, it would catch up and keep running.
I bought a 91 Chevy Silverado k1500 in 2021 and although I had a ton of problems with it for the first year or so, I slowly fixed all of them and I now have a very reliable old school truck and I love it. It can do some serious towing and the bed is way bigger than anything on the market today.
Your boss is insane for thinking an F150 is more reliable than a sedan. Has he heard of a Toyota Camry?
smartest american
has he ever heard of a Volvo 240?
That's not the only sedan made. Just one of the better ones.
@@ShaiyanHossain if everyone else is so smart then why do you copy our awful urban planning
who is copying who? @@circleinforthecube5170
I drive a 2001 Ford Ranger with 250,000 miles, and that thing's lifters are making more noise than a drummer boy. The transmission slips more than a banana peel at a clown convention. It's losing about a quart of oil every 1,000 miles. The power steering pump is a supercharger at home, and I beat the shit out of it every day. But it starts up fine every day without fail and hasn't let me down. I intend to fix everything that's wrong with it. (I'm going to replace the lifters here tomorrow.)
I just sold my 98 5 speed 4x4 Ranger few weeks ago i drove it for 10 years had 202k miles on it still had the factory clutch only ever had regular oil/fluid changes 1 brake job 1 set of spark plugs and 3 sets of tires. It was a good truck but she was getting tired but never left me sitting on the side of the road not one time did it break down.
Yo 96 owner here bought it with odometer still stuck at 117216 miles. Radiator coolant disappears every week and half. Have to sometimes force the the transmission to shift to next gear but all in all there rangers and hella fun to have.
@@mr.hiyashirabbit5226 I know what's wrong with your coolant disappearing do you have a 4 L?
@@trackpackgt877 no it's the 2.3
@@mr.hiyashirabbit5226 oh okay well then I don't know why lol