[Formulajones]

I've never had a use for a small truck but from the replies here it sure seems like people want them.

I need a truck that hauls and will tow 10,000+ lbs. up mountain grades without strain (which is why it's a Duramax). That's really the only reason I own a truck. Otherwise it just sits in the garage for months at a time. It's paid for and not going anywhere.

It's going to have to last me a lifetime now given what I've seen for prices lately. In fact a friend is getting ready to pull the trigger on a new Duramax crew cab 4x4, basically just like mine but brand new, and out the door he's paying $105,000 That's just crazy!! I don't know what his payments will be but I know his tags are going to be $2300 a year Not to mention insurance.

Gotta be rich to buy one now.

[Don 79 TA]

I miss the days of the ole smaller nissans/toyotas, and more importantly the Jeep Commanche
the 89 Commache 4*4 long bed i had was so great
I have had an 08 Ridgeline, it was ok, GREAT daily use, sorta of like a 4*4 version of an Accord
traded in for the 2018 Frontier which i love, perfect daily use
I have been asking all the Honda dealers i got into to what's the status on the Type R Rdigeline...... that looks sweet
but you are right, trucks are so oversized and so F'n expensive.
i have NO clue how so many people around here have dually deisels and their 40'+ trailers.....
some people must be making a ton of money
what's it cost now for a truck, 60k+. meaning ones that can easily tow 7500 pounds without spnning massive RPMS and having horrible gas mileage

Since trucks are so expensive, and so FREAKING large (garage space will be an issue for me) i am looking at the Acura MDX/RDX next and then get a small aluminum trailer.
i don't really need a pickup, and if need to haul fuel just around, i can maybe just use one of those hitch baskets.
and then enjoy a nice luxury SUV

[misterp266]

Originally Posted by 72projectbird

My man!

Mine is a 2000 with a 5/7. Rides better than a stock height truck lol

I put 100k on that one before I dropped it. My ‘93 I ordered new while working at the dealer and dropped it 4/6 at the dealership on the weekend before driving it or even taking the plastic off the seats. 3 miles on it. That truck was my favorite.
Towed good too! Pic from NED.

[JacintasHot]

Out of all the historics I either own or maintain, this one here is my #1 fave. Bench seat 5 speed a/c no p/s.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by JacintasHot

Out of all the historics I either own or maintain, this one here is my #1 fave. Bench seat 5 speed a/c no p/s.

We had a similar (brother?) Ranger 4x4 that 2 of our 3 sons drove in high school. It was finally relieved of duty with more than 200K miles of abuse in snow, off-road, and I'm sure a few ways I didn't know about. It kept on ticking and was both easy and inexpensive to repair.

[Charlie Brengun]

One day I'll own an El Camino. Not so sure if that counts as a truck though...

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Charlie Brengun

One day I'll own an El Camino. Not so sure if that counts as a truck though...

My son has been looking at El Camino's for about a year off and on now. He's been wanting one just hasn't found exactly what he wants yet. Eventually he'll have one.

[VCho455]

Not a pickup but still an S10. My baby Blazer has been a good rig and it's a shame there's no reasonable replacement for it.

[72projectbird]

Originally Posted by misterp266

I put 100k on that one before I dropped it. My ‘93 I ordered new while working at the dealer and dropped it 4/6 at the dealership on the weekend before driving it or even taking the plastic off the seats. 3 miles on it. That truck was my favorite.
Towed good too! Pic from NED.

Man that's cool! Sharp looking truck and GTO.

It's crazy how NED basically looks the same today. It's like a step back in time, and it's awesome.

[Skidmark]

Originally Posted by b-man

Find an older ‘80s or ‘90s Toyota small pickup, search in one of the southwestern states for a rust-free example. Plenty of parts are available for them and they run forever.

Don’t rule out buying a good used small pickup, otherwise you might be waiting a long time until things change and they start producing small trucks again.

I have a very old ‘66 VW pickup that’s powered by a 50 hp 1600, it’s not very freeway capable by modern standards. Around town it will haul a ton plus no problem (1 ton factory rating) with a bed that’s almost 9’ long, completely flat and 5’ wide. Currently waiting on new a 2180cc engine ($8k) that will almost triple the stock horsepower and make it freeway friendly. Cruising 65 or 70 is about as fast as I want to drive it, having the ability to climb freeway grades without downshifting into 3rd and going 45 mph will be awesome.

Love the VW truck . Nice ones like that are hard to come by.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by Skidmark

Love the VW truck . Nice ones like that are hard to come by.

Most of them were worked to death and junked, not too many have survived and the ones in nice shape that were actually taken care of are few and far between. I’ve owned this one since 1985 and have known its whereabouts since 1976 when a friend in my high school auto shop class first purchased it.

The 1950 - 1967 split windshield VW buses and their variants are highly valued and sought after these days. The value of my rust-free ‘66 Velvet Green single cab pickup is probably somewhere in the 40 to 50k range now. They’re quite versatile and can carry many things that other conventional pickups can’t. There’s a huge storage compartment under the bed (called the treasure chest) that’s accessible by one or two hatches depending on how the truck was optioned.

Last weekend I built a platform and bolted it down to the bed using the factory provided hold down points usually used for the original bows and canvas. I need to transport my 1957 bug body about 40 miles away to get some sheet metal work done on it, the platform allows me to have something to tie it down to and protect the bed floor.

[400 4spd.]

My little pick-up is an ‘01 that I inherited from my father 5 years ago. It now has 60k miles on it. A few months ago I retired these wheels and tires and wheels for satin black 1969 Rallys and newer T/A’s.

[Jack Gifford]

I've enjoyed a number of early Rancheros. My son now has a '64 that I built as a mild custom in 1972. It's appropriate that he own it, since he rode in it before he was born- when the pregnant wife and I drove it to Memphis for the first annual (1972) Car Craft Street Machine Nationals!

[johnta1]

Cool, Jack!


Did you ever go to the ones in DuQuoin IL?
Went to a lot of them plus the ones in Springfield IL.

[RocktimusPryme]

It just goes along with the death of cheap cars. Right after high school in 2003 one of my buddies bought a brand new off the lot S10. Which at the time seemed crazy, one of my broke friends buying any kind of new car. But it was late in the year so the sales were on, he bought a 4 cyl, 5 speed manual, standard cab that didn't even have carpet. I think the price out the door was like $7500? I could be off on that but it was cheap. He might still own and drive that truck, I haven't talked to him in a while but I know he still had it a few years ago. He was a bit neurotic and took immaculate care of that truck. Funny story: he became a big pothead somewhere along the line, which I don't care about, but he became uncomfortable hanging out with me because I didn't smoke. Like I said, he was always a bit strange.

Anyway, eventually the big 3 said they make more money selling one Escalade than they do several cheap vehicles. Analytics won the day.

Also, and this may have been said earlier, Ive read that automotive companies cheat emissions laws by making vehicles, especially trucks, larger. Which is dirty, no pun intended.

[sportylemans]

Yep, I have a 22 maverick hybrid. Closest thing to my old ranger I used to have. Can handle 20 sheet of plywood or drywall and the bed is low enough for someone getting older. Only limitation on the hybrid is the 2k towing, but that was my 4cyl ranger as well. Hopefully the mavericks success will spur other car manufacturers to go smaller.

[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by b-man

Most of them were worked to death and junked, not too many have survived and the ones in nice shape that were actually taken care of are few and far between. I’ve owned this one since 1985 and have known its whereabouts since 1976 when a friend in my high school auto shop class first purchased it.

The 1950 - 1967 split windshield VW buses and their variants are highly valued and sought after these days. The value of my rust-free ‘66 Velvet Green single cab pickup is probably somewhere in the 40 to 50k range now. They’re quite versatile and can carry many things that other conventional pickups can’t. There’s a huge storage compartment under the bed (called the treasure chest) that’s accessible by one or two hatches depending on how the truck was optioned.

Last weekend I built a platform and bolted it down to the bed using the factory provided hold down points usually used for the original bows and canvas. I need to transport my 1957 bug body about 40 miles away to get some sheet metal work done on it, the platform allows me to have something to tie it down to and protect the bed floor.

Funny to see another air cooled VW guy on a Pontiac forum. I've been playing with those for years, son enjoys driving his 65 bug and is currently building a 2276 for it.

There is a fella in town that daily drives a VW truck just like yours pictured. I see it sitting outside a local business every day and catch him tooling around town occasionally. There are also at least 3 of those things I've seen restored that hit local car shows around here. They are very unusual but gaining in popularity. Typical to see more VW's out here in the desert South West.

To me it makes more sense to keep these old cars running and use them as intended. Way more cost effective than buying something new. Maybe for those that want a small truck it might make more economical sense to search out a nice small truck from the 80's or 90's, even if it seems expensive to buy a well preserved one, it's still cheaper than buying anything new off the lot and may be the route you have to go if there are no current offerings.
I haven't searched but there has to be some nice S-10's out there on the market.

[dataway]

In 1998 I ordered a GMC Sonoma (S10) with the V6, five speed manual, tow package, HD suspension, long bed and something like a 3.73 Posi. It was an outstanding truck. Ended up selling it about three years later because I needed something bigger for towing. Sold it to a guy a state or two away. He actually contacted me about a year after he bought it to tell me it was one of the best trucks he's ever owned.

Here is a tiny photo of it in 2001. Drove it all over the northeast to motorcycle races.

[mysticmissle]

Originally Posted by b-man

Find an older ‘80s or ‘90s Toyota small pickup, search in one of the southwestern states for a rust-free example. Plenty of parts are available for them and they run forever.

Don’t rule out buying a good used small pickup, otherwise you might be waiting a long time until things change and they start producing small trucks again.

I have a very old ‘66 VW pickup that’s powered by a 50 hp 1600, it’s not very freeway capable by modern standards. Around town it will haul a ton plus no problem (1 ton factory rating) with a bed that’s almost 9’ long, completely flat and 5’ wide. Currently waiting on new a 2180cc engine ($8k) that will almost triple the stock horsepower and make it freeway friendly. Cruising 65 or 70 is about as fast as I want to drive it, having the ability to climb freeway grades without downshifting into 3rd and going 45 mph will be awesome.

that is the coolest VW i have seen BMAN. are those in the unobatainum price range like the VW windows vans?

[b-man]

Originally Posted by mysticmissle

that is the coolest VW i have seen BMAN. are those in the unobatainum price range like the VW windows vans?

Glad you like it, it’s probably the one vehicle I’ve owned that gets the thumbs up more often than any of the others.

Values depend on condition of course but especially on what body style and the older ones are worth more than later years.

The 1962 Turquoise and White Deluxe Samba (known as a 23-window) pictured next to my truck was getting ready to go onto the transporter to a buyer so we took a few pictures with them together. Both were restored by my friend Greg about 25 years apart. The Samba sold for just a little under 160k and I think he left about 20k on the table. My truck should sell for 40 to 50k but it’s not going anywhere while I’m still on the topside of the grass.

The red 1967 Karmann Ghia was bought new by the father of one of my childhood friends and would likely sell in the 50k range, again it’s not going anywhere, major sentimental value.