New truck #@$%@#&

[Gem99ultra]

Anyone remember the days back when it was simply good manners to give someone a push when their car wouldn't start? Bigger bumpers meant better cars. Big ole' steel chromed (sometimes) bumpers.

If you remember those days, you're well over 60.

 

[Garandman]

Hyundai Confirms Santa Cruz Pickup for Production

More a competitor to Ridgeline than Colorado, it appears.

 

[Jstpssng]

Anyone remember the days back when it was simply good manners to give someone a push when their car wouldn't start? Bigger bumpers meant better cars. Big ole' steel chromed (sometimes) bumpers.

If you remember those days, you're well over 60.

I'm not 60 yet I still know what you are talking about. I helped someone in an older pickup at the CU one day. I wouldn't push him with my pickup but knew that if he and I started getting the truck rolling others would pitch in to help. Between a few of us we got the guy back on the raod again.
Another time I did use my bumper; that van carburetor was flooded so badly I could smell the gas while in my pickup. He said that all he cared about was getting going so I started to push; I don't remember if we ever got it running but I do know that I got up into 3rd gear and it still hadn't started.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Hyundai Confirms Santa Cruz Pickup for Production

More a competitor to Ridgeline than Colorado, it appears.

I agree with the writer that it will have 4 doors soon.

 

[Garandman]

Ford's Ranger rides again. But will it win in a crowded truck market?

 

[Ford850]

Ford's Ranger rides again. But will it win in a crowded truck market?

And another test drive article:
219 Ford Ranger First Drive: Welcome Back to the Stage - PickupTrucks.com News

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Ford's Ranger rides again. But will it win in a crowded truck market?

AND there's a new Bronco to follow, based on the same chassis...

SR

 

[Industrial Toys]

Those wheels look straight off some wagon at the circus!

 

[Jim Nelson]

In the fall of '86 I bought a new Ranger 4x4,v-6 ,5 speed from a friend who was the Ford dealer in my home town in Colo.. This was right after I had moved to Calif. and my '84 F 350 4x4,460 with 4 speed manual was too much for commuting. By the time I got back to Calif. I hated that Ranger with a passion, the mileage was worse than my old F 350,it was gutless, and uncomfortable. I kept it a couple of months and just couldn't stand it any more so gave it to my son. "I'll make payments to you",yeah right! I bought a new 86 F 250 diesel and was happy again.
My son drove that Ranger for almost 300,000 miles, wrecked it a couple of times and spent a fortune on u-joints and differentials after a cheap lift kit, but he loved it.
Different strokes for different folks. I tried another small truck in 2006,a Tacoma, and the wrist pins took a dump at 150,000 miles. No more little trucks for me, my old '99 Dodge with a Cummins will last the rest of my life.

 

[CADplans]

In the fall of '86 I bought a new Ranger 4x4,v-6 ,5 speed from a friend who was the Ford dealer in my home town in Colo.. This was right after I had moved to Calif. and my '84 F 350 4x4,460 with 4 speed manual was too much for commuting. By the time I got back to Calif.

I hated that Ranger with a passion, the mileage was worse than my old F 350,it was gutless, and uncomfortable

I was reading a GMC Denali article today,, they were comparing it to the smaller Colorado,,

They mentioned that the Colorado is now so much larger, it only gets 2MPG better than the 2500HD Chevy they had been testing,,

If I bought a new Colorado, and it only got 15MPG,, I think I would be kinda disappointed,,,

I am so glad I bought a 2018 2500HD Silverado,,
mine cost almost $20K less than the Denali or Colorado they discussed,, and mine is much more heavy duty,,

Tires, skid plates, suspension, bed liner, running boards , and the snow plow ready package,,
the other two trucks have none of that,,, even at their much higher price,,,

 

[Jstpssng]

I've had a 1983 Ranger (new) 2.8 V6 4 speed, a 1985 Ranger 4x4 2.8 V6 5 speed, 1991 Toyota SR5 4wd 4cyl 5 speed. These all got around 23 mpg highway. I now have a 2004 Ranger V6 auto 4x4, I'm lucky to get 17 with it. My company Silverado gets that without effort.
I read the specs on the new Ranger and wonder why anybody would want one. They were originally an economy truck, for people (like me at the time) who wanted a pickup without the expense of a full sized truck. One weak point of the Ranger has always been the rear suspension; despite the weight ratings, just carrying a spare tire would fatigue the springs. Yet this new truck apparently features their infamous mono spring suspension... I will pass. If I bought a small truck I would expect real numbers around 28-32 mpg. otherwise it's better to just buy a real truck to begin with.

 

[ultrarunner]

Little trucks used to be little... drove the wheels off Courier and Luv pickups... both were used to deliver auto parts 6 days a week... both provided exceptional service and good mpg compare to the full size counterparts... Luv was by Isuzu and Courier had a Mazda plate inside...

It just seems the true small pickup is gone... even Toyota 4 cylinder stick standard cab my uncle bought was at the end of the run when he bought... he has driven it all over the Western States...

The little Datsun 4 cylinder 4wd where very popular when I was in school... cheap to buy and drive plus 4wd...

 

[3930dave]

Little trucks used to be little...

The little Datsun 4 cylinder 4wd where very popular when I was in school... cheap to buy and drive plus 4wd...

For "small" and stick, Nissan and Toyoda V6s are pretty much all we have left here.

If I landed a windfall cash wise, I'd be tempted to buy one of the Frontiers - Pro4X package is what gets you the stick and 4L V6 - I like the drivetrain you get with the package, but not the dashboard bling.... hard to get away from that even on an older model like this Frontier.

Toyoda is a good truck, but the same Taco stick model V6 up here lists at $8K C more. I actually prefer the older Nissan body style, but even if I didn't, I'd leave $8k in the bank.......

In today's market, I like what these packages above give you, but they are still roughly 2x in price what an average economy car goes for. Definitely not the economy trucks of yesteryear..... I know many people who started off with basic Rangers or (one way or another) Japanese 2dr 4cyl stick trucks as their basic first vehicle - great value, and reasonably tough...... Contractor down the street used a Mazda with a diesel (Perkins IIRC) as a runabout when I first moved here.... truck did NOT have an easy life..... just kept rolling along, sipping fuel.

Rgds, D.

 

[ratpie]

i feel your pain, fuddy1952. i had a 74 ford single cab f100 long bed. it needed to be sent to pasture, but i couldn't find a truck to replace it. the wife and i looked for 4 years. looked on every car lot in every town we passed through. dealers will not stock a working truck anymore. then i found a commercial fleet dealer. the working truck is a unicorn in the consumer's market. don't even try. find a fleet dealer and stop looking.

btw, i ended up getting a 2008 2500HD low mileage from an auto auction. it was a construction vehicle for a company in Louisiana. they are out there, but not in the regular markets.

rip old girl

 

[oosik]

I got my 2018 Ram Power Wagon ( Taco Wagon ) as a fun vehicle. No work - no towing - no hauling and I could not care less about mileage. It's getting 15 mph after 22K miles.

All my life I've had trucks to do work, chores, haul, tow - etc.

I'm very happy to say - the Taco Wagon IS a very fun vehicle. And - YES - it has EVERY add-on that Ram had to offer.

 

[jyoutz]

I got my 2018 Ram Power Wagon ( Taco Wagon ) as a fun vehicle. No work - no towing - no hauling and I could not care less about mileage. It's getting 15 mph after 22K miles.

All my life I've had trucks to do work, chores, haul, tow - etc.

I'm very happy to say - the Taco Wagon IS a very fun vehicle. And - YES - it has EVERY add-on that Ram had to offer.

Sounds like fun

 

[Fuddy1952]

i feel your pain, fuddy1952. i had a 74 ford single cab f100 long bed. it needed to be sent to pasture, but i couldn't find a truck to replace it. the wife and i looked for 4 years. looked on every car lot in every town we passed through. dealers will not stock a working truck anymore. then i found a commercial fleet dealer. the working truck is a unicorn in the consumer's market. don't even try. find a fleet dealer and stop looking.

btw, i ended up getting a 2008 2500HD low mileage from an auto auction. it was a construction vehicle for a company in Louisiana. they are out there, but not in the regular markets.

rip old girl

I worked at a service station in 69-70. Owner ordered a 70 F100 I wish I had. No frills, rubber mat, bench seat, 3 on tree. I believe it had a 352 (not 351). Blue & white. It would squawk the tires in third.

 

[oosik]

Short story. So me, my son and his girlfriend all go to the dealer to pick up this brand new Taco Wagon. It finally came in to the dealership and it was ready.

What an embarrassment !!!! A total loss of any MACHO that I might have had. It was so tall - I could not get in. My son got in on the passengers side and grabbed the neck of my jacket and pulled me up into the drivers seat.

I'm not really that short - 5' 10". But it soooo very high up off the ground. Next day - aftermarket running boards installed. It took all of the first year of ownership - I finally learned all the various features and how to use them. My son bought me a new Apple iPhone so I would have a phone that "paired up" with the onboard electronics.

 

[Jstpssng]

I got my 2018 Ram Power Wagon ( Taco Wagon ) as a fun vehicle. No work - no towing - no hauling and I could not care less about mileage. It's getting 15 mph after 22K miles.

All my life I've had trucks to do work, chores, haul, tow - etc.

I'm very happy to say - the Taco Wagon IS a very fun vehicle. And - YES - it has EVERY add-on that Ram had to offer.

You've earned the right to drive that. And based on your posts, you are more ecologically friendly than the person who drives their Tesla to the airport.

 

[Williy]

I can remember in 1959 that one of the guys that
lived off base his car died and a lady stopped to help
he told her that she had to get him running at 30 mph
before he could get his car started so she backs off and
hits him at 30 miles per hour

willy