New truck #@$%@#&

[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