Just can't get a good basic truck, like the old days!

[3930dave]

In those 80s trucks ABS stood for anti braking system.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were lawsuits over that, back-when.

Rgds, D.

 

[Oaktree]

Another reason: resale value down the road. A used gasser truck with 200K miles has very little resale value, however a diesel truck with the same mileage is can be resold at a decent price.

Have you priced used trucks lately?

When I bought my Colorado I sold my old Dakota to a neighbor who used to own a body shop. Mechanically, the truck was solid but it had quite a bit of rust (cab corners, rockers, front fenders...frame was OK). He fixed the rust and re-sold it for a little over $8k. Not bad for a 25 year old truck with a quarter million miles on it.

 

[Oaktree]

^^^^
One thing I will miss when I trade my Colorado is that convenient step in the rear bumper. Sure, other manufacturers have something you can buy. Yet that adds cost, and I have yet to see anything as versatile as the GM step.

That is handy. Another feature mine has that I really appreciate is a fulltime 4WD setting. I still go with full 4WD off road, but this is great for winter driving...I just leave it in that mode all winter. I think all GM trucks have had this since the late 00s, a colleague had a '12 Silverado and it had it too. Dunno about other mfgrs.

 

[jyoutz]

Have you priced used trucks lately?

When I bought my Colorado I sold my old Dakota to a neighbor who used to own a body shop. Mechanically, the truck was solid but it had quite a bit of rust (cab corners, rockers, front fenders...frame was OK). He fixed the rust and re-sold it for a little over $8k. Not bad for a 25 year old truck with a quarter million miles on it.

Maybe do, but the diesel truck will bring 50% more for resale.

 

[Jstpssng]

I think all GM trucks have had this since the late 00s,

My 018 Colorado doesn't.

 

[CliffordK]

Today you pay a hundred grand for something that can't make it past 5 years without a failure.

You're not comparing today's pickups to those from a few decades ago are you?

The OP photo was pretty old.

A Ford TT truck had a 20 HP motor. While it may have been able to pull a lot, I believe it had a worm drive and wouldn't be able to go very fast. Just forget trying to get it up to freeway speeds.

We never had AC in any vehicle up until the 1990's or so. Certainly not the old pickups. That was what the vent windows were for.

I don't remember the MPG of our old half ton Chevy, but I heard stories of slightly larger pickups getting well below 10 MPG. My current RAM 1500 gets over 20 MPG empty, and likely can beat my old AMC Hornet wagon, as well as my old Ford Ranger 4 banger.

There is a reason why Service Stations have all but vanished, mostly replaced by mini-marts.

100,000 mile tune-up? When was the last time you had to hunt down some sand paper or a nail file to clean up your points? Even Spark Plugs are getting better.

I have had a few trailer flats, but I am having troubles remembering my last flat. I think I had a tread delam on my 1999 F150 a few years ago. Oh, I did plug my Transit Connect tire too. Anyway, reliability everywhere is going up.

 

[Tomtint]

You're not comparing today's pickups to those from a few decades ago are you?

The OP photo was pretty old.

A Ford TT truck had a 20 HP motor. While it may have been able to pull a lot, I believe it had a worm drive and wouldn't be able to go very fast. Just forget trying to get it up to freeway speeds.

We never had AC in any vehicle up until the 1990's or so. Certainly not the old pickups. That was what the vent windows were for.

I don't remember the MPG of our old half ton Chevy, but I heard stories of slightly larger pickups getting well below 10 MPG. My current RAM 1500 gets over 20 MPG empty, and likely can beat my old AMC Hornet wagon, as well as my old Ford Ranger 4 banger.

There is a reason why Service Stations have all but vanished, mostly replaced by mini-marts.

100,000 mile tune-up? When was the last time you had to hunt down some sand paper or a nail file to clean up your points? Even Spark Plugs are getting better.

I have had a few trailer flats, but I am having troubles remembering my last flat. I think I had a tread delam on my 1999 F150 a few years ago. Oh, I did plug my Transit Connect tire too. Anyway, reliability everywhere is going up.

I have a 1999 F150 that I bought from a friend who was the original owner.. it’s a 5.4 Lariat extra cab 4x4… coming up on 195k miles. .. about 7 or 8 years ago I bought it for 2k with 135k miles on it.. and today I’m into it foe entirely too much money with all I have done to it.. probably close to 17-18k… if I get 250k out of it.. I’ll consider myself whole and move on .

 

[ultrarunner]

You're not comparing today's pickups to those from a few decades ago are you?

The OP photo was pretty old.

A Ford TT truck had a 20 HP motor. While it may have been able to pull a lot, I believe it had a worm drive and wouldn't be able to go very fast. Just forget trying to get it up to freeway speeds.

We never had AC in any vehicle up until the 1990's or so. Certainly not the old pickups. That was what the vent windows were for.

I don't remember the MPG of our old half ton Chevy, but I heard stories of slightly larger pickups getting well below 10 MPG. My current RAM 1500 gets over 20 MPG empty, and likely can beat my old AMC Hornet wagon, as well as my old Ford Ranger 4 banger.

There is a reason why Service Stations have all but vanished, mostly replaced by mini-marts.

100,000 mile tune-up? When was the last time you had to hunt down some sand paper or a nail file to clean up your points? Even Spark Plugs are getting better.

I have had a few trailer flats, but I am having troubles remembering my last flat. I think I had a tread delam on my 1999 F150 a few years ago. Oh, I did plug my Transit Connect tire too. Anyway, reliability everywhere is going up.

New gas stations have been banned here for years and should one close zoning will not permit replacement.

Yep 20hp TT and 40 AA and worm drive was the standard replacing chain drive up to about 1929…

I have a fair number of hours on a restored AA 1930 vintage… good brakes, plenty of grunt and excellent in granny for field harvesting…

 

[RB5]

I wouldn't be surprised if there were lawsuits over that, back-when.

Rgds, D.

I wouldn't be surprised either. I remember one time I hit the brakes in my 85 S10 like I used to in my old truck, and all I felt was the brakes pulsing. I had no way to stop, and did not lock up the wheels. I don't think I would have hit the car in front of me in my other truck. No one explained ABS or told me anything about it when I bough the S10. If I had seen it in action and not stopping I would have shopped elsewhere.

 

[Jstpssng]

I wouldn't be surprised either. I remember one time I hit the brakes in my 85 S10 like I used to in my old truck, and all I felt was the brakes pulsing. I had no way to stop, and did not lock up the wheels. I don't think I would have hit the car in front of me in my other truck. No one explained ABS or told me anything about it when I bough the S10. If I had seen it in action and not stopping I would have shopped elsewhere.

Westbound in my 1st Dakota with an inch of snow on the ground, I topped a hill 9to find an eastbound lowbed with an excavator in my lane swinging wide to make a right (southerly) turn. I hit the brakes and nothing happened. My passenger was screaming at me to stop but I couldn't. If I'd been alone I would have taken the guardrail on the right. We shoehorned between the two so close that I don't know how we didn't scrape.
After that I started running in 4wd if there was a hint of snow on the ground. At least with the driveline locked up the front brakes would control the rear.
My father had a cartoon at camp of a rider on a horse plummeting down a cliff; with the horseman sawing back on the reins screaming "Whoa, dammit! I said WHOA!!!"
That's how I feel when driving with ABS.
I still practice with the E-brake, although that's getting harder and harder to utilize.