Bring back little trucks!!!

mike117
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mike117
Edited Date/Time 6/8/2022 8:18am
Used to (and still do) love little trucks like this... long enough bed to hold a bike, much lower to the ground than today's trucks which makes loading much easier (especially for short guys like me), good mileage, etc. I've got a 2012 Nissan Frontier which I think is officially the "smallest" truck made now. Still quite a bit larger than the small trucks from 20-30 years ago.

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Tenacious P
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Tenacious P 5/31/2019 8:36pm
5/31/2019 8:36pm
I’m with you! I drove an S10 for like 7 years and I loved the handling it drove like a car. Could haul anything and had a usable back seat area. My bro just bought a Tacoma TRD Pro a month ago and that thing is HUGE!
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Patrick Potato 5/31/2019 8:37pm
5/31/2019 8:37pm
Couldn’t agree more. If they’re priced right I think they would have no problem selling. Heck, I see kids driving around in old mini trucks a lot. Apparently it’s become kinda cool to have one now.
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Dirty Points 5/31/2019 8:42pm
5/31/2019 8:42pm
Ford has slated for a subcompact mini pickup for 2022
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mike117
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mike117 5/31/2019 8:43pm
5/31/2019 8:43pm
Tenacious P wrote:
I’m with you! I drove an S10 for like 7 years and I loved the handling it drove like a car. Could haul anything and had...
I’m with you! I drove an S10 for like 7 years and I loved the handling it drove like a car. Could haul anything and had a usable back seat area. My bro just bought a Tacoma TRD Pro a month ago and that thing is HUGE!
Yup, I had an S10 before my Frontier... much lower to the ground than my Frontier. I never understood the trend towards making trucks bigger and bigger. For MX at least, smaller trucks make a lot more sense.
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Patrick Potato 5/31/2019 9:24pm
5/31/2019 9:24pm
Dirty Points wrote:
Ford has slated for a subcompact mini pickup for 2022
Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, don't even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent, please let this be a rear wheel drive, conventional fuel vehicle! 🙏
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TankSlapper
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TankSlapper 5/31/2019 9:31pm
5/31/2019 9:31pm
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colintrax
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colintrax 5/31/2019 9:33pm
5/31/2019 9:33pm
Patrick Potato wrote:
Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, don't even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent, please let this...
Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, don't even know a word yet, just a little infant, so cuddly, but still omnipotent, please let this be a rear wheel drive, conventional fuel vehicle! 🙏
IIRC it'll be based on the focus platform. So FWD and unibody.
They could use the explorer/mustang platform though, it'd still be unibody but atleast RWD and AWD.
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crusher773
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crusher773 5/31/2019 9:37pm
5/31/2019 9:37pm
Makes no sense the prices they put on the slightly smaller trucks now too. Colorado's at over 50k at auto show. Come-on get real who would spend that for a medium truck? Give us an actual S-10 sized truck and make it 10-15k so it's affordable they would sell the crap out of them.
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erik_94COBRA
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erik_94COBRA 5/31/2019 10:29pm
5/31/2019 10:29pm
Yep. Frontier here.
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colintrax
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colintrax 5/31/2019 10:37pm
5/31/2019 10:37pm

And yeah the little trucks ain't so small any more. But I love my midsize. 28mpg, runs down the free way quiet and smooth, and can haul a dirt bike with a canopy, and tent, and gear bag, and tools, and food... and so on and so on.
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Sierra Ranger
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Sierra Ranger 6/1/2019 12:12am
6/1/2019 12:12am
The old early 80s Datsun King Cab was my jam- it was our party vehicle in high school.
I've been driving Frontiers since 1994 and only owned three of them. First I got the no-frills '94 2WD- it was one year used. Then I bought a '99 Frontier regular cab 4X4 new and put 279,000 miles on it (drove it for 12 years to about a million races). I traded that in on a new 2011 V-6 long bed 4X4 that I am still driving right now (150k miles). These things are rock solid- all I have ever put into them is tires, brake pads and maybe one alternator. I finally upgraded to a nice Super Cab which is a lot better at the track!





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Scott_Bate
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Scott_Bate 6/1/2019 4:20am
6/1/2019 4:20am
They do a 2WD Toyota Hilux here in Australia. They have an alloy tray or a style side tray both can fit up to 3 bikes in with tailgate up.

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ehr400
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ehr400 6/1/2019 4:32am
6/1/2019 4:32am
Dirty Points wrote:
Ford has slated for a subcompact mini pickup for 2022
Yes, it will be a small truck based of the same platform as the upcoming small sporty suv. At first sounded pretty dumb but now seeing what it is going to be it isn’t too bad.

Big reason why everyone got away from small trucks was they weren’t selling at the time. At one point ford was selling 700k rangers a year. Same with minivans, sales have declined like 70-80% from their peak and everyone switched to crossovers.
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brapgod69
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brapgod69 6/1/2019 5:22am
6/1/2019 5:22am
I couldn’t agree more. I can’t believe how big the new Ford Rangers are, let alone their price tag.
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JRT812
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JRT812 6/1/2019 5:24am
6/1/2019 5:24am
Ford ranger is out
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sandtrack315
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sandtrack315 6/1/2019 5:28am
6/1/2019 5:28am


I love my Ridgeline. Get's 30 miles to the gallon cruising at 65. Rear end doesn't jump around and the ride is quiet and comfy. Plus I can lock all my tools and spare parts in the truck bed storage thing. I live in Philly, so a smaller truck with AWD for the winter is nice.

My first truck was a Dodge Dakota. Loved that thing. I hear they are bringing it back.
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Irwinmoto
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Irwinmoto 6/1/2019 5:28am
6/1/2019 5:28am
Have an s10 as my daily driver. And also have a new Silverado. Prefer my s10 because it’s just big enough to hold my bike and gear, gets ok mileage, easy to load the bike when tired. Plus get into it dirty after a race I don’t care if I drag some sand/etc in.
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zippytech
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zippytech 6/1/2019 5:40am
6/1/2019 5:40am
I wish it would happen, The S10 a grown to the point of not being able to tell it from a full size. America seems to think every one wants a gas eating 37 inch tire truck that's 30 foot long and a tail gate that's 5 foot off the ground .

My bother has a 95 dokata and you can step up on the tail gate with out a cheater block. its great

I was hoping the new ranger would be small but that did not happen.
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chewy4063
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chewy4063 6/1/2019 5:47am
6/1/2019 5:47am Edited Date/Time 6/1/2019 5:49am
Just got rid of the expensive jeep and bought a 2010 ford ranger with 70k miles, which cut the car and insurance payment in half. Love the thing. Also nice to throw the bike in the bed instead of the hitch hauler.

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Wiztardo
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Wiztardo 6/1/2019 6:01am
6/1/2019 6:01am
This is the only photo I have of my little guy when we brought home our new bikes this year. I'm not gonna lie, I find myself wanting more space sometimes, but realistically this truck does everything I need it to do. It's a full load with two bikes, tools, and gear for two people. It's a 2004 Tacoma Prerunner 4 cylinder. It's crazy how much bigger the newer compact trucks are. I believe 2004 was the last year of this body style Tacoma, and I love it.

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mx900
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mx900 6/1/2019 6:34am
6/1/2019 6:34am
I had a 87 Mitsubishi Mighty Max . It was perfect nothing extra on it drove it 275,000 miles all over hauling bikes.

A number of people I know all talk about this .
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Natester551v
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Natester551v 6/1/2019 6:43am
6/1/2019 6:43am
Gotta have the flat bill hats (ears tucked, of course) and the brodozer, bro.

Lol, j/k....I actually saw new "old style" Toyota Landcruisers (the cool ones that looked like a jeep) down in Costa Rica in the 90s when I was down there. Couldn't believe it - simplicity itself...metal floors, no frills. I remember thinking just how silly American car buying had become.....so much complexity, gizmos, gadgets.....and price, of course.
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Asselstine 6/1/2019 6:51am
6/1/2019 6:51am
Up until recently I would have disagreed with you. After owning a few 2500 Duramax's (needed them for work) I dropped down to a 1500, I'd love to just get a small truck but there's nothing out there really the midsize trucks look awful and are overpriced.

I need the bells and whistles because I've grown soft but a small fuel efficient truck with a usable box would be perfect
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outerlimits
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outerlimits 6/1/2019 7:06am
6/1/2019 7:06am
There was really a place for small trucks. I wonder why none of the manufacturers see a need anymore. The trucks they make today are getting so close in size and price to full size trucks that there isn't that much difference anymore. I'd love to have a small truck, but as long as they make them the size they are now I'll go full size truck every time.
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H4L
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H4L 6/1/2019 7:09am
6/1/2019 7:09am
Even though I have a lg. truck I end up using a small truck due to the fuel mileage & ease of loading & unloading the bikes.




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Flip109
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Flip109 6/1/2019 7:22am
6/1/2019 7:22am
Yeah I used to have a 2001 s-10. I’d just pick the front wheel onto the tailgate and roll it up then pop the back end up. Was so nice being so low to the ground. Didn’t even need a ramp. It was white and I named it snowball because it had the 4 cylinder 5 speed. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. Took it a while to gain momentum but once it finally got going it was good lmao. Was perfect for the track tho! I remember one time the battery died when I was at the store. There was a hill by the entrance to the highway. Put that baby in neutral and pushed it to the hill. Got it rolling and popped it in gear and headed to get a new battery Laughing

I look at the size and prices of the new “smaller” trucks. I’d never. Misses the whole point. Might as well buy a full-size for what you are paying for.
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bonseff
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bonseff 6/1/2019 7:36am
6/1/2019 7:36am
I had the same truck in high school, solid truck!
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Falcon
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Falcon 6/1/2019 7:46am
6/1/2019 7:46am
Flip109 wrote:
Yeah I used to have a 2001 s-10. I’d just pick the front wheel onto the tailgate and roll it up then pop the back end...
Yeah I used to have a 2001 s-10. I’d just pick the front wheel onto the tailgate and roll it up then pop the back end up. Was so nice being so low to the ground. Didn’t even need a ramp. It was white and I named it snowball because it had the 4 cylinder 5 speed. It was like a snowball rolling down hill. Took it a while to gain momentum but once it finally got going it was good lmao. Was perfect for the track tho! I remember one time the battery died when I was at the store. There was a hill by the entrance to the highway. Put that baby in neutral and pushed it to the hill. Got it rolling and popped it in gear and headed to get a new battery Laughing

I look at the size and prices of the new “smaller” trucks. I’d never. Misses the whole point. Might as well buy a full-size for what you are paying for.
I had to bump start my Tacoma a few times for the same reason. Manuals rule!
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SwingHard
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SwingHard 6/1/2019 7:53am
6/1/2019 7:53am
I've been looking for this Truck for my teenage son,they are not easy to find! USED in good condition is not far off the original asking price!
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TeamGreen
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TeamGreen 6/1/2019 8:03am
6/1/2019 8:03am
There’s a little truck from Mahindra; but, it’s not being sold here...if I remember correctly...too much $ to make it meet our federal std’s...?

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