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Posted: 3/29/2023 12:49:14 PM EDT
And I guess by small I mean primarily shorter. There are millions of people that use trucks primarily in towns and cities for painting, small landscaping/gardening, and a hundred other businesses that don't need a truck THAT CAN TOW 18,000 LBS, DRIVE THROUGH 3 FEET OF MUD, ILUMINATE YOUR SECOND STORY BEDROOMS DURING POWER OUTAGES, HAS AN AUTO DEPLOY STEPLADDER FOR EASY ACCESS, SPATTER GUARD FOR UNSEEN PEDESTRIANS, AND LIMITED TO THREE ON THE SAME SIDE OF GUAM AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
I just think that there has to be a market for something smaller. Even trucks like the Ranger are now monstrosities. |
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Because the market has spoken and little trucks aren’t in demand.
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Same reason they don't make cheap econobox cars anymore. Government regulations and buyer tastes. You might think there must be a market for vehicles like that, but there's not. You make a small simple truck, and everyone's first reaction is "But why, for $5k more you can get into a mid-range F150 that'll carry that little thing in it's bed."
Look into the thread about cheap economy cars here and most responses are "Why not just buy this larger, comfier, fancier, Toyota/Honda/Lexus used for the same price instead." People always want more shit, they might not always want to pay for it, but if they can be convinced that they're getting a great deal on it, well, why not go for more? And most working types realized that if they need something smaller than a full size truck, they're probably better served with a small van. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I think Toyota makes a small truck. Not in the last 25 years they haven't. The Tacoma is pretty small inside. How small a truck do you need? Maybe a small hatchback import is what y’all are looking for? |
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Quoted: 9 out of 10 people who say they would buy a new small truck are lying and you can get that last guy to settle for a medium truck anyways. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Because the market has spoken and little trucks aren’t in demand. 9 out of 10 people who say they would buy a new small truck are lying and you can get that last guy to settle for a medium truck anyways. I think it's more to do with the people buying new vehicles. Same reason why automatic transmissions reign supreme even though there's demand for them on the used side of things. Only sales of new vehicles influence the manufacturer decisions. |
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Quoted: 9 out of 10 people who say they would buy a new small truck are lying and you can get that last guy to settle for a medium truck anyways. View Quote Next you're going to tell me that a half ton with vinyl floor, cloth seats, roll up windows, manual locks, manual transmission, and manual locking hubs wouldn't sell like hotcakes either |
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I picked up a gen1 Isuzu Trooper to use in Gambler500 events, and I enjoy the shit out of daily driving it around. (Already have a 2500 for “truck stuff”.
The truck market you seek is gone. Roll the calendar back to 2000, and start shopping backwards from there. The root answer to your question likely comes back to ever increasing federal crash standards. |
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Quoted: I just bought a GMC Canyon. I think it's pretty damned small. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/214090/Resized_20230117_091612_jpeg-2762863.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/214090/Resized_20230117_095030_jpeg-2762864.JPG View Quote It looks larger than my old Colorado. Edit: It is. If you google the dimensions, the Canyon is much larger. |
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Quoted: Because the market has spoken and little trucks aren’t in demand. View Quote This. Auto manufacturers spend millions if not billions of dollars researching market trends and buyer wants and needs. The 5 luddites on this website that would actually buy a small truck aren't enough to sway them. Especially when they can make them bigger and share parts with other vehicles they already produce there by saving them money again. |
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Maverick is pretty small.....and you can order an XL work trim F-150.....
Or a work trim ranger. |
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Quoted: And I guess by small I mean primarily shorter. There are millions of people that use trucks primarily in towns and cities for painting, small landscaping/gardening, and a hundred other businesses that don't need a truck THAT CAN TOW 18,000 LBS, DRIVE THROUGH 3 FEET OF MUD, ILUMINATE YOUR SECOND STORY BEDROOMS DURING POWER OUTAGES, HAS AN AUTO DEPLOY STEPLADDER FOR EASY ACCESS, SPATTER GUARD FOR UNSEEN PEDESTRIANS, AND LIMITED TO THREE ON THE SAME SIDE OF GUAM AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I just think that there has to be a market for something smaller. Even trucks like the Ranger are now monstrosities. View Quote EPA Regulations and CAFE Fuel Efficiency Standards. |
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An acquaintance of mine has a pristine 2001 Tacoma he uses as a daily driver. Its a nice size truck and I'd prefer to buy one that size.
As for that size not being something that would sell, I should note that he keeps it in his garage. If he parks it outside, he is bothered by people wanting to buy it on a daily basis. |
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Quoted: Next you're going to tell me that a half ton with vinyl floor, cloth seats, roll up windows, manual locks, manual transmission, and manual locking hubs wouldn't sell like hotcakes either View Quote |
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Quoted: I have an 06 Colorado, which is the predecessor to your Canyon. The truck in your picture looks like a 1/2 ton pickup. I know it is marketed and sold as a small pickup, but it looks like what a normal pickup, used to look like. It looks larger than my old Colorado. Edit: It is. If you google the dimensions, the Canyon is much larger. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: I just bought a GMC Canyon. I think it's pretty damned small. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/214090/Resized_20230117_091612_jpeg-2762863.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/214090/Resized_20230117_095030_jpeg-2762864.JPG It looks larger than my old Colorado. Edit: It is. If you google the dimensions, the Canyon is much larger. Yeah, I know the "small" trucks of today are pretty much the same size as "standard" trucks of yesterday. My last truck was a Silverado 2500 Duramax/Allison crew cab, so... this Canyon is tiny to me. |
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I wanted a little diesel truck that got 40 MPG or better. No one in the US offered one. I settled for a VW sportwagon with a 6 speed manual trans and have been happy with it.
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View Quote |
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Quoted: And I guess by small I mean primarily shorter. There are millions of people that use trucks primarily in towns and cities for painting, small landscaping/gardening, and a hundred other businesses that don't need a truck THAT CAN TOW 18,000 LBS, DRIVE THROUGH 3 FEET OF MUD, ILUMINATE YOUR SECOND STORY BEDROOMS DURING POWER OUTAGES, HAS AN AUTO DEPLOY STEPLADDER FOR EASY ACCESS, SPATTER GUARD FOR UNSEEN PEDESTRIANS, AND LIMITED TO THREE ON THE SAME SIDE OF GUAM AT ANY GIVEN TIME. I just think that there has to be a market for something smaller. Even trucks like the Ranger are now monstrosities. View Quote |
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Quoted: This. Auto manufacturers spend millions if not billions of dollars researching market trends and buyer wants and needs. The 5 luddites on this website that would actually buy a small truck aren't enough to sway them. Especially when they can make them bigger and share parts with other vehicles they already produce there by saving them money again. View Quote I also have 2 supporting poles in the middle of my garage (flat roof). With as wide as they are now, if I did fit between the wall and the poles, I am sure not opening the door into the damn things but still being able to get in and out, in the garage would be interesting. I am a very thin guy, string bean would be the word arfcom uses but a big guy getting into a modern truck in my garage....if he can do it he ain't gonna be happy. So for those people, the options include trying to find a truck that will fit, or knocking down and building a whole new garage. I don't think the average Joe would be super happy about having to spend the money to build a new garage when theirs is currently otherwise just fine...just to buy a new truck. |
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Because they're linked to penis size.
A small truck would simply be un-American. |
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Because you’ll lose your man badge if you drive anything less than a jacked up $70k truck …
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Quoted: It can' t be more fuel efficient to have a giant truck. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: EPA Regulations and CAFE Fuel Efficiency Standards. The point is "giant trucks" don't have to comply with Fuel economy regulations. This government interference is what initially pushed manufacturers to market large trucks and SUVs to consumers. What is CAFE? Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted average fuel economy, expressed in miles per gallon (mpg), of a manufacturer’s fleet of passenger cars or light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs.or less, manufactured for sale in the United States, for any given model year. Fuel economy is defined as the average mileage traveled by an automobile per gallon of gasoline (or equivalent amount of other fuel) consumed as measured in accordance with the testing and evaluation protocol set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). What is the origin of CAFE? The “Energy Policy Conservation Act,” enacted into law by Congress in 1975, added Title V, “Improving Automotive Efficiency,” to the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act and established CAFE standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The Act was passed in response to the 1973-74 Arab oil embargo. The near-term goal was to double new car fuel economy by model year 1985. http://fbaum.unc.edu/lobby/_107th/126_CAFE_Standards_2/Agency_Activities/NHTSA/NHTSA_Cafe_Overview_FAQ.htm Who classifies vehicles for the purposes of CAFE and how is it done? Authority to establish vehicle classifications for the purposes of calculating CAFE was delegated to NHTSA. Specifically, the definitions are as follows: 1) Passenger Car – any 4-wheel vehicle not designed for off-road use that is manufactured primarily for use in transporting 10 people or less. 2) Truck – a 4-wheel vehicle which is designed for off-road operation (has 4-wheel drive or is more than 6,000 lbs. GVWR and has physical features consistent with those of a truck); or which is designed to perform at least one of the following functions: (1) transport more than 10 people; (2) provide temporary living quarters; (3) transport property in an open bed; (4) permit greater cargo-carrying capacity than passenger-carrying volume; or (5) can be converted to an open bed vehicle by removal of rear seats to form a flat continuous floor with the use of simple tools. |
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