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I wish in 2023 that "compact pickup truck" meant "pickup truck that isn't the size of a tank" instead of "pickup truck the size of a tank but with less bed than the other tank-sized pick up trucks"
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
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I grew up with a 1970s/80s Ford Courier longbed. The thing was perfect for what we used it for. Tiny cab, long bed, 4cyl engine. Nobody makes *anything* like that now.
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky god yes, this looks like what I need. I don't really need a super long bed but the only trucks I see on the road from the last decade that aren't tanks have such a small bed you might as well not bother, because they don't want to sacrifice the back row. I can live without the back row if it means you can give me more bed and less truck.
@snarky
in reply to lori

lori
lori
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@snarky I've seen a lot of 90s Ford Rangers that look like what I want as well
@snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
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That's what my dad got when the Courier had to go to pasture (literally, it went to a farmer and wound up getting stuck in a ditch in their field). 1.5 cab, "long" bed. Can't find anything like that anymore, though.
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky my dad has had an absolutely massive ford truck since before they made every truck that size. but in his defense, he does in fact live on a farm and has had to haul cattle trailers, bales of hay, etc. Never understood wanting to drive something like that around town, he has an SUV for daily driving.
@snarky
in reply to lori

Neil E. Hodges
Neil E. Hodges
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I learned to drive in a '98 Ford Ranger. It felt smaller and less cumbersome than the RAV4 we have now.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

lori
lori
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@tk @snarky in japan the scion xb had a short lived truck version and I'd kill for this exact car except with the back seat replaced with more bed

It'd be just enough space to haul some lumber or a single piece of furniture no problem, while still being a compact car otherwise

@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
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@tk Oh man, I remember those, mostly wondering who in the hell could actually use it as a "truck".
@Neil E. Hodges
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky @tk i regret selling my scion xb because for a car, it could haul so much shit. the square shape means you could actually use all that backseat space with the seats down, whereas in my hatchback the rounded edges mean a lot of it is pretty useless. most furniture is pretty square, so doesn't fit in a round hole well
@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to lori

Neil E. Hodges
Neil E. Hodges
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People love to shit on minivans today, but they honestly are extremely space efficient for their capacity. They also have a short, sloping hood so you don't have the front blind spot as much as today's SUVs and pickups, and are easier to get in and out of. (Photo source)
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

lori
lori
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@tk @snarky my only real reluctance to go with any kind of enclosed route is that I want to be able to buy long lumber boards for woodworking, which is a lot easier with an open bed truck.
@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
• •
@tk Yeah, I usually bite the bullet and let them hang out the back of my Highlander. Full-length 2x4s aren't horrible in that regard.
@Neil E. Hodges
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky @tk the newest model truck i've seen on the roads that i didn't totally hate was the jeep gladiator, because relative to other trucks of this era it's not too huge, but again i keep coming back to "i wish you had just cut out the back seat, this could have been a much smaller truck"

At least in this case the bed is long enough, but...this could be a mini truck, if those sold better...

@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
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@tk The concept of a standard-sized two-seater pickup truck seems to have gone the way of the dodo.
@Neil E. Hodges
in reply to lori

Neil E. Hodges
Neil E. Hodges
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Closest we have now in the US is something like this. More capacity than today's F-150, but a wheelbase like a sedan. (This is not a kei truck.)
in reply to lori

lori
lori
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@snarky if you could just take the subaru baja and replace the back seat with more bed i think i'd be happy
@snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
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Oh MAN! There's some memories. Those were extra popular at the drive-in theater across from where I grew up. You could back into the spots and sit comfortably(?) in the seats attached behind the cab. Those definitely were the days. LOL
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky I didn't really know about them but I've been looking around town at trucks to get ideas on what I'd like in one and I saw one the other day and was like "what is THAT, it'd be perfect if it had more bed and less truck"
@snarky
in reply to lori

lori
lori
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@snarky basically what i want is a japanese mini truck but i don't want right hand drive and even if you imported an italian one (daihatsu sold some through an italian brand at some point) that's left hand drive there's weird restrictions on them in some parts of the US and it's all very vague and nebulous. And they dont' go very fast on the interstate.
@snarky
in reply to lori

lori
lori
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@snarky i've heard of people who got imported mini trucks who had them for years no problem then just one year they'd be denied registration or something it's just weird
@snarky
in reply to lori

Neil E. Hodges
Neil E. Hodges
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Who remembers utes in the US? (1, 2)
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

lori
lori
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@tk @snarky listen i saw an old el camino on craigslist and i didn't NOT think about it, that second photo is a similar kinda body shape

biggest problem was that it had old school leather (or vinyl??) seats and I never want to sit on one of those again in my life, in the summer you might as well just die

@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
• •
@tk That's where you cover the vinyl/leather/pleather with a seatcover (the more garish the better) and call it good. :P
@Neil E. Hodges
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky @tk when i think back to my grandma's car (i forget what kind it was) the molten hot lava of those seats would probably permeate a seat cover. but maybe not get so hot to begin with.

it was also the nastiest bronze color ever.

one thing i did think about if i get an old beat up truck is that if i ever wanted to do a custom paint job on it, i'd be a lot less worried about the resale value lmao

@Neil E. Hodges @snarky
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

snarky
snarky
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@tk Ah, the classic El Camino! Nothing like a trar that's half as good at being either a car or a truck! :P
@Neil E. Hodges
in reply to lori

snarky
snarky
• •
There's a surprising aftermarket for those trucks because apparently the engine bay is big enough to drop a 1960s/70s small block V8 into and drag-race them. There's also the classic Datsun pickups from the same era, those were damn near bulletproof.
in reply to snarky

lori
lori
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@snarky yeah and I think the lack of small trucks in the modern day also drives up people's interest in buying them, a lot of people are like me and would rather be driving a car but sometimes want to be able to haul large objects. I don't have a commute so I wouldn't be driving a whole truck every day anyway and I want the freedom to go pick up a large piece of furniture or some lumber or whatever without having to get my dad to come all the way up here and go get it with me. I mean, I love an excuse to hang out with my dad, but sometimes stuff like that requires a little more haste while it's available.
@snarky
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