this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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I think there's a huge percentage of truck drivers who never use their truck for truck stuff. It's simply a status symbol to them which is pathetic. And bigger equals better in their feeble minds.
I have a 13 yr old Tacoma and it's tiny compared to even the modern "small" trucks. When this thing finally dies, I have no idea what I'll get. I love the size of it though. Maybe a Ford Maverick, but those are on backorder for years I heard from several friends who tried to get one.
...you swap a replacement engine into it and keep going anyway.
I discovered this hack and I'm never buying a new vehicle ever again. I have a 25 yr old truck and a car nearly as old. On the car I've long since ditched the old head units to get bluetooth and Android Auto, cleaned up the minor surface rust on the frame and got a protective coating sprayed on, had the seats reupholstered, and upgraded brakes and suspension.
All that cost me less than a new car including the cost of the car and I didn't have to either pay a massive lump sum all at once or go into debt to buy it.
I drive similarly old vehicles (my oldest is 33; my newest is 18). The other reasons for it are:
I avoid the exploitative misfeatures of new cars, such as privacy-violating "telemetry" and property-rights-violating "subscription features"
I get features that are hard or even impossible to find these days, such as manual transmissions even on my SUV and pickup truck.
my main concern is frame rust - it doesn't get many miles, but it does live outside. I should probably build a carport for it.
Even the new Tacoma is still smaller than those F-150 monstrosities. The only other small pickup other than the Maverick is the Santa Cruz, but it isn't really a utility truck if you actually need to haul a ton of stuff.
What about the Ranger?
Despite being a "smaller" truck, that's still bigger than many 2010 Tacomas. In Ford's lineup, only the Maverick is under 200" long, less than 70" tall. Despite being a "teeny tiny truck", it's still bigger than a 1995 Ranger by a fair margin.
Already the shortages have subsided, I can find Mavericks on the lot for $25,000 now. Slightly desirable cars from all manufacturers that released during the shortages are now generally easy to find/order if you really want one.
In fact, there seems to be a glut of the various models right now. Dealers lots that were practically empty last year are now overflowing with the cars that people were backordering like crazy. A dealer near me got too used to selling all the expensive models they now have mostly $70k+ models on the lot and seem to be stuck unable to sell them anymore.
I use my truck for hauling stuff and camping.
For hauling big is objectively better. Without a doubt.
And for camping it’s nice that I can sleep in the 6.5 foot bed of my truck with the camper on it, and also fit my camping supplies in the back seat of my full sized cab. I only put maybe 300 miles a month on it. So it’s not like I’m driving it as my primary. But yes, it’s huge.
Driving to the coast, pointing the back of my truck toward the ocean, and laying in the comfy queen sized bed with a roof and windows, reading a book, with my my wife is one of my favorite weekend activities. And having the instant privacy is very nice.
My other car is a tiny Honda. Which is great for everything else.
Exactly. I wanted a pickup for the convenience of the bed for the occasional project I might work on but 98% of the time it will just be me in there going to and from work.
I ordered my hybrid Maverick September 2022 and it's finally scheduled for production. On the one occasion every year or two that I need the power of a full size pickup, I'll just borrow it or rent some from Home Depot for a few hours.
Toyota Stout is on the way. It should be the same size as the old Tacomas.
whoa, I hadn't heard of this, looks amazing!