127"? My F150 shows up as 117", and has over 1 ton payload (6100 GVWR; 3750 per the title, though that must be no options).
As a guy who does outdoor work, and parks on the street, I don’t see a vehicle with actual cargo capacity that can be parallel parked.
bring back the el camino!
@wesw I think they should. Actually, they did in Australia. It’s called the Holden Maloo. Think Pontiac GTO (which as we know is actually the Holden Monaro) with a pickup bed. No, it will not haul a pallet of bricks, but you can throw stuff in the bed and not worry about wrecking the interior, while still having a good, high performance car for every day.
Unfortunately in this country we got the crazy idea that trucks were a fashion statement rather than work vehicles, which is why probably 90% of the trucks on the road see less hauling duty than my rarely-driven '88 Mitsubishi pickup. There really is a derth of decent light-duty hauling vehicles on the market.
I didn’t have room for a behemoth like an F150, and I have no use for something that large in any event. It’s annoying that I had to go 20+ years old in order to get a truck small enough to not get in the way when not being used, but good enough to haul what I need to haul.
The only thing about an El Camino type vehicle is that it would be indistinguishable from what is out there now. What do you get from one ? A stylish open bed and that’s it. That can easily be accomplished hijacking a small SUV. Then, if like most you cover it up, it’s an SUV again. There have been lots of polling out there through dealerships to find out what people are asking for. It’s not one of these. The older we get, the better we are. They are bygone era thoughts that have been usurped by more practice vehicles like compact SUVs and minivans. Cramped cabs without space to recline and throw your crap inside just isn’t going to sell, even just carrying two people around. It’s a sports car with a big trunk that handles poorly and has relatively poor economy and space utility.
Little pick ups are gone for the same reason as El Caminos …compact SUVs and minivans. I have several golfing friends who run around in CRVs, Hyundai Santa Fe s and RAVs with the rear seat folded perpetually flat and the entire open back with golf clubs and toys galore always there for the asking. There is your mini me pick up and your El Camino but with the option of seating five if you need it and in AWD or fwd. Why duplicate the effort just for pick up style ? Ain’t gonna happen except for short term sales gimmicks.
Just like clock work, this topic comes up again around here for one reason only. We all love trucks but are cheap and have older minds that forget about the bad things about them compared to today’s better offerings.
the el camino lasted a loooong time. its perfect for active young people. my son s first car was a 78 el camino. he always had a 4 wheeler or go kart or dirt bike in the back. they are great for hauling yard waste, fishing, and lots of stuff.
heck, we even hauled a load of manure for my garden with it. not something I d want in my SUV
The compact SUV/minivan cannot go to the compost pile and have a Bobcat dump a yard of mulch inside. For that reason alone, for myself and many other people who do yardwork at home and don’t want to pay Uhaul $100 every time they need something for the garden, a pickup is useful while the SUV/minivan is not.
@mountainbike, I just read an article saying that Ford ignored the Ranger because they were making so much $$ on their full size trucks. So it sounds like the problem was not regulations. The market wanted bigger trucks, which were more profitable, and Ford just followed the market.
@ShadowFox.
We are comparing the El Camino and little pick ups of old with Minivans and SUVs. Not today’s larger variety.
I work occasionally for my neighbor when his regulars are on vacation at his green house. Your example is exactly what I do. Small pick ups are never used to “dump” loads into on a regular basis from a loader. The loader on the tractor or tracked loader that we use that I load trucks up with has fits trying to fit a yard into those narrow beds without draining down the sides and scratching it up. The larger the pick up the easier to load. When they see the size of the tractor, customers with small beds often just take me up on my offer to delivery this stuff with our dump truck. Hand loaded stuff in small quantities are all these little whoose trucks can handle without damage. Now, utility trailers are the best for customers to carry their own loads in without worrying about damage.
With their small delicate beds, they often serve no better purpose then an SUV as their beds are often no bigger. The bigger compacts and today’s full size trucks are better, but even they are often crew cabs. The truth is in the sales. People didn’t buy small trucks and they won’t if they are made again. They are buying SUVs or big trucks.
the bed on our el camino was small, but not delicate. people did buy small trucks, and will if they are made again. many people here state just that.
they would also buy vehicles without all the safety features, complicated mechanics, and fancy electronics, if they were available and priced affordably
@wesw
I respect what people are saying here , but they don’t represent the major buying public and what they want is a pipe dream that won’t come true. These are guys who yearn for the days of working on their own vehicle with easy to locate components and they can fix themselves and maintain. They don’t exist anymore and neither does a market for small trucks with frames. Oh, you may see a Scion “pick up” on the RAV chassis in AWD but the smallest compact trucks in both Toyota and GMC name are on 125 inch plus wheel bases. I know some of you have older 2wd compact trucks of the smaller variety. Tell me how the small, framed 4wd versions ride and handle ? They were actually the biggest seller and in small framed trucks they are abysmal. Great off road, but roll over kings and a safety nightmare for their makers. Sorry, but as qualified as everyone here is in owning, maintaining and operating vehicles, the majority of the buying public is not.
Btw, the delicate area I was referring to is the exterior of the bed which in small trucks, is more prone to damage because of their small size when loading.
As far as your second post my good friend, vehicles wo safety devices will NEVER happen and bluetooth is now pretty much standard…might as well asked for a horse drawn carriage lane on all interstates.;()
When it comes to dreaming about trucks, I would rather go forward then back ward.
actually my son and most of his friends can pull an engine with their eyes closed, but I get your points
I do think that the reason many don t work on their own vehicles anymore is because they have become so complicated
Exactly…the alternative is slower, less safe, less reliable cars and trucks with worse gas mileage. Petroleum powered vehicles become more efficient often with more complicated measures. It’s easier to repair a high polluting, inefficient , less safe older small pickup. Pulling an engine is half the battle. Replacing it with something completely repaired that runs as it should is the other half.
one Saturday my son left at 6am , went to his work, by himself, and pulled one 350 out of the el camino, put another in, and drove it home at 2am. he should have told me first, but that s another thread.
but he s a freakin motor savant.
I’d like to have my '66 Ranchero back. It was comfy and would haul quite a bit.
And this issue brings me back to my opinion that if the economy were not being manipulated to make long term(7 year) financing at near zero interest rates possible the public would be buying much more basic automobiles and the manufacturers would be racing to produce them. If financing were limited to a two year note with 20% down the manufacturers would be lobbying for drastic reductions in mandated safety and high tech gadgets would be rare and only on the top of the line brands and models. Automobiles are extravagant because the manufacturers/dealers are able to secure money to finance them. Not a week goes by that some furniture store doesn’t offer me $thousands of furniture with low monthly payments at zero interest for up to 5 years. Occasionally a car dealership makes a similar offer.
And somehow I’m not supposed to recognize that the bank paying .25% interest on a CD is linked to that situation. Maybe Janet Yellen will give us the full story soon.
Yellen is with the Obama Administration. The full story is like Kryptonite to these guys. Interest rates are low because not much money is being loaned out. Lots of people are still hurting and not qualifying for some of these loans. Or being smart and not wanting to jump into car payments when they have a paid off car.
You got it. I yearn for the good old days when car companies were failing and few could even find the credit money to buy a new car, or a home.