Small trucks will become America's future classics

[macarose]

20 years of declining demand and only 2 models that have remained after all that time.

I think that the small truck of yesterday will become more valuable than anything else. Canyonero sized SUV's. The last of the body-on-frame mastodons. Even Miatas will fall short of a well kept Toyota Tacoma with low miles.

This 1998 Tacoma with four-wheel-drive and a five speed was bought for $17,000 today. I'm willing to bet that within three years it's worth over $30,000.

 

[eljefino]

Lets see if the Maverick rings in a new generation of tiny (unibody) runabout trucks.

 

[JimPghPA]

The insurance on small trucks is too high when compared to what they can do.

___________________________________________________________________________________

A decade after solid state batteries become commonly available for electric vehicles, anything that runs on gasoline or Diesel will become a classic. And two decades after those batteries are commonly available, gasoline and Diesel public pumps will be as scarce as public electric charging stations are today.

Decently low cost solid state batteries for electric vehicles that are not bigger and do not weigh more than the batteries electric vehicles use now-days, will have 6 to 15 times the KWH storage capacity of todays batteries. They will be a total game changer. And by then the vehicles will be fully autonomous, and vehicle accidents will be as common as the same person getting hit by lightning twice.

 

[Rand]

A decade after solid state batteries become commonly available for electric vehicles, anything that runs on gasoline or Diesel will become a classic. And two decades after those batteries are commonly available, gasoline and Diesel public pumps will be as scarce as public electric charging stations are today.

Decently low cost solid state batteries for electric vehicles that are not bigger and do not weigh more than the batteries electric vehicles use now-days, will have 6 to 15 times the KWH storage capacity of todays batteries. They will be a total game changer. And by then the vehicles will be fully autonomous, and vehicle accidents will be as common as the same person getting hit by lightning twice.

In 2121?

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

The insurance on small trucks is too high when compared to what they can do.

___________________________________________________________________________________

A decade after solid state batteries become commonly available for electric vehicles, anything that runs on gasoline or Diesel will become a classic. And two decades after those batteries are commonly available, gasoline and Diesel public pumps will be as scarce as public electric charging stations are today.

Decently low cost solid state batteries for electric vehicles that are not bigger and do not weigh more than the batteries electric vehicles use now-days, will have 6 to 15 times the KWH storage capacity of todays batteries. They will be a total game changer. And by then the vehicles will be fully autonomous, and vehicle accidents will be as common as the same person getting hit by lightning twice.

California doesn’t have enough power for air conditioning let alone widespread vehicle charging.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Imo "small trucks" are the Japanese mini trucks of yesteryear.

 

[oldhp]

Batteries won't even be around, or used for that matter. With the de-classification of UFO's, information will come out about how they are propelled. A piece of energy (that's what it will be called) the size of micron will power your car/truck for 100yrs. Oil will be replaced with the UFO super duper slick stuff with no drag what-so-ever. Viscosity won't exist as it will be a vapor that is a barrier between moving parts. You watch and see.

 

[92saturnsl2]

The power infrastructure just isn't there for a mass migration to electric vehicles, nor are the supply chains that would make EV mass production on a very large scale possible.

I'm betting on a slow transition over at least 2 decades. You're still going to have lots of gas/diesel vehicles on the road, but over time during the subsequent decades after that, the cost to maintain/fuel a ICE vehicle will go up until it's cost prohibitive for most folks. Just my prediction.

I personally don't see small pickups gaining a huge following from classic enthusiasts. The older Toyota pickups have always had a loyal following and people willing to pay obscene amounts of money for them-- but I don't think that's typical of the segment.

 

[Rand]

20 years of declining demand and only 2 models that have remained after all that time.

I think that the small truck of yesterday will become more valuable than anything else. Canyonero sized SUV's. The last of the body-on-frame mastodons. Even Miatas will fall short of a well kept Toyota Tacoma with low miles.

This 1998 Tacoma with four-wheel-drive and a five speed was bought for $17,000 today. I'm willing to bet that within three years it's worth over $30,000.

Are you the author.. you sure link to that guy alot?

 

[JimPghPA]

California doesn’t have enough power for air conditioning let alone widespread vehicle charging.

When solid state batteries of vehicles have HUGE ranges such as 3,000 miles, the vehicles can roll back priority of when they charge with respect to what the power grid can supply. If the vehicle owner only drives 60 miles maximum a day and the battery is 40 % charged and 100 % charged = 3,000 miles of range, then getting a charge for that vehicle will have a low priority and vehicles with more demanding priority will get charged first with respect to what the grid has available for vehicle charging.

Uber high capacity solid-state vehicle batteries will allow better utilization of the available grid. Though the grid will still require increased capacity, it can be done with high efficiency of using that capacity, when vehicle battery KWH capacity is in a whole new ballpark.

Right now worrying about grid capacity is focused on the peak demand that grid will see.

When getting a charge is a low priority, vehicles can wait for when the combination of when the vehicle is not being used, and the grid has excess, happens at the same time.

If I had a vehicle that got 3,000 miles per tank of gas, I would not be worried about putting gas in it tonight if it had a tank that was 40 % full and I knew that the maximum I might drive tomorrow was 60 miles.

 

[Delta]

Imo "small trucks" are the Japanese mini trucks of yesteryear.

This.

I parked behind a co-workers new Expedition the other day and my Tacoma was dang near the same width. No such thing as a small truck anymore.

 

[andyd]

I agree. The 83-'11 Ranger is gonna be as sought after as the early Mustangs

 

[Rand]

If I had a vehicle that got 3,000 miles per tank of gas, I would not be worried about putting gas in it tonight if it had a tank that was 40 % full and I knew that the maximum I might drive tomorrow was 60 miles.

I doubt that will happen in the next 20 years. If they do make the solid state batteries they will cost $$$$$ so they will use smaller ones with 300 mile range so the car isnt 60k.

 

[jhellwig]

I agree. The 83-'11 Ranger is gonna be as sought after as the early Mustangs

Are you smoking crack? Give it 5 years and they will be one with the earth again like any crap box designed in the 80s.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

Are you smoking crack? Give it 5 years and they will be one with the earth again like any crap box designed in the 80s.

That’s why they will be sought after. They will be rare pretty soon.

 

[vw7674]

my neighbor has a light blue chevy luv 4x4 currently rotting by his garage.
maybe that's his retirement account 'booster' ?? he keeps a nice sixties camaro IN the garage. TWISTB.

 

[Skippy722]

That’s why they will be sought after. They will be rare pretty soon.

Rare=/=desirable or good

In the words of Matt Farah, edited to PG-13… You can’t uncrap a crap box.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

I agree. The 83-'11 Ranger is gonna be as sought after as the early Mustangs

Demand for Rangers now is insane. I bought a 2011 this year and prices were going up month by month when I was looking. The new Rangers are much larger, basically full-sized.

Right now these old Rangers are very common. The main problem that takes them off the road, regardless of year, is rust, especially frame rust in areas that use liquid salt solution on roads in the winter. The one I bought had been undercoated and rustproofed, and it was a southeastern Virginia vehicle with little exposure to salt. That was the deal maker.

The Japanese compact trucks from before 1990 are scarce today and have been for years. Mechanically they were largely bulletproof, but many succumbed to bed rust because of the way the beds were constructed. Rust would begin around the seams. Cabs and frames were rust-prone over decades as well, but rust over a long time is true for lots of vehicles, not just trucks.

All the compact-truck manufacturers had diesel engines as options in the mid–1980s. Try to find one of those in any condition now; you can't.

What surprises me is how few people with compact trucks as personal vehicles (as opposed to business vehicles) got them undercoated and rustproofed when new. Another common sight is banged-up bodies. You expect this on a work truck, but some people beat up their personal trucks as well. That's hard to understand. Of course, hard driving, abuse, and lack of maintenance also kill lots of these trucks.

This stuff will make survivors in good condition collectible. I'm glad I bought my Ranger.

 

[CharlesInCharge]

There is a growing undercurrent demand for things that are low-technology and easy to fix and maintain. The folks thinking EVs are the future are incorrect. Nobody can afford them, and the grids cannot support them. Same with the modern bloatware $80,000 pickup trucks.

People are sliding backwards economically and the dollar is eroding. A car company would be wise to go in the direction of a small easy to maintain reliable series of vehicles, and get rid of most of the needless tech junk that nobody really needs.

The Ranger or Tacoma from the 90s era is about the perfect size and well made handyman truck.

 

[Skippy722]

There is a growing undercurrent demand for things that are low-technology and easy to fix and maintain. The folks thinking EVs are the future are incorrect. Nobody can afford them, and the grids cannot support them. Same with the modern bloatware $80,000 pickup trucks.

People are sliding backwards economically and the dollar is eroding. A car company would be wise to go in the direction of a small easy to maintain reliable series of vehicles, and get rid of most of the needless tech junk that nobody really needs.

The Ranger or Tacoma from the 90s era is about the perfect size and well made handyman truck.

If vehicles like that actually sold well, they would make them. The people who want a bare bones vehicle are the tiniest sliver of car buyers. My Ram 1500 Classic had sat on the lot for a few months because it’s a barebones model… and even that has Bluetooth and a couple of USB ports.