what i need and wish someone would make.

[Lloyd Smale]

for about 3 months a year i do crop damage shooting of whitetail and travel about a 120 miles round trip every day. my silverado will get about 19mpg and it gets a bit expensive. I sure wish someone would produce a small stripped 4x4 pickup with a 4cyl stick that got about 30 mpg. Seems like nobody wants to make a smaller truck anymore. Most are mid sized with 6cyl engines and dont get any better gas milage then a full sized truck. Id never be without a full sized 4x4 truck but would surely pick up a small one just to beat around with if someone would make it. Ive got a 4 cyl jeep but it doesnt even get the gas mileage my silverado gets. Id have to guess that im not the only one that would love something like this. I would think theyd sell like hotcakes. Hell even something on the lines of those old subaru bratts would work for me. Just need something to throw a couple deer in the back.

[KeepTryin]

Yes you and me both Lloyd. I think there are two reasons you can't buy stuff like that here.

(1) low margin for the maker. they are likely hooked on the fat profit margins from the full blast optioned-out models. and apparently there are still lots of folks around who can and do drop 30-40K on a truck. we'll see how long that lasts.

(2) I think manufacturer's marketing departments are quite attuned to the culture here and are quite fearful about producing anything perceivable as 'deliberately downscale' . people may (likely won't) buy many of them. fact is, our consumer standards are really, really high. have been for a long time now. this situation might not last either.

(dragging soapbox out)  ...oh I won't get too far out on this, it will basically get folks mad... but... I think for the last 30 years at least the average person has had more and more trouble with income and perversely at the same time our consumer standards have gotten WAY WAY WAY too upmarket. it can't last, in my opinion. My dad grouse hunted a bit, but I had an uncle who caught and shot everything there was in Northern Minnesota. Did it all with an unscoped .30-30 Winchester 94, a slant-six Dodge Dart with a three on the tree, and a 14 foot boat with a 5hp Johnson. I think when he retired he went nuts and bought a 9.9 Evinrude...

[KeepTryin]

Oh and Uncle had an old Ithaca 12 pump as well. More silver than blue!

KT

[Lloyd Smale]

those jap mini trucks come close to fitting the bill but i have to travel on the highway and with a top speed of 55 to 60 they would be floored all the time and i doubt the motors would hold up to that.

[KeepTryin]

If you're talking about things like those little Daihatsus (sp?) the grounds crew had one at a place I worked and yes that wouldn't be very practical! Too weird and small even for me!

I do remember though, and it wasn't that long ago, you could readily get an S10 or Ranger stripped down with a 4 banger and a stick. I think Toyota may still make one like that. Maybe.

Every time I bring this up however, somebody always comes at me with the "I SIMPLY HAVE to be able to pull my 26 ft. 200 hp sparkle boat up a mountain pass in a blizzard at 80mph !" argument. Or "haul my trailer with 6 ATV's the size of WW2 jeeps on it" or some nutty thing like that.

When we're all bottomed out at a global wage of like ten grand a year, I suspect this will take care of itself...

KT

[hillbill]

i had a really nice nissan frontier a while back that would of fit your bill. it was plain jane 4x4, crank windows, 4 cyl. nice truck and would go about anywhere. only prob was it only got about 18-20 mpg on the hiway and even less if you didnt hold it around 60 mph or less. my brother had the same trucks in toyotas and they didnt do any better. he had a brand new toyo 4 cyl and it got 23-24 mpg at best on the hiway.way less around the farm too.the subarus are good rigs but they wont get anywhere near the required 30 mpg. the only rig i ever had that would get better than 30 was a 2wd luv deisel mini truck.which of course since it got such good fuel mileage the promptly stopped makeing them.whats stupid is i think they have exactly what you are looking for the euro countries. small effiecent deisel 4x4 rigs. of course in their infinite wisdom  our fine goverment wont allow them to be imported into this country

[SHOOTALL]

I was thinking Luv diesel . A buddy had one he put over 300000 miles on maybe 400000 . He got it used .

[scootrd]

anyone remember the Subaru BRAT (had the plastic seats in the back)?.
not quite a truck. not quite a car , I guess maybe a try at the El Camino or Ranchero crowd for Subaru Buyers.

I think the Ford ranger boasts about 28 on the highway.

[hillbill]

if yu do find a luv deisel just remember they have weak trannys. had to have mine fixed twice and the guy said he had fixed every luv diesel tranny in the tri county area that was still on the road.

[SHOOTALL]

My buddys had a water pump replaced and belts and hoses . Oil and lube . That was it other than the speed-o-meter cable that stayed broke for a year and a half. Reason not sure if it was 400000 . he drove over 1800 miles a week back then going to and from work.

[hillbill]

my dad gits a paper called FARM SHOW and there are lots of articles that ive seen were guys put inline cummins and duetz 4cyl diesels in full size pickups. it seems they often get close to 30 mpg or better.of course the articles ussually start out with "i had a buddy who is a machinst" make a new bellhouseing or flywheel etc.they did a series of tests on some hydrogen generators that certain companies were selling that you could add to your fuel system.supposedly to boost your mpg from 20 to 40%. they found out they were all basically a farce.

[Lloyd Smale]

a little diesel truck like the old chev love or even a suburu brat would do me just fine. All i need is enough room to throw a couple deer in the back and 4 wheel drive to get me accross the farm fields and got 30mpg. I just boggles my mind that none of the manufactures produce something like that. 

[Cheesehead]

Suburu, until recently made a model called "Baja". Based on the Forester, it should get near 30 mpg. The Baja is a four door, four passenger vehicle with a small box big enough for 2 or  more deer.

Cheese

[no guns here]

Oh man, I can't think of the brand but last year I did see a company that is supposed to bringing a TC pickup to the US.  I believe it was Mahindra but not sure.  Was supposed to be a basic 1/2 ton with a smaller TD in it.  I'll have to try to look it up.  I too have wished for a smaller truck with a useful capacity, 4x4 and a small TD in it.  Having driven a bunch of cars with the 2.0 and 2.5 liter TD's in them in Europe I think it would be a good fit for something on the order of a 1980's sized 'yota or something like that.  I have a 98 Mazda B3000 right now that has absolutely no guts or power.  A 2.0 liter TD would HAVE to be better than that engine.  I don't need it for towing.  I want one for possible daily driving and for hunting and the lite work around the place.  I have bigger trucks and trailers for the rest.


NGH

[no guns here]

Yep, it was Mahindra.  Website says they are heading for December release for their trucks.  Claim is 30 mpg and a big payload.  If it's like some of the euro trucks, it'll ride pretty rough to get that payload.


NGH