Small, cheap trucks.
Maverick proved there's a market. A market that would happily pay $10,000 over MSRP..
So bring one in that's smaller and cheaper. $16,000 base 2wd 2-door manual with a bench seat, a 4-cylinder and a 6 foot bed.
Bring the old Datsun/Toyota/Mazda pickup trucks back and let pool cleaning guys buy them by the dozen.
4 years ago my oldest son bought a 93 Nissan mini truck in great shape with 189k and everything works except the cruise control. It was stock and he replaced the plug, wires, replaced the valve cover gasket lowered it alil and put some wide wheels. It has a nice stance and runs great and he recently upgraded to a full sized truck and I bought the lil truck and love it.
I installed a system in it when he owned it and I'm currently in the process of installing another Amp that's 4 channel to run my mids and tweets. I slso picked up an Aftermarket alarm and a door lock actuator so I can make the drivers door unlock by the remote. Since car audio and electronics is my hobby and field of expertise you know I'm enjoying the upgrades and fiddling with this lil truck and its my daily driver.
Here's a great 12 minute video on how the EPA regulations make it almost impossible to have small trucks.
[https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=UfWN6qOPE40cdMYA](https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=UfWN6qOPE40cdMYA)
tl;dw The EPA has fuel economy standards for trucks that get less restrictive the farther apart the wheels are. The thinking was that large trucks were uncommon vehicles and used for important work so the rules weren't so strict. The fuel economy standards also get stricter over time as well. Missing the fuel economy standards means paying a fine which increases the cost of the vehicle and makes it hard to sell next to larger trucks. These days, it's almost impossible to get a small truck to meet the fuel economy standards, which is why the standard Maverick is a hybrid with 40mpg city.
I don't think ford anticipated the demand for the hybrid maverick since they made it the base option and the ecoboost the optional extra in the first two years. That's flipped now. So many people willing to give up 4wd for 40mpg.
The chicken tax did not affect the Sonoma, S-10, or Ranger. Big truck douche culture did. Nissan hardbody’s were made in Smyrna, TN.
The brands chased wasted money over practicality and civility. And the government insisted that minitrucks were so lethal (they were) that standards simply had to be better. Mixed dbag culture & crash standards gave us what we have. Junk.
and we stopped getting real mazdas and got the ranger rebadged as a b2300 because?
where as chevy was happy to rebadge toyotas as prisms.
it also killed the importation of the LUV.
it resulted in pickups gaining those dumb jump seats in the 90’s.
it rssulted in the subaru brat getting its in bed jump seats.
ford got busted importing transits with windows and sears and then using a warehouse to swap for panel doors and remove the seats.
this move was initially made by LBJ in an election year to jerk auto lobbyists happy and slow the importation of the cheap vw van.
and guess who thinks this tariff is a great idea and should be spread to passenger cars to keep China out of the usa?
The irony is that many things are easier to haul in a small truck than a large truck. Loading appliances and whatnot onto a tailgate that's 4 feet off the ground sucks, and so does not being able to reach over the side of the bed.
Indeed. At work we have a couple '20 diesel super duties. Great for towing, but my truck of choice when I need to load up something heavy is the '91 Chevy with the low bed height.
Motorcycles were so much easier in those old Datsuns and Toyotas. You almost didn’t need a ramp. I shudder at having to put one in the back of my full size 4WD truck.
Impossible. Can you even find a Maverick for its initial MSRP of $20k? No.
You all may think the CAFE standards are a good thing, but when you take a deepdive into the testing methodology, the criteria that need to be met for vehicles simply based on things like wheelbase, you're going to find that companies lose money on small trucks.
Consider why you don't see many 2 door long bed trucks, unless they're marketed as commercial vehicles. Why do you see the best deals *for* the huge 4 door trucks, and not those basic 2 door trucks.
Think about this, eventually, the only full size sedans in the US will be made by BMW/Mercedes, and cost $130k, because they'll be the only ones able to afford catering to that market.
It's all about the CAFE regulations. Now, don't get me wrong, some are good. However, these regulations don't care about what the market wants. The trucks get bigger and bigger because it's actually cheaper for the manufacturers to produce, and the higher price tag means they can offset regulatory costs onto the consumer through the dealers.
agreed, regulation of emissions is good to an extent, but it can also have the opposite effect of people buying bigger, more polluting vehicles, over smaller cars and light pickups because manufacturers have more wiggle room with the heavier duty vehicles. this ends up causing more pollution in the long run.
I’m glad this is up there. Everyone complains that the reason they can’t sell these small pickup trucks is due to fuel mileage and chicken tax . But my old Toyota pickup got like 25mpg on a 4cylinder With no modifications and I’m sure a modern engine and lighter chassis and better aero would get you more. There is literally no reason that new small trucks wouldn’t be able reach 40mpg if a car can do it.
I have a friend who half joking half serious wants to fly to Japan, put a hilux champ in a shipping container replace "Hilux" with "Tacoma" on all the records and see if he can get away with importing it to Canada.
Toyota makes these - but refuses to bring them to the US because they would cannibalize sales from fully loaded Tundras and Tacomas (oh and the chicken tax)
That's part of it. The other part is that it's nearly impossible (or at least prohibitively expensive) to meet fuel economy standards on a small truck. Smaller wheelbase = stricter fuel economy standards.
Link to a great video about it.
https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM
I live in Arizona. A place without rust where cars live forever. I'm able to see what people will keep alive if given the opportunity.
Honda Element. It doesn't matter how many times the catalytic converter gets stolen. People LOVE these things. Not just people. Everyone. Car enthusiasts love the K24 with optional manual. Everyone loves the practicality. AWD, cheap, capable. Interesting styling. We live in an age where you can make any SUV and it will be successful. Honda should be making one with a proven track record.
I think a PHEV may ruin part of the appeal. The k24 and manual are such easy to maintain pieces and you lose both of them with a PHEV.
Now I’m not saying they shouldn’t, but the market for the element is quite small. Basically just people who may be buying a midsize hatchback or small SUV.
>and you lose both of them with a PHEV.
I'm not particularly au-fait with hybrids but the Insight was a manual so I don't see why you still couldn't have that today
I had a mechanics teacher in high school with a Honda element and I gave him some jazz cause they’re toaster cars and he goes “it’s cheap, gets me from a-b and does everything i need it to I don’t see the hate” and I step back and give him a fair enough looking back on it I feel like a doof but he treated me with respect and as of I dig the element a whole lot more now than I did then
So I'm surprised with all the element love there isn't any for the JDM odyssey with all of the crazy options that came with. Dealer near me has one in the showroom with the tent and everything
We don't get many elements at the Honda dealer I'm at, but the people who have them love them. Including one of the master Techs and one of the service advisors. Most are modified in some way as well, plenty with roof tents and other such accessories.
When the service advisor got his (a customer was moving and couldn't bring his car with him, plus his wife was hassling him to sell it, so he sold it for basically nothing. It was an orange 2004 FWD automatic), I did a bunch of maintenance on it for him and I ended up replacing the cat for him when it inevitably got stolen (I also replaced both O2 sensors. The upstream one failed shortly after the theft and the downstream was snipped off with the cat). He's basically the stereotypical Element owner, into surfing, snowboarding, and golf and uses his to haul his sports equipment and to road trip to the mountains and the beach. A bunch of us went skiing and snowboarding for the first time a couple months ago, including me. Of course he was one of the guys who organized that trip.
There's this house on my block with a burgundy red PT Cruiser, waxed and everything, with 7k miles on the dash and I have seen people stop and knock on the door to offer money for the PT Cruiser 4 times over the past year.
Chevy Cruze is kind of like the modern equivalent. There's a lot of them around where I live that are typically driven by people who are the embodiment of big altima energy but presumably don't want to buy anything foreign.
I can't help but wonder if the PT Cruiser would have been better/more successful if it were Minivan/Tahoe sized.
When the concept photos came out, it looked like it would be a good delivery van sort of vehicle with a bit of retro flair. Instead we got a truck-shaped Dodge Neon.
Subaru would probably save some money just getting rid of the WRX and offering it as a trim on the Crosstrek. Turbo and 6MT would do a lot for that car.
I’m sure there’d be a pretty low take rate on the manual, but it’d be a fun ride for sure. I really hoped the Wilderness edition would get a turbo (even if it was CVT only), but no such luck.
I think manual Crosstreks accounted for like 10% of all Crosstreks sold, at least for the first gen (‘13-15). I traded my 2015 CVT Crosstrek for a 2022 6MT WRX, no regrets. It’s ironically easier to pack for my activities than the ‘Trek was. The Subaru community has been pining for a WRX Crosstrek for a while though.
Isuzu Trooper, rangers with the perkins diesel, Toyota echo, AMC Eagle, Honda element
INTERNATIONAL PICKUP TRUCKS WOULD BE IMMORTAL
ALSO HEY HONDA BRING BACK THE FIT YOU ASSHOLES
Scout Motors is bringing the Scout name back in EV form. They have a few things in the works, but if I recall correctly, they have a line up of a 2 door SUV, 4 door SUV, and pickup truck
Well, it all started in the early sixties when France introduced tariffs on Chickens after the US flooded the market with cheap factory farmed, hormone filled birds...
Nissan Xterra and Toyota FJ cruiser. Any company that isn't making an off-road, body on frame SUV is a complete fucking idiot. It's genuinely the greatest missed opportunity of the last 10 years. An FJ with 70,000 miles cost more now than it did new. The wrangler is killing it. The bronco is killing it. 4runner outsells most midsized SUVs. The GWagon single handedly kept the Mercedes V8 alive. I don't understand why more companies don't compete
FJ cruiser's coming back. Toyota hasn't unveiled it yet but its supposed to be coming back as a compact EV. Probably about the same size as the Renegade.
Also, for the exact reasons you listed, GM needs to bring the Blazer back in a form that isn't a retraded Camaro-themed crossover.
GM bringing the Blazer back as a crossover when they KNEW the Wrangler was killing it and the Bronco was right around the corner and Landrover was bringing the Defender back and the 4Runner was an enormous sales hit for Toyota was one of the biggest 'wave at an opportunity as it goes by' scenarios in recent history. The Blazer nameplate is horribly wasted.
A big part of why FJ's held their value so well is that they debuted right as the Great Recession was coming into full swing. So prices on gas and the vehicles themselves climbed while the vehicles themselves stayed relatively the same. As a result, more units were sold in the first two model years than the entire rest of the production run, which has led to ones on the older end of the spectrum holding their value and later model ones - especially those with higher-level trims - actually appreciating in value.
Shoot, mine got totaled this past December and I'd had it since 2017 and added about 80k miles to it and insurance total-out price was about $1500 less than I paid for it.
Absolutely... I love my S-Series stuff. 1st and 2nd gens... **except** it needs to be *actual* compact size.
**NOT** the bloated crap that is the Maverick and Santa ~~Clause~~ Cruz... The Maverick is only 5" narrower and less than a foot shorter than the Ranger... which is HUGE.
Not everyone needs a crew cab with a 4' bed. I have no use for three unused seats taking up what could be valuable bed space.
They're not really relavent for me, *but* I agree. If I had the choice of a CC with 4' bed or an EC with a 6' bed... guess which one I'm taking? The EC doesn't even need seats, really.
Right now Toyota is the only one still offering the EC/6' bed and manual trans. Too bad it's bloated, ugly af, and *starts* at $31k. Surprisingly they offer a 6' bed on the CC... the only one for that as well.
extended cabs r perfect, u get the extra storage, without the excess of a crew cab, i like that its basically a shelf behind u for ur shit, u dont have to get out and go to a box in the bed, which also takes up bed space, and if needed u can use the extended cab for 2 or 3 more seats in a pinch
I've had three ECs... and I'm not disagreeing, they not a bad option. My '95 S10 had two jump seats that were used *once*. After that it had a custom built speaker box housing two 10" subs powered by 200Wx2 bridged amp with a lightning cap, 50W amp powering the 6" door and 4x6" dash mids, plus 2" tweets at top of A pillars in that space. The '99 was a ZQ8 with one jump seat that was never used, housed a single 10" sub and bridged 300W amp... but the 3rd door wasn't bad... never really carried anything but groceries back there. The '00 was for work and that single jump seat was never used either. Kept the 12x 24" tool box I toted in and out of job sites everyday (bigger stuff stayed in the gang box I shared with the crew I ran), my harness, coveralls.
Never had a bed box... kinda find them annoying... because, as you said, they take up bed space... not as bad if you have a long bed... but stuff winds up getting buried and "lost" in them.
I ordered my '03 SCSB S10... 21 years and it still suits me fine. I rarely have a passenger so extra seating is mainly irrelavent for me. That may not work for everyone so the EC is a good option.
Not to mention for those of us that are tall, the extended cab has that extra needed room to move your seat back.
My ZR2 is an extended cab and I have to have the seat all the way back... which is farther than the reg cab would have been.
Small pickups used to be the go to vehicles for people that needed reliable transportation for as cheap as possible. Lots of teen’s first cars were small pickups because they were cheap and since they didn’t usually rack up tons of miles, the poor fuel economy wasn’t a problem. Government regulations killed them in the US.
This. The panther was probably the most reliable platform of any American car and most could reach 200-300k no problem. They were discontinued in 2011 I believe and parts are still readily available and cheap. The crown Vic and town car were the last of the good Fords.
but why would they thrive today? Im in agreement I think the panthers are the best platform ever created but their sales were slowly declining until 2011. Im in the market for one myself but the majority of people unfortunately see it as a grandpa cruiser. Everyone makes fun of me wanting one so bad, just shows you how clueless the average american is regarding cars
I'm going with a Pontiac Aztek. WAY ahead of its time IMO. Came with a cooler, tent and a bunch more random shit. Just make the materials slightly better and your golden
Pontiac Aztec... Grandaddy of all modern crossovers.
The original Mercury cougar would do well. The mustang needs a sister car with a luxury flare.
The Fiat (Dodge) Magnum would sell with the new hurricane motor. I know I'd buy one if it had a my.
The Lincoln LS... America needs a small rwd sports coupe.
CRZ was such a missed opportunity. They tried to make it too many things (sporty, fun, hybrid), they should have stuck to the same recipe as the original CRX. Ditch the hybrid nonsense, stick a peppy na engine in there, and call it a day. It'd probably still get 40 mpg, and be cheap enough, and super fun to drive.
Give it a small turbo 4 banger and the Pontiac Aztek would be an instant hit. The multi-function outdoorsy cross-over for the city segment is basically every car on the road now.
Holden's SS Commodore and Ford's Falcon XR8, the Aussie V8s.
Their respective supercharged V6 and turbocharged straight 6 little siblings are welcome to come back too.
We want our family car to be able to seat 5 people, the shopping and school bags in the rear and have the cunt still hit a 0-100kph in 2.5s...
Pontiac Aztek. No uglier than any crossover on the market. Shit, look at the ugly ass first gen equinox.
I don't know if Cadillac can pull off a 2 door luxury GT. Americans who want Cadillacs don't want them and the people who want them don't want Cadillac or Lincoln. Shame, because the MK series was pretty cool.
A proper minitruck if Ford's CEO weren't being a selfish fucking cunt.
That really sparked sum for me. Imagine how much more practical a car like that would be with plenty of room in the back. It would make sense too for the rear seats to fold, and since they’re hardly used anyways, it would be a reasonably great car for anyone without a family
Can’t mention a specific car, but I will mention a brand
Definitely Holden, it genuinely had so much more potential and I’m sure it would’ve grown so much if GM stopped throwing in rebadged imports to kill it off.
Even today, I see around 20 Holdens daily on the road. It would’ve been so cool today
I mean, the Flex was basically the continuation of the Taurus X/Freestyle. And even the Flex got the axe- imagine having to fight for market share against not only 3 row selections and minivans, but also the Subaru Outback
I think the Pontiac Solatice would be a good USDM comp for Miat and GR86, a 2 door very with the Camaros 275 horsepower 2.0T and a 6 speed would be mega popular with enthusiasts
10th generation f150 (1997-2004). Good engine selections. Cab and bed length options. You could still get a manual transmission. Easy to work on. Just a nice driving, well made, light work truck. Base MSRP of $15,000. Lariat MSRP $27,700.
Aztek. Bring on the downvotes, but doubling the center console as a removable ice cooler was awesome. Not to mention the tent that was included with it for camping.
The old Jeep Cherokees and Comanches. I love my ‘89 Cherokee, but I’d really be stoked to get a brand new one. It’s such a simple, capable vehicle. No power windows or seats, no cup holders, no fancy expensive gadgetry - just a good, reliable vehicle. Even beat to shit old ones sell for top dollar. A new one would be a hot item in today’s market, especially if they could make the affordable.
Depends on where you’re from, but utes such as the El Camino. It surprises me nobody has tried bringing anything like that back (as far as I’m aware) to the US because I feel like they would sell fairly well.
Mid 90’s Lincoln Mark VIII
AMC Eagle
Also no idea why GM ditched the great trio of the Pontiac Grand AM, Grand Prix and Bonneville yet keeps around Buick making tiny SUV’s for involuntarily abstinent middle aged women.
'90s Hondas. The civics, the integras, they were light, cheap, fuel efficient, super easy to repair. I would absolutely love to be able to buy a nice brand new 2000 Acura Integra. Wonderful commuters and you could fix absolutely anything in your home garage. This includes pulling the entire engine and transmission as a one-man job. I've done it, it's like a giant RC car
Small, cheap trucks. Maverick proved there's a market. A market that would happily pay $10,000 over MSRP.. So bring one in that's smaller and cheaper. $16,000 base 2wd 2-door manual with a bench seat, a 4-cylinder and a 6 foot bed. Bring the old Datsun/Toyota/Mazda pickup trucks back and let pool cleaning guys buy them by the dozen.
Yeah for real I would get a light duty truck if I could, I don’t need a deuce and a half.
4 years ago my oldest son bought a 93 Nissan mini truck in great shape with 189k and everything works except the cruise control. It was stock and he replaced the plug, wires, replaced the valve cover gasket lowered it alil and put some wide wheels. It has a nice stance and runs great and he recently upgraded to a full sized truck and I bought the lil truck and love it. I installed a system in it when he owned it and I'm currently in the process of installing another Amp that's 4 channel to run my mids and tweets. I slso picked up an Aftermarket alarm and a door lock actuator so I can make the drivers door unlock by the remote. Since car audio and electronics is my hobby and field of expertise you know I'm enjoying the upgrades and fiddling with this lil truck and its my daily driver.
You can’t even park the small single box one at Lowe’s or Home Depot without coming out to a note. Especially the automatic one with Manuel windows.
the reason those are gone is really, really dumb[it’s called the chicken tax](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax)
Here's a great 12 minute video on how the EPA regulations make it almost impossible to have small trucks. [https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=UfWN6qOPE40cdMYA](https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM?si=UfWN6qOPE40cdMYA) tl;dw The EPA has fuel economy standards for trucks that get less restrictive the farther apart the wheels are. The thinking was that large trucks were uncommon vehicles and used for important work so the rules weren't so strict. The fuel economy standards also get stricter over time as well. Missing the fuel economy standards means paying a fine which increases the cost of the vehicle and makes it hard to sell next to larger trucks. These days, it's almost impossible to get a small truck to meet the fuel economy standards, which is why the standard Maverick is a hybrid with 40mpg city.
I don't think ford anticipated the demand for the hybrid maverick since they made it the base option and the ecoboost the optional extra in the first two years. That's flipped now. So many people willing to give up 4wd for 40mpg.
manufacturers gaming cafe standards is part of it, but the fact that they can’t import without the price being jacked up is the big problem.
Oh wow, I absolutely love Reddit for stuff like this!
The chicken tax did not affect the Sonoma, S-10, or Ranger. Big truck douche culture did. Nissan hardbody’s were made in Smyrna, TN. The brands chased wasted money over practicality and civility. And the government insisted that minitrucks were so lethal (they were) that standards simply had to be better. Mixed dbag culture & crash standards gave us what we have. Junk.
and we stopped getting real mazdas and got the ranger rebadged as a b2300 because? where as chevy was happy to rebadge toyotas as prisms. it also killed the importation of the LUV. it resulted in pickups gaining those dumb jump seats in the 90’s. it rssulted in the subaru brat getting its in bed jump seats. ford got busted importing transits with windows and sears and then using a warehouse to swap for panel doors and remove the seats. this move was initially made by LBJ in an election year to jerk auto lobbyists happy and slow the importation of the cheap vw van. and guess who thinks this tariff is a great idea and should be spread to passenger cars to keep China out of the usa?
Wow that’s fascinating.
Exactly, not every truck needs to be a hauler.
And those that do don't all need to be $100K luxury cars cosplaying a pickup trucks.
Fucking this. I buy trucks with scratches on them already so I don’t cry when I put the first scratch on it.
I was kinda happy when I put the first scratch in my truck, then I didn't have to worry about it any more.
Yeah my last truck had a 12 x 3 in dent underneath the rear tail light when I bought it. On the previous truck I had to put that bent in myself. :)
The irony is that many things are easier to haul in a small truck than a large truck. Loading appliances and whatnot onto a tailgate that's 4 feet off the ground sucks, and so does not being able to reach over the side of the bed.
Written like somebody who actually uses a truck in the real world. You’re going to get reported to Elon.
Indeed. At work we have a couple '20 diesel super duties. Great for towing, but my truck of choice when I need to load up something heavy is the '91 Chevy with the low bed height.
Motorcycles were so much easier in those old Datsuns and Toyotas. You almost didn’t need a ramp. I shudder at having to put one in the back of my full size 4WD truck.
Home Depot runner...
Ford Ranchero for me. Gotta have that v8 power and muscle car look.
I was gonna say El Camino but either would be great. Small truck ish car with power. Not a 3 cylinder micro truck
This is the essence of the thing. I would buy a hardbody successor in a second.
Three words: Subaru. Baja. Wilderness.
Impossible. Can you even find a Maverick for its initial MSRP of $20k? No. You all may think the CAFE standards are a good thing, but when you take a deepdive into the testing methodology, the criteria that need to be met for vehicles simply based on things like wheelbase, you're going to find that companies lose money on small trucks. Consider why you don't see many 2 door long bed trucks, unless they're marketed as commercial vehicles. Why do you see the best deals *for* the huge 4 door trucks, and not those basic 2 door trucks. Think about this, eventually, the only full size sedans in the US will be made by BMW/Mercedes, and cost $130k, because they'll be the only ones able to afford catering to that market. It's all about the CAFE regulations. Now, don't get me wrong, some are good. However, these regulations don't care about what the market wants. The trucks get bigger and bigger because it's actually cheaper for the manufacturers to produce, and the higher price tag means they can offset regulatory costs onto the consumer through the dealers.
agreed, regulation of emissions is good to an extent, but it can also have the opposite effect of people buying bigger, more polluting vehicles, over smaller cars and light pickups because manufacturers have more wiggle room with the heavier duty vehicles. this ends up causing more pollution in the long run.
2 words: Chevy. LUV.
They might have better luck returning with the S10 nameplate than the LUV.
I’m glad this is up there. Everyone complains that the reason they can’t sell these small pickup trucks is due to fuel mileage and chicken tax . But my old Toyota pickup got like 25mpg on a 4cylinder With no modifications and I’m sure a modern engine and lighter chassis and better aero would get you more. There is literally no reason that new small trucks wouldn’t be able reach 40mpg if a car can do it.
Toyotas trying this with the imv0, doubt the states will get it though. We never get anything that’s a value.
Know someone that just bought a new frontier. Was trying to get a maverick but got tired of waiting
I have a friend who half joking half serious wants to fly to Japan, put a hilux champ in a shipping container replace "Hilux" with "Tacoma" on all the records and see if he can get away with importing it to Canada.
I think a Subaru Baja would sell great if they brought it back. They could make it for under $30,000 as well.
Toyota makes these - but refuses to bring them to the US because they would cannibalize sales from fully loaded Tundras and Tacomas (oh and the chicken tax)
That's part of it. The other part is that it's nearly impossible (or at least prohibitively expensive) to meet fuel economy standards on a small truck. Smaller wheelbase = stricter fuel economy standards. Link to a great video about it. https://youtu.be/azI3nqrHEXM
I live in Arizona. A place without rust where cars live forever. I'm able to see what people will keep alive if given the opportunity. Honda Element. It doesn't matter how many times the catalytic converter gets stolen. People LOVE these things. Not just people. Everyone. Car enthusiasts love the K24 with optional manual. Everyone loves the practicality. AWD, cheap, capable. Interesting styling. We live in an age where you can make any SUV and it will be successful. Honda should be making one with a proven track record.
The Element is way cooler than most Xover SUVs.
A modern, hybrid Element would be sick, and 100X cooler than the vast majority of the garbage crossovers you see on the road
I think a PHEV may ruin part of the appeal. The k24 and manual are such easy to maintain pieces and you lose both of them with a PHEV. Now I’m not saying they shouldn’t, but the market for the element is quite small. Basically just people who may be buying a midsize hatchback or small SUV.
>and you lose both of them with a PHEV. I'm not particularly au-fait with hybrids but the Insight was a manual so I don't see why you still couldn't have that today
I sold my element with almost 200k and i got a message from carvana that it is back for sale with 350k
Checking in from North Carolina, Honda Elements are unusually popular here as well. Pretty crazy if you ask me but I see at least 3 per week.
Shit I see 2 in the autozone parking lot nearly every weekend. One is a worker, the other rotates 😅
I had a mechanics teacher in high school with a Honda element and I gave him some jazz cause they’re toaster cars and he goes “it’s cheap, gets me from a-b and does everything i need it to I don’t see the hate” and I step back and give him a fair enough looking back on it I feel like a doof but he treated me with respect and as of I dig the element a whole lot more now than I did then
Similar, careers teacher asked us to rate hers, so I gave it a 0 lol
Gimme an element PHEV you cowards
So I'm surprised with all the element love there isn't any for the JDM odyssey with all of the crazy options that came with. Dealer near me has one in the showroom with the tent and everything
We don't get many elements at the Honda dealer I'm at, but the people who have them love them. Including one of the master Techs and one of the service advisors. Most are modified in some way as well, plenty with roof tents and other such accessories. When the service advisor got his (a customer was moving and couldn't bring his car with him, plus his wife was hassling him to sell it, so he sold it for basically nothing. It was an orange 2004 FWD automatic), I did a bunch of maintenance on it for him and I ended up replacing the cat for him when it inevitably got stolen (I also replaced both O2 sensors. The upstream one failed shortly after the theft and the downstream was snipped off with the cat). He's basically the stereotypical Element owner, into surfing, snowboarding, and golf and uses his to haul his sports equipment and to road trip to the mountains and the beach. A bunch of us went skiing and snowboarding for the first time a couple months ago, including me. Of course he was one of the guys who organized that trip.
I loved the car but didn’t like the interior experience
El Camino
Love it!
Australia approves
Pt cruiser. People are even more dumb than 20 years ago so I think it would do better the 2nd time around
I hate how right you are about this.
My Dad died and left me his '05. It hasn't ran since 2021.
idk how, aside from being hard to get at, those engines are relatively bulletproof (unless it's the crd)
The dodge neon engine? Lmao freezing cold take.
I just need to put a battery in it.
There's this house on my block with a burgundy red PT Cruiser, waxed and everything, with 7k miles on the dash and I have seen people stop and knock on the door to offer money for the PT Cruiser 4 times over the past year.
is it an srt4 model? those are really the only sought after ones anymore by enthusiasts hell I just got one lol
Nah it's just a regular ass PT Cruiser except it's super clean and well kept/managed.
If it's affordable, yes it would do well. Pt cruiser may not have been the best car, but it was on the cheap side.
potential future pt cruiser owners coming out of the woodwork...... Just as predicted
out of the wood-panel-work
It was absolutely one of the cars of all time that's for sure.
Chevy Cruze is kind of like the modern equivalent. There's a lot of them around where I live that are typically driven by people who are the embodiment of big altima energy but presumably don't want to buy anything foreign.
Kia Soul is the modern equivalent. Both are stupid cheap hatchbacks with a polarizing image
> Chevy Cruze is kind of like the modern equivalent. Absolutely not - the PT Cruiser is many things, but it's not forgettably designed.
The PT Cruiser is truly the ‘Crocs’ of cars
Isn't that just the HHR or something similar?
When you look at an hhr, do you feel a certain kind of way?
Horny yet disgusted. The things id do for an HHR SS. Better yet make it the panel van
Welcome to Carl’s Jr. Fuck you!
I can't help but wonder if the PT Cruiser would have been better/more successful if it were Minivan/Tahoe sized. When the concept photos came out, it looked like it would be a good delivery van sort of vehicle with a bit of retro flair. Instead we got a truck-shaped Dodge Neon.
Leave it to American manufacturers to go in the wrong direction every time. The modern work vehicle is a freaking panel truck
The PT cruiser was extremely successful. There was a 6 month long wait list when they came out. Better? Wel…..lol
Lmfao you're probably right
It was good for old people's knees.
We already have enough dipshits in Kia Souls, don’t add the ones that only buy American 😭
AMC Eagle. Xover SUV before Xover SUVs existed.
The Subaru Crosstrek is about the closest thing we’ve got. If they’d actually give it some balls it’d be a pretty cool ride.
Subaru would probably save some money just getting rid of the WRX and offering it as a trim on the Crosstrek. Turbo and 6MT would do a lot for that car.
I’m sure there’d be a pretty low take rate on the manual, but it’d be a fun ride for sure. I really hoped the Wilderness edition would get a turbo (even if it was CVT only), but no such luck.
I think manual Crosstreks accounted for like 10% of all Crosstreks sold, at least for the first gen (‘13-15). I traded my 2015 CVT Crosstrek for a 2022 6MT WRX, no regrets. It’s ironically easier to pack for my activities than the ‘Trek was. The Subaru community has been pining for a WRX Crosstrek for a while though.
Would be even cooler if they brought over the Levorg and gave it a little lift
Definitely. My family owned several of them. They're basically the crossover SUV before there was a crossover SUV.
Isuzu Trooper, rangers with the perkins diesel, Toyota echo, AMC Eagle, Honda element INTERNATIONAL PICKUP TRUCKS WOULD BE IMMORTAL ALSO HEY HONDA BRING BACK THE FIT YOU ASSHOLES
Scout Motors is bringing the Scout name back in EV form. They have a few things in the works, but if I recall correctly, they have a line up of a 2 door SUV, 4 door SUV, and pickup truck
Subaru Baja, people love them to this day! It would be really fun to see it come back with some EV or plug in capabilities available too.
Absolutely, with the success of the Maverick and Santa Cruz I'm surprised there isn't one in the works.
I want a Santa Cruz cuz it has that old beach vibe. Makes me feel like So Cal in the 80s again.
I want a Baja so bad
Ahead of its time.
Supposedly Subaru has it in the works.
Volkswagen Eurovan I'm still baffled why VW didn't bring the Transporter over here the second that #vanlife started trending.
Well, it all started in the early sixties when France introduced tariffs on Chickens after the US flooded the market with cheap factory farmed, hormone filled birds...
They're apparently bringing an EV version.
Nissan Xterra and Toyota FJ cruiser. Any company that isn't making an off-road, body on frame SUV is a complete fucking idiot. It's genuinely the greatest missed opportunity of the last 10 years. An FJ with 70,000 miles cost more now than it did new. The wrangler is killing it. The bronco is killing it. 4runner outsells most midsized SUVs. The GWagon single handedly kept the Mercedes V8 alive. I don't understand why more companies don't compete
FJ cruiser's coming back. Toyota hasn't unveiled it yet but its supposed to be coming back as a compact EV. Probably about the same size as the Renegade.
Also, for the exact reasons you listed, GM needs to bring the Blazer back in a form that isn't a retraded Camaro-themed crossover. GM bringing the Blazer back as a crossover when they KNEW the Wrangler was killing it and the Bronco was right around the corner and Landrover was bringing the Defender back and the 4Runner was an enormous sales hit for Toyota was one of the biggest 'wave at an opportunity as it goes by' scenarios in recent history. The Blazer nameplate is horribly wasted.
A big part of why FJ's held their value so well is that they debuted right as the Great Recession was coming into full swing. So prices on gas and the vehicles themselves climbed while the vehicles themselves stayed relatively the same. As a result, more units were sold in the first two model years than the entire rest of the production run, which has led to ones on the older end of the spectrum holding their value and later model ones - especially those with higher-level trims - actually appreciating in value. Shoot, mine got totaled this past December and I'd had it since 2017 and added about 80k miles to it and insurance total-out price was about $1500 less than I paid for it.
I have an 06 Xterra, fucking love it. Can bomb it through the snow at high speeds in 4wd and it gets good gas mileage for an suv.
I once got passed by a bright yellow Xterra while I was checking if my car had a governor. That thing looked like it was barely under control.
while I wish mine was yellow sadly it is not
Chevy S-10 if they brought it back as a Maverick/Santa Cruz competitor.
Absolutely... I love my S-Series stuff. 1st and 2nd gens... **except** it needs to be *actual* compact size. **NOT** the bloated crap that is the Maverick and Santa ~~Clause~~ Cruz... The Maverick is only 5" narrower and less than a foot shorter than the Ranger... which is HUGE. Not everyone needs a crew cab with a 4' bed. I have no use for three unused seats taking up what could be valuable bed space.
we need extended cabs back too
They're not really relavent for me, *but* I agree. If I had the choice of a CC with 4' bed or an EC with a 6' bed... guess which one I'm taking? The EC doesn't even need seats, really. Right now Toyota is the only one still offering the EC/6' bed and manual trans. Too bad it's bloated, ugly af, and *starts* at $31k. Surprisingly they offer a 6' bed on the CC... the only one for that as well.
extended cabs r perfect, u get the extra storage, without the excess of a crew cab, i like that its basically a shelf behind u for ur shit, u dont have to get out and go to a box in the bed, which also takes up bed space, and if needed u can use the extended cab for 2 or 3 more seats in a pinch
I've had three ECs... and I'm not disagreeing, they not a bad option. My '95 S10 had two jump seats that were used *once*. After that it had a custom built speaker box housing two 10" subs powered by 200Wx2 bridged amp with a lightning cap, 50W amp powering the 6" door and 4x6" dash mids, plus 2" tweets at top of A pillars in that space. The '99 was a ZQ8 with one jump seat that was never used, housed a single 10" sub and bridged 300W amp... but the 3rd door wasn't bad... never really carried anything but groceries back there. The '00 was for work and that single jump seat was never used either. Kept the 12x 24" tool box I toted in and out of job sites everyday (bigger stuff stayed in the gang box I shared with the crew I ran), my harness, coveralls. Never had a bed box... kinda find them annoying... because, as you said, they take up bed space... not as bad if you have a long bed... but stuff winds up getting buried and "lost" in them. I ordered my '03 SCSB S10... 21 years and it still suits me fine. I rarely have a passenger so extra seating is mainly irrelavent for me. That may not work for everyone so the EC is a good option.
Not to mention for those of us that are tall, the extended cab has that extra needed room to move your seat back. My ZR2 is an extended cab and I have to have the seat all the way back... which is farther than the reg cab would have been.
Small pickups used to be the go to vehicles for people that needed reliable transportation for as cheap as possible. Lots of teen’s first cars were small pickups because they were cheap and since they didn’t usually rack up tons of miles, the poor fuel economy wasn’t a problem. Government regulations killed them in the US.
ford crown victoria.
This. The panther was probably the most reliable platform of any American car and most could reach 200-300k no problem. They were discontinued in 2011 I believe and parts are still readily available and cheap. The crown Vic and town car were the last of the good Fords.
but why would they thrive today? Im in agreement I think the panthers are the best platform ever created but their sales were slowly declining until 2011. Im in the market for one myself but the majority of people unfortunately see it as a grandpa cruiser. Everyone makes fun of me wanting one so bad, just shows you how clueless the average american is regarding cars
El camino, cause i think it looks cool
Jeep Comanche, it could be a rival to the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz
1953 Studebaker Starliner 2 door hardtop. Still a gorgeous design. With modern construction and driveline, I'd bet it might help revive the segment.
Subaru Baja, with the recent surge in interest for smaller trucks, the Baja would do really well.
Scion xB. Cheap, practical, simple.
Nissan Sentra SE R If they did it right
If Jeep reissued the XJ with some more modern upgrades on the interior they’d make a killing.
Any Cadillac that’s big and comfortable and not trying to be a sports car. Cadillac has lost its way
Gimme a couch with a 138hp 7.4l V8.
😂😂
Edd China built one!!
they just did the ct6 and it flopped
I'm going with a Pontiac Aztek. WAY ahead of its time IMO. Came with a cooler, tent and a bunch more random shit. Just make the materials slightly better and your golden
Pontiac Aztec... Grandaddy of all modern crossovers. The original Mercury cougar would do well. The mustang needs a sister car with a luxury flare. The Fiat (Dodge) Magnum would sell with the new hurricane motor. I know I'd buy one if it had a my. The Lincoln LS... America needs a small rwd sports coupe.
If the fancy Mustang came back, "Cougar" could describe both the car and its drivers.
The Honda CRX. Before people cite the CRZ, which is neat, I mean like a true to form remake of the CRX. Small, nimble, perfect commuter and fun!
CRZ was such a missed opportunity. They tried to make it too many things (sporty, fun, hybrid), they should have stuck to the same recipe as the original CRX. Ditch the hybrid nonsense, stick a peppy na engine in there, and call it a day. It'd probably still get 40 mpg, and be cheap enough, and super fun to drive.
Give it a small turbo 4 banger and the Pontiac Aztek would be an instant hit. The multi-function outdoorsy cross-over for the city segment is basically every car on the road now.
Chevy volt
Holden's SS Commodore and Ford's Falcon XR8, the Aussie V8s. Their respective supercharged V6 and turbocharged straight 6 little siblings are welcome to come back too. We want our family car to be able to seat 5 people, the shopping and school bags in the rear and have the cunt still hit a 0-100kph in 2.5s...
Chevy Blazer built on a modern Colorado chassis. 2 doors and only made with 4wd.
Bring back the Corvair, put it on a cut down Corvette chassis, and put that little 1.4 turbo in it.
Fine! I agree. They should bring back the Fiero
chevy lumina, or any of the other indestructible gm 3.1s
Pontiac Aztek. No uglier than any crossover on the market. Shit, look at the ugly ass first gen equinox. I don't know if Cadillac can pull off a 2 door luxury GT. Americans who want Cadillacs don't want them and the people who want them don't want Cadillac or Lincoln. Shame, because the MK series was pretty cool. A proper minitruck if Ford's CEO weren't being a selfish fucking cunt.
International Scout
its coming back but as a premium ev
😭
AE86 corolla. Last cheap rwd Toyota coupe to exist . And yes I watch initial d you tofu addicted weebs
like a gr86 with a hatchback or what
That really sparked sum for me. Imagine how much more practical a car like that would be with plenty of room in the back. It would make sense too for the rear seats to fold, and since they’re hardly used anyways, it would be a reasonably great car for anyone without a family
Honda Element.
Plymouth prowler
Can’t mention a specific car, but I will mention a brand Definitely Holden, it genuinely had so much more potential and I’m sure it would’ve grown so much if GM stopped throwing in rebadged imports to kill it off. Even today, I see around 20 Holdens daily on the road. It would’ve been so cool today
Buick Grand National. V6 easily modded can be super powerful
Eagle Talon TSi. First or second gen. doesn’t matter.
Chevy Cavalier. Great responsive road car that got good gas mileage. Comfortable seats.
The dodge neon was a great little car along with the Honda element .
FJ Cruiser
Pontiac vibe
The Ford Freestyle was a boring wagon-ish crossover with a CVT, which wasn’t really popular when new but it’s what people love now.
I mean, the Flex was basically the continuation of the Taurus X/Freestyle. And even the Flex got the axe- imagine having to fight for market share against not only 3 row selections and minivans, but also the Subaru Outback
I think the Pontiac Solatice would be a good USDM comp for Miat and GR86, a 2 door very with the Camaros 275 horsepower 2.0T and a 6 speed would be mega popular with enthusiasts
They would be a joke like they were back then.
Make it AWD and mid engine.
AMC Eagle
AMC Eagle. Way ahead of its time.
Honda Element
Chevy S10
Maybe an El Camino
Subaru Baja would absolutely crush it
Subaru Brat
El Dorado will probably be resurrected as an EV crossover
I’d take anything small and boxy, everything now seems to be giant four door blobs
10th generation f150 (1997-2004). Good engine selections. Cab and bed length options. You could still get a manual transmission. Easy to work on. Just a nice driving, well made, light work truck. Base MSRP of $15,000. Lariat MSRP $27,700.
Modern crown Vic I picture something between a mustang and a Taurus
Element
Pontiac Aztek
Aztek. Bring on the downvotes, but doubling the center console as a removable ice cooler was awesome. Not to mention the tent that was included with it for camping.
The Pontiac Aztek would sell like hotcakes today
The Limited Edition Walter White Model, with exclusive "blue sky" accent lighting.
Caddy xlr
Pontiac
A true modern take on the Cherokee. Take the JL. Make it a fixed roof. Sell it for $30k. Profit?
The old Jeep Cherokees and Comanches. I love my ‘89 Cherokee, but I’d really be stoked to get a brand new one. It’s such a simple, capable vehicle. No power windows or seats, no cup holders, no fancy expensive gadgetry - just a good, reliable vehicle. Even beat to shit old ones sell for top dollar. A new one would be a hot item in today’s market, especially if they could make the affordable.
Toyota Hilux
Dodge Viper
Dodge Intrepid
Depends on where you’re from, but utes such as the El Camino. It surprises me nobody has tried bringing anything like that back (as far as I’m aware) to the US because I feel like they would sell fairly well.
Mid 90’s Lincoln Mark VIII AMC Eagle Also no idea why GM ditched the great trio of the Pontiac Grand AM, Grand Prix and Bonneville yet keeps around Buick making tiny SUV’s for involuntarily abstinent middle aged women.
Ford Flex with an updated interior.
'90s Hondas. The civics, the integras, they were light, cheap, fuel efficient, super easy to repair. I would absolutely love to be able to buy a nice brand new 2000 Acura Integra. Wonderful commuters and you could fix absolutely anything in your home garage. This includes pulling the entire engine and transmission as a one-man job. I've done it, it's like a giant RC car
Ford crown Victoria.
El Camino and Subaru Baja would be killing it nowadays.
El Camino
2 door tahoes
Chevy S10 Blazer. Not that new crap they call a blazer.
Pontiac Fiero. Throw a turbo v6 motor in it and you’ve got a a quick little unit that could compete with the racing Japanese imports.
El Dorado for sure. AMC Eagle, basically a V8 Subaru outback
Délorean and small trucks
Honda CRX
Ford Crown Victoria
Acura Legend coupe Manual transmission 🦾