If Toyota would just rebuild the first gen ~1980 truck with a modern drivetrain and super efficient 4 Cylinder and sell it for 20k who WOULDNT buy one? Seriously. Or the 2nd gen ~1985 truck. Please. I don't want rounded dashes. I don't want push-button 4wd. I don't need or want a truck that handles like a car. I want a simple, dependable 4x4 with a manual transmission. Id take a hilux, but I can't get a Hilux because we don't get cool trucks in the USA.

Would it be possible for Toyota, if they wanted to you know stop building soccer mom trucks, to dust off the plans and somewhat easily begin remanufacturing these trucks with new drivetrains?

Someones got to do it!

 

Smaller trucks aren't as safe as bigger trucks, and for them to be, their price tags would be much higher than ~20k. The thing is, the super simple, tiny, 4x4 pickup was available up until just a few years ago with the Ford Ranger. It was relatively reliable, cheap, efficient, everything we want in a "new" 80s pickup, but it was discontinued like every other small pickup because nobody wanted one.

Sadly, I believe the Toyota pickups as the 80s knew them will never live again, save for one-offs and custom pieces.

Very small market for them!

 

And to answer your main question of "who wouldn't buy them":

The average soccer mom wouldn't buy them. The average soccer mom's husband wouldn't buy them. With the average American being the average soccer mom, there goes the vast majority of possible consumers, hence no market and no profits. There's a reason you mention a vehicle outside the range of "average soccer mom", and that's the same reason those vehicles don't exist in an affordable, long lasting form.

 

I actually liked the ranger.

Interesting to take a look at the Rangers US sales. What the heck happened?

Calendar Year Total American sales
1999 348,358
2000 330,125
2001 272,460
2002 226,094
2003 209,117
2004 156,322
2005 120,958
2006 92,420
2007 72,711
2008 65,872
2009 55,600
2010 55,364
2011 70,832

 

The Tacoma

 

It would be like the new Camaro`s and Mustang`s You would have to pay me to drive one.

Nope I would not buy one because I know it just would not be the same.

 

you can own exact;y what your asking for. spend $500 on a beat up truck, put another $19500 into it and then drive it!

 

Hahaha I like this! Hahaha

 

then again I would take this too, I also feel like soccer moms would like it:


http://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70-series/range

 

here is your only solution. people do it all the time with mustangs like it's a plague - so why not with an 80s Toyota?

people here start threads about Toyotas they find for sale and wonder who's actually interested in buying an older toyota with a "ridiculous" asking price for something that's been kept in the garage with only like 50k on it....

if Toyota started selling the 70-series Land Cruiser in the US, I would do everything I can to get my hands on one. They would definitely sell, but it will likely never happen soon because they don't have the US emissions and safety standards certification. Another thing Toyota should make is an updated FJ-40 platform that includes a 4-door. That would pretty much destroy Heep sales.

 

But an updated 4 door FJ would cost a ridiculous amount of $$$. Heeps are cheap and have huge aftermarket support in the states, something the 4 door FJ would have neither!

 

There is no way they could sell one for $20,000 today. My 1988 originally sold for around 12k. That same truck today would be around $30k. No one in their right mind would buy that truck for 30k today.

Oh yea, they already do sell a bare bones truck...the Tacoma. See what there selling for.

 

I think they could do it. The base 4x4 tacoma sells for 20K, why not a stripped down, smaller version of that truck, with less tech, more basic solid axle suspension, and less plastic for the same or less? They could do it, but the market analysis says it wouldn't sell, and maybe it wouldn't. But if you could magically produce a rehash of the 1985 truck with a small displacement direct injection 4cylinder, 30-35mpg, with little or no options, steel wheels, and sell it for 18-20K I think you could sell A LOT of them.

Re-engineering the old trucks is admittedly probably not the answer because of the encyclopedia of modern safety regulations and trying to apply those to an old design.

Its dreaming - as we all know the next tacoma will probably be bigger and more spacious with lane-change sensors and hill descent control and backup cameras with a motorized tailgate. But dammit a man can dream. And I will.

 

yes, you will have to pay to play if you want to step into the Land Cruiser category since they all start at around $70k new. None of the Toyota 4wd vehicles really had good aftermarket support until they were sold for a few years, or depreciated to be affordable enough for the masses. People in the know won't care, it's Toyota > Heep, always

 

Like Roark said^^^
The average American wants everything bigger, cushier, fancier, instead of compact (so can access more places), nimble.. That's why the trucks in the U.S. just keep on getting bigger and bigger, while the Hiluxes seem to stay compact.

I hate the Australians! - J/K LOL!

 

It wouldn't be cost effective for the automakers to build something with 80's technology with hopes of only selling a few thousand.

 

Restored 1980 on eBay right now.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/221431997110?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

It's at $16,100 right now. If I had the cash...

 

Bring on the cute-utes.

 

I snatched every pic of that 80 off ebay. Its a beauty.

When my back stuff is over...Im going to hunt down some sweet rigs and buy a couple. Just because.

 

you want a 4 door fj40? brand new? aluminum 5.3 v8? check here http://www.icon4x4.com/

Not a branded "landcruiser" but still awesome. I doubt its $20k though.