Why Do Pickups Cost Less To Produce?
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I was hoping this thread was about guitar pickups... but no, it's about trucks 
My 78 F-100 was a great truck. It doesn't snow here but it was really good in mud if it wasn't too deep and handled off road rather well. It was great on dirt roads [drifting is funlol I'd love to see you here in the winter with that 2wd truck.
well, when our weather patterns shift you may be regretting that 2wd.
You Don't Need A Full-Size Pickup Truck, You Need a Cowboy Costume
The full-size pickup truck has become America's best-selling vehicle by a country mile. But most Silverado, Ram, and F-Series buyers would be better served with a cheaper means of role-playing.www.thedrive.com
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Aussie built Holden utes were going to be sold in the U.S. but General Motors closed the factory.
Now they sell cars built O/S and whack a Holden badge on it. Holden had a big loyal following here as they were Aussie cars.
Anyway, the ute is a good compromise between a truck and a sedan. They're very popular here.
This is one of the last HSV utes and similar to what would have been sold in the U.S. with a Pontiac badge.
6.2 litre supercharged LSA generation IV alloy V8.
AP Racing 6 piston brakes.
This one is similar to my 215kw/288hp 5L V8 94 HSV optioned Commodore ute.
I
I drive a Silverado Duramax 2500HD 4WD. I love it. Worth every penny.
Holden ute = Original C8 'vette test-mule! Didn't fool me, though, those big air intakes in the wing-stanchions gave it away when I saw pics of it back in '15. =)
www.motortrend.com
The Secrets of the Mid-Engined 2020 C8 Corvette Development Mules
For example, the first mule was an Australian Holden Maloo pickup truck fitted with a Porsche PDK automatic transmission.
How cool is that? Good pick up. Haven't seen that before.Holden ute = Original C8 'vette test-mule! Didn't fool me, though, those big air intakes in the wing-stanchions gave it away when I saw pics of it back in '15. =)
The Secrets of the Mid-Engined 2020 C8 Corvette Development Mules
For example, the first mule was an Australian Holden Maloo pickup truck fitted with a Porsche PDK automatic transmission.
Let's hope that it doesn't end up being crushed like most protypes.
We see few custom cars here in Nanny State Australia since the laws on modifications made the process for road registration outrageously expensive. Most are now built for show or the racetrack.
Both Ford and GM shut down the Aussie factories. Most of their loyal followers are now buying European or Jap cars. We aren't interested in rebadged models from O/S.
Not only have GM closed the factory they've just ditched the Holden brand too; after the factory closure they were reduced to sticking Holden badges on Opel or other sister brand products. Thing is; in Aus, once the factory closed no one was particularly interested in buying Holdens' anymore 'cos they were no longer Aussie.
When I moved to Australia (from the UK) I bought a Wrangler; prior to that I usually drove Mercedes ('cos I worked for their IT offshoot). Why a Wrangler? Two reasons:
1. loads of bush in Aus (and not a huge number of roads) so not ideal Mercedes saloon (sedan) territory (and a G-Wagon was out of my price range);
2. I worked in Detroit for a few months and somehow or other ended up with one as my long term rental vehicle (they originally gave me a Nissan SUV of some sort which could best be described as an under powered ergonomic nightmare to drive). The Wrangler was fun to drive but what I really appreciated was the day some idiot drove her Toyota Corolla into the back of it - apparently she was surprised that I had stopped at a red traffic signal - the Toyota was a write off and the police couldn't even find a scratch on the rear of the Jeep.
Unfortunately I had to sell the Jeep last month as I've moved to Brazil and they don't allow you to import your own vehicle.
When I moved to Australia (from the UK) I bought a Wrangler; prior to that I usually drove Mercedes ('cos I worked for their IT offshoot). Why a Wrangler? Two reasons:
1. loads of bush in Aus (and not a huge number of roads) so not ideal Mercedes saloon (sedan) territory (and a G-Wagon was out of my price range);
2. I worked in Detroit for a few months and somehow or other ended up with one as my long term rental vehicle (they originally gave me a Nissan SUV of some sort which could best be described as an under powered ergonomic nightmare to drive). The Wrangler was fun to drive but what I really appreciated was the day some idiot drove her Toyota Corolla into the back of it - apparently she was surprised that I had stopped at a red traffic signal - the Toyota was a write off and the police couldn't even find a scratch on the rear of the Jeep.
Unfortunately I had to sell the Jeep last month as I've moved to Brazil and they don't allow you to import your own vehicle.
Originally we saw the Commodore re-badged as the Pontiac G8 /G8-GT, then as the Chevy SS, after they updated the platform. We never got the Ute, but as you said, there was talk of bringing it over. Before the G8, we got the Monaro re-badged as the GTO.
I doubt that they're going to scrap that test-mule, it's part of the worldwide C8 'vette promo tour right now, & will probably end up in the Corvette Museum.
Imagine that, a pick-up truck in the Corvette Museum.
Interesting... they look like a modern take on the old El Camino.
Our axiom has always been: "If you own a house, you need a Pick-em-up-Truck. We've tried to maintain the house with an SUV, but that never worked out as well as having a truck.
Our truck of choice for the past 14 years has been a Honda Ridgeline. Amazingly versatile, economical, comfortable, quiet, smooth, fast, and safe.
Our truck of choice for the past 14 years has been a Honda Ridgeline. Amazingly versatile, economical, comfortable, quiet, smooth, fast, and safe.
The El Camino was a take on the Aussie ute. We've been building them since 1951.
You mean to say an Aussie ute in the Corvette Museum.
Ute is short for 'utility vehicle' or 'coupe utility'.
A pick-up truck is the size of an F-100 or Chev C-10.
You mean to say an Aussie ute in the Corvette Museum.
Ute is short for 'utility vehicle' or 'coupe utility'.
A pick-up truck is the size of an F-100 or Chev C-10.
Yeah yeah, but how much of that is actually Aussie anymore? =)
My state just lumps them all together & registers them as "Non-commercial Trucks", checks the weight, & bills us based on that! Oddly enough, new Jeep Cherokees used to get registered as Station Wagons, which never really made sense to me. You'd figure that they would be trucks.
Are you a fellow Aussie? What state?
Both Ford and Holden factories have shut down so there's no more Aussie cars now.
Many of us are hanging on to our Holdens and Aussie built Fords.
Sports models are increasing in value.
My 94 VR Commodore with HSV options - 215kw [The stock model is 185kw] - is now worth over $12K.
In NSW a ute is classed as a commercial vehicle so my rego [green slip] is around $800 a year.
USA here, yup the GTO manuals & G8 GXP manuals hold value here, too. They're well-pinned-together & for what they are, fast out of the box. With the G8 the pitch was that it was built to M5 standards, & they made a big deal about the interior. The interior was obviously a stretch, it was no 5-series in there, but the car was still a really good platform, & the next-gen Commodore / Chevy SS was an even better one, plus you could get the ferrofluid active suspension on the next-gen.
In your '94 Ute, do you A) Haul stuff in the bed? B) Run it at the strip/ "at the strip"? If yes to both, then you have what you need!
Just thinking, in 1994 here, one could get a GMC Syclone, which was basically a body-on-frame S-10 pickup, & that would be about the closest thing available that's remotely similar & might be able to run against what you have. 1994 was the last year for the Subaru Brat over here, & we wouldn't see Bajas for nearly 10 years, & neither of those could get out of their own way. Those hold value, too. Can't sell 'em new, though. That's the problem with the "pick-up car", never more than a niche market.
In your '94 Ute, do you A) Haul stuff in the bed? B) Run it at the strip/ "at the strip"? If yes to both, then you have what you need!
Just thinking, in 1994 here, one could get a GMC Syclone, which was basically a body-on-frame S-10 pickup, & that would be about the closest thing available that's remotely similar & might be able to run against what you have. 1994 was the last year for the Subaru Brat over here, & we wouldn't see Bajas for nearly 10 years, & neither of those could get out of their own way. Those hold value, too. Can't sell 'em new, though. That's the problem with the "pick-up car", never more than a niche market.
Here in Oz there's a bogan [redneck] element that insists that one must either like Aussie built Holdens or Fords. Pffft to that.
I'm not fussy as long as it's a good car that performs and handles.
Earlier Holdens were slugs off the showroom floor so I preferred Fords.
The Holden made 6-cylinders were smaller than the Fords & their 4.2L & 5L V8s were a real disappointment straight out of the box.
The Ford 250ci 6 was a beauty. A 76 Ford panelvan that I took on holidays could cruise at 140kph/87mph all day every day even in Summer.
The 302ci & 351 motors were good engines stock standard.
My favourite though was a 289-V8 in a ZA Fairlane. Nothing could beat me up to 100kph/62mph. It was a great city car.
The Monaro models that made it to the U.S. were beauties. They're a lot of fun on an open road.
I'm not sure why they weren't more popular especially considering that they had a U.S. built drive-train.
A: Do I haul stuff? When one owns a ute, you come in real handy when a mates moving house.
My ute is in excellent condition so I wont use it to haul scrap or building debris.
My German Shepherd rides in the back and is trying his best to wreck the fibreglass 'sports bar/spoiler' behind the cabin. Before I had him I had a tonneau cover but he'd probably damage it if I left it in place.
B: Man, 215kw/288hp isn't huge power but shit it gets me into trouble.
The stock 5L V8 is 185kw. Mine is the HSV enhanced with a different cam, manifold, headers & sports exhaust. It sounds meaty.
I'm not fussy as long as it's a good car that performs and handles.
Earlier Holdens were slugs off the showroom floor so I preferred Fords.
The Holden made 6-cylinders were smaller than the Fords & their 4.2L & 5L V8s were a real disappointment straight out of the box.
The Ford 250ci 6 was a beauty. A 76 Ford panelvan that I took on holidays could cruise at 140kph/87mph all day every day even in Summer.
The 302ci & 351 motors were good engines stock standard.
My favourite though was a 289-V8 in a ZA Fairlane. Nothing could beat me up to 100kph/62mph. It was a great city car.
The Monaro models that made it to the U.S. were beauties. They're a lot of fun on an open road.
I'm not sure why they weren't more popular especially considering that they had a U.S. built drive-train.
A: Do I haul stuff? When one owns a ute, you come in real handy when a mates moving house.
My ute is in excellent condition so I wont use it to haul scrap or building debris.
My German Shepherd rides in the back and is trying his best to wreck the fibreglass 'sports bar/spoiler' behind the cabin. Before I had him I had a tonneau cover but he'd probably damage it if I left it in place.
B: Man, 215kw/288hp isn't huge power but shit it gets me into trouble.
The stock 5L V8 is 185kw. Mine is the HSV enhanced with a different cam, manifold, headers & sports exhaust. It sounds meaty.
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