$10,000 truck (possibly)

[JoshT]

I'm with everyone else on this, what you are proposing is an unrealistic pipedream.

Even if you could pull it off, there are already a classic styled truck the size of a Ranger out there. It's called the Ranger. There's also the Courier, some Chevies, Mazda, Nissan, Toyots, etc if the Ranger isn't to your liking. If I'm going to put 10-15K into a classic styled, compact pickup, I'm going to buy an older one of those for 1-2k and dump the rest into fixing it up or set aside for future maintenance. Buying something new production in that price range gains me exactly nothing over investing that money into something older.

As for finding a car manufacturer to build it, there is a reason you don't really see any small scale car companies around any more, at least none that last for an appreciable period of time. Those few that do manage are all expensive to purchase due to their production scale. The companies that can afford to absorb the cost of engineering and tooling for a new line are building in mass quantities and would not be interested in a design like you propose brought to them by a third party. They's also have to add so much equipment to meet EPA and NTSB requirements that you can figure at least an extra 10K to the starting price you're wanting just for the safety equipment they'd have to add.

 

[JoshT]

If you really want to look into something that'll fall into that price range, consider producing a kit car or truck. Smyth Performance was offering a good product witheir conversion kits for various cars to produce a pickup in the size and price range of what you're suggesting. From announcements I've seen they are about to abondon the market. You'll still be able to get one of their conversions, but they are moving it inhouse and no longer offering kits. There goes the cheap DIY option.

If you could develop and offer a kit truck that used existing used market sourced components, you could probably fill the gap that Smyth is leaving and achieve the price range your are looking for. You'd also be appealing to that DIY crowd that wants to build their own, but doesn't have the skill/knowledge/time for a complete ground up design and build. Think budget Factory Five Racing project.

Still wouldn't be for me, but it would avoid a lot of the complications that come with a production vehicle.

 

[DavidWS]

If you really want to look into something that'll fall into that price range, consider producing a kit car or truck. Smyth Performance was offering a good product witheir conversion kits for various cars to produce a pickup in the size and price range of what you're suggesting. From announcements I've seen they are about to abondon the market. You'll still be able to get one of their conversions, but they are moving it inhouse and no longer offering kits. There goes the cheap DIY option.

If you could develop and offer a kit truck that used existing used market sourced components, you could probably fill the gap that Smyth is leaving and achieve the price range your are looking for. You'd also be appealing to that DIY crowd that wants to build their own, but doesn't have the skill/knowledge/time for a complete ground up design and build. Think budget Factory Five Racing project.

Still wouldn't be for me, but it would avoid a lot of the complications that come with a production vehicle.

That was already stated the question was only would you buy it I understand the appeal of fixing an old truck trust me I love to tinker with old crap however the miles on a n older truck throw some people off and you never know what's under all the rust a new vehicle does sing a certain song to some people

 

[JoshT]

Punctuation my friend, give it a try.

You asked, we're responding. I'd suggest that you likely picked the wrong venue in which to ask.

 

[RobWigglezz]

I just want a analog truck. Cable or vacuum HVAC with a blower resistor, manual locks and windows, common bulbs controlled by a mechanical switches, Pushrod V6 port injection with a cable throttle . No modules, no CAN network, no screens. I've been daily driving 2000 rangers since 2010 and would never buy a new vehicle

 

[djfllmn]

I just want an analog truck. Cable or vacuum HVAC with a blower resistor, manual locks and windows, common bulbs controlled by a mechanical switches, Pushrod V6 port injection with a cable throttle . No modules, no CAN network, no screens. I've been daily driving 2000 rangers since 2010 and would never buy a new vehicle

This is one of the main things that I love about my ranger over my F150. Truck is so darn simple

 

[djfllmn]

10k is a pipe dream for a new vehicle today. 15k *may* be doable. I would be concerned on how well that truck would hold up in a serious accident. Right now, I believe you can get a Nissan Versa for around 17k and the base Ford Maverick was offered at 19k when it came out, so again, 15k might be doable. This will be the bare miniumum on options and only have mandated safety features in it.

The real issue is who is going to make this truck? what is the warranty? Nissan is an established manufacturer with the tooling and capital necessary to do this, someone or a group of someones will need a serious amount of money to start up a company to create a factory and design a new truck that meets all of the US safety laws and standards.

The other option for this cheap truck would be to use powertrain and components from current manufacturers especially the stuff that there is a surplus of. Anyone remember AMC? (All Makes Combined, er American Motor Company) so lets say take a 2.5 duratech engine and a GM PCM, Stellantis sensors or other electronics etc. and make it all work together...

Whaterver it is, it needs to have 4wd and a heated steering wheel and I am on board.

AJ

LOL, I haven't heard that one before

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

LOL, I haven't heard that one before

Me either.

Why would you want to use Stellantis electronics?

Seriously years ago we had a member who started out with like a '89 Ranger. He ripped the body off and put on an aftermarket body I think it was for like a '36 Ford. Insert a Chevy 350 and related transmission and he had a totally custom, totally cool little pickup.

 

[djfllmn]

Me either.

Why would you want to use Stellantis electronics?

Seriously years ago we had a member who started out with like a '89 Ranger. He ripped the body off and put on an aftermarket body I think it was for like a '36 Ford. Insert a Chevy 350 and related transmission and he had a totally custom, totally cool little pickup.

I love custom builds like that, one offs that you don't see every day.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I love custom builds like that, one offs that you don't see every day.

If you haven't seen it, it was quite a build. Doorgunner has been trying to buy it back.

Thread 'Just Plain Stupied'

Nov 13, 2008

(EDITED: Blake...sorry you couldn't be here on your 20th Birthday to help build it Son....my heart is broken, but I hear Heaven's a great place...say Hello to Jesus for me...)


I'M Converting my 1989 Ranger XLT into a "1934 XLT"-It's time for the 20 year up-grade & a new look with a body swap....
( I really didn't want to scrap the '89 body since it's in such good shape)
guess I'll give the '89 Ranger body to my neighbor so he can roll a bagged chassis under it!(* i want it back when he gets done!

But, I always wanted a .....RED..... '34 ...

• doorgunner
• Replies: 4,183
• Forum: Other Trucks & SUV's

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[Roert42]

I certainly would consider looking at it, but it sounds like there is a long way to go.

Although I agree with the kit car idea. Possibly selling the truck complete without the engine and transmission installed might allow you to skirt some of the safety and emissions regulations.

The other option might be starting with something like the Roxor and making it road legal.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I certainly would consider looking at it, but it sounds like there is a long way to go.

Although I agree with the kit car idea. Possibly selling the truck complete without the engine and transmission installed might allow you to skirt some of the safety and emissions regulations.

The other option might be starting with something like the Roxor and making it road legal.

In some states it is already road legal as a SxS

Crash testing and emissions will kill it for a regular production street vehicle.

 

[Rick W]

Have you done something like this before? I mean no criticism in any of this. If you can put it together, there probably would be a market for it.

A lot of my career I worked with manufacturers building existing stuff, moving it from country to country, or starting factories for new products. I was not involved in the product itself, I was involved in selecting the country (labor costs, regulations, shipping ability, etc.), helping design the factory, building the factory, including all of the air and power systems, steam, hydraulics, footings and foundations for equipment, you name it. I loved it and I miss it desperately since I hurt myself in 2014.

A vehicle is an incredibly complex thing. First, there’s the vehicle itself, and then there’s everything you have to do to design it and get it through government regulations, and there’s 10 times more to do to design it against liability, claims, marketed, finance it, etc. The fight on those things is not simply a matter of proving your thing is a good thing and it’s safe, it’s fighting the well established competition that has comparably bottomless pocket. (Ford, GM, etc). Think “Tucker.“ If you don’t know what I’m suggesting, look up the movie and watch it.

I worked with a company that wanted to design and build a new, fancier, automatic ball pitching machine for baseball. This is a while ago. The machine was hopefully going to sell iat retail for about $500. The beauty was it didn’t just spit out balls, it could spit out balls like a pitcher high low left right with diffrent spin, etc., and it could duplicate that exact pitch in sequence or at random, just like a real live pitcher. Guys could work on their weak spots with the machine. Brilliant.

The guy had $1.8 million of his own initial capital, he had designed and built mechanical systems like this before, and he got several investors to put in most of the balance to $10 million. The estimated break even was after 28,000 units sold, and those are units without any variation from unit to unit. No chrome here or custom paint there

His plan was actually really great except for one thing. He underestimated the greed of the trial lawyers, the greedy scum that just look for an opportunity to bleed somebody dry if they can create an impression that their whatever is dangerous and has hurt people. Here we’re talking about a machine that spits out a substantial object at a fairly high speed in different directions. Think about it. It doesn’t have to be fact, it only has to be what you can convince a jury of to get your money and the insurance money. Once they figure out what makes a winning suit, then they just mass produce the lawsuits.

The guy, who knew what he was doing with the equipment, had about nine years in it when I met him. He wasn’t ready to actually locate and build, so I never did the project, but I tracked it for about seven or eight years, hoping he would be willing to build at some point. I advised him a lot on things he had to consider beyond even my expertise, helped him add to his team, and he liked me and I liked him. If he built, I was going to be the guy.

Much more than $10 million later, and 20 years later, last I heard a few years ago, there were three prototypes sitting in his garage. Be careful what you wish for!

I also met the marketing guy who started with the inventor who sold millions of the “pet rocks” (if anybody remembers them). Bazillionaire from that stupid concept. There was nothing to sue over if you bought one.

Just a few thoughts

 

[JoshT]

He underestimated the greed of the trial lawyers, the greedy scum that just look for an opportunity to bleed somebody dry if they can create an impression that their whatever is dangerous and has hurt people.
...

Think about it. It doesn’t have to be fact, it only has to be what you can convince a jury of to get your money and the insurance money.

That right there is what I try to get through to people about some other subjects. The just can't comprehend that just because doing something may be factually correct, that doesn't protect you from everything.