No More Compact Trucks… For US

Here’s the first known victim of the latest CAFE (government fuel efficiency) increase to 35.5 MPG: The compact pick-up truck. And the American truck buyer.

I’ve just discovered that Ford has dropped the Ranger – America’s last compact-sized truck - for 2012. But not from its lineup. Just from its U.S. model lineup. Not only will the Ranger continue to be sold in export markets, the 2012 model will be a heavily updated model which, among other things, will offer a new diesel engine...

You can get a re-built to brand new V-6 engine for a Chevy S-10 for up to 2.5K... labor to get it installed and running about 600. If one keeps up with the body/paint, replaces a manual clutch when worn out, keeps up with synthetic lube and cleaning of rwd differential— well the S-10 would run an easy 500K plus miles.

Friend has one and is doing just this. He got 200K on the first block, has replaced the clutch and cleaned,repacked the differential with syn lube.

Tires- about 400. So, all in all one can manage through all of this marketing and govt. idiocy, if you know people who are sharp.

I have thought along these lines many times - ditto with an older Ranger. They're nice little trucks.

We have a Pull-a-Part franchise down the road. Unbelievably good prices on used parts and plenty of both vehicles in stock all the time. You can pretty much build your own S-10 or Ranger by picking and choosing options out of the junk yard once you had a base chassis (although there's something to be said for the simplicity of the basics, which is also doable).

I'd really like a diesel both for the mileage and to have a vehicle which takes a different fuel source. Unfortunately, swapping a diesel is technically illegal, although a pre-86 would be exempt from emissions testing in my state so wouldn't be detected.

I even thought about building a fiberglass body on the chassis to get around the fact that most of the bodies are rusted away in my area...

Or a new ford ranger to a 1970 ford F-100.

It's been a while since I drove an F-100, but I know that it had a very roomy interior and you could fit a 4-foot wide piece of plywood in back between the wheel wells. Not so with the Ranger. It's always had a narrower bed.

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