And it's so hard to find a 2 door. A giant 4 door with a HUGE cab, but a tiny bed?! What's the point of that over an SUV.

I'm buying a car for first time in a decade. I used to want to dirtbag out of a tacoma and have been looking for one but it's hard. Even a 13 year old one seems big - and also crazy expensive ;)

Because companies aren't buying trucks anymore, they're buying vans instead. Manufacturers have realized that people are buying trucks for their daily driver, so they've optimized the product around that. They've moved to a more car-like comfortable interior and they've stopped selling the regular cab (2 door) models because they don't sell. They pretty much make mostly double cabs because you need a backseat to drive around kids (again, car like). The 5 foot bed is fine because you're not hauling a 4x8 sheet of plywood anymore and a 8 ft 2x4 fits diagonally fairly comfortably.

The old Ranger was the last small truck in North America. A clean, low miles 2011 would still have some good life left in it.

i havent seen that one been focused on toyota. It sounds reliable? That's the old size I love!

For you what would be the max miles you'd buy a Ranger? A tacoma?

I have a 2004 that has done 210K in rust country. They can last to 300K. I would shoot for anything less than 80K. Many retirees buy them and leave them garaged with little miles put on. the 4 liter engine was made in Germany and comes with upgrades to the transmission internals. The truck is half Mazda and benefits from that relationship (unlike on the car side).

thanks for the info! Buying cars is hard. I know nothing about cars and haven't owned one in 10 years so trying to learn. Getting one so i can get out climbing outside more (mountains) so that's why I was leaning toward a tacoma with the larger engine. The climbing gyms here are no joke 10% 100k+ sprinter vans, 40% subaru, 20% tacoma, the rest mixed ;)

Can you give examples of model years and decisions to back up your claim? Last I checked this (common) misconception is patently false.

> Can you give examples of model years and decisions to back up your claim?

Actually, I think the burden of proof is on the GP who made the original claim that there are plenty of small trucks for those who want them. Additionally, it's easier for them —or you— to provide a single example of a common small truck than for the parent to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the sizes of all trucks over decades of model years. Plus, they have already pointed out the Tacoma, at least, as having grown.

> Last I checked this (common) misconception is patently false.

This is merely an assertion with no more evidence than the parent. To flip your question: Can you provide examples of small truck models to back up your claim?

No, I'm not the one claiming a modern Tacoma is as big as an old F150. Why is the burden on me to prove information presented as fact with no supporting evidence?

Well, the burden of proof is on you for saying that there are small trucks on the market. But, it turns out that the complaint about the Tacoma is spot on.

The Tacoma's weight has increased from the 3155 lbs. - 3877 lbs range when it was first released [0], to now being in the 4,425 lbs. – 4,480 lbs range [1]. In comparison, the 2020 Ford F-150 weighs in the range of 4,069 lbs – 4,653 lbs [2]. For fairness, a Ford F-150 from 1995, the first year that the Tacoma came out, weighed around 4,316 lbs [3]. So, they are in fact the same weight.

Similarly, the length of the Tacoma was 30-40 inches shorter when it was released [0][1]. Now, it is within the range of a modern F-150 [2].

In conclusion, the Tacoma has increased substantially in size since its introduction (the Wikipedia page mentions it was reclassified from a compact pickup to a midsize pickup), and is now on par with a Ford F-150 (both modern and the 1995 version) in terms of weight and length.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma#First_generation... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Tacoma#Third_generation... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_(thirteenth_gene... [3] https://www.edmunds.com/ford/f-150/1995/features-specs/

Couple of notes. Length numbers are more like 10-15 inches different between generations if you account for trim configurations. Single cab trucks just aren’t sold anymore which is separate from this discussion. The Taco is also more narrow than an F150 which I think is relevant to this discussion.

What small trucks even exist anymore? There used to be lots of options, but I can't think of a single one in the last decade at least.

1990 wasn't a Tacoma, it was a T100/Pickup. The Tacoma was introduced in 1995. It weighed 3155 lbs for a 2WD in 1995 not 2700 lbs. You're also comparing the Regular Cab to the Access Cab for length. Regular isn't made anymore (because it didn't sell), but Regular to Regular is 174 to 190 (2004-2015).

Okay wise guy: A 1990 f150 crew cab is 74" high, 232.2" long, and 79" wide. A 2021 Tacoma crew cab is 212" long, 71" high, and 74" wide.

This proves false the the assertion that a modern Tacoma is bigger than an old F150, but glad I could get downvoted by people with no mental rigor.

Please don't reply to a bad comment by breaking the site guidelines yourself. Your comment would be just fine without the swipes at the beginning and end.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html