They’ll imagine the $10k from memories but forget the vinyl seats, no AC, and manual windows. But they won’t buy that one n
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-19/bigger-pi...
https://www.thedrive.com/news/42523/84-mile-1993-toyota-pick...
But not for 50k
An old Ford Ranger was 175-200 inches long depending on year and model. The new one is 200-210 inches.
Sort this list by class and you'll see a total of two compact trucks in the US market. Both are debuting either this year or the next: Ford Maverick (200") and Hyundai Santa Cruz (195").
I reminisce about 90s sports cars that I used to dream about too. But then I think about the lack of bluetooth, keyless start, the low power output, poor handling, poor safety, poor fuel economy, and I just buy a modern car instead.
But also plenty of IRL people complaining about how, for example, they miss their $10k pickup with no power anything that worked great for anytime they needed to haul material X from location M to N, but now you need to drop a minimum of $50k for a vehicle you might use once per weekend to haul gravel, insulation, cement, lumber, furniture, etc.
Trucks are a particularly big market for this idea. It's a vehicle you use when you're already dirty and sweaty from work/projects and don't care about comfort, and serves a primary purpose: moving heavy and/or large items.
But the big carmakers have opted to cater to the market that doesn't actually use trucks for their actual purpose, but rather the market that buys trucks as commuter vehicles.