I came of age to drive in the 90s, and the first two pickups I drove were a 1984 ford ranger and a 1990 Toyota Pickup. Those were both what I would call "value" pickup trucks. They weren't fancy, but they moved shit around well.

I know everyone says that the EPA killed small trucks in 2008[1] but Toyota replaced the "Toyota Pickup" with the less-practical Tundra in '95, and embiggened it in 2004, so I'm not convinced that companies would make them even were they legal.

1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azI3nqrHEXM