Who’d much rather have a simple, compact, no frills 4x4 pickup?

Agree completely! A truck, in particular a tacoma, should be relatively affordable, simple, and go 250K+ miles with nothing other than routine maintenance. above all else, that is the goal.

these new trucks are not only too large, but they are also too complicated and will not add to the reputation of reliability. i am certain of that.

 

I'd drive one. Today's trucks of vehicles in general are designed for taking selfies behind the wheel. You see more people sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle, than the vehicle itself in automotive advertising. EV being the acception you do see the vehicle, but the ads are as vauge a bizare as the old fragrance ads.

 

Carrying that much weight, sure a V8 or diesel swap I can see. But for rock crawling the guys I wheel with still use the straight 6 even on the extreme stuff.

 

I can see that, just never got into rock crawling…rather do that stuff on a bike.

 

All those "emissions garbage" and MPG requirements means we aren't driving around spewing out noxious fumes that cause little things like smog, respiratory issues, and cancer. The government regulates this stuff so we the people can breathe without polluted air killing us.
Too many people forget what cities were like before smog controls. Southern California was in a constant haze of toxic fumes. Or how levels of lead in our water was spiking when we still had leaded gas.
"Most here" refers to a vocal but infinitesimal number of the population. The vast majority would much prefer cleaner air and some convenient technology to a stripped down gas guzzler.

 

Some people want to suck on those cancerous exhaust fumes i guess.

 

I'm going to call massive BS on this. If our political leaders gave a damn about any of this they would stop the mass importation of goods shipped to us via the most polluting machines humanity has ever seen:



These boats put out a tremendous amount of pollution compared to global car usage. If we would focus on locally sourced manufacturing we could eliminate the need for most of these tankers and cut down on the real pollution affecting our globe.

Cars are a drop in the bucket. What the EPA is doing to us is about control, not the environment.

 

Ehhh cars are the easiest to go 'green'. Shipping is definitely will be part of the equation. The EPA isn't a worldwide department. Shipping companies are more foreign owned than USA owned.

 

I don't disagree about shipping, but that's an international issue and much, much harder to regulate. And if we bought more stuff that was domestically produced then we could put a dent in it.
We need to control what we can. That's all I'll say for now because this is starting to sound political and I want to avoid the third rail on TW.

 

Unfortunately most of those older Toyota’s at 200-350K miles need a lot of cosmetic and body/trim parts to be enjoyable drivers, at least for me. I loved my T100, though admittedly it had power windows, automatic etc, even axle disconnect rather than locking hubs though it still had a t-case lever. So wasn’t that basic. But the door cards, seats, dash etc were pretty funky and reupholstery or even seat covers is never the same as well-maintained original, and parts for the T100 just weren’t available, OEM or aftermarket. Hilux and 1st gen Taco may be different.

 

Oh give me a break. We do that while China and the a lot of the other parts of the world don't.
Your losing jobs and industry to China because they don't have to jump through epa loopholes, yet look in the mirror who is buying and driving their products lol !!!
Toyota has four assembly plants in China.

 

Does that mean we shouldn't try to keep things clean here at home? Should we just keep polluting because another country is doing it?
Not long ago, the moment you stepped off a plane in Beijing you would be assaulted with thick smog and a horrendous odor that smelled like burning tires. They understood the magnitude of the issue and substantially cleaned up the air. Yes, they are burning coal at an alarming rate but they're also investing WAY more than us in clean energy.

Maybe the TW world is too young to remember smog warnings all summer. Or stinking like exhaust after spending your commute in a sea of cars without catalytic converters.

 

No it means that people shouldn't demand 500 hp cars and trucks, 500 ft lbs of torque, bragging about 0-60 times, top end speeds of 200 mph etc. Why does a vehicle need to go over 80mph to begin with ????
If people were that conscious of the environment they would not be as such !
We strip our lands for lithium and minerals, and pollute to do this which is not necessary.
If you were SO concerned about the environment ....

 

simply stop buying cheap shit from overseas

oceans are a giant garbage can for the world

 

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. All three generations of Tacoma have been simple and reliable vehicles all capable of reaching 300,000 + miles. Simple maintenance and they run forever while still being more comfortable, more powerful and more efficient with every generation. Power windows, locks and other simple tech last forever these days. Yea those 90s trucks were reliable compared to other vehicles made in that era, because other vehicles from that era were terrible. It’s all relative. The third gen is a simple vehicle by todays standards. There’s nothing about the 4th gen that looks like a significant departure, it’s a body on frame 4x4. It’s 2023, turbos are proven, electronically controlled engine management is proven, traction control, etc… This sentiment happened with the 2nd gen tundras 5.7 came out, it was fairly advance for the time. Today it’s one of the most reliable motors Toyota ever built and you don’t hear people saying the old push rod v8s are better like they did in 2006. Old timers just want to bitch. If they were serious about wanting a simple vehicle than they would like BEV,s better. EV’s have way less moving parts compared to ICE.

 

I'm good with getting a truck loaded with toys. No crude junk for me.

I once owned a 1965 Chevy with manual (meaning non-power assist) brakes, manual recirculating ball steering, crank windows, vinyl bench seats, no A/C, no rear seat belts, 4 wheel drum brakes, bias ply tires, 2 speed Powerglide, points/condenser, sealed beam headlights, AM radio, idiot light dash cluster, and only a drivers side view mirror. Oh, and a metal dash board.

Do I miss that car? Yes. However, it is by modern standards archaic, slow, and dangerous.

I would never want a "new" version of that car or one at that level of tech, no matter how simple and easy it is to work on. (It was!)

I vote for tech, convenience, and toys. (And did just that recently with my wallet!) No cheap seats for me!

 

Agree 100%. Some of the least changed vehicles, like a MB G-Wagon are the most sought after. Love the 4Runners and Land Cruisers for that reason.

 

I'd like to see a First Gen sized truck with modern engine and interior.