Can we ever see "minimalist" trucks in the future?

[abig84]

i wonder if you can even get vinyl floor in work trucks and vans anymore, i would hope so.

i remember buying my 04 ranger new. i was pretty much able to get that thing with no options, stick shift, no a/c etc. but like a week after i had it going through a drivethru i dropped a entire cup of fruit punch on the floor. nothing a little bit of water and a towel didnt fix.

but i think we are the small majority. im sure 99% of the people with 4x4s dont take them offroad mostly people just buy them because of the winter out here. i currently have a 2wd truck and a old k30 on 33s. havent needed the 4x4 the last few winters around here as its been pretty mile, just a few sand bags in the 2wd

at my job i drive the latest and greatest suvs and cars occasionally, and i must be weird cause im really not impressed by anything on them. i always feel my 27 year old truck drives just as nice as anything new, and i dont have to worry about door dings

[In The Ten Ring]

I am not so crazy about AWD or 4WD. I have never owned one and with tire chains, my Honda Accord can and has gone places a big 4x4 truck cannot go. *I know because I was passing them at that moment, once I drove through a deep ditch going around a 4x4 truck that could not cope with an icy hill.

My 1972, when "done" will have that rubber floor, manual shift, crank windows, no AC, and just power assisted steering and brakes. I am thinking about having the seat redone again (dad had it redone in 1990) and go back to pure vinyl.

[Palf70Step]

They are definitely not common, but you can still find them. Normally through fleet areas of dealerships. L really like my 02 and 07 Silverado Work Trucks. Maybe not as bare as my 64 and 70 was off the lot, but pretty darn bare. Pwr steer & brakes, AC, rubber mats, manual windows, and automatic in my case. Hope I never need another one, as they do seem harder to find in the used market.

[CG]

There is a body shop behind us that gets a ton of deliveries. I was talking to one of the guys today. He was in a pretty new white truck. I looked inside. Hand crank windows, vinyl floor mats. He said they have brand new vans built the same way. Dunno if average Joe can get a fleet vehicle though.

[WyattTX]

Originally Posted by CG

There is a body shop behind us that gets a ton of deliveries. I was talking to one of the guys today. He was in a pretty new white truck. I looked inside. Hand crank windows, vinyl floor mats. He said they have brand new vans built the same way. Dunno if average Joe can get a fleet vehicle though.

I guess there is not enough market potential for manufacturers to sell fleet trucks, outside of a fleet. It is shame for the few that want them.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Cost for the manufacturer.

It's significantly cheaper to only offer one option of the same thing than multiples. It costs more to design and manufacture a door that will accept both crank and power windows, and to design and build the crank system. Less choice = more profit.

This is actually one of the reason's I'm shocked GM split the full size trucks/SUV's in 2007. They share almost nothing other than the drive train anymore.

[PanelDeland]

The closest I've seen to basic is a 3/4 or 1 ton work truck and they still have a lot of computer stuff, but I have seen them with rollup windows and rubber mats. Every time I've bought a truck they've tried to sell me on 4X4. I have lived in towns of 1200 people and in big cities,I've lived on the prairie and in the hills. I have never once needed to put a truck into 4X4 to get anywhere I needed to go, even when I worked on a ranch (I had a 2WD then also. I don't get the 4X4 thing except as a toy or a true winter work truck for rough country (where stock has to be fed and ice broken so they can get to water. The people that buy them pay more for the vehicle, more for fuel (lower mileage), more for ins. and then at trade in are basically paid very little to compensate for the extra money put into it. I even knew one guy who I doubt ever 4 wheeled his and the dealer paid less because "It's a 4X so it's likely ben abused" (idiot got taken by the dealer).

[WyattTX]

In my parts, rednecks find mudholes, and destroy trucks for fun. I do not get it. I wish I could go without 4wd sometimes, but I always end up dropping a hay bale in the boggiest nastiest environment, that only gets worse when the cattle tear it up worse. I do not understand people that jump on the urban cowboy bandwagon, and get a 4x4 to babyfy, and never take off the road. Nor do I understand why rednecks like "muddin" so much. I enjoy a good trail ride, or work truck, but I hate garage queen, and mud toy 4x4s. Got my rant in for today.....

[Coley]

The use of all these options probably varies in a fairly interesting way from region to region.
Up here in Canada...air conditioning is something we use only on occasion and not much...usually only a 'high summer' thing and that is sometimes only in certain areas.
We happen to live in a fairly mild climate on south Vancouver Island...similar to Seattles, so snow is not a big thing here...and thus 4wd is not a huge necessity...but posi is nice.
A few redundant options in my book are power adjustable mirrors, cruise control and leather seats...which I've never liked despite the fact that my truck (2005 Silverado) has them.
I found power door locks more useful in a truck than power windows due to the width of the vehicle.

I'm sure in the south that a/c is a must....4wd?...I guess it depends where you live and what you do for a living and recreating.

Regardless...and as was said earlier it is easier and cheaper to roll all the options in to every vehicle...upcharge slightly for that but more importantly standardize on that and then mass produce it.
This is cheaper for a company in the long run than having people pick and choose options and colours, etc

Coley

[WyattTX]

Coley, you are right, down here we will spend more than vehicle is worth to get the AC fixed. If you spent one June day, or heck even most December days down south, you would understand the priceless value of AC.

[special-K]

They do make minimalist trucks and I would think they always will. In fact, once trucks became the new car for so many, which is why trucks became plush, they came out with a specific W/T series to provide a bare bones no frills trucks to businesses...or anyone who doesn't care for a whole lot of frills.

What is happening is we are redefining "minimal" year by year. What people perceive as needed, thanks to marketing strategies and keeping up with the Jones', has turned into a whole lot of crap we actually don't need at all.

[GR8-68]

Who uses all the frills on their new ride ? Heck half the time we don't even know options exist for years, "oh wow I didn't know it had this feature"

[GR8-68]

I have had a few totally shocked to find out I wasn't going to have heat or air in my 68. My air is roll down the window, swing the vent window open and listen to those pipes !!!