Mirage: ready and waiting

[AtomicPunk]

Here's an article describing how the decision to quit selling small cars is affecting GM and Ford. Combine that with some stagnant wages and the Mirage is looking pretty good about now.

https://jalopnik.com/ford-and-gms-de...1839858417/amp

[Dirk Diggler]

Yeah wage stagnation has really screwed up our society. Ford's solution, only sell suvs that cost 30 grand. Murica.

[Mirageman38]

I don't understand the pricing on some of these new cars. Just crazy. And the people who think they need a F450, Escalade, or G class to commute to the office. I would rather have another year of retirement than to flaunt my wealth to strangers.

[Pryme]

I don't understand the pricing on some of these new cars. Just crazy. And the people who think they need a F450, Escalade, or G class to commute to the office. I would rather have another year of retirement than to flaunt my wealth to strangers.

Only an F450? I have to make home depot runs for 20lb bags of mulch, rakes, flower pots and bird seed for cryin out loud. I need the F550......well, I do see myself needing a new push mower and recliner soon.....better make it a F650.

[Mark]

Only an F450? I have to make home depot runs for 20lb bags of mulch, rakes, flower pots and bird seed for cryin out loud. I need the F550......well, I do see myself needing a new push mower and recliner soon.....better make it a F650.

I grew up on a small dairy farm in NE Wisconsin. Our 3/4 ton pickup was used to take a load of corn & oats to the feed mill every week. We had 24" wooden sides on the rear box year round. Those were needed, because the loads were that large. The feed mill ground the feed, & we hauled it all back home in multiple 100 lb. burlap bags. I don't remember how many per week, but it was full load. For a good part of the year, we haul corn silage in the back of the truck daily. We rented some land, & they had a silo that we used. We used the pickup truck to haul the silage home. Everything was done with by hand with a silage fork. Except for the winter months, the truck was used daily to fill feed bunks out in the pasture. We still used small square bales back them. This was done twice a day. While milking was being done, I was sent out to fill hay bunks. It's how I learned to drive a manual at the age of 10 or so, but I was driving tractors even younger.

Our pickup truck was also used to haul gravity boxes, chopper boxes, and large loads of hays off fields and back home. When I started dating in high school, cleaning the pickup on a Friday afternoon became a weekly event. These trucks were 3/4 ton pickups with extra overload springs added & RWD (I don't remember anyone owning a 4WD back then). The cab floors were rubber. I washed the cab floor with a water hose each week. Floor mats weren't necessary. No A/C or any other extra features. I remember adding a Kmart FM converter to my Dad's 1977 Chevy pickup and thinking that was special.

The point is these trucks worked extremely hard, were very simple in design, and I don't remember them ever being in the mechanic shop. There were no extended cabs or 4-door pickup with short boxes either. Our 1972 Chevy pickup had a rear box with a wood floor. That one was my favorite! I was a little miffed when my Dad upgraded to the 1977 one. Eventually, I forgave him!

Times have changed!

[Pryme]

I grew up on a small dairy farm in NE Wisconsin. Our 3/4 ton pickup was used to take a load of corn & oats to the feed mill every week. We had 24" wooden sides on the rear box year round. Those were needed, because the loads were that large. The feed mill ground the feed, & we hauled it all back home in multiple 100 lb. burlap bags. I don't remember how many per week, but it was full load. For a good part of the year, we haul corn silage in the back of the truck daily. We rented some land, & they had a silo that we used. We used the pickup truck to haul the silage home. Everything was done with by hand with a silage fork. Except for the winter months, the truck was used daily to fill feed bunks out in the pasture. We still used small square bales back them. This was done twice a day. While milking was being done, I was sent out to fill hay bunks. It's how I learned to drive a manual at the age of 10 or so, but I was driving tractors even younger.

Our pickup truck was also used to haul gravity boxes, chopper boxes, and large loads of hays off fields and back home. When I started dating in high school, cleaning the pickup on a Friday afternoon became a weekly event. These trucks were 3/4 ton pickups with extra overload springs added & RWD (I don't remember anyone owning a 4WD back then). The cab floors were rubber. I washed the cab floor with a water hose each week. Floor mats weren't necessary. No A/C or any other extra features. I remember adding a Kmart FM converter to my Dad's 1977 Chevy pickup and thinking that was special.

The point is these trucks worked extremely hard, were very simple in design, and I don't remember them ever being in the mechanic shop. There were no extended cabs or 4-door pickup with short boxes either. Our 1972 Chevy pickup had a rear box with a wood floor. That one was my favorite! I was a little miffed when my Dad upgraded to the 1977 one. Eventually, I forgave him!

Times have changed!

Even in the 90's a crew cab was pretty rare still. Extended cabs were what crew cabs are now.

[Wallythacker]

Here's an article describing how the decision to quit selling small cars is affecting GM and Ford. Combine that with some stagnant wages and the Mirage is looking pretty good about now.

https://jalopnik.com/ford-and-gms-de...1839858417/amp

That article hits the nail on the head. When the world thinks $100g pickup trucks are acceptable (another jalopnik article about Chev boasting they cracked $100g on price) we're doomed, and the detonation will be widespread.

[Wallythacker]

Only an F450? I have to make home depot runs for 20lb bags of mulch, rakes, flower pots and bird seed for cryin out loud. I need the F550......well, I do see myself needing a new push mower and recliner soon.....better make it a F650.

Kenworth, go big or go home.

[Dirk Diggler]

Rise of the subcompacts! Think Mad Max but with Fits, Doarks, and our cars in the post apocalyptic future.