The El Camino Comeback
05-26-2011, 09:13 PM
#76
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Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 1,217
Re: The El Camino Comeback
I would only consider one if it had a backseat large enough to fit a car seat and small kids. Otherwise I would stick with a small 4 door truck. If it did have a backseat, I would honestly be first in line. Fingers crossed.
Can the chassis and design fit a back seat and still have a reasonable bed?
Can the chassis and design fit a back seat and still have a reasonable bed?
05-26-2011, 11:03 PM
#77
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Cornelius, NC
Posts: 612
Re: The El Camino Comeback
It's not because any utility is lost.
It's because many people here have an extremely narrow interpretation.
Very few here seem to be able to grasp the concept of something with a bed in back not actually being a traditional "truck" (at least outside of the EPA... which classified Magnums & PT Crusers as trucks), but actually car based.
Anthony clearly sees the hypocracy here.
There's plenty of talk about how a vehicle with a bed "must" have 4 doors to be practical. Yet, here we are on a site that sets one of the least practical vehicles in the world. The idea of a 2 door vehicle with a bed is shot down by some here as useless, yet the idea of a more practical 4 door Camaro would most people here slitting their wrists. Anthony is 100% correct in seeing this.
We look at anything with a bed on it and associate it with a big, unruly truck with an oversided interior so we can stuff our oversided families and friends in. To us a bed in the back represents towing a small oceanliner, and climbing boulders the size of small houses.
Oddly, even when GM created the Silverado SS, complete with extended cab and AWD, we whined here that it should have been a regular cab and 2wd.
No wonder he's confused.
The Ute/El Camino is a car. It has a bed. It actually drives like a car, not gives an illusion that it drives like a car (the laws of physics still applies to vehicles with high centres of gravity and weigh nearly 3 tons).
It's easy to park in regular sized parking spaces without stationing a lookout at the rear. You don't need electronic nannies to keep you from flipping over when you get into trouble, and infact, you can challenge other vehicles when the roads turn twisty.
Yet, at the same time... if you need to pick up supplies for the shop or garden supply store, move large furniture from one apartment or another for self, family or friends (especially without the need to hop up in the bed to tie it down), and still want to dress up and use the Valet Parking at Ruth Chris or high end club without looking like a complete bumpkin...especially if you either live alone or with a significant other... the Ute/El Camino suddenly makes more sense than getting a huges truck that won't fit in your garage (unless you have a small barn).
If practicality is one's bag, then by logic one shouldn't be driving Camaros, you should be driving G8 sedans, Charger sedans, or even find a good used GXP Grand Prix or Impala SS.
Fact is, if you're an apartment dweller, have a weekly fuel budget that's smaller than your rent or morgage, and commute to work, even a V8 El Camino makes far more sense than a V6 Silverado 1500... fuel economy, size, drivability, actually having useful capacity over excess capacity you simply aren't going to use.
But again, there's that narrow interpretation......
Perhaps some here see a Ute as a threat to the notion of a "traditional" pickup truck. How else do you explain overflowing enthusiasm for supercharged Vettes and Camaros that aren't going to sell more than a few thousand per year, yet dissmissive and convulsed arguments against a vehicle that is fantastic in every way, but simply has a useful bed in the back?
I guarantee you, if this were a shortened Holden Commodore with no back seat whatsoever (ie: the original AMC AMX) and a GTO-like small trunk, you wouldn't hear a peep about practicality.
It's because many people here have an extremely narrow interpretation.
Very few here seem to be able to grasp the concept of something with a bed in back not actually being a traditional "truck" (at least outside of the EPA... which classified Magnums & PT Crusers as trucks), but actually car based.
Anthony clearly sees the hypocracy here.
There's plenty of talk about how a vehicle with a bed "must" have 4 doors to be practical. Yet, here we are on a site that sets one of the least practical vehicles in the world. The idea of a 2 door vehicle with a bed is shot down by some here as useless, yet the idea of a more practical 4 door Camaro would most people here slitting their wrists. Anthony is 100% correct in seeing this.
We look at anything with a bed on it and associate it with a big, unruly truck with an oversided interior so we can stuff our oversided families and friends in. To us a bed in the back represents towing a small oceanliner, and climbing boulders the size of small houses.
Oddly, even when GM created the Silverado SS, complete with extended cab and AWD, we whined here that it should have been a regular cab and 2wd.
No wonder he's confused.
The Ute/El Camino is a car. It has a bed. It actually drives like a car, not gives an illusion that it drives like a car (the laws of physics still applies to vehicles with high centres of gravity and weigh nearly 3 tons).
It's easy to park in regular sized parking spaces without stationing a lookout at the rear. You don't need electronic nannies to keep you from flipping over when you get into trouble, and infact, you can challenge other vehicles when the roads turn twisty.
Yet, at the same time... if you need to pick up supplies for the shop or garden supply store, move large furniture from one apartment or another for self, family or friends (especially without the need to hop up in the bed to tie it down), and still want to dress up and use the Valet Parking at Ruth Chris or high end club without looking like a complete bumpkin...especially if you either live alone or with a significant other... the Ute/El Camino suddenly makes more sense than getting a huges truck that won't fit in your garage (unless you have a small barn).
If practicality is one's bag, then by logic one shouldn't be driving Camaros, you should be driving G8 sedans, Charger sedans, or even find a good used GXP Grand Prix or Impala SS.
Fact is, if you're an apartment dweller, have a weekly fuel budget that's smaller than your rent or morgage, and commute to work, even a V8 El Camino makes far more sense than a V6 Silverado 1500... fuel economy, size, drivability, actually having useful capacity over excess capacity you simply aren't going to use.
But again, there's that narrow interpretation......
Perhaps some here see a Ute as a threat to the notion of a "traditional" pickup truck. How else do you explain overflowing enthusiasm for supercharged Vettes and Camaros that aren't going to sell more than a few thousand per year, yet dissmissive and convulsed arguments against a vehicle that is fantastic in every way, but simply has a useful bed in the back?
I guarantee you, if this were a shortened Holden Commodore with no back seat whatsoever (ie: the original AMC AMX) and a GTO-like small trunk, you wouldn't hear a peep about practicality.
05-27-2011, 09:42 AM
#80
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,881
Re: The El Camino Comeback
It's not because any utility is lost.
It's because many people here have an extremely narrow interpretation.
Very few here seem to be able to grasp the concept of something with a bed in back not actually being a traditional "truck" (at least outside of the EPA... which classified Magnums & PT Crusers as trucks), but actually car based.
Anthony clearly sees the hypocracy here.
There's plenty of talk about how a vehicle with a bed "must" have 4 doors to be practical. Yet, here we are on a site that sets one of the least practical vehicles in the world. The idea of a 2 door vehicle with a bed is shot down by some here as useless, yet the idea of a more practical 4 door Camaro would most people here slitting their wrists. Anthony is 100% correct in seeing this.
We look at anything with a bed on it and associate it with a big, unruly truck with an oversided interior so we can stuff our oversided families and friends in. To us a bed in the back represents towing a small oceanliner, and climbing boulders the size of small houses.
Oddly, even when GM created the Silverado SS, complete with extended cab and AWD, we whined here that it should have been a regular cab and 2wd.
No wonder he's confused.
The Ute/El Camino is a car. It has a bed. It actually drives like a car, not gives an illusion that it drives like a car (the laws of physics still applies to vehicles with high centres of gravity and weigh nearly 3 tons).
It's easy to park in regular sized parking spaces without stationing a lookout at the rear. You don't need electronic nannies to keep you from flipping over when you get into trouble, and infact, you can challenge other vehicles when the roads turn twisty.
Yet, at the same time... if you need to pick up supplies for the shop or garden supply store, move large furniture from one apartment or another for self, family or friends (especially without the need to hop up in the bed to tie it down), and still want to dress up and use the Valet Parking at Ruth Chris or high end club without looking like a complete bumpkin...especially if you either live alone or with a significant other... the Ute/El Camino suddenly makes more sense than getting a huges truck that won't fit in your garage (unless you have a small barn).
If practicality is one's bag, then by logic one shouldn't be driving Camaros, you should be driving G8 sedans, Charger sedans, or even find a good used GXP Grand Prix or Impala SS.
Fact is, if you're an apartment dweller, have a weekly fuel budget that's smaller than your rent or morgage, and commute to work, even a V8 El Camino makes far more sense than a V6 Silverado 1500... fuel economy, size, drivability, actually having useful capacity over excess capacity you simply aren't going to use.
But again, there's that narrow interpretation......
Perhaps some here see a Ute as a threat to the notion of a "traditional" pickup truck. How else do you explain overflowing enthusiasm for supercharged Vettes and Camaros that aren't going to sell more than a few thousand per year, yet dissmissive and convulsed arguments against a vehicle that is fantastic in every way, but simply has a useful bed in the back?
I guarantee you, if this were a shortened Holden Commodore with no back seat whatsoever (ie: the original AMC AMX) and a GTO-like small trunk, you wouldn't hear a peep about practicality.
It's because many people here have an extremely narrow interpretation.
Very few here seem to be able to grasp the concept of something with a bed in back not actually being a traditional "truck" (at least outside of the EPA... which classified Magnums & PT Crusers as trucks), but actually car based.
Anthony clearly sees the hypocracy here.
There's plenty of talk about how a vehicle with a bed "must" have 4 doors to be practical. Yet, here we are on a site that sets one of the least practical vehicles in the world. The idea of a 2 door vehicle with a bed is shot down by some here as useless, yet the idea of a more practical 4 door Camaro would most people here slitting their wrists. Anthony is 100% correct in seeing this.
We look at anything with a bed on it and associate it with a big, unruly truck with an oversided interior so we can stuff our oversided families and friends in. To us a bed in the back represents towing a small oceanliner, and climbing boulders the size of small houses.
Oddly, even when GM created the Silverado SS, complete with extended cab and AWD, we whined here that it should have been a regular cab and 2wd.
No wonder he's confused.
The Ute/El Camino is a car. It has a bed. It actually drives like a car, not gives an illusion that it drives like a car (the laws of physics still applies to vehicles with high centres of gravity and weigh nearly 3 tons).
It's easy to park in regular sized parking spaces without stationing a lookout at the rear. You don't need electronic nannies to keep you from flipping over when you get into trouble, and infact, you can challenge other vehicles when the roads turn twisty.
Yet, at the same time... if you need to pick up supplies for the shop or garden supply store, move large furniture from one apartment or another for self, family or friends (especially without the need to hop up in the bed to tie it down), and still want to dress up and use the Valet Parking at Ruth Chris or high end club without looking like a complete bumpkin...especially if you either live alone or with a significant other... the Ute/El Camino suddenly makes more sense than getting a huges truck that won't fit in your garage (unless you have a small barn).
If practicality is one's bag, then by logic one shouldn't be driving Camaros, you should be driving G8 sedans, Charger sedans, or even find a good used GXP Grand Prix or Impala SS.
Fact is, if you're an apartment dweller, have a weekly fuel budget that's smaller than your rent or morgage, and commute to work, even a V8 El Camino makes far more sense than a V6 Silverado 1500... fuel economy, size, drivability, actually having useful capacity over excess capacity you simply aren't going to use.
But again, there's that narrow interpretation......
Perhaps some here see a Ute as a threat to the notion of a "traditional" pickup truck. How else do you explain overflowing enthusiasm for supercharged Vettes and Camaros that aren't going to sell more than a few thousand per year, yet dissmissive and convulsed arguments against a vehicle that is fantastic in every way, but simply has a useful bed in the back?
I guarantee you, if this were a shortened Holden Commodore with no back seat whatsoever (ie: the original AMC AMX) and a GTO-like small trunk, you wouldn't hear a peep about practicality.
05-28-2011, 10:10 AM
#83
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 1,071
Re: The El Camino Comeback
If you guys truly think the SSR didn't sell because it had 2 seats, you are sadly mistaken. Go look at it's sticker price, and tell me if you would of bought it even with 4 seats.
05-28-2011, 03:37 PM
#84
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: New England
Posts: 3,749
Re: The El Camino Comeback
Thats what I am getting at..it was basically a vette with a bed..it had no utility really and just for fun. The Elky..has utility but still..at 35K it might be a stretch..but again the price for trucks now a days..eeekk
05-29-2011, 11:41 AM
#85
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Melb, Aust
Posts: 848
Re: The El Camino Comeback
About 6 1/2 minutes into this clip shows what one can do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07qAY6eyMOM
Last edited by AnthonyHSV; 05-29-2011 at 11:48 AM.
08-12-2011, 11:58 AM
#87
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: The Golden State
Posts: 13,711
Re: The El Camino Comeback
Still intending to import it last I heard. My guess is that there won't be word before the new Impala debut early next year (or perhaps the same time).
Again, nothing's actually final till it's actually on the boat headed over here.
Remember it's last incarnation (the Pontiac G8 ST) was a done deal and probably about 6 months from job one when GM reversed itself and cancelled.
That's the thing about vehicles already in production elsewhere which US certification has already been essentially paid off. Bringing it over is easily done, but so is shelving it.
Again, nothing's actually final till it's actually on the boat headed over here.
Remember it's last incarnation (the Pontiac G8 ST) was a done deal and probably about 6 months from job one when GM reversed itself and cancelled.
That's the thing about vehicles already in production elsewhere which US certification has already been essentially paid off. Bringing it over is easily done, but so is shelving it.
08-12-2011, 12:47 PM
#89
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: TX Med Ctr
Posts: 4,000
Re: The El Camino Comeback
08-12-2011, 01:20 PM
#90
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: The Golden State
Posts: 13,711
Re: The El Camino Comeback
When Ford Australia was redoing the Falcon chassis, Ford of North America refuesd to let them engineer in the ability to use both LHD and RWH. North America wanted to protect the Crown Victoria's sales in the Middle East plus Mustang's D2C platform (which was done in North America) as the basis of any potential RWD sedan in the future.
The Falcon platform can't be converted to LHD without a great deal of expense.
Therefore, there is no chance of Ford bringing the current Ute here to the US.
