Ute's.

I'm over visiting family in Australia and I gotta admit.....I'm loving Utes.

I know there's been a few in America like ranchero, El Camino and rampage......but why not more?

And really.....older cars are cheap as hell here. With the conversion rate being what it is it makes it even better. I'm seeing ten to 20 year old cars with 120k ish miles for under 2k Australian. Makes me want to seriously look into importing but It still leaves the steering wheel on the wrong side too

That’s why I have my Avalanche.

Plus the 25yr import rule sucks E36 M3.

In reply to mad_machine :

Not bad, but how about a 6-wheel version :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YClqEQftcdY

Down big fella, have you looked into shipping?

I don't have a need at the moment but I've been drooling over the Smyth kits lately. Could be a pretty fun Ute.

It's really a shame the El Caminos and Rancheros did not really catch on in the US.

I couldn't resist. 

Friend just sent this. Just saying...

914Driver said:

Down big fella, have you looked into shipping?

Not really, it still means the car drives on the wrong side though so seems pointless.

No one really seems to drive older cars here, so they all are stunningly cheap

mad_machine said:

It's really a shame the El Caminos and Rancheros did not really catch on in the US.

They are not a good compromise from a suspension standpoint. 

If the suspension is stiff enough to carry a load, they bounce all over when empty. 

If the suspension is soft like a car, they sag horribly under load. 

In reply to SVreX :

SVreX said They are not a good compromise from a suspension standpoint. 

If the suspension is stiff enough to carry a load, they bounce all over when empty. 

If the suspension is soft like a car, they sag horribly under load. 

 

Sounds about right for any pickup.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

Right, except a harsh ride is more acceptable in a truck. 

The promise of the Ranchero/ El Camino was that they could ride like a passenger vehicle AND haul. They fell short of that- that’s why they were not well received in the marketplace. 

I wouldn't call 30 ish years of production "not well received." Maybe  not as well received. 

What a VW Rabbit pickup ,  since it has sedan front fenders etc ? or the earlier Falcon ?

And where is the Prius Ute drop on conversion ?

There are so many small Utes / Pick ups in the World ,  But the USA market wants the big  F-150s

One problem with utes seems to be only having two seats. How many people buy regular cab pickups anymore? 

In reply to Will :

Crew cab ute.

Will said:

One problem with utes seems to be only having two seats. How many people buy regular cab pickups anymore? 

Roughly the same amount that buy an 8 foot bed. 

Regular cab with an 8 foot bed sounds lovely. Damn, we're really not the intended market.

Will said:

One problem with utes seems to be only having two seats. How many people buy regular cab pickups anymore? 

There are crewcab utes down here, not as many as standard cab but still around

Appleseed said:

I wouldn't call 30 ish years of production "not well received." Maybe  not as well received. 

True but definitely not as well received as here. Out and about I see several dozen facon Utes a day, America you may see a few El Camino's rarely

In reply to Antihero :

Hey mate, where abouts are you in Australia at the moment?

What sort of Utes are taking your fancy? Things can be a bit regional here, older Utes definitely aren't that popular in city areas, then again neither are older vehicles in general. That 20-30 year old bracket you're talking about is about the low point for interest. It's stuff that's to old and starts being to maintenance heavy for most drivers, but hasn't yet really become interesting to collectors.

I'm guessing you won't still be here, but just over 5 weeks from now is the Deni Ute muster.

When they put the drive on the right, they just roll the steering column 180 degrees and mount it on the right.  Blinker is on the right, wiper switch on the  left.

Coworker went to Australia, brought the wife along.  Sometimes when he wanted to turn he would flip the wipers by mistake.  Single north south lanes with a turn median in the center, he gets in the media to turn, crossing over the other lane.  1/4 mile up is a car coming straight at him.  Wifey stresses. "What's he doing?"

I dunno, haven't seen his wipers!

daeman said:

In reply to Antihero :

Hey mate, where abouts are you in Australia at the moment?

What sort of Utes are taking your fancy? Things can be a bit regional here, older Utes definitely aren't that popular in city areas, then again neither are older vehicles in general. That 20-30 year old bracket you're talking about is about the low point for interest. It's stuff that's to old and starts being to maintenance heavy for most drivers, but hasn't yet really become interesting to collectors.

I'm guessing you won't still be here, but just over 5 weeks from now is the Deni Ute muster.

We are in the Rockhampton area.

The older boxier Ford falcons have caught my eye so far