The Bimbofication of the American Vehicle

[userfriendly]

The lifted Suburban story got me thinking. The original concept of that vehicle was an enclosed work truck. I owned a few of the 70s models and an 81 HD 35. The three railways I worked for and around had them, some in high-rail configuration.

They were handy, you could lock valuables out of sight and access them easier than a pick-up truck, available with barn doors or a tail gate.

The last one I looked at had low profile 22" tires, a living room on wheels all for the low price of $80,000 plus tax.

Other vehicles that come to mind on my bimbo'd list are the Ford Bronco and Chev CK Blazer/GMC Jimmy.

The Ford Thunderbird went from a sports car to a land yacht.

In 2008 everyone was saying the same thing about the North American auto manufactures.

"Quit making vehicles people don't want".

They brighten up for a while, the economy recovers a little, and they go right back at it, with their heads where?

What was your favorite car, SUV or truck that got the Bimbo treatment?

 

[horse123]

Yep, affluent women are ruining many car options because manufacturers want their money.

 

[NHGUY]

The 66-77 Bronco,while having its place,became old and dated by 1977.The 1978 full size F150 based replacement sold over 4 times as many as the 77.This was in the era of the big Blazer/Jimmy,Ramcharger/Trailduster,and Wagoneer/Cherokee.Its what the public wanted at the time.Yes,they did a 1964 vs 73 Mustang bloat job on it,but people wanted the size,weight and seating capacity.The small CJs,Scout 80/800,Toyota FJ were just too small for their "needs".

 

[OneEyeJack]

A lot of people did not know they needed a bigger vehicle with more options until they saw all their neighbors driving this new breed of vehicles or saw the advertising that promoted the new and better cars.

It did not take long for every day daily driver ordinary Honda Accords to out size and out feature the flagship luxury Acura of 1986.

What will the entry level basic, stripped commuter car of 2020 look like?

 

[HerrStig]

I recall when Fix Or Repair Daily determined that what we REALLY wanted was NOT a Mustang based Cougar but "More of a Cougar than ever before". Oh yeah!

 

[hatt]

Not really understanding this thread. No reason you couldn't get a base model Suburban and work out of it. You don't have to get the pimped out model. They don't make stripped work truck versions because no one buys them to work out of. I doubt too many bought them NEW for work trucks back then either when pickups and vans would have been the cheaper option.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

There are stripper versions of the Suburban. I work within a Federal agency and my group's Suburban 2500 4x4 has rubber floor mats and cloth seats. It also has automatic headlights, power windows, door locks, dual-zone climate control and trailer tow package with factory electric brake controller. It's over 3 tons with me and a couple hundred lbs of equipment, but the 6.0 V8 and 6-speed auto do pretty well. It's still a beast to drive and way more than most folks will ever use.

The agency used to buy International Travelalls.

 

[MolaKule]

We had an '86 and a '92 at one time.

Guess who drove '92?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

There are still plenty of basic work vehicles available. The Ram Tradesman and Promaster lines are pretty basic. Modern SUVs are geared more toward family haulers and folks who don't want a minivan (there may be exceptions that I'm not familiar with). A better alternative is a tradesman-like van or pickup.

 

[aquariuscsm]

"SUV's" are definitely geared towards women. Every commercial I see advertising them always involves a mom hauling her rugrats around. It's the updated modern day station wagon.

 

[userfriendly]

lets say I was purchasing 1,000 HD vehicles a year for BNSF or UP. I need a frame, so the vans are out.
I need at least E rubber, so the light duty half tons and suv's are out.

I need lock up for expensive signal, radio and computer equipment.

I need the vehicle to seat at least 4 guys and all their junk.
For the radio and signal techs in the field seating for two is adequate.

Now add the mining, forestry and oil field.
What are their options besides a one ton crew cab truck with a canopy or enclosed work box?

Are your needs all that much different in an RV?

 

[hansj3]

Originally Posted By: used_0il
lets say I was purchasing 1,000 HD vehicles a year for BNSF or UP. I need a frame, so the vans are out.
I need at least E rubber, so the light duty half tons and suv's are out.

I need lock up for expensive signal, radio and computer equipment.

I need the vehicle to seat at least 4 guys and all their junk.
For the radio and signal techs in the field seating for two is adequate.

Now add the mining, forestry and oil field.
What are their options besides a one ton crew cab truck with a canopy or enclosed work box?
Are your needs all that much different in an RV?



What this screams to me is a 1/2 or 3/4 ton van. 2wd possible diesel, with the second bench installed and the divider and cargo racking in the rear.

Work guys don't need satalite, just seating for four and heat,ac.
To me a good set up is 4 captains chairs back to back. You would get more cargo area, and could set up desks built into the divider.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: hatt
Not really understanding this thread.


+1

 

[Dallas69]

I work with a guy who just bought a new F-150 King Ranch.
I tell him its nice and pretty but way too girlie-heated seats and steering wheel, moon roof,auto headlights and wipers.The list goes on and on.
Not a truck at all,more like a Lincoln with a small bed in back.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: Dallas69
I work with a guy who just bought a new F-150 King Ranch.
I tell him its nice and pretty but way too girlie-heated seats and steering wheel, moon roof,auto headlights and wipers.The list goes on and on.
Not a truck at all,more like a Lincoln with a small bed in back.


Only the burly blue collar men in the North Dakota oil fields drive real trucks. They don't need girlish jazzed up trucks.

 

[SilverSnake]

I liked the days when you could get a stripped PU for a lot less than most cars. Those days are long gone. I for one like some of the comfort features now available. Makes life a lot more pleasant if you spend a lot of time in your truck. A moderately equipped Ram works well for me. Had a 2001 Ram 2500 for 14 years. Flawless. Love my new 2014 Ram 1500. $30K out the door.

 

[hattaresguy]

The Suburban is the Fairfield county soccer moms car.


Having said that I still have a number of contractors that use older ones as work vehicles. They are great 4x4 locking work trucks.

 

[exranger06]

Originally Posted By: used_0il

Other vehicles that come to mind on my bimbo'd list are the Ford Bronco and Chev CK Blazer/GMC Jimmy.

The Bronco was NEVER "bimbo'd." Neither was the K5 Blazer.

 

[sciphi]

The marketers have convinced a lot of folks in snowy areas that they need 4WD/AWD. It's hard to find 2WD SUV's/CUV's or pickups around me. And once they got AWD, well, they must "need" leather heated seats and all the rest of the stuff if they "need" AWD.

 

[TiredTrucker]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
The 66-77 Bronco,while having its place,became old and dated by 1977.The 1978 full size F150 based replacement sold over 4 times as many as the 77.This was in the era of the big Blazer/Jimmy,Ramcharger/Trailduster,and Wagoneer/Cherokee.Its what the public wanted at the time.Yes,they did a 1964 vs 73 Mustang bloat job on it,but people wanted the size,weight and seating capacity.The small CJs,Scout 80/800,Toyota FJ were just too small for their "needs".


I would love to have another '79 Ford Bronco! Best vehicle I ever owned. If situation would have been different, I might have just kept it and restored it.