2005 Chevy SSR

[alanganes]

I recall seeing a few of those around here, but don't think I have seen one on the road for quite a long time. Also not really my style but I am not really all they style conscious about what I drive.

As for PT Cruisers, there were scads of them around here when they were new-ish and they seemed to have a cult following. A relative of mine had one as a sort of advertising gimmick for his business and used to drive it to a bunch of PT Cruiser enthusiast events around the northeast.

As for new Ford Rangers, those are everywhere around here.

[darryl]

It looks stupid to me. That vehicle (I can't call it a truck) says 'we can't come up with anything better looking, so here's this'

Only my opinion of course. Many vehicles these days look like they were designed by a poodle in heat- I have no other words for it. As far as the technical features, does it come with a bicycle so you can get yourself home if it rains?

[oxford]

Chevy's failed attempt at prying nostalgia money out of boomers wallets. Much like the HHR, The Pt cruiser, and the Prowler for the rich boomers.

I've seen a few in the wild. Not a fan. Would rather have an old truck, but then again, I'm not really the target market for much of anything lol.

My feeling is a lot of other people would have rather had an actual hotrod version of an old truck for what these cost new.

PT cruiser wasn’t targeted towards the rich boomers, more like the lower and middle class which is why you saw a bunch of them on the road, something different and neat at a price most could afford. Chevy I think tried the same with the HHR but it was too little, to late at that point.

[The Artful Bodger]

It looks stupid to me. That vehicle (I can't call it a truck) ....

We would not call it a truck in this country (NZ), it is a 'ute' and we recognize that as a class of vehicle, a class of vehicle to combine personal transport and modest load capacity. The ute style of vehicle was very popular in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. However similar vehicles meeting the definition were to be found in many countries of the world but fast facing extinction.

The traditional ute was almost always based on a sedan or station wagon model and shared technical and trim components with the parent vehicle.

The place of utes has been largely taken in NZ by Japanese vans for electricians and plumbers etc.

For farmers and well heeled folks we have various models from Japan, China, Germany and America, we call these things 'Tonkas' but you might call then 'trucks'.

Trucks for us are heavy duty load carrying vehicles, we might even call the same thing a lorry.

[Willy]

My feeling is a lot of other people would have rather had an actual hotrod version of an old truck for what these cost new.

PT cruiser wasn’t targeted towards the rich boomers, more like the lower and middle class which is why you saw a bunch of them on the road, something different and neat at a price most could afford. Chevy I think tried the same with the HHR but it was too little, to late at that point.

Yup, I think this pretty well sums up the target market. a turn key old style hot rod pickup with a warranty.
Unfortunately if you could mas produce something like that it"s going to cost dearly in order to be compliant with new car regs.and what you end up with is something with all of the exclusivity of a glass door knob.
Folks simply were not enamored with the concept enough to part with big coin in order to follow that path.

[Dan Dubeau]

My feeling is a lot of other people would have rather had an actual hotrod version of an old truck for what these cost new.

PT cruiser wasn’t targeted towards the rich boomers, more like the lower and middle class which is why you saw a bunch of them on the road, something different and neat at a price most could afford. Chevy I think tried the same with the HHR but it was too little, to late at that point.

I just meant the Prowler was for the rich boomers, not the PT. Apologies for the poorly worded sentence. The pt was absolutely a middle class people mover, tugging at the nostalgia heartstrings. The HHR was just late to the party, but the panel version looked cool. The same designer of the PT designed the HHR. GM literally recycled the idea. All the people that would have been interested in buying it were already driving PT's. Great market read GM lol.

[oxford]

The prowler was definitely a rich mans game. I think those would have actually sold better then they did if it would have had a V8 in it.

No one in that target audience wanted a v6.

[Dave C]

I would consider one. Not for the folding hood but the concept of an every-day sedan with a big box on the back does appeal to me, in fact that is what I have been driving for the last 24 years.

I sold my 85 ElCamino a few years ago, and really miss it.

[J Tiers]

I recall seeing a few of those around here, but don't think I have seen one on the road for quite a long time. Also not really my style but I am not really all they style conscious about what I drive.

As for PT Cruisers, there were scads of them around here when they were new-ish and they seemed to have a cult following. A relative of mine had one as a sort of advertising gimmick for his business and used to drive it to a bunch of PT Cruiser enthusiast events around the northeast.

As for new Ford Rangers, those are everywhere around here.

The problem was that both were kinda ugly. Failed miserably at looking like the originals, and didn't look like anything else either, except a failed attempt at a copy.

Lots of delivery vans are kinda ugly, so I can totally understand the concept of having the "bad copy" if it fits the bill for what you want in a vehicle. It just wasn't as cool as someone thought it was. Same for the others, although if pressed, I would have to say that the PT was probably the least bad of the lot. I'd stll not have one, but...

Rangers? I have one, a guy I met has one. I have 52k on a 2019, and I like it. Other than those, I doubt I have even seen a dozen of them on the road. It's all F-series, or Chevy.

[The Artful Bodger]

I sold my 85 ElCamino a few years ago, and really miss it.

I could probably find room for an El Camino but it is not likely that any will come my way.

[alanganes]

The problem was that both were kinda ugly. Failed miserably at looking like the originals, and didn't look like anything else either, except a failed attempt at a copy.

Lots of delivery vans are kinda ugly, so I can totally understand the concept of having the "bad copy" if it fits the bill for what you want in a vehicle. It just wasn't as cool as someone thought it was. Same for the others, although if pressed, I would have to say that the PT was probably the least bad of the lot. I'd stll not have one, but...

Rangers? I have one, a guy I met has one. I have 52k on a 2019, and I like it. Other than those, I doubt I have even seen a dozen of them on the road. It's all F-series, or Chevy.

Yeah, i get that as well. I would not have gone out of my way to buy a PT or one of those things posted above, but I agree if I had to choose, the PT Cruiser at least looks marginally more useable to what I typically use a vehicle for. If I needed wheels and was offered either really cheap, I'd probably drive either one.

Up until a couple of years ago I was driving a pretty old and beat up Ranger, a 1999 that while pretty rough around the edges almost everything still worked. At least most of the time.
Around here rust eventually gets you, and I had to give my old Ranger up when it got bad enough to no longer pass inspections. That and I nearly pulled off the last foot of the frame when the rust that was holding my trailer hitch on gave way when I had a trailer full of granite blocks hooked up. But that was about the time the new rangers were hitting the streets around here and they seem to have sold lots of them in this part of the country anyhow. I would have liked one but they were a bit too new and pricey for me at the time. I still see lots of them around, they seem to be well liked.

F-series and Chevys are everywhere as well here of course.

[J Tiers]

Hm.... The 2019 Ranger was positively cheap. It was not much more expensive than the 2000 S10 I bought new.

At first I thought you might be in Canada, where everything is expensive, but you are not. Dunno. Maybe different definitions of "cheap"? I've seen used cars with high miles for similar cost recently.

[aostling]

I could probably find room for an El Camino but it is not likely that any will come my way.

Is it possible to convert a recent North American vehicle to right-hand drive, for New Zealand use?

[SVS]

Would be a nightmare IMO when you consider how many components under the dash and hood need swapped side to side. Heater core, pedals and steering column just for starters.

[The Artful Bodger]

Is it possible to convert a recent North American vehicle to right-hand drive, for New Zealand use?

Most everything is possible and I know there are companies here who have done conversions in the past. Nowadays it is probably still possible but with the more recent dash panels etc would surely be a challenge.

For older cars the first action would be to research the vehicle in mind and determine what models it may have shared parts with and find on which RHD countries those vehicles may have been sold. Canada can also be a source of NOS parts for RHD cars as factories there including Ford and GM made assembly kits and even complete vehicles for export to countries of the Commonwealth.

In the case of the El Camino there are probably enough parts in NZ (and Australia) from wrecked RHD GM vehicles to do most of the daunting parts of the conversion. There are welders and angle grinders for moving the steering column and pedal box etc.

One might even be lucky enough to find a useable dash.

On the other hand, if the vehicle is old enough (30 years?) it can be imported and used without conversion.