Wasn't it a lot worse in the later seasons than the first? If I remember correctly the first 2 or 3 seasons actually used the worlds supply of 1969 Dodge Chargers jumping them.

They are rare, but they had ZF6's. Ford also had them available until 2010 in the 6.4.

The Duramax, 4.3 V6, and the 4.8 V8 all were available with a stick up until 2005 I think.

Having lost PS in a vehicle that would normally have had it, it is kind of like pushing a truck with the steering wheel.

It sort of was, but wasn't. While GM did have HD Suburban/Yukon's, most were 1/2 ton based. The Excursion was strictly a heavy duty based SUV that was available with all the same engines as the F-250/F-350's.

From friends and families personal experiences Chevy beats Ford in toughness all around. All around simplicity and reliability GM still takes the crown. Ford's being the best seller says a lot about the population. I'll stick with my shitty little Toyota though, because when it breaks, it really breaks, but that…

I honestly don't know what happened to it after that. All I know is they got a big fat insurance check for it.

A friend of mines Aunt and Uncle had a fully restored 70 Challenger Covt. with the original 6-Pack destroyed in the April 27th, 2011 tornado outbreak that hit Alabama. I nearly cried when I saw the pics.

I think it was Mack who actually built a hybrid truck. UPS actually had or has hybrid trucks in their fleet.

Since I'm in school for this, I am quickly learning that nothing is ever good enough. Also progress means complexity. In theory, it would make sense to go the simpler route like you suggested, but the EPA won't let that happen.

There already hybrid trucks out there. On top of that, modern diesels have overly complex emissions systems. I can only imagine how the EPA would want these trucks to breath out rainbows and unicorns.

Please, they are complicated enough for technicians now, don't make it worse for us technicians of the future.

There were three of them in the neighborhood I lived in. That was in Florida where they sold all of them.

If it's really capable and not just a graphics package, I might actually eat my words and buy another Toyota.

First time drivers should not be trying to become a rally driver at every turn like they would in one of these.

Give it to a few tech students over the weekend. We'll find its weak points.

You mean 3?

That's just the American people, it wasn't cushy enough for them.

I think Toyota got cocky and just said, "Fuck it, lets just sell it like this.", after consulting with the Russians, British, and North Korean engineers.

Umm, yeah it was. The smallest, base engine of its competitors, other than the Pathfinder, were 4.0 6-cylinders that were much more reliable and torquey. The 3VZ was the optional engine, like the 5.2 V8 in the Grand Cherokee and the 5.0 in the explorer.