This sounds like a fairly sensible business decision in the wake of the economic downturn that is being faced worldwide following COVID-19.

Nope.

A couple of things changed:

I live just west of the continental divide in Canada.  If I want to get out to the coast, I’m driving over 2-3 major mountain passes ... while a Geo by itself can get over those passes, there’s no way it’s doing it with a trailer hanging off the back. 

As much as that little Geo looks like a ball of fun, it’s still a Geo - I wouldn’t try to tow a shopping cart with one. A 2400lb trailer weighs more than the car itself.  (Curb weight on these things was only ~1600lb, IIRC)

Audis seem to be a bit more prone to it than others.  People do some strange mods to them, and Audi (VW) have a nasty habit of designing some really cool features with really expensive to repair parts that have a  glass jaw somewhere. 

Looking at this truck, I keep thinking of the old C.W. McCall tune “Classified”:

CP - it’s a sleeper that will keep you awake at night wondering how the hell you’re going to get the next problem to crop up fixed.

I don’t have a clue who thought this was a good idea. My take is that they’ve basically made what used to be a decent off-roader into something that’s going to be a complete nightmare in all contexts. The weight balance on this would be completely screwed up by shoving all the weight over the rear axle.

First Gear:  

... and as of 0:700 MDT, the Craigslist post is gone.

Honda’s been doing aluminum alloy engines for years without problems.  

CP

Most people who buy a house don’t buy a place planning to live next door to an industrial site or a scrap yard. While it is your property, and largely you can “do as you wish” with it, there are limits in urban areas because eventually what you are doing has impacts on those around you.

60K units isn’t bad at all - but FCA’s lack of investment in new models suggests they don’t see it as a winning volume, or as a “halo model” that they are going to keep alive for marketing reasons. Ford has figured out that the Mustang is integral to their brand image, I don’t think FCA sees that with the Challenger…

These things aren’t selling all that well for FCA to begin with. At this point, they’re just milking it until sales dry up.

There’s a huge discussion about this same issue going on among saltwater aquarium enthusiasts (what follows comes out of that world, and is a summary of what my brother and I have been able to piece together)

Mr. Ramsey’s advice appears to be aimed squarely at people with limited or no understanding of their personal finances. (We all know that guy who looks at his empty wallet, and says “yeah, I can find another $250 a month for the King Ranch edition”). The fact that he barely paid his rent this month, and it’s going…

This is one of my favourite years of these trucks - they look far better than the more slab-faced models that followed to my eye.

[First Gear]