Many people who buy pickup trucks today don’t use them for tough jobs like they used to. One big clue is the size of the truck beds. For example, the Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab can come with a 5.5-foot bed, which is too small for things like a full-size sheet of plywood or a couch. What’s interesting is that Crew Cab trucks are the most popular type of Silverado.
Compare these new Crew Cab trucks with an old Chevrolet LUV compact pickup truck mentioned later in this article. One of the LUV’s selling points is its longer 7.5-foot bed. Also, check out the Toyota ad below that includes technical details like transmission gear ratios.

Another thing to notice is that all the ads here show regular-cab pickups. But these days, many dealerships don’t even keep regular-cab trucks in stock. Instead, they focus on models with four doors like crew cabs or extended cabs. It’s estimated that less than ten percent of new trucks sold are regular-cab.

Because new pickups are so comfortable, it’s not surprising that more people use them as everyday cars. But at Consumer Guide, we miss the simplicity of old-school two-door trucks with basic features like manual transmissions and steel beds without extra liners.
Here are ads for pickups from the 1970s, sorted by the year they were made. If you’ve ever used one of these trucks for work, let us know about your experience. Was it really that tough to get by without backup cameras and lane assist? At RepoFinder.com we occasionally see classics like these come up for sale. You can search our nationwide repossessed truck database here.