That was also when the CAFE standards changed and suddenly small trucks became effectively illegal since fuel economy standards started being based on vehicle footprint.
It’s why trucks started growing in size so much. The manufacturers figured out it was easier to make cars bigger than to make them more effecient.
Not to mention the choice of Toyota here makes this especially silly. The used market for body-on-frame Toyotas has been so far out of whack for so long that back when you could still get 0% dealer financing it was often cheaper to buy new than used after you factored in interest rates.
The 2012 used car market was pretty fucked. Tons of old stock had been taking off the market in 09/10 by Cash for Clunkers.
That was also when the CAFE standards changed and suddenly small trucks became effectively illegal since fuel economy standards started being based on vehicle footprint.
It’s why trucks started growing in size so much. The manufacturers figured out it was easier to make cars bigger than to make them more effecient.
Not to mention the choice of Toyota here makes this especially silly. The used market for body-on-frame Toyotas has been so far out of whack for so long that back when you could still get 0% dealer financing it was often cheaper to buy new than used after you factored in interest rates.