The Ford Thames Trader Was An Ugly Hunk of Metal
Ford’s old Thames Trader models were the closest thing you can find to a real-life version of a car from Pixar’s Cars movie or something that would appear in a car-themed spinoff to ‘Thomas the Tank Engine.’ The Thames Trader was a range of trucks designed by Ford and marketed almost exclusively in the UK from 1957 until 1965.
London eventually turned these vehicles into double-deckers which took cyclists through the Dartford tunnels, with the lower deck being used for parking bicycles and the higher one (accessible by ladder) for sitting. It’s definitely one of the ugliest trucks ever made, and it’s no surprise that the company discontinued the lineup in the mid-’60s
The 1957 Ford Ranchero Was Also a Fake Pickup Truck
Subaru must have taken the inspiration for their BRAT model from Ford’s 1957 Ranchero, another car that basically got a flatbed stuck to its rear end and began calling itself a pickup truck. Ford obviously knew that the Ranchero was far from being a genuine pickup truck but still chose to market it as such. This move was a very unpopular one among consumers who had very high trust levels in the Ford brand.
Fortunately, the company learned from its mistakes, especially after the backlash and lower sales figures, and released a smaller version of the Ranchero that was appropriately named as a car rather than a truck. The new model was called the Falcon Ranchero, probably because Ford was hoping to fly as far away from their 1957 PR disaster as possible.
The 2018 Mercedes Benz X-Class Wasn’t Quite Elite
Mercedes, the luxury German automaker, generally manages to keep up with its customers' high expectations due to the brand's association with luxury, the latest tech, and some obviously premium prices. That's why when Mercedes released the X-Class, customers were absolutely willing to spend the extra dollars to purchase this $45,450 to $87,500 pickup truck just based on the brand it was made by.
Mercedes didn't try to avoid the luxury association and even embraced it by calling this car "the world's first true luxury premium pickup." While the X-Class was certainly luxurious, it was also a horrible pickup truck. With a small flatbed and an underwhelming performance, many customers chose to skip this one in favor of a more traditional pickup that would be cheaper, stronger, and function better for its job. If you seriously want a Mercedes and don’t mind the short flatbed, you should probably go for the BRABUS D6 - X 350D 4MATIC, an ultra-powerful version of the car that goes for almost $100,000.
The RAM 1500 Had Terrible Reliability Issues
Depending on the year in which you bought your Ram 1500, you could be looking at a range of issues. The car's third generation (2002-2009) suffered from very common exhaust manifold bolt breakage, which almost got to the point of recall. The fourth generation (2009 to 2018) had a lot of issues with the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module), which caused the truck to malfunction. The 2019 version of the Ram 1500 has been relatively problem-free for the time being.
It’s extremely important to make sure that pickup trucks are reliable prior to selling them, especially those that rely heavily on electronic systems. These trucks are often carrying heavy equipment in very challenging terrains, so a malfunction in one of these fields could result in a massive loss of money and a potential safety risk for everyone involved. We’re glad to see that Ram has been picking up the pace on preventing these issues, although more can certainly be done.
Ford Bronco Isn’t As Fun As You'd Think.
When you're looking to purchase a pickup truck for entertainment purposes only, there's a good chance you'll find yourself taking a look at Ford's Bronco model, which puts in all the fun of driving a 4x4 on the bumpy off-road terrains while offering some of the features and benefits that you'll often find in a pickup truck such as towing capabilities.
Unfortunately, this car was mired with various problems under the hood for many of its versions and still continues to have problems to this day. Of course, people who are buying Broncos won't be reading this article or listening to this advice anyway, but sometimes you have to preach to the deaf. You might have a huge smile on your face when first purchasing this 4x4 monstrosity, but you won’t be as happy when you find yourself having to tow the car from the side of the road.