Why did the small car die back in the early '90s?

[BailOut]

MudBug,

You're not the only one whose second car is a truck. My '96 Tacoma Extended Cab 4x4 hauls a boat over Mt. Rose to Lake Tahoe or over the rolling hills to Pyramid, and has done so chock full of party/picnic/camping gear and with 4 passengers. It also carries dirt, rock, tile, recyclable metals, etc. like a champ.

However, it is used for just those things and those things don't happen very often and/or are seasonal. We can go so long between uses on it that I'll hook up a solar battery charger and check its tires. Despite being almost 12 years old it's not even close to 100k miles yet.

99.9% of our driving has always been done on our smaller car, which as of February is a Yaris.

Back to the issue at hand...

What I think you fail to realize is that better than 95% of all trucks and SUVs on the road today don't have 4WD, don't have trailer hitches or anything to tow with one, have never had dirt or sand under their wheels, have never been loaded with anything heavier than a morbidly obese human or been used as a truck in any other way, shape or form.

The world's largest fleet of over-sized vehicles rolls out of garages, driveways, car ports and lots every morning to perform their lowly roles of single-occupant commuters, errand runners, grocery getters and extracurricular conveyance platforms, getting 15 MPG on a good day and spewing large amounts of noxious emissions the whole time.

I've seen a pair of 10 year olds climb out of the back seat of an Excursion and dangle like circus performers because their feet can't reach the ground. I guess their parents just didn't think the car payment for a station wagon or minivan was big enough.

I've seen a Hummer 2 at the Post Office whose sole occupant was there to pick up 1 bin of mail that was about the size of two loaves of bread side by side. I guess his short stature and graying hair had more to do with his vehicle purchase than his transport requirements.

One of my coworkers commutes alone from Carson City to Lake Tahoe in a Chevy Z71 4x4 Extended Cab 5 days per week. The bed doesn't have a single scratch in it. When asked why he feels he needs such a truck he just shrugs.

I think you see my point.