Not all Ford pickups start with "F," even though some of them were Falcon-based. Today, picks up on the economics of buying a 1962 Ford Econoline pickup.

It must have been hot yesterday because there was a lot of haterade spilled over the . Despite some good stats and a clean appearance, it flunked the job interview to the tune of a 71% crack pipe vote. That Mitsu seemed to have it all- four-wheel drive, a folding hard top, twin turbo'd V6, and a sassy attitude. You know what it didn't have? A solid front axle, that's what. That was obviously what drove such a disproportionately large number of you to go all crack pipe on its sorry ass. If it only had a solid I-beam between its front wheels, it would have projected the sense of security and stability that an independent front suspension can not. And that's why today's candidate will, I am sure, fare differently than the Mitsu.

With their compound eyes, multiple legs and silk-weaving antics, arachnids are pretty complex…

One thing that makes America great - aside from the casual dress code and freely available funnel cake - is our ability to gladly buy products made in countries that had until only recently been hard at work trying to kill us. Not only do we love buying their crap, but we actively encourage these former foes to sell it to us through programs such as the Marshall Plan and Walmart. It was that fervor for buying goods from former enemies, ignoring the possibility that they might still harbor animosity towards us, that eventually shaped the automotive landscape of our great nation, and the automakers therein.

One of the beneficiaries of this American generosity was Volkswagen, which up until the 1940s was pumping out "the People's Car" in Germany. Hitler had commissioned that car - in between planning world domination and feeding his addiction for collecting antique mustache combs. What Hitler meant by the People part of People's Car was Nazis, and, as they were frowned upon in the U.S., export options were bleak at the time.

After beating the crap out of the Germans for the second straight time, we forgot about all that Hitler stuff and Americans embraced VWs as quirky but efficient cars for college professors and men who wear "slacks". Part of Volkswagen's lineup was a light truck that was available in both 7-passenger van and quarter-ton pickup configurations. These became popular as light delivery vehicles, and that success did not escape the attention of the American auto industry despite their fascination at the time with something called "the fin". GM fired the first shot across VW's bow with the air-cooled, rear-engined Corvair, which Ralph Nader later lovingly dubbed Unsafe at Any Speed. The Corvair was radical, and in a move that kind of makes you glad it wasn't drugs they were experimenting with, GM went whole hog- releasing Corvairs in every body style imaginable with the exception of the aforementioned whole hog. The Corvair van and ramp-side pickup went toe to toe against the encroaching Germans, scrabbling for both nuclear family and suburban gardner sales.

Ford, always the more conservative of the U.S. car makers, jumped on the bandwagon (bandvan?) too, but their light trucks were based on the more traditional Falcon car. Available in a windowed passenger van that shared the Falcon name, as well as windowless E100 delivery van and pickup, they became hugely successful. While the Corvair has become scarcer on the road, the E100 and cleverly-named competitor Dodge A100 still manage to be fairly common, proving that they are nearly impossible to kill. In the Ford's case, that stems from lack of complication and, as with today's , a bulletproof 200-cid six cylinder motor and equally durable three speed gearbox.

Wearing a natty coat of two-tone white over red, and a wide, purposeful stance, this forward control pickup from the Blue Oval is claimed to have been, until recently, a daily driver. As another noteworthy side effect of our nation's predilection for buying things from former enemies, the reason for it no longer being so - as well as for it being on Craigslist - is because the owner has sadly lost his job. That's too bad because it looks like he took good care of the truck. The pictures don't give too much away, and it's hard to tell what those rims are (any guesses?), but overall it looks like a nicely maintained work truck- shiny on the outside, and a little dirty in the bed. Also, the red velour and white vinyl interior has a comforting bordello vibe going on.

Despite the claim of unemployment, the seller seemingly still didn't find much time to write a detailed description of the truck - omitting such details as mileage and maintenance records. As many E100 owners covet their rides, perhaps he figures anyone interested would know what to ask when they called, and didn't want to encourage lookiloos and people who write car blogs from bothering him. And speaking of interested, how interested would you be in that $3,000 price tag? Could you get behind that for this forward-leaning truck? Or, is that too much bread for this amount of bed?

You decide!

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