In the 1970s, compact trucks were starting to catch on as vehicles for people who didn't need a huge pickup. Japanese manufacturers owned this segment, with Toyota and Datsun (now Nissan) making up a good portion of compact pickup sales. Ford had a compact pickup of their own, too, by way of Mazda. GM didn't want to be left out of the compact segment, either. In 1972, two "domestic" small trucks debuted that would change the face of the pickup truck segment forever. Ford introduced its Mazda-sourced Courier pickup while GM turned to partner Isuzu.
The LUV stood for what it was, essentially a "light utility vehicle". Not known for its towing capacity, nor equipped with a hi-po engine, this pickup was well suited for around town duties. Capable of hauling people and light cargo, it was the perfect vehicle for small farmers, handymen (and women), painters, and small-job contractors. However, due to extensive rust problems and Isuzu's so-so reliability, not many remain today. The same could honestly be said of the Ford Courier, too.
This example I found near home wasn't in too bad of shape considering the likely hell it went through all these years. The paint's battered to the effect of almost looking like spraypaint, the body seems like it's been caked with bondo a few times over, but the interior seems fine. Odd, but given this state's harsh winters, I'm not surprised. The chrome bits (wheels, grille trim, and exhaust) look either new, or homemade and I wouldn't be all that surprised to find my assumptions correct.
In any case, this is a nice little truck that I wouldn't mind owning. Hell, it probably gets semi-decent gas mileage too considering its relatively light weight and smaller size compared to today's "compact pickups", if you can call them that.
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