Ute candidates

Background

Transformation of a passenger car into a Ute requires — obviously — cutting the entire body of the car somewhere behind the front door. For a short bed ute (less than 5.5 feet) a two-door configuration, other factors aside, provides more practical chassis cut points because the rear door and window opening complexities are absent. Rear engine vehicles clearly are not candidates while front wheel drive (FWD) presents an advantage because there is no rear drive shaft and differential to work around. See also this brief comparison of 4-door ute candidates.

Candidate pool

Most two-door cars today focus on performance and, as a result, typically use rear wheel drive more suitable to the sports sedan category. Front wheel drive four-door cars tend to fill the “family” car niche. Finding a suitable two-door FWD vehicle limits the options considerably.

Economic depreciation flattens out around 10 years

Optimal vehicle age begins around 10 years old, the point when the “flat” part of the economic depreciation curve becomes evident; cutting up a more recent model clearly isn’t cost-effective.

Since average annual mileage is about 13,500 according to the Federal Highway Administration, a 10-year-old car would be expected to have odometer readings in excess of 120,000 miles. Low mileage premiums — half the expected rate — add perhaps 50% to the vehicle’s value.