REO Trucks I4 4WD Pickup Truck Starts at $21,500

76 points by b_mc2 4 hours ago on hackernews | 124 comments

The REO Runabout, shown in shadow

America's New Affordable Truck

$21,500+

Reservations Open · $25 · Refundable

Reserve Your Place

Body-On-Frame

Architecture

6-spd MT / AT

Transmission

500,000 mi

Powertrain life

Runabout T4X

Three variants. One platform.

Runabout T4XRunabout T4CRunabout S4C

Signature

Steel Drop-Side Flatbed

Where we’re going.

  1. Now

    Reservations open

    $25 holds your place — fully refundable. Position set by reservation time.

  2. Q4 2026

    Models revealed

    The production design and full lineup, unveiled — see exactly what you’re reserving.

  3. 2027

    Pilot builds & validation

    Pre-production trucks built, tested, and certified to federal standards.

  4. 2028

    Order book & configurator

    Reservations convert to orders in priority sequence — configure yours, earliest first.

  5. Late 2028 / 2029

    First deliveries

    Trucks reach driveways in reservation order. Earliest in, first out.

Timeline targets · subject to change

A real truck, by the numbers.

FIG.01 — SPEC SHEET

Engineering targets · subject to final validation

How it stacks up.

FIG.02 — HEAD-TO-HEAD

Competitor figures approximate · for comparison only

01POWERTRAIN

Why Gas

90% of new cars sold still run on gas — so that's what we build. Coming late is deliberate: proven technology over the newest, putting more trucks in more American hands at a lower price.

~600 mi range · 5-min refuel

02ENGINEERING

Reliability by Design

Not a retro rehash — an entirely new vehicle with one constraint above all others: reliability. A naturally aspirated gas four, body-on-frame, mechanical 4WD, built to run past a half-million miles.

03INTERFACE

Physical Controls

Levers, rockers, and real analog gauges. One small screen for diagnostics and CarPlay — nothing more. No subscriptions. No feature locks. Ever.

04OWNERSHIP

Right to Repair

Every panel off in under five minutes with common tools. Plain-English diagnostics on a $30 scanner. A 20-year public parts catalog at fair prices. No parts-pairing — in writing.

05SALES

No Dealers

Sold direct online. No dealer markups or unnecessary fees.

No dealers means more money in your pocket

06ORIGIN

Built in Texas

Designed, certified, and assembled in America. The story isn't the badge — it's the supply chain, true at the factory gate.

A letter from REO

The buyers didn't leave. The products did.

There's a vehicle missing from the American market — small enough for a real garage, cheap enough to skip the seven-year loan, built well enough to outlast it. Here's why we're bringing REO back to build it.

A legacy in the making for over 120 years.

  1. 1901

    Ransom E. Olds builds the Curved Dash Runabout — America’s first mass-produced car. $650, about $25,000 today.

  2. 1905

    Pushed out of Oldsmobile, Olds founds REO under his own initials.

  3. 1915

    The REO Speed Wagon arrives — the ancestor of the modern pickup.

  4. 1975

    REO closes after seventy years of honest American trucks.

  5. 2026

    REO returns to build the affordable American truck no one else will.

Direct Parts + OEM-Sponsored Community

No automaker has ever done this — and that’s exactly the problem. We’re the first to put parts and community in the open, because this truck should belong to the people who drive it, not to a profit machine built on gatekeeping. We earn through transparency and relationships that work both ways. Here, the OEM is your friend.

01 · MARKETPLACE

Direct Parts

Right to repair, stocked.

  • Vetted sellers — approved through our process, not the highest bidder.
  • Real prices, published take rate. No dealer gatekeeping, no parts-pairing.
  • A public catalog guaranteed for 20 years, sold straight to owners.

02 · COMMUNITY

The Owners’ Club

Run by us. We actually listen.

  • A forum we own and moderate — not a neglected Facebook group.
  • Owners shape what we build next; the best ideas ship.
  • Honest answers from the team, in public, on the record.

In the News

Coverage from the field

Field Issue

Rep the revival

Classic Snap Back

Classic Snap Back

$27.50

Structured black snapback with the REO mark up front.

  • One size
  • Adjustable snap closure

Classic Tee

Classic Tee

$27.50

First-run REO tee for the people bringing simple trucks back.

  • Heavy cotton feel
  • Classic fit

Tech Snap Back

Tech Snap Back

$27.50

Lightweight technical cap for shop days, trail days, and long hauls.

  • One size
  • Tech fabric

Contact

Contact us.

Press, suppliers, partners, and the merely curious — we read every message and answer fast. Want a truck? Reserve yours for $25.