Okay I dont understand why Americans love pickups so much. The Ford F series is the highest selling vehicle Silverado is second and the Dodge Ram is third. All trucks. I understand that some people actually need and use these vehicles but just how many truck drivers actually use their back half on a regular basis?
My dad’s generation everyone wanted to drive Mustangs and Camaros now the kids at my school want to buy a Ford F-250 because “it’s a beast”. WTF is so appealing about a truck? Is it the height at which you’re seated? Does it look good? Does it have some sort of, I don’t know, cowboy image? Are they cheap? Help me out here.
Because they are tough, strong, fast, roomy, and sharp. Don’t get me wrong, I like sports cars, but I like usefulness too. You can do anything in a truck.
[quote]40yarddash wrote:
Okay I dont understand why Americans love pickups so much. The Ford F series is the highest selling vehicle Silverado is second and the Dodge Ram is third. All trucks. I understand that some people actually need and use these vehicles but just how many truck drivers actually use their back half on a regular basis?
My dad’s generation everyone wanted to drive Mustangs and Camaros now the kids at my school want to buy a Ford F-250 because “it’s a beast”. WTF is so appealing about a truck? Is it the height at which you’re seated? Does it look good? Does it have some sort of, I don’t know, cowboy image? Are they cheap? Help me out here.[/quote]
I need a big front seat and headroom. I carry home improvment stuff, olympic bars, landscaping materials etc. If all one does is work at a 9-5 office job and hires out all his yardwork, home improvement etc. then he can buy his Camry.
The height is certainly a benefit in seeing over traffic. We as Americans probably do like big, bad trucks just for that reason. I know for me, my training and my vehicles reflect each other. I like to be big and strong so a small car doesn’t quite fit that mold,
But why does anyone really care what other people like to drive?
And please don’t bring emmisions into this… Al Gore flies a private jet!
[quote]40yarddash wrote:
Okay I dont understand why Americans love pickups so much. The Ford F series is the highest selling vehicle Silverado is second and the Dodge Ram is third. All trucks. I understand that some people actually need and use these vehicles but just how many truck drivers actually use their back half on a regular basis?
My dad’s generation everyone wanted to drive Mustangs and Camaros now the kids at my school want to buy a Ford F-250 because “it’s a beast”. WTF is so appealing about a truck? Is it the height at which you’re seated? Does it look good? Does it have some sort of, I don’t know, cowboy image? Are they cheap? Help me out here.[/quote]
Good question. Personally, I highly respect people who drive trucks and actually use them but I too hate it when people drive a truck but never haul anything with it. It’s ridiculous!
Most of my friends that do drive trucks have them more by chance in that they didn’t have much money and they got a good deal on it. That’s cool in my book. To my knowledge they get some use hauling furniture and such (and kegs)
But if you’ve never had a truck, you’d be surprised just how useful they can be.
I drive a Camry, and 9 times out of 10 I prefer driving a small car. But I’ve lost count of how many times I wish I had a pickup because I just couldn’t fit something into my Camry.
If I were rich, I’d have both a small car AND a pickup.
I see. Just want any truck drivers to know that I’m not criticizing your trucks at all. I just never realized how much they sold until recently. I know they can be very useful but a lot of kids I know who bought them just use them to drive to school and other places not really using the back.
[quote]Brett T. wrote:
I think, though, that I might consider an SUV/trailer combo for my next vehicle. I don’t use the truck to haul stuff daily, and I’d have room for more than one passenger, which would be nice. [/quote]
My friends that ride MX and SX drive Ford vans.
My favorite is one of my client’s vans who rides MX and scrambles; an extended, silver E150 van with American Racing wheels and no side windows. He put in a carpeted devider and a reupholstered fold-down bench from a junkyard van. He dives with two bikes in the back (out of sight and weather) and sleeps on the seat which when folded is as big as a single bed.
He also drives an '07 Yukon but told me he might just sell it and keep only the van.
One of the big reasons is that Americans often fall prey to what is called the “maximum use imperative”; i.e., “I haul three bags of mulch twice a year therefore I drive a F-350 4x4”. It ties in to that rugged individualist, manifest destiny complex, which is particularly strong here out west.
They’re the closest thing on the market to old musclecars. If manufacturers still sold rear wheel drive cars with V8s, a reasonable price tag, and decent size and style, they’d sell like hotcakes.
I have an 03 Silverado ext cab and I love the hell out it. I use the back pretty often plus the main reason I have it is for towing my car to races and shows…The only thing I can say to someone thinking about a truck is to try one out for a while. You won’t go back to cars.
Funny I read this post now because I’m actually buying my first truck tomorrow, a GMC Sierra. I’m probably going to be guilty of not hauling stuff much, but I got an insane deal on it.
I agree, I think it is a bit ridiculous people are riding around in F-350s who don’t have any need for a truck. I was looking at Chevy 2500’s today and I thought that was too big. I have a lot of friends that have Chevy 1500s because they got great deals.
I’ve driven trucks for over 35yrs.,race dirt bikes and was the only kid at my high school or where i hung out that had one.was popular with the street racers ,they wanted someone to haul their motors to and from machine or speed shops for their hot rods,also when somebody wanted to move and for church paper drives etc…
They used to be priced cheap when new until it sort of became a fade to own one.I like them because they can take a hell of a hit and usually the occupants dont get hurt .I also like the durability.When the diesel fade hit a few yrs. back i always thought it was funny when people that lived in the city and didnt tow anything would get suckered by the dealers into buying one.when i went to a dealer they would give me the B.S. about how they last so long and i would tell um ,Hell i usually get 300,000 miles out of my gas engines i dont need a diesel and they just look puzzled because most sales people dont know anything about trucks anyway.
I also think it’s funny to be at a costco or sam’s or home depot and watch people come out with a big load of merchandise they just purchased ,then when they get to their little car,they stand there and look at it and try to figure out how their going to fit all that shit they just bought into that little shitbox of a car?? DUHH!!!
I have a chevy silverado 2500. A 1500 just doesn’t have strong enough springs to load with firewood, and 1500’s arent really made for pulling goosenecks.
However, I think my next vehicle will be a gmc yukon, or a chevy blazer. A full size blazer, not that little shrimp boat looking thing that most people drive.
I think I like the look of the ram 1500’s, they seem to set higher then the fords or the chevy’s.
I don’t use it every day, but I can make money on the side doing shit with it, and of course, every time some asshole moves, I get called first.
I love it though.
Anyone else realize that you just don’t get tailgated when you drive a pickup truck? When I drive any other kind of car, people will get up your ass…but they back off from a pickup.
[quote]Brett T. wrote:
BarneyFife wrote:
I have a chevy silverado 2500. A 1500 just doesn’t have strong enough springs to load with firewood, and 1500’s arent really made for pulling goosenecks.
However, I think my next vehicle will be a gmc yukon, or a chevy blazer. A full size blazer, not that little shrimp boat looking thing that most people drive.
I think I like the look of the ram 1500’s, they seem to set higher then the fords or the chevy’s.
Are you talking about the K series Blazer, or the new TrailBlazer?[/quote]
