Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's true to a point, sure, but $16-18 extra a day is $4000-4500/year. To me, $4000 annually is not an insignificant amount even when you have a lot of cash to burn. For most people it's quite a significant amount.
It's certainly one thing if you need the truck for work anyway, but at $4000/year one could quickly save more than the cost of an additional commuter car, even a comfortable one, if the truck is not otherwise necessary on the job. For my money I'd rather have two vehicles in that case and not drive the truck as much. But that's me.
$4000-$4500 isn't an insignificant amount to me either but it's not extra. Basically if you had a vehicle that got...30 mpg, double that of my F-150, you'd still be spending between $8 and $9. So in essence, you're spending an extra $2000-$2250/ year in fuel expenses by driving a truck. Granted when it's nice out (quite often in Arizona) I'll drive my '08 Corvette convertible to the office and average about 26 mpg on that drive.
I guess there just comes a point where you don't think nor worry about the fuel cost because it's completely irrelevant, you need to pay it one way or another. When gas hit $4/ gallon, I saw people who were driving Toyota Corolla's complaining about filling up but when I put over $100 in my truck, I didn't say anything because it does no good. Live and let live.
When we built our house we took over from the contractor who had left painting, landscaping and flooring to us. I picked up a used GMC Sonoma from a friend....it was the next best thing since sliced bread as we used the heck out of it. Flooring, cement bags, plants, river rock, mulch, scaffolding, you name it we hauled it. Fast forward two years and the house is done and the truck was just standing by....my friends were using it more than I was so I sold it to another friend. Like most have said with fold down seats in cars and removable seats in our Element we have managed, but I still miss that little pickup truck.
If your just doing Maintenance and no major renovations you should be able to get by with an SUV or one of the newer cars with the fold down seats
$4000-$4500 isn't an insignificant amount to me either but it's not extra. Basically if you had a vehicle that got...30 mpg, double that of my F-150, you'd still be spending between $8 and $9. So in essence, you're spending an extra $2000-$2250/ year in fuel expenses by driving a truck. Granted when it's nice out (quite often in Arizona) I'll drive my '08 Corvette convertible to the office and average about 26 mpg on that drive.
Ha. I wasn't paying close attention to what you wrote there. Fair enough, so it's more like $2k extra. Still not insignificant of course, but a little less dramatic.
I have not really needed a truck owning a home yet. It would be a nice to have second vehicle. But an SUV or van can do most of what a truck does and has more comfort.
I have not really needed a truck owning a home yet. It would be a nice to have second vehicle. But an SUV or van can do most of what a truck does and has more comfort.
Yes, I think most people - who aren't tradesmen, would be better served with an SUV for all-around daily use, and on those few days when you really need a lot of hauling capacity - it's spring and you're picking up a bunch of mulch or a bunch of shrubs - you could actually just get the stuff delivered, or, you rent a truck for the day, or even rent a 5x8 utility trailer and hitch it to your SUV - that trailer is just as big as any pickup truck bed and will tote 1,500lb like a typical 1/2-ton pickup, plus it's lower and easier to load/unload, comes with a ramp to roll stuff on/off, and the bed tilts.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,700 posts, read 58,022,681 times
Reputation: 46172
First post date of thread
01-08-2013, 07:43 PM.
I wonder if people are still
buying houses an using trucks and trailers?
Maybe today's buyer needs more information?
My dad bought a really big dump truck when we built a new country home in the 1950's, then a 6x6 army truck when we built a mountain home in the 1960s.
I prefer a 4x4 dually flatbed with expanding canopy, removable / hinged sides, lumber rack, boom and winch, and a dump / hoist when I build homes.
Tough to find one like that to rent, but that would be a nice option for out-of-state projects.
Most people who own a truck really don’t need one. I’d recommend a minivan, hatchback, or wagon before I recommend a truck, unless you need the open space a bed affords or you do a lot of towing.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) I'll drive my '08 Corvette convertible to the office and average about 26 mpg on that drive. 
I wasn't paying close attention to what you wrote there. Fair enough, so it's more like $2k extra. Still not insignificant of course, but a little less dramatic. 
