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My one Son has a Dodge Ram 1500 and he loves it because it has a back seat like a car, but he can tow his other cars with it on a trailer, and also haul things in the bed.
His is a two wheel drive, but I have never understood why people in the southern states buy 4 wheel drive trucks, we have no snow here, and unless you are offroading what is the point ?
Don
Most of the people I know who own pickups live outside the city and have homes off dirt roads, dirt roads get muddy, and if you don't have 4WD you can easily get stuck. People buy what they like anyway. Is there a point to you liking your favorite flavor of ice cream?
For years I drove a Jeep Commanche pickup that I swapped a 5.0 Mustang engine into, it was my daily driver. I wish I had kept it because it was so handy to have that bed back there to throw things into, and with the additional power it was fun to drive.
I am thinking of buying another pickup in the near future because I now can't haul even my trailer with my current daily driver Caddy.
1. My Texas farm is on a clay dirt road that gets so slick and muddy I won't even take a 4x4 out on it unless it's an emergency.
2. I occasionally pull a tandem-axle trailer with up to 6,000 lbs of farm equipment on it.
3. I haul two tons of wood fuel pellets from the city each fall.
4. I started the year with rentals that required I haul tools or pull a trailer with tools.
5. I have pulled visiting family members who were stuck in the middle of the road in their Corollas and Camrys.
Not coincidently, this thread resembles a recent thread on “what’s the point of 400-500hp cars”. Aficionados of the powerful cars will immediately exclaim that detractors simply don’t “get it”; and the same is said by aficionados of big trucks. So the core constituency reacts similarly. Fine. My point, however, is that 500hp cars are comparatively rare, perhaps enjoying a fanatical following, but not a broad one. Persons willing to deal with the poor gas mileage, high insurance rates and so forth, aren’t all that common. Big trucks, however, are ubiquitous. I find it odd that the desire to mash the gas pedal to accelerate 0-60 in 5 seconds is comparatively rare, but the desire to haul a 6000 lb trailer is so common. My conclusion is that the wanton excess, if we wish to term it as such, of driving a super-powerful sporty car is viewed dimly by society, but comparable excess of driving a large and heavy vehicle is accepted with seriousness and acclaim.
Whether the cause is tax-structure, CAFE standards, manufacturers’ profit margins, or something else, the large passenger car (sedan, wagon or coupe) has mostly disappeared, and has been supplanted by truck-based vehicles; so I agree with rbohm and hoffdano.
I live in the countryside, in the snowbelt, but prefer to drive small sports cars (not muscle cars, but light-weight 2-seaters). Why? Because they’re limber and responsive, and enjoyable to drive. Their low ride-height gives them a roadholding stability not possible in a truck. I don’t worry about surviving in a collision because I rely on the higher odds of evading the collision in the first place. And if the unthinkable does happen, my little “roller skate” will be a quick execution, with no worry of spending the next 30 years in a wheelchair. In the winter I switch to dedicated snow tires, which are fine on my 2100-lb RWD sports car.
What completely baffles me is why young men have largely abandoned sports cars in favor of trucks. Most of the reasons justifying trucks as fashionable for young men, apply even more acutely for sports cars. Yet the light-weight RWD 2-seater is almost extinct.
Its a power thing. Most trucks ive seen are empty and don't have a scratch on them. At the first hint of a snowflake a truck well be the first spun out vehicle stuck in a ditch! Many men are trying to make up for a lack of something.
Where do you get off on this assumption? I drive a truck, a small 4X4 at that....I'm not trying to compensate for anything. I drive it because 1. it was inexpensive, 2. I wanted a 4X4 for the winter months when we get upwards of 2 ft or more of snow on the ground and 3. I don't like not having the ability to get out in the snow if I so choose to. Oh, BTW my truck has scratches....and dings....and dents....no it doesn't always get used as a truck, but still, it does get used and it's been handy the last 4 years I've owned it. Not having a car payment is nice too.
Also I believe you mentioned in another post you have a Dodge truck with a slant six.....?
Quote:
Originally Posted by marlinfshr
So many claim people that own trucks and don't use them as trucks are compensating for a lack of something else. That has got to be one of the absolute dumbest thoughts I've heard.
AMEN! The best though are the ones who think you must have a small penis if you drive a truck....but all that does is speak volumes of not only their ignorance, but what they are obviously thinking about. lol
Two years ago my 4-door Camry was nearly cut in half (with me in it) by a full size Dodge Ram pulling a loaded cattle trailer. My selection of vehicles is far from a fad. I could care less what others drive, except when they are coming directly at me.
Not coincidently, this thread resembles a recent thread on “what’s the point of 400-500hp cars”. Aficionados of the powerful cars will immediately exclaim that detractors simply don’t “get it”; and the same is said by aficionados of big trucks. So the core constituency reacts similarly. Fine. My point, however, is that 500hp cars are comparatively rare, perhaps enjoying a fanatical following, but not a broad one. Persons willing to deal with the poor gas mileage, high insurance rates and so forth, aren’t all that common. Big trucks, however, are ubiquitous. I find it odd that the desire to mash the gas pedal to accelerate 0-60 in 5 seconds is comparatively rare, but the desire to haul a 6000 lb trailer is so common. My conclusion is that the wanton excess, if we wish to term it as such, of driving a super-powerful sporty car is viewed dimly by society, but comparable excess of driving a large and heavy vehicle is accepted with seriousness and acclaim.
You can conclude anything you want, it doesn't mean it's at all correct or even logical. I paid $2,500 for my "excessive" full size 4x4 pickup. Find a 500hp car that does 0-60 in 5 seconds for that price. If anything the urban tree huggers have done far more to demonize full size trucks than sports cars.
I think most of you are missing the OP's point. I think he was referring to those who really don't have a use for a truck. I get that you all have justified reasons, but this is a forum where people are free to ask questions even if you think they're useless.
What's wrong with having a truck without having a use for it? Actually just wanting one because you like the looks of it is good enough of a reason for having one to me. Basically a truck is just like most other vehicles with 4 wheels, it can get somebody from point A to point B. The rest comes secondary.
It truly would be a boring world if we all drove the exact same vehicles. Might as well live in the exact same type of housing cubes, wear the same clothes and eat the same slop at the same times everyday because in reality that is all we need for subsistence. Right? No thanks!
In most cases, I do not get the appeal. I'm a car guy myself. However, having a truck is awesome. I can go pick up furniture, I can throw the dog in the back, I can haul things, I can tow. I'm looking to start a business that requires a trailer within the next few months, so a truck is a necessity. I have a 2013 ram 1500 v6 with towing package, so nothing outrageous. So far fuel economy is only a little less than the ecobox focus I traded in. The truck is also a lot more usable.
Now that quad/crew cabs are so prevalent, they are family friendly, which is great for me. I have a wife and 2 kids. Instead of needing two vehicles, I only require one now.
I don't understand people that buy single cabs for daily driving. Makes no sense and is so limiting.
A work truck ok, but a daily driver? Come on.
Quite a few people in my old town commuted 50 miles one way to work 5 days a week in big suvs and trucks. That is insane.
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