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Sooner or later (and I am hoping like in a year or two), I'll be living on my 10 acre ranch and a pickup truck rather seems like a good notion. The F250 is for what is beyond the capabilities of the Forester.
This is an interesting string. I too have wondered why so many people like trucks.
I see people here commuting in F-250 diesels that never haul anything.
So I guess the answer is that people drive whatever they want because it makes them feel good. Ain't America great?
The wonerful thing is that there are a lot of choices out there. Most decisions are not necessarily rational, but who cares.
The Diesels do hold their value better then their gasser counterparts which may be a reason thy are more popular in the 3/4 Ton and up HD trucks you see.
also they may tow a 5rth wheel and instead of a 5-passenger SUV a Crew Cab Full size PU can be made to work in both roles as well thus are more universal and make better economical/financial sense.
I have a 2001 Ford F150 in near mint condition with 21,000 miles that mostly sits in the garage and gets used when needed. I have another vehicle that I use as commuter. I live in the country and having a truck has been great for various tasks. I plan on keeping the truck for a long time and it depreciated out due to age so worth keeping.
I wouldn't want to use a truck as a daily commuter due to gas mileage. Some people just love to drive trucks and to each his own.
I didn't realize you could rent trucks from home depot. That further confirms my belief that owning a truck is extremely impractical. I visited Switzerland & didn't recall seeing a pickup the entire time (city or on farms). They even had villages where farmers lived where vehicles were not allowed. I saw some tractors on the farms, but on the roads it was mostly hatchbacks and multi purpose vehicles. Do they even sell Ford F 150s or Silverados in Europe? Many US carpenters use vans.
I'm conservative, but the US should tax the crap out of truck owners unless you can prove that you need one at least 2 to 3 times a month, or live a reasonable distance from a place where you can rent one, or need one for emergency reasons etc.
Lol at the I'm a conservative. If you're gonna charge on a "need" basis you would be charging everyone on the road who doesnt drive a bicycle or a Trabant. I mean nobody really needs a 190 mph sports car, most dont need a 8500 pound SUV that hauls 8 passengers. Just because it's impractical to you doesn't mean anything.. That's your opinion. Exactly HOW are you inconvenienced by another person driving a truck? I don't much care what others drive. It's not my business
I quite often go to Costco and get a bale of toilet paper, a bale of paper towels, and some groceries.
The toilet paper and paper towels will fill our PT Cruiser convertible, leaving very little room for groceries and miscellaneous. Rather than make two trips, we take the pickup.
The PT can't tow a trailer, so taking our ATVs out for a ride means using the pickup.
The PT is not towable behind the motorhome. The 4X4 pickup is.
When DW participates in craft fairs and such, her stuff will not fit in the PT, so we take the pickup.
Yeah, we use the cargo capacity of the truck a LOT!
Pretty much no one buys a new HD truck just for the sake of having a truck. Used- who knows. But new? No. People who want a truck for the sake of a truck buy 1500s, which makes sense. They're a great value and do as well gas wise as a large sedan, crossover, SUV or minivan in the real world. HDs though are different. They're not as civilized, the ride isn't as smooth. Do people use them every second of every day to do work? No, but you can bet they do a fair amount of towing/hauling.
Myself I prefer a larger SUV for the room, sitting up higher, some weight for safety, and easy access to all my golf equipment stored in the rear but as others have said it is personal taste/choice.
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