should i buy a truck?

[Rivertowntalk]

You could rent a truck now and then and have your fun. The reasons for getting the truck that are listed as positive are over with pretty quick. Once you have done them, you probably won't be all that inspired to do them again. You could rent the Home Depot delivery truck and take it mudding with some 2x4s in the back. I have a truck, but usually only drive it if I have something to haul as driving the car is way more comfortable and it gets much better gas mileage.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by Mandalorian

If you try to drive a truck like a sports car, things can end badly. If you drive it responsibly and within the vehicle's capabilities, it will be perfectly safe.

Personally, a 911 would be more dangerous for me. I've driven trucks and upright SUVs pretty much forever. I instinctively know how they handle. I'd be much more comfortable in a risky situation with one of those than a low-slung sports car I can't see out of.

Yes, but not everyone else drives within the limits of your truck even if you do. I've had some close calls with drivers running stop signs and making left turns without looking while fully laden (brought in 15 yards of drain rock and gravel last year a half yard is max payload) and only missed hitting them by a foot or two because they realized at the last possible second a collision was eminent. The 5-10 ft longer stopping distance along with the inability to change course by a few feet quickly makes a huge difference in urban driving. Highway driving not so much but at 25MPH, a foot or two matters.

I did get hit once on the freeway by a guy who spun out and clipped my back wheel sending me into a 180 turn at 60MPH. In the 3 seconds it took between the time he spun and hitting my tire, a smaller more maneuverable car would have been free and clear. In a truck, the best I could do was move over 2' which wasn't enough. With an empty bed it doesn't take much of a hit for the back end to kick out to the point where it's unrecoverable. On the other hand, driving backwards on the freeway watching a line of 20 cars all come screeching to a halt amid a cloud of smoke is entertaining in itself.

[marlinfshr]

Looks like your reasons for buying one (5) outnumber your reasons for not buying one (4), so go ahead and get one.

Seriously, a quad cab/crew cab pick up is actually one of, if not the most practical vehicle out there. If it has the full sized back seat, or close to it, it is like a sedan but with a more useful and open trunk. If you need a bit more lockable storage there are plenty of tool boxes, both hidden and visible that can be installed. If you need even more lockable space get a cap. If you need more lockable and taller space get a raised cap. Possibilities are endless.

Ignore the euro sports car snobs. I've been driving full sized trucks in either pickup or SUV form ever since I got my license 30 years ago and never had any handling issues. And a lot of mine have been lifted with oversized tires. Can you corner like a sports car? No. Do they have a bit more lean while cornering? A bit, but not as much as some would lead you to believe. Can they be driven safely on any road out there while doing the limit, or a tad above like most people? Absolutely! Can they take sharp winding curves at high speeds while driving like an idiot with no regards to others on the road? No! Neither can my compact car. Are they safe? Absolutely!

There is a reason so many are on the roads now as private vehicles. You hardly ever see a standard cab any more as most are the quad/crew cabs. They stopped making full sized cars so the full sized crew cap pickup is the modern day full sized family sedan with a "trunk" big enough to actually use. The SUV counterparts (Expedition, Tahoe, Suburban) are the modern family station wagon.