If you ever find yourself tempted to buy a truck and/or SUV, just remember one thing: they’re not worth it. They’re a societal nuisance. They’re a massive pollutant. The maintenance, repair, and insurance will cost you a whole lot more. Aside from the aforementioned pollution, They’re overall environmental impact is egregious. These monstrosities are best left alone.
If you ever have to do any sort heavy work, rent one instead. Want to live that outdoors lifestyle? A sedan and/or hatchback will do. Just buy a bike and roof rack. Got a family? Again, sedan and/or hatchback will do but also consider a station wagon. Better yet, buy a cargo bike like the Urban Arrow or the Dutch bakfiets. These are way better options to those climate-changing abominations.
I know what I’m writing isn’t anything groundbreaking but I’m writing this mostly get something off my chest in relation to a dream I had last night. The dream itself was quite boring: I was driving around in a new Ford Bronco. The thing was that, in the dream, I was quite happy about it. This happy feeling was still felt when I woke up. For a brief moment, I was thinking about buying a Bronco. I soon returned to reality. But I’m not going to lie; the temptation was strong. The temptation was made stronger by nostalgia. I grew up with these kinds of vehicles. My dad worked in labor-intense, blue collar jobs that used trucks. He even owned some himself. But, once again, they’re not worth it.
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I think it’s funny that you overlooked vans like most people do. Vans make more sense for way more people than trucks and SUVs do. But they have a huge stigma attached to them and people don’t want to look uncool.
Except vans aren’t actually all that efficient, compare a Toyota Hiace VS Hilux, or ford Ranger vs Transit, and they are very similar in size and economy, with the Hilux actually being more efficient than the Hiace.
The biggest reason so many people have utes or pickups where I live is for towing, and the ability to carry five passengers and have luggage in a separate compartment.
I drive a van for work, and I’m well aware of how practical they are, but it only has one row of seats, can’t tow bugger all, and would get stuck on wet grass.
My girlfriend’s sister has a van she uses for Vanlife™ and that big stupid piece of lumbering shit gets stored 10 to 11 months of the year because driving it for regular things is totally unaffordable. It’s just as gas inefficient and gigantic as the child killers.
I think the point is that even if you need to haul stuff frequently, a van will do the job way better than a truck
Just fix the laws in the US, and pickups and trucks for personal use will be as about nonexistent as in Europe.
im not a particularly big car hater but i dont get why you guys dont have mini trucks in the us, just the egregiously huge f150s and stuff.
you guys even call them mini trucks, we just call them trucks. they cover most of what regular working people would use them for, are easier to drive and maintain and can even be more economical because they end up being lighter than cars. im not even talking about kei trucks just the regular, car sized, pickup trucks!
also a lot of the suvs, but especially crossovers ive been in are just as cramped as cars inside. whats the fucking point why the fuck do they even build them like this 🤪
Car manufacturers cheating fuel requirements. When I was younger I had a Ranger that is what I think you describe. It was an early 90s model. We had them at one point. Federal fuel efficiency standards gradually made it so that car makers had to make them more and more efficient, and ICE was just never going to get that efficient. Either by lobbying or whatever, the regulations made exceptions for larger trucks. Some people do need to pull trailers and haul big loads. So instead of trying to make an ICE achieve this standard they just made the trucks and SUVs bigger. Today’s ranger is nearly as big as the F150 and it’s bigger than an F150 from a few years ago. It’s just a bit narrower now.
What’s crazy to me is with them electrifying the F150 there’s a ton of demand for them to make a cheaper electric truck. An old ranger size truck on the MachE platform that could sell for $25-30k would be a wild success.
One of the biggest consumers of pickup trucks in the US are insecure men who want the biggest dumbest machine they can buy. My favorite thing to do when I see one is to make fun of how pristine the bed is, because they never actually use it. They’re usually too jacked up to even use as an actual pickup truck anyway.
I don’t have a source on this but I think I’ve heard that a large demographic of SUV buyers are actually women; people who have all too much experience being vulnerable in city life, and want something that puts them in a protected position.
I have a civic and I’m looking to change for an old Ranger because I want to have a lightweight pickup I can use for everyday transport but also for turning into a camping/roadtrip vehicle. Like a Vanlife vehicle but without the stupidity of owning a gigantic, gas guzzling van that I will only use for getting to work most of the year. The plan is perfect in my mind except everyone is fighting over what are becoming very rare used small pickups because they just don’t exist on the regular market anymore and no one intelligent, doing regular work, needs a big dumb child killer of a pickup that drinks $100 of gas a day to move a few tool boxes from point a to point b.
Anyway, it’s frustrating that pickup trucks have become penis prosthetics for the insecure when the rest of us just need compact utility.
Truck owner here who had to move from an old Tacoma to 4wd. We would absolutely have a smaller truck if they were available.
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Even the echo chamber is pushing back on this one.
I’m not understanding. Are you typically driving around town towing another car? Or do you just want to say you have the ability to tow it yourself when needed?
I tow my vehicle on track days as well as tow a small camper on race weekends.
Then you’re not who OP is talking about.
60% of people never tow anything in their trucks. The majority of people use them to drive between home and their office jobs and the grocery store.
They’re not needed and should require special licenses to drive.
First, I’m not speaking about anyone but myself.
Second, can you actually link a primary source for that argument? I’ve seen it on the daily show, motor biscuit, etc but never once have I found an actual source willing to share how that data was collected. I’ve basically seen surveys on ad supported need sites.
https://www.axios.com/ford-pickup-trucks-history
From surveys performed yearly between 2012 and 2021.
61% of F-150 owners rarely or never use their trucks for towing.
And 87% use them for shopping and errands, for which a giant truck is entirely unnecessary.
I knew Axios was coming. The amount you are towing vs using the bed isn’t mostly exclusive. You are just making up math. Second, yes I only rarely tow, is only 20 days of the year. I do frequently do daily things in my truck…because they are daily.This is an example of a poorly worded survey and going to the first Google result you see. This is a poor metric to use and wouldn’t hold up under any peer review.
You’re right, they should make production vehicles to cater to people that might want to tow their race car per chance 🙄
It sounds like you’re saying 39% of f150 owners should own two cars instead of one.
Yeah, they have their place as working vehicles. Unfortunately too many are just pavement princess trucks. They might haul a few hundred pounds (not counting the driver) a few times a year.
It’s the mindset of fear and envy that underpins consumerism that needs to change.
No, the huge american pickuptrucks does not have a place as working vehicles, the are too big and too fragile, get a WV Transport pickup or van, way more practical than a huge F-150 or similar
It’s absolutely not easier to rent a truck 10 times a year. You people just assume that people don’t need or use this shit from one old ass survey.
I never mentioned renting?
Yeah, that’s just not a realistic idea, especially considering the time it takes to do so, and that you can only get one during working hours.
Basic economics…
If the demand is there, the supply of rentals will become available.
I’ve rented a truck before, no way would I want to do it ten times a year. What a pain in the ass.
Trucks don’t innately get worse mileage and not all trucks are big. Also, a new vehicle, including big trucks, will be better on the environment than a 20yr old wagon. Age is more relevant than model. You seem to be off track here.
*bakfiets. Don’t forget the s.
It’s a bike (fiets) with a bin/container (bak) in front of it.
Anyway, I think you’re preaching to the choir here.
You’re very much right. Like I said in the post, this was intended as something of a personal log entry rather than a thought-provoking discussion. I get very tempted to buy these pieces of shit when I know that I don’t need them. I vaguely mentioned the “outdoors lifestyle” since that’s one of the biggest appeals to consumers. What they fail to realize is that a mountain bike or even a simple hike offer a better off-roading experience. Also, thank you for the spell check.
I think you should live your dream and buy that Bronco. It’ll take you places no pushbike will, and with more gear and food.
Or drive it to the trailhead, and continue on foot.
True, although these posts do reach /all from time to time.
Buy that Bronco, OP. See the country in it. Go camping, experience the great outdoors. Meet new people.
That vehicle will take you places no van or station wagon possibly could.
You know you want to.
You’re like a vegan hating on meat eaters or a closet gay hating on the openly gay. Basically your self imposed voluntary abstinence is causing you to dislike those who are just living their lives how you want to. Just get a Bronco, or whatever. Live and let live.
The latest Toyota Highlander Hybrid, as well as the Sienna, get 35 mpg city and highway. That’s under 3 gal per 100 miles. A Subaru Outback (about the only wagon in the states) will consume 4 gallons per 100 miles. That’s more than 30% more fuel for a wagon.
I have an SUV and a Tern HSD. A cargo bike is a replacement for a second vehicle, not a single vehicle. EV is also great as a second vehicle. But for a vehicle serving all the needs of a family (safety, transportation, outdoor recreation) a modern mid-size SUV is optimal. Not too big to park, not too small to fit stuff camping, safe, fuel efficient.
Why not hate on families with two or more cars, regardless what kind they are? Or hate on large square footage houses - those have a huge energy impact. Or you could just not worry about what other people do. It’s not like we’re all flying private jets…
@antlion If you’re taking criticism of your vehicle personally, there’s probably a reason you feel the need to be defensive about it. We all have room for personal improvement, but we won’t solve the problem at the personal level. We have to change the incentives to industry that are creating such unsustainable levels of consumption across the board. In the meantime anyone considering an SUV or multiple cars or a big house should think critically about it. @SpiceDealer
The focus shouldn’t be fuel economy of SUV, but danger to pedestrians and auto-centric development. I don’t really like my vehicle all that much, but it’s not a gas guzzler. Part of the reason I feel compelled to drive my tank around is not just the raised trucks but the increasing mass of EVs. Model Y is really heavy and compact vehicles don’t stand a chance.
at least the Tesla monstrosities outsource pollution to outside of the city, while trucks pollute our own living area. If coal power plants are in proximity to the residential areas, then my argument is nullified.
I actually use my truck for what is built for. All these bright shiny cocacola cowboy carts look really nice but until they sweat theyre just toys for little boys.
