• @madcaesar@lemmy.world
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    1701 month ago

    Pickups for non construction purposes are the dumbest shit ever. You literarily have half the car that is useless for transporting people.

    • Kalkaline
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      1101 month ago

      What if you have to help a friend move a couch once every 5 years? What then?

      • @ZeroCool@vger.socialOP
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        1 month ago

        lol right? Surely you couldn’t just rent one by the hour from Home Depot or some crazy shit like that… Oh wait, you can and it’s like $20. There really is no justification for the vast majority of personal truck ownership. It’s just a status symbol for trashy jerks. Although I suppose that technically counts as hauling a lot of trash.

        • @Venat0r@lemmy.world
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          341 month ago

          If you actually need to haul stuff a van is vastly superior in most scenarios. The only use case that a pickup truck really makes sense for is for towing, but even then something like a range rover seems like a better option?

          • r4venw
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            111 month ago

            Hauling trash, debris, or brush works way better in a pickup. I want to be able to hose the shit off and not have it inside with me lol But i agree that a van is better than everything else

          • @0110010001100010@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            I have a 2015 Honda Pilot with a roof rack. Can seat 8 and tow 4400lbs (probably not both at the same time, lol). I can also throw full sheets of drywall or plywood on the top (within reason). I’ve hauled 1000lbs of stone in it. Has no problem with 10ft PVC pipe or lumber. Thing is a fucking swiss army knife of a vehicle.

          • @constantokra@lemmy.one
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            61 month ago

            Not really. You can haul things upright in a pickup, which you can’t do in an SUV or van. If you’re going to be hauling lots of sheet goods a van interior will get trashed immediately, and most will have to have the back doors open for full sized sheets. A truck bed will hold up quite well and you won’t have to deal with tying back doors closed.

            • @SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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              91 month ago

              That’s not my experience. I bought a rusty, old E350 cargo van for towing a boat, but it’s useful for carrying materials. It’ll fit 4’x8’ sheets, and 10’ boards diagonally. Most of the pickup trucks that I see around these days have 6.5’ beds, and the suburban dad models have vestigial, 5.5’ beds.

            • Shurimal
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              21 month ago

              Ever heard of trailers? You can rent one of these for cheap and haul whatever crap without needing to worry about your car interior. And any old sedan can tow a trailer, not to mention vans.

              • @constantokra@lemmy.one
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                21 month ago

                Trailers work, but they’re not easy to get in and out of wherever you’re going. Most cars don’t come with a hitch, so you’d have to add that as well. You don’t just tow a trailer around for fun, so if you frequently find yourself needing to move something or buy something with little notice it’s not a good solution. Then there’s parking.

                Listen, most people don’t need a truck. Or an SUV. Or a trailer. And no one needs a truck with a hood that’s 6 feet off the ground. Plenty of people use their pickup trucks a lot and the other options have massive tradeoffs.

                I own a trailer because I didn’t want to have to get a truck and I’ve found it inconvenient enough I’m looking at buying a truck in the next couple months.

          • @timduncant@lemmy.world
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            51 month ago

            Have you ever been in a high roof van in high wind? I like the idea of vans as I can load motorcycles and keep them hidden but almost coming off the road was terrifying.

        • @bitchkat@lemmy.world
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          111 month ago

          I had an Isuzu pickup once. I bought it because it was the cheapest new car you could buy: $4995 MSRP if I recall. No power steering or power breaks. Manual transmission. I think it had AC and an FM radio. Its fine for transporting 2 people and I rarely ever had a need for more than that.

    • @nikita@sh.itjust.works
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      281 month ago

      Dude real shit I work in construction and I can tell you that you don’t even really need a pickup for that either.

      I mean it depends what you’re doing ofc but vans are what’s actually used as work vehicles for the most part. And those are generally company vehicles so for personal use you can drive whatever vehicle you want.

        • @SidewaysHighways@lemmy.world
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          51 month ago

          Which even then a 350 transit can haul our tractor.

          Really, the bed is only used for oddly shaped shit or stuff that is covered in mud. I was only in a work pickup truck as a new construction plumber, everything else has been a van.

    • @Guy_Fieris_Hair@lemmy.world
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      201 month ago

      Camping, hunting, dirt bike riding, moving, general utility and many other things done by most adults that don’t like to rely on other people. I don’t want to pay a moving company if I move, I don’t want to ask someone else if I want to tow my trailer out to camp. I don’t want to call some construction company everytime I need so much as a 2x4 to repair my home. Anyone who doesn’t own a truck will at some point rely on someone who does. It is not dumb as shit to own a truck for everyone. Not everyone lives the same life you do. I live in a rural area, I spent 6 months at one point in my life without a truck, I will never do it again. Probably 95% of the time I don’t need a truck, but when I need it, I need it. My daily driver is a beater car, most of the time, depending on logistics and weather. But if I had to only have one vehicle it would be a truck. A truck will haul 5 people, so will most cars but a truck can drive through weather and haul things when you need it. Although I am a middle aged dad in a rural area. 🤷‍♂️ I must be dumb.

      • @cryostars@lemmyf.uk
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        1 month ago

        “Probably 95% of the time I don’t need a truck, but when I need it, I need it.”

        This was the exact rationale I used to justify not getting a truck. I liked the idea of having a truck and being able to use it to move etc. but the fact that a smaller more economical vehicle would suit my needs 95 percent (more like 98-99.5 for me realistically) of the time swayed me in the other direction. I paid a good 30 percent less for the vehicle I have now and it gets 40mpg so I’ll save thousands in gas over the life of the vehicle.

      • Nomecks
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        141 month ago

        You can rent a utility trailer for a day or weekend and tow quite a bit of weight with most vehicles. There’s rental trucks for the rest. I have an F350 and it costs a fortune to keep up. $150 fills, 15L oil capacity, tires are 400 bucks a pop. It adds up quick. Gonna be replacing it with a micro car and some rentals here and there.

      • @Adm_Drummer@lemmy.world
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        121 month ago

        I ride a bicycle in a rural area and built a new office this spring. With a trailer, store delivery or a $20 rental I don’t think I ever ran into any of the problems you describe. The bicycle has gone hunt camping rain or shine, I dirt bike, street bike and work a rugged job.

        If I really needed it I have the wife’s sedan which handles -40 winters and 50cm snow drifts just fine. Equipped with a roof rack and small trailer I can move myself just fine if the need is there.

        Aside from hauling large trailers or campers I fail to see the utility of a pickup as described. Even when hauling plywood or construction supplies I’ve opted for the home depot van before even considering a pickup. If I wanted a 2*4 sticking out of the end I would have taken the Sedan anyway.

        I think a lot of the truck owner mentality comes down to mental gymnastics or “What if?”. Aside from rare use cases it just doesn’t seem like the play. Even for yourself you mentioned the pickup is an edge case.

        These are all things people consider when talking about truck owners. The rest of the world can see life without pickups, can justify life without pickups and even prefers life without pickups but for some reason… Pickup drivers can’t stop talking about them as if they need to justify it to themselves more than to the world.

      • @ReasonablePea@sh.itjust.works
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        61 month ago

        We’ll see but I solved that with a crossover and a trailer. I can tow up to 3500 lbs which covers all of that and I’m more efficient literally any other time.

        I did seriously consider a pickup but it just makes no sense day to day

    • @dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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      151 month ago

      I have a crew cab pickup (half ton), and yeah it has come in handy numerous times over the years. But I do agree those larger, “more rugged”, trucks are not for the people who own them.

    • @seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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      141 month ago

      What if I never transport people? WTF do I need all these extra seats for? A giant grocery cart in the back is much more useful.

              • Shurimal
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                11 month ago

                Fucking get a van, then. You wouldn’t believe how much shit you can fit into a Renault Master, one of the most popular vehicle in Europe for contractors and other people who need to haul actual stuff, not their inflated ego. And Mercedes V-class has a very nice interior while still being able to haul more than an average american pickup “truck”. These vans can haul boats, too, easily.

                • @seathru@lemmy.sdf.org
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                  21 month ago

                  If I could have bought a work van for around what I paid for my truck, I would have instantly. But around here there are too may idiots buying trucks they can’t afford and dumping them later. Used market is way too good to pass up. Now it’s paid off and I shouldn’t have to worry about that choice for another 10-15 years.

                  Altho I don’t really get why people are so militantly “Get a van! Fuck a truck!”. Are you that concerned with other people’s form factor choices? Because vans with similar load/tow capacities as trucks are going to be just as big and take up just as much space in traffic. With worse visibility around them; As a pedestrian, a van blocks more of my view of traffic than a pickup.

    • @FarFarAway@startrek.website
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      61 month ago

      And even for construction purposes, most trucks nowadays are kinda pointless. A 4ft bed is good for hauling like 1 bike placed diagonally, much less a typical sized piece of lumber or plywood.

      Can’t beg a place to sell you a 6ft bed unless you want to wait for it to come off the manufacturing line.

      • @brognak@lemm.ee
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        11 month ago

        Don’t forget you have to lift that bike like 4ft to get to the tailgate on newer trucks! Can’t imagine trying to load a four wheeler on a newer truck without like folding ramps at least 2x the length of the bed so it’s not a vertical fucking climb.

    • @Phegan@lemmy.world
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      21 month ago

      I believe it was in a not just bikes video, but he talked about how some large percentage of truck owners openly admitted they never use their beds for hauling.

  • @PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world
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    531 month ago

    Pickups today are huge monstrosities but I swear their beds are about as long as the one I had in my 1987 Ranger. When I did get a full sized truck, it had a longer bed because if you can’t carry standard sized plywood, sheetrock, and lumber, I’m not sure I’d want it.

    • experbia
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      301 month ago

      for real. had a friend with a big relatively-new truck with a stubby bed try to have me help him move. I show up with my 2003 ford ranger, made before trucks primarily became male fashion accessories. he’d teased me about it before because it’s apparently a “small truck”. yet somehow barely anything fit in his toy truck and my “small” truck handled his couches and mattresses fine. teased him about his truck in return, used the ol “not the size it’s how you use it” line, and have never heard him talk shit about my little truck again.

    • @mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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      271 month ago

      Blame CAFE, the EPA (I like most of the EPA), and the Chicken Tax. Those three have basically made it to where the US can’t get the smaller trucks the rest of the world gets, has a fuel economy loop-hole for larger vehicles, and basically makes it incentivized for companies to make boxier, bigger vehicles in order to lower their average fuel economy standards. Most people I talk to want the ford Ranger from the 2000s brought back in size, but we literally cannot. The closest we got was the maverick (still too big comparatively) and that’s because they gave us a hybrid option and based it off the escape.

      • @PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world
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        81 month ago

        I’d probably blame regulatory capture as a whole than individual regs and agencies, but I agree. My feeling is that if you’re going to make a fuel efficiency regulation and then allow exceptions, they should be exceptions based on use, not based on class of vehicle. There should probably be additional fees/taxes, maybe applied annually.

        Otherwise, yeah, the incentives point in the wrong direction.

      • @minibyte@sh.itjust.works
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        61 month ago

        I had an Isuzu mini-truck that had nearly the same wheel base as my old mustang. That thing was sweet. I miss mini trucks.

      • @Zorsith
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        11 month ago

        Didn’t the maverick only come in a shortbed? Or was that the lightning?

        • @mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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          11 month ago

          I believe both are limited to a “crew cab, standard bed” configuration. A standard bed length being like 5’7” instead of the 6’4” which is the long bed size for 1500 and under and the standard size for 2500s.

    • @MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
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      121 month ago

      I swear their beds are about as long as the one I had in my 1987 Ranger.

      So I asked my aunt for help hauling things back and forth to a convention this past spring. She has an enormous Ram pickup, I have a tiny little xB. A lot of the stuff I was bringing was stored in 45 gallon totes, and I knew from past experience that I could fit three in my car with the back seats folded down, and have room for thinner containers on top.

      Imagine my surprise when we go to load up the truck and find that it fit the same number of totes in the bed, and they just barely cleared the bed cover. The cavernous back seat helped make up for it thankfully, but I was floored that the cargo areas were comparable.

    • @jaschen@lemm.ee
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      51 month ago

      Those Rangers were death traps in anything more than 35mph. But then again most cars back in 87 were. So nevermind. Lol.

  • @graeghos_714@lemmy.world
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    501 month ago

    My son has a Mazda 3 hatchback and is often bringing stuff to work sites because the guy with the big truck and the bed cover can’t fit tall boxes in the bed

    • @chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      151 month ago

      I’ve had trucks and now I have a mini cargo van.

      90% of the time the van is better, but that last 10% can be a big deal.

      • @Strykker@programming.dev
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        121 month ago

        Yeah but you can just rent a truck for that last 10% with the savings from not buying the truck, and still have cash left over.

        • @chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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          61 month ago

          I mean… I still had to buy the van. And vans aren’t cheap.

          Overall I prefer owning the van because I’m mostly hauling tools and dive gear, but for people who haul plywood or tall objects more often than me a truck makes more sense.

          Vans hold lots of little things very well. They’re not great for real big things.

          Oh - and I really miss having a tailgate as a working surface.

          • @Strykker@programming.dev
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            21 month ago

            Sure, but we are getting to the point where 99% of truck owners do not have needs that your van or a hatchback sedan couldn’t handle 90% of the time, all while using less fuel and being safer for everyone else on the roads.

            And when they need to haul 1 ton of dirt they can order it with delivery in a dump truck, because you never need just 1 ton anyway.

            So for the final 2-3 trips a year that actually needs a pickup they can rent for like 200 bucks total.

            • @chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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              41 month ago

              I think small trucks make a lot od sense, but they’re virtually impossible to find now.

              Ever notice how the old Ranger, S10, and Dakota left the market at the same time. Then a few years later the “small” models came back larger than the 2000s full-size trucks, which had gotten ludicrously large?

              There was a change in the CAFE standards that accidentally led to this mess. Lots of manufacturers were classifying vehicles incorrectly to cheat on their emissions numbers. The freaking PT Cruiser was classified as a truck by Chrysler.

              So the CAFE standards were changed starting in 2012 to be based on vehicle footprint. It closed one loophole, but created a massive new one. Trucks are inherently less fuel-efficient than more aerodynamic vehicles with different engines and transmissions. Making a small truck that met CAFE standards was really, really difficult. And on top of that, CAFE gets stricter over time, so it gets even harder.

              You know what’s easier than solving the efficiency problem? Increasing the vehicle’s footprint to improve the score. By making trucks bigger and bigger, they don’t have to make them more fuel efficient.

              It’s actually why the Ford Maverick has the hybrid engine as the standard and the traditional engine as the “upgrade.” With the hybrid as the standard they meet CAFE.

              The hybrid Maverick is probably the vehicle I’d own right now if they weren’t impossible to buy when I was last vehicle hunting. They’re affordable, get 40 miles per gallon, have 4 doors, and a small bed. It checks every box for me.

              But I’m pretty happy with my NV200. Though all the manufacturers have also stopped making small cargo vans now (Transit Connect, RAM ProMaster City, and NV200 are all discontinued), because their footprint is no longer large enough to meet fuel economy standards.

          • @WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world
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            21 month ago

            Overall I prefer owning the van because I’m mostly hauling tools and dive gear, but for people who haul plywood or tall objects more often than me a truck makes more sense.

            If those were the only people who bought trucks then I doubt anyone would have a problem with them.

          • @Hobo@lemmy.world
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            11 month ago

            Oh man you threw me back to some great memories of my old man. We had a minivan when I was a kid and he built a little slide out/folding table that perfectly so he could work on it like a tailgate. I used kneel in the back seat facing backwards and watch him do whatever. Man that thing was amazing for camping too.

            Dude was a pretty handy guy so not sure if that’s something you’d think about doing, but that shit was so cool and I haven’t seen anything like it since.

        • @Wahots@pawb.social
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          41 month ago

          We rented a Uhaul box truck when we demoed an old hot tub. As a bonus, the truck was so cavernous, we also cleaned out the entire garage that day.

          $50 + gas.

      • @IMongoose@lemmy.world
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        41 month ago

        Ya, I was very close to getting a transit van but it was more expensive than a truck with the features that I need (awd and 4 seats). Truck gets better mpg too surprisingly. The truck just made a lot of sense for me, even though I think most people with trucks or SUVs would be better off with a minivan. I’m not going to bash truck owners though, buy what you want or need, but if you are worried about scratching the bed or your stuff getting stolen or wet you probably should have just gotten a minivan.

        • Flying Squid
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          61 month ago

          From what I’ve seen, the majority of people with trucks and SUVs never need them to haul anything greater than groceries or Christmas presents.

    • @scoobford@lemmy.zip
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      1 month ago

      Uhhh isn’t the whole point of a bed that you can put things of whatever height you want in it because there isn’t a roof or anything?

  • @Wahots@pawb.social
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    451 month ago

    “If someone is on the fence I’ll just tell them some unfettered shit like Pete Buttigieg wants to ban halogen headlights or mud flaps and they’ll throw their credit card at me. It’s like taking candy from a baby.”

    Lmfao, I know it’s satire, but this is so dead on it almost stings as well. The 90% Medicare reimbursement thing was the same way.

      • Buglefingers
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        221 month ago

        I’m in a slightly more…redneck(?) area and the benefit to open bed trucks tends to be things more akin to landscaping, logging, wood and stone moving, and for those with hobbies; moving smaller vehicles (if they don’t own a trailer attachment).

        Basically the ability to throw dirty things into a hauling vehicle with good suspension on non-paved areas with easy cleaning capabilities.

        It comes down to what you’re doing is and what is required for a vehicle. HVAC, House work, some masonry or such you could use an enclosed vehicle for sure.

        To your point, handymen and tradesmen will usually use a van or similar. And way more people own a truck than actually utilize it for the proper use cases. But there are valid reasons for open bed trucks too

        • @barsoap@lemm.ee
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          51 month ago

          May I introduce you to… a VW Transporter with flatbed. Also available with double cab (don’t let the price confuse you it’s for a flatbed floor).

          You largely see them used by landscapers. Almost wanted to say hauling compact excavators but that’s generally done with a trailer, flatbeds tend to be quite a bit too high for comfort you’d need a sturdy crane which you of course also might need but now you’re at a point where you’re trying quite hard to justify getting an unimog.

          Forestry tends to be done with specialised harvesters and then trucks, hunters tend to have bog-standard station wagons. Heavy construction materials like pallets of bricks will generally be delivered by whoever sells them, on trucks with cranes.

      • @Olhonestjim@lemmy.world
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        41 month ago

        I’d love a cargo van like that, but I still need something to tow heavy trailers long distance, unfortunately.

            • @barsoap@lemm.ee
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              71 month ago

              The secret to pulling trailers, for the uninitiated American, is simple: Don’t have an automatic transmission. It’s a torque thing, most automatic transmissions aren’t designed to haul because enabling them to do that requires actively cooling the torque converter which is yet more moving parts, cost, and weight, so only SUVs and upwards ever have that capability.

              Meanwhile, Europeans haul things all the time with cars. Regulations and different approaches to tongue weight are yet another factor.

              • @peasntanks@lemmy.ml
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                1 month ago

                Many cities and towns across the Rockies in North America have elevations above 1800 meters. That’s the starting point. By comparison, “high” cities in Europe, like Bern (500m) and Innsbruck (574m) don’t Even come close. It’s not a factor of one thing like having a manual transmission, but a multitude of factors like road condition, grade, elevation, distance driven, humidity, etc. It’s a completely different environment. The 2.2 turbo diesel may indeed not have enough power to get over any of the many 4000+ meter passes if it can’t get enough air or cool itself while towing.

                • @barsoap@lemm.ee
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                  1 month ago

                  Many cities and towns across the Rockies in North America have elevations above 1800 meters.

                  Elevation does not say anything about incline. Total elevation btw also does also not say anything about elevation starting from the base of the mountain. Ask a Mountaineer who scaled the Kilimanjaro, the summit is 4.9km above its plateau base.

                  Also, have a look at other places in the US: Flat like a pancake. Yet you don’t see cars hauling stuff there while people haul things with cars in the Alps. How come?

                  The 2.2 turbo diesel may indeed not have enough power to get over any of the many 4000+ meter passes if it can’t get enough air or cool itself while towing.

                  Motor torque doesn’t matter add an extra gear and anything can pull anything (slowly). Any motor is also plenty powerful enough to cool itself. Do you even know what a torque converter is. What it does. Why it’s in an automatic, but not a manual.

      • @ikidd@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        These cargo vans are heavier and get worse fuel economy than a half ton with a similar engine. I’m not sure why lemmings hold them out as the more viable alternative to pickups. They’re great if you have a bunch of stuff to protect from prying eyes but don’t tow well and you can’t put long, heavy or tall things in.

    • @exocortex@discuss.tchncs.de
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      271 month ago

      I read somewhere that farmers have started to buy very tiny Japanese pickup-trucks, because for most of the work they have to do during their day these small ones are much more practical. But American car manufacturers only make these oversized mob atrocities anymore, so the only solution is these Japanese ones. In size they’re basically these little busses where there’s no space between the two front seats.

    • @UnfortunateDoorHinge@aussie.zone
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      211 month ago

      Most vans have a greater payload than a lot of 4 door duel cabs, they offer more storage, more security,a lower loading floor height, more accessibility with side access and greater resale.

      But yeah gotta get my Chevy.

    • @Auzy@beehaw.org
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      1 month ago

      I used to be a tradie, most of them don’t need them either, and unsurprisingly, there are always tradies around whining their tools got stolen from the back of their Ute.

      The funny thing is that the biggest badasses I met don’t drive these kinds of cars. In fact, I can’t recall any guy here in Australia who has demonstrated an ounce of courage who does drive a larger ute, and its generally a reliable indicator imho that they need fashion accessories to impress people.

      Also yeah, they always suck at parking. Not because they can’t, but simply because they don’t care

      • @JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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        81 month ago

        I saw a giant lifted truck the other day at Home Depot and I realized that these things only really impress pre-pubescent boys.

        Ergo, the only reason to drive a giant truck like that is to attract and impress pre-pubescent boys. Can’t think of any other good reason for them to exist.

        • @Trainguyrom@reddthat.com
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          61 month ago

          I got my ears blasted by a lifted diesel truck that clearly did something to kneecap their muffler that was…excellerating from stopped in a bank branch parking lot. It was seriously louder than most semis, and significantly louder than most tractors (my father in law restores antique tractors, so I’ve ridden on several tractors) and could compete with a diesel train with 3 engines lashed together hauling 2 miles of freight up a grade

    • @Oderus@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I bought one to tow a 5th wheel RV. Since I sold the RV, I didn’t need the truck so I sold that as well. Nothing wrong with owning a large truck.

      • @SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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        181 month ago

        I think everybody agrees that there’s nothing wrong with owning a large truck to use regularly for things that need a large truck. It’s when people buy a large truck to haul a 5th-wheel RV for vacation for 2 weeks a year, and then use it as a daily-driver for the other 50 weeks that we mock them.

        • @Oderus@lemmy.world
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          51 month ago

          I still don’t see a problem with that. Most sportscars are worse for fuel economy and utility but because they’re not trucks they get a pass. In the end, what’s the problem with letting people drive what they want without judging them? It’s just a weird.

          • @SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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            1 month ago

            Trucks are far more dangerous to other road users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists, especially those with the 5 foot tall, blunt front end that’s fashionable these days. But the high bumper height makes them much more dangerous to other drivers, as well.

            • @Oderus@lemmy.world
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              51 month ago

              That’s a weak argument. All vehicles are dangerous. What about Semi’s? UPS/Amazon vans? You can make anything dangerous and the height is hardly an issue. If it were, they would be banned from being on public roads or mandated to have a bumper that’s not too high. Height of bumper is such a stupid argument to make.

                • @Oderus@lemmy.world
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                  21 month ago

                  Yet the height of the back of a Semi trailer is higher than any truck’s bumper. Do you think really think all vehicles should have the same bumper height? Oh dear.

          • Steal Wool
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            1 month ago

            Get out of my fucking lane you big dumb asshole I’m just driving down the road and you’re big ass truck can’t fit in your lane, and then i see you parked like an asshole in a parking spot, just get something that fits on the road

    • @BaskinRobbins@sh.itjust.works
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      41 month ago

      I ended up renting a brand new f150 lariat since it was the cheapest option available at the time and honestly I kind of get it. The thing was comically huge but I felt like a king in there. Super spacious interior too, my 7 yo nephew was standing up without his head even hitting the ceiling. I would never buy one since they’re ridiculously expensive and too unnecessary, but man if I didn’t like driving it.

    • @skyspydude1@lemmy.world
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      41 month ago

      There are certainly practical reasons for them, like if you do a lot of ATVing, you can negate the need for hauling it in a trailer and just drive it up into the bed. It can definitely be nice to have a truck bed for certain things, but many people buy trucks for stuff they do once a month (if that), and not something they do every day, like commuting.

    • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod
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      21 month ago

      I bought one when I moved to a rural area. Since I worked from home I used it mainly to haul dirt, pig feed, yard equipment, and garbage a couple times a week. I spent about $12,000 on an older Chevy in relatively good shape and drove it until it rusted out from under me.

    • @OutsizedWalrus@lemmy.world
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      21 month ago

      I bought a truck primarily for off- grid camping. Much easier to get a single vehicle into places.

      I’ve found it extremely useful for truck stuff on nearly a weekly basis. One advantage it has over a van is the bed space is physically separate. I keep a porta potty in the back for my young kids. Never have to worry about it stinking up the cab.

  • Kalcifer
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    1 month ago

    I understand that this article is satire, but people should stop using “liberal” as a pejorative. It really doesn’t make sense within the contexts that it’s most often used, and only creates linguistic confusion by messing with previously understood definitions.

    • @UnfortunateDoorHinge@aussie.zone
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      91 month ago

      In Australia the “Liberals” are the centre right capitalist centric party. We do have better terms like social progressives, socialists and social-democrats, but even with this, it’s all relative terms. Everyone’s different in their own ways.

      • Kalcifer
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        1 month ago

        Do take note of the lowercase L in the term that I used. I am not referring to the name of any particular political party that happens to have the name “Liberal”. I am specifically referring to “liberal” as in reference to the political science concept of “liberalism”.

        • @DeanFogg@lemm.ee
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          31 month ago

          Wow if you read through that article liberalism suddenly makes a whole lot of sense

      • Luke
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        21 month ago

        In Australia the “Liberals” are the centre right capitalist centric party

        In America too; they just don’t know they are until they meet an actual leftist, and even then most of them don’t figure it out.

  • @stembolts@programming.dev
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    1 month ago

    No way, are they that much? Playing with vehicle customizers on car manufacturer websites is legit fun when they let you change and see every little thing. The prices do get outrageous fast! I had no idea trucks went over 100k.

    • @Eccitaze@yiffit.net
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      41 month ago

      Seriously, ever since I drove alongside one of the new 2024 GMC Sierra Denali trucks and realized its hood was as tall as my entire car, I’ve been utterly terrified of being anywhere near them. You probably can’t see anything less than 10-15 feet in front of you, which is absolutely bonkers for a noncommercial vehicle. To say nothing of how getting hit by one is going to be like getting smacked directly in the face like a brick wall, because there’s no way you’ll be knocked up onto the roof to dissipate the force of the impact.

      Car companies have absolutely lost the plot with this whole arms race of BIGGER BOXIER TALLER MANLIER trucks ever since Ford got made fun of around 2000 or so for making a car that was too “feminine” because it dared to have a more rounded exterior. The next generation refresh made it bigger and boxier, slapped a 12" Ford badge that was 2-3x the size of the badge on the previous generation, and it’s been all downhill ever since.

      • @Zorsith
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        21 month ago

        I just wish modern pickups were built for hauling rather than towing. Nobody is hauling anything in a bed that sits at shoulder height!!

    • @zurohki@aussie.zone
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      11 month ago

      They kind of have to do that.

      Safety rules frown upon vehicles that crush everyone inside in an accident, so a modern vehicle’s roof is required to be able to support the entire weight of the vehicle. If it’s a big vehicle, that means very chunky pillars.

      • @SomeAmateur@sh.itjust.works
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        1 month ago

        I get the pillars. They also have curtain airbags, electrical lines etc. Most newer vehicles will have that.

        I mean the engine and hood itself. So square and chunky that you can hardly see the road, and that’s without lift kits or anything

  • KillingTimeItself
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    131 month ago

    waiting for the inevitable “liberal owns conservative by dailying an ex military truck just to spite republicans”

    I genuinely have more respect for people dailying industrial trucks, rather than pickups. I don’t care how silly it is, i can respect it to some degree. (i may be biased)

  • @li10@feddit.uk
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    91 month ago

    I really don’t get the appeal of fancy new cars… If I see someone in a new car then I usually assume they’re in debt tbh.

    I always find it funny driving through posh areas and you usually see a Corsa on the driveway of a 1 mil+ house.

  • @sexy_peach@beehaw.org
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    41 month ago

    I really feel sorry for them :( They could do things that would make them happy with that money, like go to therapy or hike in the woods or whatever.