The main difference between the two is towing capacity.
That performative capitalism actually has a real world use, if a narrow one. See, I currently live out in the boonies. I see those oversized trucks all the time, and a few times a year they have massive flatbed trailers absolutely covered in field bales. Or they have livestock trailers and are hauling anything from pigs to horses to cows. Whatever.
Or, sometimes you see trailers loaded with construction supplies.
The point being, that little blue truck can haul two people and enough material to do a job down the field row, making stops back at the yard/barn/garage where that performative capitalism has hauled all the shit picked up from the lumberyard.
But yeah, if you put that large truck in a city, it’s a jackass’ expensive penile compensator.
And 90% of the time, it’s not even needed on a farm, either. But for that 10%, it’s the tool for the job.
Eh, I dunno. I own a 2003 diesel F250, with?a 4" lift to accommodate larger tires. My use case is not farming or hauling heavy loads… its for camping. It is super obnoxious. I get it.
I drive on some pretty nasty forest roads (not rock crawling) where the additional clearance helps. I’ve also had to stop on these roads due to lack of power in other vehicles. That 7.3L will climb trees… albeit slowly: ).
Additionally, the drive into the mountains here in CO is not easy. One of my old vehicles could barely maintain 55mph heading into the mountains, and the semi lane / traffic is dangerous due to the speed differences. I did not feel safe at times, and redlining an old v6 was not sustainable. So I went diesel.
I ran B99 in it for some time, but its gotten so expensive I can’t afford it. B20 is available too, so I run that most times now. Its a pig but the B20 drops my emissions a decent amount. Hell, it passes CO emissions yearly which says something.
Anyway, this is my version of the van/camper conversion craze that I can’t afford and wouldn’t buy if I could afford it. My boys and I can get where we need to go in a solid, reliable truck that I can work on myself (within reason). I don’t drive like an asshole and I actually know how to park the damn thing ( and where it shouldn’t be parked).
See you in the Rockies!
Do you think people who drive unnecessarily big trucks in cities think they’ll be the underdog hero who survives an apocalypse?
I drive a second gen tacoma, one of the last small pickups. This past winter I thought about going and buying a new third gen tacoma because I was worried that with the fourth gen, the manual transmission would be gone.
I went to the dealer, had the truck all built online, and was prepared to put a down payment and wait for my truck to be built. One thing was I had to be able to sit in the front seat before we started the process.
I’m tall. And I’m glad I sat in the truck for 30 seconds because there was absolutely no way for me to make any adjustments enough to make me comfortable. Broke my heart. And I’m sure the new gen is going to be bigger, and I don’t want that. But I do want a vehicle that I want and not a used vehicle I was lucky enough to find a great deal on.
When I went and asked a number of different communities if they knew of any way to mod the seat, the most common answer was to get a tundra. Oh boy did I lose my cool.
I do not need a full sized truck. I’m not hauling heavy equipment or a camper. I’m not loading up with tons of rock at the quarry. I’m going to home depot and buying plywood and 2x4s. Sometimes furniture.
I just want to fit inside a truck that has a manual transmission.
Can’t speak to the manual transmission part but I’m at Home Depot every other weekend or so loading up my ILX (a civic with leather seats) with 2x4’s. You don’t need a truck for 2x4’s.
The thing is, any year Tacoma can at least pull a tent trailer, and most can pull small campers. The only reason to buy a full size truck for hauling outside of work is if you want a mobile hotel.
The good news is that compact trucks have been really popular and I wouldn’t be surprised to see more companies offering them. Ford can’t keep Mavericks on the lot and the Hyundai Santa Cruz seems to sell well too. I bought a Santa Cruz because it had the best towing in the smallest, most affordable vehicle I could find.
Judging by the collective actions of these people, I don’t think they will.
Honestly, I think most of them just wanted a truck and there wasn’t a smaller option readily available.
If you are going to go big then you can at least go with something actually useful:
Unless it’s got monster truck wheels it’s just going to get stuck in traffic like all the other cars when shit hits the fan and everyone tries to escape the cities.
I have genuine need for a full size truck, but all of them from the last 15-20 years are just way too damn big. And they put big stupid hoods on them to look tough that kill visibility. I miss my old 80s and 90s chevys. Perfect size. Heavy enough to pull most loads I need, but actually maneuverable.
My 2013 2wd 1500 needs a 2 acre field to make a u turn.
What’s your use case?
Mainly the only thing I need it for now is occasionally trailering a tractor, but at the time I bought it my current truck, I was still doing tree work and hauling a lot of wood.
Dodge Rams are extremely capable work vehicles. Your point that people drive vehicles they absolutely don’t need is fair, but the vehicle itself serves a purpose.
They don’t need to be so big an high tho
Edit: And this was the point of the meme, not that they’re completely useless
They absolutely do.
But isn’t there at least a way to make it safer for pedestrians? Because this stuff gives you a low visibility and when pedestrian is hit it’s much more dangerous compared to a car with a low hood. I’m open to a discussion and learning more about the topic because I don’t want to blindly hate something.
I don’t know, I don’t design trucks. I do use one for work though, and we use all the clearance from the vehicle’s height, towing capacity, cargo space and passenger space. And the visibility is not terrible. It would suck to get hit by one, but that’s kinda just how it is. You wouldn’t want to be hit by an 18 wheeler either, but you probably want the groceries they carry. Just like you want landscaping, construction, utility work etc performed with pickup trucks completed.
I do wish that light duty compact pickup trucks were still more of a thing, they can also do some lighter duty work while being more reasonable when used as a passenger vehicle.
i am pro subaru sanbar and everyone will know it
