Author Topic: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?  (Read 32939 times)

damize

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Re: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?
« Reply #50 on: March 11, 2015, 02:37:19 PM »
Obviously mine tows a horse trailer, so a full-sized truck is needed for safely hauling a 6,000# live load.

I lived 14 years in Germany and could count the non-American pickup trucks on the road with one hand.   Stuttgart is horse country and most of the time a little 4-banger would be pulling the ponies.  Picture is an example.

Not judging, don't get me wrong...but the global perspective on trucks is interesting.  You rarely see them outside of the US or the middle east.

SpicyMcHaggus

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Re: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?
« Reply #51 on: March 11, 2015, 02:37:41 PM »
Used to rent a condo where the HOA didn't have rules against but constantly nagged me about parking my truck in the driveway.
Then it was the trash cans.

I told them I had my car, my GF's car, my motorcycle, and 2 oversize trash bins. If they would show me a way to fit it all in, I would gladly comply. They never said anything, so I put them both back out in the driveway.

I moved shortly after. Never have I thought there was a greater waste of $290/ month than an HOA.

caliq

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Re: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?
« Reply #52 on: March 11, 2015, 03:34:03 PM »
Obviously mine tows a horse trailer, so a full-sized truck is needed for safely hauling a 6,000# live load.

I lived 14 years in Germany and could count the non-American pickup trucks on the road with one hand.   Stuttgart is horse country and most of the time a little 4-banger would be pulling the ponies.  Picture is an example.

Not judging, don't get me wrong...but the global perspective on trucks is interesting.  You rarely see them outside of the US or the middle east.

That's a fiberglass horse trailer.  It's significantly lighter than even the aluminum ones you see in the US.  If you're a truly mustachian horse owner (oxymoron?), you'd probably have a stock trailer, which are frequently steel.  Brenderup is the fiberglass trailer brand sold in the US and IIRC they're quite expensive :P  So....tradeoffs.  It's not as simple as 'Americans are silly and underestimate their cars.'

horsepoor

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Re: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?
« Reply #53 on: March 11, 2015, 08:46:28 PM »
Yeah, a friend of mine has a Brenderup, but they are no longer sold here; I think she said they are out of business, in fact.  I think her Dodge that she tows it with is a 1/2 ton, but they're designed to be safe with a smaller towing vehicle.  I had a V8 F-150 before and it was way overloaded towing a steel 2-horse with one 1500# horse in it (I've had my horses on the vet scale and that's what the big one weighs) just around town even though the supposed towing capacity was like 7500#.  Not taking it on the interstate or through the mountains on the highway. Never been to Germany, but not sure that it's as mountainous as Idaho?   I do wish more of the Euro style trailers were available here though I sure appreciate the dressing room in my trailer (have an aluminum one now - good for holding value and not rusting).

libertarian4321

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Re: Why do I want a stupid new pickup truck?
« Reply #54 on: March 12, 2015, 04:46:32 AM »
Guys who buy new trucks are usually posers who are too dumb to build and engine or transmission or design a suspension. I notice they tend to want some look or image, especially for new lifted trucks with all the bolt on accessories. Get to know any reasonably well and they'll cry a river about the payments. It's both funny and sad.

Don't ASSume anyone who makes a different choice than you is some sort of idiot or "poser" or broke.

I'm a multimillionaire who drives a full sized truck (Chevy Silverado), bought new, and I love it.

I'm probably smart enough to "build and engine" [sic] since I have two engineering degrees and an MBA, but why would I unless I absolutely had to?  See, that's why I got those degrees, so I would have enough money to hire people like you to do the grunt work, should I need any done.

Why do I prefer my truck to a car?

Mostly, I prefer the way a truck rides to a car.  I'm a big guy, and I prefer the upright seating, as opposed to slumping down on the floor (as is the case with car seating).  I also like that trucks have a much better view of the road (larger windows, you are up higher).  I can't stand driving my wife's little Beemer (and she can't stand driving my truck, to each his own, I guess).

And yeah, they come in handy.  A lot.  It ain't easy to pick up anything from Home Depot in my wife's car, but with a truck, it's easy.  Or helping people move.  Hell, I even helped my company move, twice.  Both times when the move was over, they let me haul away a bunch of free furniture that was left over.  I'll never need to buy office furniture again.  I couldn't have done that with my wife's little passenger car.

We also do a lot of work with animal rescue organizations.  You can fit, maybe, two medium sized dog crates in the back seat of a passenger car, and it's a difficult to shove them in there.  Plus you have to worry about keeping the upholstery clean.  God forbid the dog takes a piss in someones passenger car.   My truck can take 8, easily, it's easy to load and unload, and if a dog pisses in it, I just wipe the bed down, no big deal.

About the only thing I don't like about my truck is the poor gas mileage.  But given that I don't drive a lot of miles in it, it's not really a problem.

Oh yeah, one more thing, trucks hold their resale value VERY well, at least here in Texas.  Much better than passenger cars.  My truck is more than 13 years old, and still worth about 40% of what I paid for it (a car typically loses 60% of it's value in 5 years).

When this one starts to have mechanical problems (it runs great right now), I'll probably get another pickup.


 

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