this post was submitted on 10 Dec 2024
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Fuck Cars

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[–] [email protected] 119 points 2 weeks ago (15 children)

I think those short bed trucks are the absolute worst. If you genuinely need a truck, get one with a proper bed so you can use it for it's utilitarian purpose. If you've got a short ass bed, you don't need a truck.

[–] [email protected] 67 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

People who buy these things don't really want "a truck"

They want a vehicle which aesthetically resembles a truck, so their super manly male man ego can be satisfied, but which is actually just an SUV with extra steps.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Short beds and unibody designs are the worst fucking things to happen to trucks

If you need a truck - and as a rural tradesperson, there are plenty of good reasons to need one - get something that'll actually do the job.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (5 children)

Rural tradepeople in Europe rarely have trucks. Vans do the job in the vast majority of cases, a trailer can complement when needed.

[–] [email protected] 35 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Not to mention a van has the benefit of keeping the load dry

Which depending on what you do and where can be very important

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

They also keep dirt and road dust off your tools and materials. Vans also conceal your cargo better than a bed which can prevent theft. Most vans are more fuel efficient than similar sized trucks. Vans are usually easier to drive and have better visibility. A big enough van can fit a small workshop in the back, that you can stand in and assemble parts.

Vans are the better work/trade vehicles compared to trucks for most applications and that is a hill I will die on.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yea, I want 90s single cab s10 like I had in college. Full bed, no electronic bullshit. normal size tires, didn't have to climb into it. Everything I needed to haul lumber and tools around and nothing I didn't. I could take the entire thing apart and put it back together. If someone would just make a truck like that again I'd be so happy.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I would love an electric version of that. Just an in town daily driver, capable of hauling lumber, projects, etc…

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

They don't make hardly any 8' beds on mid sized pickups. Pretty much everything is 5.5' which makes a trailer a requirement.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

I always have to laugh when I see a pickup with a trailer. The empty bed is always a nice extra touch. Like imagine paying an absolute shit ton on an expensive ass truck that eats gass like there's no tomorrow, just to end up using a trailer anyways!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Want to see something strange but interesting, check out the Telos Truck. Can fit an 8 foot by 4ft piece of plywood in the back, has 4 doors, and is the length of a mini Cooper lol. The look is strange, but at least it shows companies trying to shake up what people think of as utility

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[–] [email protected] 58 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

If I need a truck I’ll rent one from U-Haul. They’re not that expensive.

Owning a truck? That’s pretty expensive for someone like me who just needs a small car to get around. Also avoids that problem.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Renting them from Home Depot is also pretty cheap

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I find if I'm going far distances, home Depot is actually better. Around town U-Haul is usually better.

Which is kinda ironic, as it's inverse to what they advertise for.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I didn’t know I could do that! I live next to a Home Depot. I’ll try that sometime.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago

They also usually rent out equipment, like carpet cleaners, post-hole diggers, large drain snakes, etc. And relatively cheap for the one time possibly in your lifetime you need to use it.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

Yeah, that's definitely the cheapest option if you only need the truck for an hour or two to carry something home. Actually I think it's free if you are fast enough, just have to pay for gas.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, but you know what your problem is? You're way too reasonable!

[–] [email protected] 45 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't want to scratch the paint in the bed!

[–] [email protected] 44 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

In this case their cargo that they claim they constantly need a truck for, doesn't even fit in the bed because the bed is half the size a bed should be.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

One of the main reasons I probably won't buy a truck. Most beds are only 5 feet in the Tacoma world. My van has more storage space.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

It’s partially the manufacturers’ fault. Good luck finding an 8’ bed without an extended cab.

That’s their only option if they’re limited to the footprint of a smaller truck in their parking spot.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm dying for a return to 80s style trucks but with hybrid/electric engines

Please just let me have a functional, strong truck that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to drive

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

and won’t require bags of sand, gravel, or litter in the bed every winter

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Did you catch that glorious but brief period when Ford and GM were building retro EV’s?

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (4 children)

To load up deer I shot after a hunt.

Or I would if I hunted. Or had a truck.

Seriously though, farmers and heavy machinery contractors legit need trucks.

[–] [email protected] 65 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I don't think anyone is arguing that people who need a truck shouldn't get a truck. But regular people with trucks is every bit as stupid as driving around in a tractor.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

Nobody who could use a truck uses a truck in Europe. Usually, a Van or something is the better choice. I don't really understand the "american pick-up truck" form factor.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Here in Germany, I see pick-up trucks more and more, and they often have some company logo on them. They never transport anything either, and the only explanation I have is that they're basically a "foreman's car", driven by people who no longer build things but want to feel like they do.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

I recently saw one with the logo of an IT contractor.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Where I live, hunters use a Lada 4x4 or a Suzuki Jimny.
Farmers use tractors.
Tradesmen use vans.
Heavy machinery contractors use flatbed trucks.

A pickup truck just seems like the worst of all worlds.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 weeks ago

I would hate lifting a moose into a modern truck, the bed is 3-4 feet off the ground. I'd sooner put a tarp in a minivan and use that.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

I'm still seeing a few Fiat Panda 4x4 being used too.

https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/gallery/FIATPanda4X4-2408_3.jpg

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago

If you hadn't written what you wrote, I would have been sure that was (amazingly) a Yugo.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Mine is a smaller truck so it also has a little baby bed on the back, but it has allowed me to pickup a load of gravel and mulch. As well as haul garbage to the dump.

But I'm not 10 feet off the ground with huge tires or blinding headlights, and nobody can hear me driving down the road.

Just a little old Nissan to do the occasional dirty work

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

Nissan hard body pickups were awesome. I had a 96 model, one of the last years they were made. If you're going to own a truck, this would be one of the more responsible ones to own.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

at least he's hauling something unlike 99% of emotional support vehicle owners

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

"warlock" LOL i can't believe the shit people look at and say oOoOoOhHhH i want that!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago

i feel this way about the ford trucks that have SUPER DUTY banged into the back... embarassing...

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago

To haul one gallon of cat litter and a La Croix /s

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

I saw a lifted truck the other day, and not only did it not have a trailer hitch, it didn't even have a spot where one could be installed. I don't know much, but it seems to me that if you're not using your pickup truck for hauling, then you shouldn't even have one.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Maybe they haul a bedful of bricks daily but never need to tow anything?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Who the hell wants to load bricks into a lifted truck? Even if using a forklift, its often better and safer to keep the load as low as possible. It also safer while traveling to have the load lower to keep the center of gravity lower, hauling bricks in a lifted truck is more dangerous than stock height. Lifts can also impact stopping distance, which isn't something you want when you're also ruining your sightlines with the lift.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

Generally if it doesn't have a hitch receiver you can put a ball hitch on the bumper in front of the license plate, but those are rated for less weight and are useless if the truck is lifted sooo

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Some warlock indeed, can't even magic his wood in the right hole

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Shoulda bought a bigger truck.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

This person has sold me on a bigger truck.

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