Oh yeah…

#FuckCars

@stux Pickup trucks are great vehicles... for doing what they were actually designed to do (haul cargo, tools, etc for work, drive on rough terrain, etc).

Buying them as urban cruisers is beyond ridiculous. I mean, do these people hate having good visibility and love having difficulty parking?

@marten @nafnlaus @stux

I -still- own a 2003 ranger precisely because I can easily hop up into the (large) bed. I've used that bed literally hundreds of times to haul wood, wood chips, autumn leaves, sofas, bikes, kayaks (yes plural) and yucky recycling. It will can hold a full size piece of plywood flat in the bed. Try doing that with virtually any of the newer pickups, including the new rangers.

@CJPaloma @marten @stux Exactly. If you *actually*, *frequently* use it for work, pickups excel at their role.

Note that in Europe we have another option (not sure why it never took off in the US), which is small trailers. People tow them even with passenger cars. Own one or rent it as needed, leave it behind when you don't need it.

The choice between a pickup and a trailer is *where*. If you'll be driving on roads, choose a trailer. If you'll be driving on dirt, a pickup.

@CJPaloma @marten @stux (And indeed, you can use a pickup *and* a trailer at once to greatly increase your capacity, and indeed, they can haul larger trailers)

Trailers do take some getting used to - a pickup is easier to maneuver - but trailers definitely get the job done, and leave you with the convenience and efficiency of having a smaller vehicle when you leave it behind.

@CJPaloma @marten @stux This sort of thing is common here.

But so are pickups. Because people need to drive on bad ground as well.

What's rare is "urban cruisers", people buying pickups as style statements and then just only driving them around town. That's just... weird.

@nafnlaus @marten @stux

My theory is trucks grew larger (and stupider) to to mimic American style machismo. Dodge sells their Ram Tough trucks, Nissan sells a huge SUV called an Armada.. there's even a travel trailer called "Predator". Because in America life is all about proving how macho you are. It's ridiculous.