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.

@nafnlaus @CJPaloma @marten @stux They were more common in the past, when cars were bigger and heavier. You used to be able to connect a hitch to a chrome bumper and just about any car could be rigged to tow. I had to go to a shop to have the hitch added to my car.

You do see lots of trailers here, but ironically they are mostly pulled behind trucks and big SUVs.

@nafnlaus @CJPaloma @marten @stux What we really need are electric, self-powered trailers that can be towed behind smaller cars without requiring too much power and with safety features like balance and braking and regulating sway. Smart trailers that know how to follow your car, and even help you back up correctly.

And since this is the US, they should also have cup holders built in.