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I like light trucks because they are for people who plow snow, carry bricks, lumber, cinder blocks, lawn mowing equipment, hogs, chickens, bails of hay, etc. in
by graycat 8y ago
I like light trucks because they are for people who plow snow, carry bricks, lumber, cinder blocks, lawn mowing equipment, hogs, chickens, bails of hay, etc. in all weather over all roads and even no roads. E.g., there is good ground clearance for charging through snow, over rough ground, jumping curbs, etc. The suspensions are stiff, rugged, and long lasting, can take bad bumps and keep going with no damage.
The light trucks have BUMPERS that actually work; so, can bump into something, push another truck, maybe by accident hit a deer some night, all with little or no damage. With no bumpers, lots of little bumps would need $1000+ for body repairs.
So, as a result, light trucks are functional, rugged, and comparatively simple and easy to maintain. I.e., light trucks get rid of the nonsense luxury stuff I don't need, can't use, don't like, don't want, don't want to pay more for when I buy, and most of all don't want the cost and Excedrin headache #498,293,991 of maintenance.
These trucks are much the same year after year, aren't "all new", and, thus, have a lot of the bugs, design errors, bad corrosion problems, and bad part kinks worked out. As soon as a seller claims "all new" I'll have to conclude the seller had a lot of problems with their models for the last several years and walk out saying "Maybe I'll see you again in 10 years.". "All new" may be good for Paris fashions, but I don't want it in a vehicle.
These trucks have solid rear axles, usually with stiff leaf springs -- that is, RUGGED with no problems with alignment, weak bushings, etc.
I like Ford and Chevy because they are made with parts readily available, from Ford, Chevy, or third parties, all over the US at relatively low prices now and for decades into the future, use English wrench sizes, and are well understood by a huge fraction of US mechanics.
My next vehicle will be a light truck from Ford or Chevy even though I will rarely make good use of the bed in the back.
For a vehicle I want a solid, mechanical tool, functional, rugged, durable, easy to maintain. As soon as a seller mentions luxury, I'm gone. Yup, like Jay Leno, I like blue jeans, too.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- winrid 8y agoNot sure why you're getting down voted...
- slededit 8y agoI’m guessing your not happy with Ford and GM’s all new aluminum beds then?
- nichos 8y agoGM doesn't have an aluminum bed, still steel. What GM and Chevy have that's aluminum is anything with a hinge. So, doors, hook and tailgate. The bed itself is still steel.
- slededit 8y agoInteresting. Just looking at the diagram of the 2019 Silverado that’s a lot of mixing of dissimilar metals. In the ford it’s a pretty clear demarcation point that’s easy to electrically isolate. It will be curious to see how all the brands stack up corrosion wise in the next few years. I guess GM couldn’t stomach using an aluminum bed after the 2016 ad campaign against ford.
- graycat 8y agoAluminum is good for resisting corrosion, but it is usually less rugged than steel. For a truck bed there are really tough plastic liners. Can also get a Lear or some such cover for the bed. For a steel bed, get something to protect against corrosion, and for an aluminum bed get something to protect the aluminum if it is too soft.
- bryanlarsen 8y agoSounds good. Where can I get one? Even the new Ford Ranger is a massive truck, not one I would consider light, and the half tons are even worse. The truck beds are so high I have trouble reaching inside and I'm over six feet tall. And sure, the base cost of a F150 is theoretically under $30k, but good luck finding one of those on the lot, the real starting cost appears to be about $50k and chock full of those luxury features you disdain.
- graycat 8y agoYes the Ford 150 and the Chevy 1500 or some such are called light trucks because there are also much heavier trucks, big Diesel engines, maybe dual wheels on the back, able to tow a small yacht, etc. Typically can get a list of the possible options and dealer's price for each, develop a list of just what want with the dealer's cost, and then take an afternoon and do a search for a dealer who will give you the best price. Start with offers a bit below dealer's cost, try all the dealers, increase by maybe $100 and iterate. Or, maybe a little faster, try a binary search. Then pay them a small amount and have them place the order, wait about six weeks, and then get what you wanted. I did just this for the last four new cars I bought -- worked fine. Of those four, I got two muscle cars, a high performance luxury car, and an SUV. The SUV is my favorite. NO MORE luxury cars. Next time, a light truck.
- bryanlarsen 8y agoSorry, anything bigger than the F350 I drove on the farm in the 70s is not a light truck. And I've never understood the appeal of SUVs. For under half the price you can get a Dodge Caravan that will actually hold a full sheet of plywood.
- graycat 8y ago> Sorry, anything bigger than the F350 I drove on the farm in the 70s is not a light truck. Agree. I was saying why a Ford 150 is called a light truck, right, because the 350, etc. are larger. > And I've never understood the appeal of SUVs. For under half the price you can get a Dodge Caravan that will actually hold a full sheet of plywood. The SUV I bought was a Chevy Blazer. At the time on the same chassis there was a pickup version. I hoped that it would be more rugged than a passenger car. Partly it has been. I wish it had been still more rugged and done a LOT better on corrosion protection.