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There’s a lot of stereotyping of truck owners going on in this thread which is kind of funny given how pro-EV HN normally is. It’s like the aesthetics of a pick

• xwdv 5y ago
  None of them have ever had to carry planks of wood from Home Depot.
  • cycrutchfield 5y ago
    The vast majority of suburban pickup truck owners haven’t ever either.
    • losvedir 5y ago
      Really? I find it hard to imagine that anyone who owns a freestanding home hasn't wanted to carry some sort of large item home from Home Depot. It's not some unusual "salt of the earth" kind of situation. I only have a tiny Chevy Sonic, and have often thought how handy it would be to have a truck for carrying home soil, mulch, random wood things, a new lawnmower, heck even a large TV, etc, and have had to rent or borrow one occasionally.
      • curryst 5y ago
        As someone upthread pointed out, Home Depot will rent you an F-250 (or another model with a slightly larger bed) for $20/hr. I buy a fair amount of "too big to fit in my car" stuff from Home Depot (mostly lumber), but I'd have to be doing it multiple times a week for it to be cheaper to actually own the truck. It's actually really nice, because if you buy your goods before you rent the truck, the person that shows you to the truck will usually help you load your stuff into it. That can be a godsend if you're trying to manipulate big sheets of plywood or something heavy. I also like that they clearly treat them as work vehicles; when they inspected it before I took off, they were only interested in fairly significant damage to the body. The truck I got already had scrapes on the body, and they really only noted the large and/or deep ones.
    • rootusrootus 5y ago
      This runs contrary to my experience as a suburban pickup truck owner with many neighbors that also own pickups.
      • seiferteric 5y ago
        It is weird, like if you own a house, having a truck is perfect. I bought a tacoma 1 year ago and have used it countless times. Getting mulch, buying lumber for shelving projects, moving couches, chairs etc. Literally the perfect vehicle for me. Also it is very versatile. You can get hard tops, soft tops etc. Great for camping etc. Having a separate trailer (and storing it somewhere) or always having to rent a truck or whatever just sounds like a hassle.
        • bombcar 5y ago
          I think what people miss is that once you have a truck, all sorts of things happen that you wouldn't have bothered if you didn't have the truck, because the hassle is removed.
  • snypher 5y ago
    At $20/hour for a new F-250 rental, Home Depot has better options available. If people wanted to haul lumber, they probably wouldn't show up with a trailer attached, they would buy a truck with a 8 foot box.
    • xwdv 5y ago
      Oh great. Then you return your rental and come back home and realize you need to buy more of some heavy large item. Fantastic.
      • GavinMcG 5y ago
        A truck costs tens of thousands of dollars. Even assuming half the cost would otherwise be put towards an alternative vehicle, you'd still need to move stuff uniquely suited to a truck literally hundreds of times to make it worthwhile.
        • codyswann 5y ago
          Like a boat?
          • GavinMcG 5y ago
            Sure. That's a reasonable use case. Needing to get lumber home from Home Depot isn't, for most people, because of low frequency.
            • codyswann 5y ago
              Meh. I'd argue more people need to tow their boat than haul lumber, but I live in Florida where that's visually true.
              • GavinMcG 5y ago
                I think people are taking my comment to read "don't get a truck" when it was really just responding to the suggestion that "return your rental and come back home and realize you need to buy more of some heavy large item" would be such a common occurrence that ownership makes more sense than renting even without some other use.
  • mindslight 5y ago
    I've happily carried plenty of lumber and even full sheets of plywood/drywall with my Civic. It fits 10' lengths inside, and sheets on the roof. What it lacks is capacity, and convenience for sheet stock. Recently I've gotten into towing trailers (on a light SUV), which seems like a great capability for the times that I need to transport more at once. If you're transporting large things frequently, I get the utility of a truck. But most truck owners aren't hauling anywhere near that much. FWIW after reading the other thread specifically about home backup power, I was thinking this new F-150 sounds interesting. But then reading this whole product page and coming to "automatic software updates" I remembered why new vehicles are non-starters for me. I'd rather keep dealing with gasoline than resigning myself to surveillance culture.
    • orthecreedence 5y ago
      Don't know why you're getting downvoted. I feel the exact same way. OTA updates for my vehicle gives me the shivers. Why not build the fucking thing right the first time? Why does every machine need to be a supercomputer? At what point does it spend more energy thinking then it does getting me from A to B when I push down on a pedal? I do really think the idea of an electric truck seems cool, and the F150 looks capable, but I'd rather not have yet another connected device. Give me dumb toasters, dumb refrigerators, dumb laundry machines, dumb vehicles. I'm tired of this "smart" bullshit. It doesn't need to be smart because I can tell it exactly what I want.
  • jimktrains2 5y ago
    You can fit a surprising amount of 8' lumber in a small car. Full sheets of plywood or drywall on the other hand is another story. Pick-ups are also useful for larger furniture and machinery, but don't discount thr carrying capacity of a car just because it's a car.
    • throwaway0a5e 5y ago
      IMO sheet goods are easier to haul on car roofs than they are in a truck bed that's too short. A truck bed they can fit flat in is easiest but not the default these days.
• GongOfFour 5y ago
  For sure these responses, which are predictable and common on pretty much any thread related to American trucks here or on sites like Jalopnik, don't reflect actual, real general sentiments about trucks or SUVs. It happens all the time and I've learned just to ignore them.
• whymauri 5y ago
  >It’s like the aesthetics of a pickup truck is offensive to some people. I got a rental car recently and they gave me a bright red pickup because it was the fastest option. I was surprised by the good vibes I got from all the other pickup drivers, lol. It's like I got inducted into a secret club for a day with a lot of waves and thumbs up. A woman went up to my group in a parking lot and said something like "Hell yeah, you guys look like you're having fun." And I thought, yeah -- I fucking love this. Kinda subverted my perspective on the aesthetics of these trucks and the people who drive them. Led to some self-awareness about how silly the city stereotypes are of such people.
  • beaner 5y ago
    It's just the age-old bias of disliking what you don't know because you haven't spent time around it. It's not categorically any different from something like racism.
    • lotsofpulp 5y ago
      What if someone dislikes pickups (and other vehicles with those size/height characteristics, purchased for vanity) that objectively make life more dangerous for kids playing in the street, pedestrians, bicyclists, and others in smaller vehicles? Is that in the same category as racism?
      • rout39574 5y ago
        If it's done without any attempt to comprehend why someone would make the choice, to interrogate your assumption that "vanity" is the only possible reason for it, then yes. It's a prejudicial evaluation rooted in your caricature of someone's nature. Of course, it's an elective choice, and in that way very different from prejudice founded on appearance. But the incomplete analysis, and the contemptuous reduction of the target's motivations, are in common with racist tropes.
      • __blockcipher__ 5y ago
        Car accidents (including a car hitting a pedestrian) is certainly a problem but I just don’t see how someone could genuinely dislike pickup drivers for a reason like that. Seems like a conclusion in search of a reason.
• rootusrootus 5y ago
  > stereotyping of truck owners It's kind of ridiculous, really. You know who buys F150s? Everyone. If there were a stereotypical "truck owner" then Ford wouldn't sell better than a million of these every year. They have broad appeal to diverse demographics.
  • bigmattystyles 5y ago
    It’s signaling; in my mind it’s the same for many Tesla drivers. But I mean, same for me, I drive a Subaru Outback because while I do use it for outdoor exploring and want to signal that, its off road use is honestly limited to a dirt parking lot. It’s often about image. (Edit) consumption waste of traditional F150s, and yes, even that of my beloved Subaru is not great, but the absolute worst are coal rollers and those with loud modified exhausts. That Newsom didn’t veto legislation that undid AB1824 was very disappointing to me.
    • dboreham 5y ago
      Come to southwest Montana -- you'd be signaling "I like to blend in to the crowd" :) While nationally Subraru marketing emphasizes being different by owning a Subaru, around here its far and away the most common car. You exit Costco, look at the parking lot and ask "which of these 10 gray Outbacks is mine?".
      • bigmattystyles 5y ago
        I think we’re saying the same thing - just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s not signaling. You can signal that you want to be seen as part of the majority.
        • dboreham 5y ago
          I think it's also practical -- if there are tons of Subarus around then it probably means they cope with the road conditions here and are reasonably cost effective and reliable.
    • 5y ago
• loudmax 5y ago
  I'm not going to defend stereotyping. There are lots of legitimate uses for a pickup truck, whether it be hauling things around or off-road capabilities. In the suburban environment where I live, the majority of pickup trucks are effectively commuter cars. They haul their owners' asses to a cubicle farm and back home again. These are people who fully buy into the stereotype and have bought a truck so they can purchase their masculinity on a monthly payment plan.
• pkulak 5y ago
  > It’s like the aesthetics of a pickup truck is offensive to some people. When a vehicle is driving in front of my house with a grill that's a foot higher than my oldest child... yeah, I don't much like those aesthetics. And it has nothing to do with "moving stuff". The UPS delivery vans that are actually built to, ya know, move stuff, have lower grills and way safer sight lines.
  • wanderingshi 5y ago
    yeah show me where you can buy a ups delivery van type vehicle lol
    • jagger27 5y ago
      It’s called a Ford Transit.
      • brewdad 5y ago
        Mercedes makes a couple of models as well if the idea of driving a Ford offends you.
    • ceejayoz 5y ago
      Same place UPS does: https://morganolson.com/products/parcel/ https://morganolson.com/products/parcel/
    • bluGill 5y ago
      Every city has a auto dealer who handles trucks like that. UPS has their own custom trucks so you can't get that model, but there are a lot of options. You won't find them in the typical dealer though. They are a niche, and most customers are buying several at once for their business and so the way the whole process works is different. Though there are just enough small buisness buying exactly one that you won't confuse them by buying one - but they may have trouble figuring out what tax applies.
    • bombcar 5y ago
      They're called step vans and available anywhere commercial trucks are sold: https://www.comvoy.com/bodytypes/Step-Van https://www.comvoy.com/bodytypes/Step-Van You can find used ones in running condition relatively cheap.
• jostmey 5y ago
  I dislike pickups in cities because they are too big. Many times I've been stuck behind pickup truck driver trying to squeeze into a parking lot, waiting... I've got nothing against pickup trucks in rural areas where I grew up
• newacct583 5y ago
  > There’s a lot of stereotyping of truck owners going on in this thread which is kind of funny given how pro-EV HN normally is. Yet the top comment is a reflexive jab at those woke folks with zero content about the truck in question. That's very much on brand for HN.
  • jrsj 5y ago
    I certainly didn’t expect it to be, or I would’ve added something about the truck lol I’m interested to see what exactly is included in the base model and when that will become available since they’ve only given us information on higher trims so far. $40K for this vehicle is very affordable, that’s about as cheap as you can get a new Model 3 right now but at least for awhile it could be eligible for electric vehicle credits. If the government extended these credits they could get A LOT of people to buy these trucks.
• publicola1990 5y ago
  In my view it appears more to me that some Americans are reluctant to give up their world view on why they need to drive bigger, larger automobiles than using environmentally better smaller cars.
  • mountainethos 5y ago
    > give up their world view on why they need to drive bigger, larger automobiles than using environmentally better smaller cars To me this is the same as someone who smokes one pack of cigarettes a day judging someone who smokes 2 packs a day.
• dboreham 5y ago
  Story from when we moved to Montana 20 years ago: We buy a freezer at Costco. Checking out, we ask for details on delivery. Costco employee says "Oh, we don't deliver". We had been used to Costco in CA which at the time would deliver large items. I ask "Well, how do people get big things like freezers home". Costco person says "Easy, just put it in your pickup, we'll help you load". "Hmm...we don't own a pickup". Costco employee looks somewhat confused. Then says "Easy, just get your neighbor's pickup". The next week we bought a pickup.
  • scythe 5y ago
    When we bought our couch at the Salvation Army, they also didn't deliver. We rented a pickup truck at Home Depot for an hour, which cost about forty bucks. Overall, I think that worked great and I'd do it again.
  • rcpt 5y ago
    Combination washer dryer in our prius https://ibb.co/Dp8YxM0 https://ibb.co/Dp8YxM0 We've moved 5 times in the past 6 years and I spend a lot of time with outdoors hobbies (mountain biking, surfing -- pickups are hugely popular for both). But not owning a truck has never been an issue.
    • hirundo 5y ago
      Now do a 4'x8' sheet of plywood.
      • throwaway0a5e 5y ago
        Should be fine with a roof rack (or without if you don't care about the paint) When I buy sheet steel I use a station wagon because it's easier to plop it down on a roof rack and get it off later then it is to stick it in a truck or van.
        • enjo 5y ago
          It's actually devilishly hard to strap plywood to a roof rack in a way that it won't take off in the wind (you're essentially turning your car into a giant kite) but also won't warp. It can be done.. but it's hard.
• kgermino 5y ago
  Pickups are convenient any many (probably most) owners have them for good reasons, but living in a Midwestern city I run into so many "bad" pickup drivers it's hard not to get frustrated with them generally. A lot of people around here have big, tall pickups with tiny beds that they drive very aggressively. They rarely use them for anything I couldn't put in my Fit (I've known several people who would never haul dirt or the like because they don't want the truck to get dirty). Many modern pickups have a high front grill that is dangerous for pedestrians and designed to be intimidating. It sucks to constantly run into trucks like that being driving fast and aggressively when I'm just trying to walk to the store. I know that's a minority of trucks, but the worst cars by me are invariably pickups and it's hard not to generalize it.
  • jacurtis 5y ago
    > Many modern pickups have a high front grill that is dangerous for pedestrians and designed to be intimidating I get what you are trying to say, but had to mention that all front grills of vehicles are dangerous to pedestrians. It's just a bit of a strawman argument to say "Well when I hit people with my car it will be worse if I own a truck, so I'm going to own a Prius so that the pedestrians roll right off".
    • ambicapter 5y ago
      How is that a strawman? You will roll off a 2 foot prius grille and you will get your skull caved in and your body ejected twenty feet backwards onto asphalt with a 4-5 foot high pick up grille if you get hit.
    • robotresearcher 5y ago
      The probable outcomes of these are very different, particularly at low speeds downtown where pedestrians tend to be. Why not pay attention to that?
    • brewdad 5y ago
      You are right that the front grill of any car is going to be bad news for a pedestrian. The issue I have with the higher front grills is the front blind spot they create. https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21065319/suv-truck-front-blindspot-children-injury-death-wthr-13 https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/14/21065319/suv-truck-front-...
• ben7799 5y ago
  Right the stereotyping here is ridiculous and full of out of control virtue signaling. If you live in an apartment complex it's ridiculous to have a truck. But Even if you own just a reasonable suburban house with a small amount of land you need to do a lot of dirty truck type jobs every year. I only have half an acre of land, but due to tons of trees I have yard work every year that causes me to have to do many many trips to the compost center with my car (Outback) that could probably be accomplished in one trip if I had a truck. And almost without fail every year I have times where I have to make multiple trips so that I don't overload the cargo capacity of the car. Even a gas F-150 would use less gas to make these trips and save CO2. I couldn't see driving an F-150 to work solo commuting with gas as something I could ever stomach, I hate that my Subaru barely gets 20mpg doing that. But with electric I could see it. The ultimate joke would be someone driving a CUV that burns gas or even a hybrid and trying to virtue signal over someone with an electric pickup truck. Do I want to spend $50k on a Tesla Model Y and put yard waste inside it's luxury interior on a semi-regular basis? I'm not sure. Versus destroying a luxury EV an F-150 looks pretty cool. Bottom line you live in an apartment you don't need one of these, because you're paying someone else with a truck to take care of you. When you have to maintain property yourself you either start paying a contractor with a truck to do things for you or you start doing it yourself. When you do it yourself you start going down the slippery slope to wanting a truck.
  • Koshkin 5y ago
    > If you live in an apartment complex it's ridiculous to have a truck. There's nothing "ridiculous" about people loving their toys. (People often own things not because they need them, but because they want them.)
    • ben7799 5y ago
      Different argument but I can support that. Point being people who live an apartment are far more likely to be buying a truck because they want it, and far less need for it for actual jobs & chores.
      • 5y ago
• misiti3780 5y ago
  As someone who comes from a rural area but drives an EV, my whole issue with trucks is that 90% of the people I know that have trucks do not need them for work, it sort of a status symbol in rural America. A lot of these trucks are huge, not your standard truck, but more like a tank. Trucks get shitty gas mileage and potentially cause more wear and tear on the public roads, and are definitely not good for the environment. IMO - Trucks should be taxed accordingly - if you are a farmer or work in construction you get a tax break, if you just want a truck to have one, it's gonna cost you.
  • bluGill 5y ago
    Most people use their truck for something where they need a truck about once a month. However the cost of two vehicles (insurance and parking space) means that they are better off with one truck than a truck and some other sensible vehicle.
    • herbstein 5y ago
      Would an estate or SUV with a hitch and a small/medium-sized trailer not work wonders in that scenario? It could certainly be cheaper.
      • _-david-_ 5y ago
        It probably depends on how much and what you need to tow.
      • AngryData 5y ago
        An SUV is just a truck without the convenience of a truck bed. Never understood why anyone would get an SUV over a truck unless they need seating for 6+ people.
        • camjohnson26 5y ago
          Cargo space is covered and climate controlled.
• rspeele 5y ago
  The level of "you don't need that!" judgement is weird. I guess it's just a matter of degree though. Here in the southeast US if somebody drives a pickup instead of a sedan or minivan or whatever, it doesn't register as unusual or excessive. I don't think twice about it, it's just another kind of vehicle. But then again, I do notice (and sometimes make fun) if they've got a lift kit on it, tow mirrors when I've never seen them tow anything, big roof mounted light bar, etc. So maybe it's just a matter of degree as to where you draw the line and make stop-liking-what-I-don't-like judgements.
  • ctdonath 5y ago
    Indeed. 1/3 vehicles here are pickups, 1/3 comparably large SUVs & minivans & Jeep Wranglers, 1/3 sedans. Contrast NY having 3/4 sedans. Considering vehicle sizes & speeds here, wife doesn’t feel safe in anything smaller than an older Ford Explorer SUV.
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  • hwbehrens 5y ago
    > I do notice (and sometimes make fun) if [...] I think this is the key point in the whole thread. I have no idea how many people who live on my street have pickups -- I've never noticed. The only pickups I notice are the ones which are "coal rolling", have multiple flagpoles flying political slogans in the bed, or are lifted so far I have clear sightlines beneath them. I have never seen a "coal rolling" Honda Accord, in contrast.
    • mcguire 5y ago
      How about the Honda with an 8" diameter tailpipe that sounds like it's behind a poorly-tuned, asthmatic turbine?
• stfp 5y ago
  Lots of the negative comments are about how tall this truck is (and how tall trucks in general are getting). Truck owners don't just use them to carry rocks and trees, they also drive them to the city, where the high grille, large footprint, crazy rate of acceleration make them threatening, dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists, and frankly just detrimental to improving the quality of life in cities. It's absolutely rational that a vehicle optimized for rural workload isn't going to be ideal in cities. What's irrational is pretending they have to be taller and wider every year.
• ianai 5y ago
  I live in rural America. I have a bit of generalized fear toward truck drivers exactly because they tend to be the most aggressive and dangerous on the road. They also belch diesel pollution and that can get into my cabin. So I own a big vehicle to be somewhat closer in footing, which is itself ridiculous.
• Miner49er 5y ago
  I grew up in a place where I can't even think of a family that didn't have at least one truck. I'm honestly confused by the dislike of them. I really don't understand how you can own a house with a decent sized yard and not own a truck or at least a trailer. How do you get any yard or house work done without one?
  • bryanlarsen 5y ago
    Much of the hate is for modern trucks. Trucks from 40 years ago were much more practical than the modern truck -- 8 foot beds, sides you could reach over, et cetera. The massive height of current trucks just makes them more dangerous, less fuel efficient, less practical.
    • Miner49er 5y ago
      Yeah, people around there also seemed to prefer taller vehicles. Easier to see, generally had 4 wheel drive (better for rough roads and winter conditions), safer (for the people in the car anyway, especially for things like hitting a deer).
      • lotsofpulp 5y ago
        It is also a stark reminder of one’s socioeconomic class. I can afford to consume this much fuel and sit this high and be safer than you, who can only afford the smaller vehicle and be subject to more risks, including being constantly blinded by the LED lights of all the higher pickup and SUV in your rear view mirror.
    • Loughla 5y ago
      Massive height, less durable materials in the work areas (aluminum bed, I'm looking at you), more seats, and much smaller bed areas. All of those things contribute to the fall of practicality. I tried to find a regular cab, regular bed F-150 about four months ago. To do that, I would've had to buy a fleet vehicle intended for a manufacturer or to be converted into like a plumbing truck. Everything else has 4 doors and a 5' bed. I don't want an SUV, I want a truck with a full sized bed. The sales people were genuinely confused as to why I wouldn't want a quad-cab, and why I needed an 8' bed. They legitimately never had that conversation with anyone unless they were looking for a fleet truck. What a world.
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• S_A_P 5y ago
  Well said. Lots of people like to assert that light trucks are pedestrian killers compared to cars but according to at least 1 source[0] they are responsible for fewer deaths than passenger cars. I have worked in downtown Houston, where a lot of walking was the norm. There were multiple times that I would walk down the street and see vehicle, after vehicle occupied by a distracted driver. At one point in time I counted 7 vehicles in a row where the driver was moving and looking at their phone and not the road ahead. IMHO this is the real problem. Another problem is there seems to be a migration towards the hot take tabloid for car magazines/websites. More clicks are generated with hot takes about cars than something I would prefer which was objective testing and data. Now for the tongue in cheek ironic part of the post Finally had to just stop visiting sites like Jalopnik(a car site written by people who hate cars), TTAC(used to just be the right leaning car website, but now is having Jalopnik envy), and The Drive(A new car site by the guy who started Jalopnik and decided only one toxic car site attributed to him was not enough). [0]https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/11/4/232 https://injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/11/4/232
• mbostleman 5y ago
  I moved to Idaho 4 years ago, primarily interested in human powered mountaineering activities. But then joined the local SAR team and was fascinated by how snowmobiles and dirtbikes were such good tools for going further in less time and how going further in less time is actually important. From there a pickup becomes essential to get your moto vehicles to the trailhead. So now I drive an F250 - itself a fascinating tech platform - and I can't imagine life without one. But the whole point of this is that I had a similarly dim view of pickup owners and moto sport culture based on the pop cultural narratives. And I can feel the stares from the haters as I roll my dirtbike down the ramp. Hopefully they'll be thankful when they get help before spending a cold night out.
• mountainethos 5y ago
  Some people seem to enjoy passing moral judgements onto others. What doesn't make sense to me is when someone who drives any gas car judges someone who drives a truck. Do they feel validated in their choices because someone made worse choices? Or do they decide that 30mpg is such a morally superior position than 20mpg that they have the right to judge others?
  • stefan_ 5y ago
    The moral judgement isn't mileage, it's that pedestrian deaths are rising, partly because of cars that have zero forward visibility for no good reason (no, the engine doesn't need it) and weigh tons. This is what is referred to as a moral hazard, because the people driving these trucks are not taking any risk, even reducing their own risk, but at the cost of increasing the risk of everyone else, and most importantly people who didn't drive to begin with and opted out of the risky activity. Particularly when deaths are involved this is obviously behavior worthy of (1) popular condemnation (2) fucking regulatory action.
    • mountainethos 5y ago
      My same questions still apply in the case of pedestrian deaths. Have we decided we're okay with the number of pedestrian deaths caused by compact cars and SUVs? Some SUVs are heavier, have less visibility, and would presumably lead to more pedestrian deaths than cars, so why isn't there a similar condemnation against those vehicles? Or maybe there is?
      • dashundchen 5y ago
        I don't think you would find a pedestrian or cyclist in the US that would prefer being around an SUV vs sedan or hatchback. But the trend of stock pick-up trucks getting lifted, having high hoods, small windshields vs their equivalent models 10 or 20 years ago is so much worse than the default cross-over SUV in the US. Sales of trucks have gone up, so have pedestrian deaths. https://theweek.com/articles/929196/case-against-american-truck-bloat https://theweek.com/articles/929196/case-against-american-tr...
• throwaway413 5y ago
  El Camino. Problem solved.
  • elihu 5y ago
    It's a shame Truckla isn't a real product. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R35gWBtLCYg
• chrisBob 5y ago
  As far as the trim is concerned: I also wonder what the cost for the 4-door model will be. All of the marketing photos are 4-door "Super-Crew" models. Currently a Super Crew truck with the base trim and 4x4 starts at $42k. The electric version sound like a bargain if they are actually talking about that version of the truck.
  • travisr 5y ago
    The F-150 Lightning only comes in Super Crew (4-door).
• op00to 5y ago
  In my area, I rarely see pickup trucks actually used as work trucks.
• NovemberWhiskey 5y ago
  It's not, I think, so much that the idea/aesthetics of a pickup truck is offensive to people. There are obviously many cases where a truck of some kind is exactly what you need to do some task or other. I think it's more like there are a bunch of people who have never owned a pickup truck, and have rented trucks when they needed to "move stuff", and are suspicious of the explanation given by others about why they bought them because those explanations don't match their own life experience. If the answer to "why did you buy a pickup truck?" was "I like to see past the other traffic, I'm worried about the safety implications of a smaller vehicle when there are so many pickup trucks on the road where I live, the infrastructure here is set up for them with wide roads and ample parking so it's not really a thing, plus I very occasionally avoid needing to rent a truck when moving lumber" then things would be less contentious. Of course, one can then proceed to the question of if there's a double-standard on why the question doesn't get asked to owners of sports cars with speed and handling limits that are of no relevance to public roads.
• UncleOxidant 5y ago
  > A lot of people just want to move stuff I suspect most people with big trucks rarely use them for moving stuff. Not to say they never do, but from my observations owning a big truck has a lot more to do with signaling a certain status to others who value big trucks.
  • mcguire 5y ago
    Not to say, of course, that owning an EV, a hybrid, or a Geo Metro (or a converted hearse with a Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine in the back) has nothing to do with signaling status....
    • UncleOxidant 5y ago
      > Geo Metro Owning a Geo Metro signals that you don't give a damn about status or what anyone thinks and you don't care much about how long it takes to get to your destination. The Geo Metro owner in 2021 is truly the most independent thinker.
• hintymad 5y ago
  > burn your house down while wearing a MAGA hat or something. That's not what I saw last year and this year on news channel. I saw "mostly peaceful" protests, or so CNN/WaPo/NYT/MSNBC/ABC told me, from justice warriors. And I don't why those media were not sticking to the truth, as everything has been peaceful. Just as my trusted author of The 1619 Project said: "Destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence".
  • hintymad 5y ago
    Since when stating facts deserves downvote? Did the media not say the protests were "most peaceful"? Was it not CNN reporter who said the exact words in front of a burning building? Did Nicole Hanna-Jones not say "Destroying property, which can be replaced, is not violence"? Was it not justice warriors (I use it as a neutral word, as it does not makes sense to use left vs right) who protested last year? What did I miss?
    • cheeze 5y ago
      Because you're being disengenuous. Pretty simple.
    • deleted 5y ago
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    • tha0xb1 5y ago
      Inconvenient facts that go against the narrative are going to get down voted, [flagged][dead]. Can't have any wrongthink now can we? The fact that this post will be [flagged] only proves my point.
• y-c-o-m-b 5y ago
  I see a lot of "rent one for a day" type of comments. I paid $4k for a 93 F150 a couple of years ago. I live on a 1/4 acre lot in the suburbs and just the amount of stuff I've hauled to my small property over the last two years would've far surpassed the $4k in rental charges. Mulch, compost, rocks, lumber, etc. Lots of back and forth with not knowing whether I'll need more or not... so many unknowns in-between. Take into consideration the time it takes to rent a truck, sign all the forms, repeatedly argue with the rental rep about why you don't want their shitty insurance, and the anxiety of renting a truck to haul items that could potentially damage the rental. I've probably put on about a 1000 new scratches, dings, and dents in the short two years I've owned this thing. On top of the landscaping and project work I use it for, it's perfect for going dispersed camping in rough areas that need high clearance. I would never be comfortable risking a rental for such activities.
  • dahfizz 5y ago
    All of the "just rent a truck for the day" comments are from city dwellers who can't imagine a lifestyle different from their own.
    • GordonS 5y ago
      Not all. I live in the countryside (rural Scotland), in a house with a decent sized garden, and only need something as big as a pickup or van 1-2 times a year at most. Same deal with almost everyone I know nearby - the ones with a pickup I know are farmers, or one guy that's honest and just likes the aesthetics and the way it drives (and it counts as a "commercial vehicle", so it was some kind of tax dodge too). I get it's indispensable for a farmer or business owner, but for for the vast majority (not all, obviously) of regular folks, even outside of cities, it's really not needed.
    • reedjosh 5y ago
      And the comments completely ignore that means a return trip for the rental too. When you do as many trips as someone in rural/burbs with fixer houses, that's completely impractical.
    • 5y ago
• fillskills 5y ago
  On my drives, I usually count how many pickup trucks are carrying something/anything. I have one this is Austin, Kansas City, Seattle, Los Angeles. My assumption when I started was that this data would differ by location and about 40% trucks would be carrying something. In reality the average is 2 out of 100 trucks carried anything in my counting. The highest I have seen in Los Angeles with 6 trucks carrying something. That makes me believe that when you own a pickup truck, there is a small change of needing its large bed and powerful engine. It maybe like gaming ready computer, swimming pools or fireplaces - usage is very low for most people, but you just might need it urgently someday. Or you think you might change your habits if you buy it
  • jrsj 5y ago
    It may depend on when you are driving as well. I saw several trucks carrying things just yesterday on the way to get my 2nd COVID shot. Anecdotally 2% seems very low to me (around central Ohio). It does seem that in the middle of day or on weekend afternoons I notice it more though.
    • fillskills 5y ago
      Time and location could certainly be important to the count. Ill try afternoons and different parts of time next.
• linuxhiker 5y ago
  I will likely never drive anything but a truck. They are the ultimate useful vehicle. I have an F150 as my daily driver and an F250 for my farm truck (I have 10 acres). No, I am not a Trump flag flyer. I just happen to really like useful vehicles.
• tbarkow 5y ago
  The whole concept of ev truck as portable power generator is an interesting concept to explore, and one I'd love to see evolve into other EV vehicles.
• Dig1t 5y ago
  Honestly do not understand it either. It’s nice to have a giant bucket attached to your car! It lets you do all kinds of useful things plus you can still get to all the places that smaller cars can.
• fmakunbound 5y ago
  I held out 15 years after moving to the US before I picked up a Toyota Taco. It's one of those rare life changing purchases that you wonder how you got on without.
• thescriptkiddie 5y ago
  Both pickup trucks and SUVs, electric or not, are a public health hazard. However, only one of those has deliberately tried to run me over.
• DHPersonal 5y ago
  > It’s like the aesthetics of a pickup truck is offensive to some people. Kind of bizarre and not something I’m used to seeing but I guess I live in Ohio so that probably has something to do with it. The vehicles are gigantic and are capable of carrying thousands of pounds but are operated by people who may not be able to handle something considerably smaller without getting into an accident. Suburban neighborhoods are plagued with tailgating road warriors in consumer tanks that endanger people for the sake of having an adventure on the road. The aesthetics of a truck are as much a problem as the drivers operating them.
  • jrsj 5y ago
    In my experience suburbanites in large SUVs are much more reckless than pickup drivers I encounter. Obviously an anecdote but they tend to be far more oblivious to their surroundings.
    • DHPersonal 5y ago
      Very good point and a sign that I’m prejudiced against trucks. There are bad drivers in every category and it’s unfair for me to target only one group.
• jcims 5y ago
  I’ve lived in rural communities for 95% of my life. There are times when I really think that electoral college is obsolete and should go away, but all it takes is a thread like this where I just see comments from adults that seem wholly uninformed and underexposed to basic aspects of living outside of metropolitan environments. Yes, by itself, doesn’t really bother me as I am certainly a group of the inverse in many ways, but the derision that comes along with it is the part that really makes me think we’re probably not quite ready for a proportional representation at the level of each citizen citizen.
  • bananabreakfast 5y ago
    So are you in essence stating that because metropolitan people do not understand the needs of rural life that they deserve for their votes to continue to be worth less? Even despite rural people not understanding metropolitan life to the same degree?
    • jcims 5y ago
      There’s a fairly well established pattern that direct democracies are not friendly to minority intersts. US being a republic creates a buffer there, but it would just slow the inevitable in a popular vote.
• trboyden 5y ago
  The problem is, this is all marketing, and pricing it lower than Tesla is just a head-turner for the press, not the average citizens that actually buy these things. The base model F150 the low-end of the Lighting line compares to is only $28,940. That's $10,000 less than the electric model. Most consumers are not going to be buying a base model and dealers rarely carry them on their lots. So, the realistic starting point for these is most likely going to be around $50k. Slap on top of that the $10k to $20k dealers are currently getting above MSRP and this will be out of reach for most people.
  • jrsj 5y ago
    It depends on how ordering them works and if the base model is actually available and if it’s still a crew cab; finding a new affordable near base model F150 is actually pretty difficult. If closer to minimum spec Lightnings are more common the effective price difference is smaller.
• callahanrts 5y ago
  To further point out the stereotyping in this thread, take a look at the announcement thread of the tesla cybertruck and compare the sentiment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21602437 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21602437). Not to mention that the cybertruck has nearly the same dimensions as the f150 (https://youtu.be/sLvopc9oI4A?t=199 https://youtu.be/sLvopc9oI4A?t=199) and has a shape that is more likely to cut you in half if it were to hit you. It also has a payload that's more comparable with a ford super duty and will likely weight more than the lightning to support that.
• francoisp 5y ago
  Totally unrelated: has anyone noticed that the bar on the F in the FORD logo ends with an e? It has been like that for a while. I remember reading somewhere that Henry Ford had forecasted that transportation was going to be all electric in the future; maybe related? Anyway, I think the demand for this will take them by suprise, and incidently, CT and Rivian need to get those factories churning quick.
• andrepd 5y ago
  > kind of funny given how pro-EV HN normally is Pro-Tesla, ftfy.
• ghaff 5y ago
  I live in more or less the country too. I just find an SUV handier day to day and week to week. Some things I have to put on the roof or take a short drive home with the rear hatch partially ajar. I could rent a trailer or have something delivered. Or I could borrow a pickup. I just find the interior space is more generally useful than having an open bed every now and then.
• beezle 5y ago
  There are two types of truck owners: those who do truck things and those who show off. The latter are mostly what I call 'house' truck owners, most they might do is pick up a desk or chair. The first thing I did when moving to a rural area was to get a F-150. I plow my own driveway. I pick up dirt by the yard for lawn/garden use. Tow. Get big things. I look back now three years later and am thankful I did not waste any coin on a bed cover as I'd be very tired of putting it on and taking it off. Living nearly two miles in on a dirt road I only bother washing the truck twice a year as 'clean' is very fleeting. The issue with this e-F150 is the low payload and tow capacity of the standard models. Think I'm rated 2350 payload and 13K tow on an out the door $44k XLT supercab.
• auiya 5y ago
  Practical?! Have you ever tried loading heavy objects into a truck bed that's 4.5 feet off the ground? There's literally no utilitarian use for them at this point even in agricultural settings, much less the urban and suburban landscapes where they typically plague. What ever happened to the small truck? Much easier to load, much less of a road hazard/nuisance. For me it's the increasingly large size of all trucks which have made them hugely inconvenient, and frankly dangerous, to circumnavigate. You know how you feel when you get boxed in by a couple tractor trailers on the freeway? That's how everyone else in reasonably sized vehicles feels driving around your truck. There are way more blind spots involving the modern truck compared to other cars which present a danger to everyone else on the road, I don't care what kind of whizz-bang "safety" cameras you have. And you also create blind spots for everyone else who can't see around your absurdly bloated truck in places like parking lots and passing lanes. It's a safety and practicality issue which goes beyond the "you don't need that" mentality, there's legitimate reasons for people to NOT like them.
  • jrsj 5y ago
    Yes but I’m 6’3” so it’s not particularly difficult for me. And mine is from 2012 & I don’t think it’s quite that high off the ground. I see trucks that are lifted significantly far less often than I see midsize trucks (& obviously full size that are similar to the height of my own) That being said they are generally unnecessarily large now & at this point midsize trucks are more than capable enough for most people. I think they mainly buy full size trucks for roomier cabs and more luxury features at this point
    • auiya 5y ago
      I don't know your age, but the fact that they're putting grab bars and foldable stair steps to get into a truck bed should tell you all you need to know about their practicality and incurrence of unnecessary back strain.
  • Kerrick 5y ago
    > There's literally no utilitarian use for them at this point even in agricultural settings That... What?! At the local MFA, when buying feed or fertilizer, you back your vehicle up to the warehouse-style loading dock, where the raised floor of the storage facility is about the height of the average truck bed off the road height. When I buy things in my sedan and load them into the trunk, I either have to drop them off from a great height, or take them down a small set of stairs. When people buy in a truck, the employees use a forklift to put the pallet directly into the truck bed. At the farm, it's not uncommon to have a tractor with a front end loader either with a bucket to dump things into the pickup bed, or a set of pallet forks for loading/unloading solid or bagged objects. How can you _possibly_ say that there's "literally no utilitarian use" for truck beds in agricultural settings?