4 ms·
I used to have a similarly narrow view. And because my worldview was similarly colored and judgmental, I too would roll my eyes when I saw an off-road capable t
by freetinker 5y ago
I used to have a similarly narrow view. And because my worldview was similarly colored and judgmental, I too would roll my eyes when I saw an off-road capable truck parked at a mall, and reflexively throw out similar loosely-substantiated stats (70% will never take them off-road, etc.), and even indulge in more vitriolic private musings such as "he's probably compensating for a smaller-than-desirable reproductive organ."
That changed when I traded-in my Tesla for a mid-sized, off-road capable truck, and found myself on the receiving end of this view.
I certainly did not buy a truck to "overcompensate" as the article suggests or to use it only to haul groceries. I'm not even a blue collar worker – decidedly white collar in SV, with no need to haul lumber or construction material. Luckily, being a SV white collar type also made me beneficiary of WFH, and killed my commute.
I loved my model S, but didn't need an efficient/fun tarmac shuttlecock between work and home anymore. I also found that an off-road truck was more suited to my new "commute": like the ability to go haul my astrophotography equipment to the middle of nowhere – far away from light pollution where regular cars can't make it.
I also traded-in my road bike for a mountain bike because I discovered that even small/mid-sized cars are hostile to cyclists in America. It doesn't matter if a Nissan Leaf runs me over or a Ford F-150 – I'm still dead. So now I also use my off-road truck to haul my off-road bike to places where a regular car can't run me over. A bear maybe, but not a car.
Rivian seems to offer the best of all worlds, and I'm rooting for their charging infrastructure to grow asap – so I can still do truck stuff, without the emissions.
Are there people who'll buy a truck/SUV only to use it as a mall crawler? Sure. Just as there are people who'll buy BMW M3s or Porsche 911s and never take it on the track.
- harpersealtako 5y agoI think the basic concept around truck ownership is as true now as it always has been: A truck can do everything a car can, but a car can't do everything that a truck does (at least not as easily or conveniently). Most people who buy trucks or similarly large vehicles with copious storage space do so because they think they might someday need to do one of those things.
- blue-gum 5y agoA truck cannot go under very short tunnels, under low & thick tree branches, etc... Each vehicle has its tradeoffs. With that being said personally i prefer a larger vehicle because its easier to get in/out of, sitting higher lets me see further, lots of other tall vehicles essentially force me to also be in a tall vehicle or have a worse view while driving.
- Tade0 5y agoWhat do you put on the truck bed that you couldn't in a car trunk?
- harpersealtako 5y agoa dead bull elk a large amount of garden soil a Christmas tree a large sofa an ATV a camper attachment a cage containing 2 live goats leaf debris from a half acre of lawn playground equipment (Results may vary, such as with an exceptionally large car trunk)