4 ms·

I hope those trucks become white elephants. I haul a lot of dirt, hay, etc for gardening and drive a 1993 Ford Ranger. Even the new Rangers are twice as large

I hope those trucks become white elephants. I haul a lot of dirt, hay, etc for gardening and drive a 1993 Ford Ranger. Even the new Rangers are twice as large (sits higher, taller, and wider) and the bed is 1-2 feet smaller. I just really don't understand the appeal from a usefulness perspective.

recursivedoubts 3y ago
1981 Toyota Pickup/HiLux was the peak
- wing-_-nuts 3y ago
  My father has an 83 that's been used as a hunting truck for the past 40 years. I'm convinced that truck caused toyota to go back to the drawing board and redesign for planned obsolescence.
  - recursivedoubts 3y ago
    my rage is immense and my day is ruined
dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
That's officially a classic car now, soon it may be worth quite a bit. But yeah only a small percentage people who buy trucks use them for truck purposes, it's mostly about making themselves feel a certain way by driving such a vehicle.
- zdragnar 3y ago
  They are extremely comfortable to ride in. I struggle with 90+ percent of sedans and crossovers because I have to slouch just to see out the front of the car. I also use it for towing trailers and moving fallen trees that I buck and split for firewood, which is something I don't want to do with a lighter framed vehicle. I don't know that I'd own one if I didn't do that, I suppose.
  - dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
    Sounds like you've got a good reason to own a truck. My comment isn't to say there is no valid reason to own a truck, just that most people don't have one.
hk1337 3y ago
I miss my 1994 Ranger. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of it.
- cityofdelusion 3y ago
  I replaced my 1993 Ranger with a Maverick, and it is absolutely the spiritual successor, plus significantly more safe and capable. Rangers were awesome but against modern cars they crumple into a heap of metal and flesh in a big crash.
  - hk1337 3y ago
    That seems like a better option than the new Ranger. I waited for that to come out for so long to check it out and was so disappointed.
ta1243 3y ago
In the UK in my rural area there are two types of pickup truck. The first is the old beatup two-door ones which you see in a field or with a sheep in the back. The second is far more common, they are pristine, as if they've just been valleted, they have 4 doors, and are often parked in the disabled space at the local shop. Seems that these 4 door monstrosities "Ranger", "Warrior" etc, have major tax benefits. You can claim them as a working vehicle so your company pays for them, where paying for a typical car attracts benefit-in-kind taxation.
onlyrealcuzzo 3y ago
> I just really don't understand the appeal from a usefulness perspective. Most $100k are about signaling in the same way most $100k cars are... The vehicle doesn't need to be useful (or have any utility) to signal.
acdha 3y ago
It’s about image, not utility. I’ve had a few big projects in the past couple of years and all but one of the tradespeople drove vans (your tools don’t get stolen/wet) or an old, small pickup. I asked the HVAC guy about that pickup and he noted that it got better mileage, held and much, and he never had trouble parking.

recursivedoubts 3y ago

1981 Toyota Pickup/HiLux was the peak

wing-_-nuts 3y ago
My father has an 83 that's been used as a hunting truck for the past 40 years. I'm convinced that truck caused toyota to go back to the drawing board and redesign for planned obsolescence.
- recursivedoubts 3y ago
  my rage is immense and my day is ruined

dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago

That's officially a classic car now, soon it may be worth quite a bit. But yeah only a small percentage people who buy trucks use them for truck purposes, it's mostly about making themselves feel a certain way by driving such a vehicle.

zdragnar 3y ago
They are extremely comfortable to ride in. I struggle with 90+ percent of sedans and crossovers because I have to slouch just to see out the front of the car. I also use it for towing trailers and moving fallen trees that I buck and split for firewood, which is something I don't want to do with a lighter framed vehicle. I don't know that I'd own one if I didn't do that, I suppose.
- dkjaudyeqooe 3y ago
  Sounds like you've got a good reason to own a truck. My comment isn't to say there is no valid reason to own a truck, just that most people don't have one.

hk1337 3y ago

I miss my 1994 Ranger. I wish I hadn't gotten rid of it.

cityofdelusion 3y ago
I replaced my 1993 Ranger with a Maverick, and it is absolutely the spiritual successor, plus significantly more safe and capable. Rangers were awesome but against modern cars they crumple into a heap of metal and flesh in a big crash.
- hk1337 3y ago
  That seems like a better option than the new Ranger. I waited for that to come out for so long to check it out and was so disappointed.

ta1243 3y ago

In the UK in my rural area there are two types of pickup truck. The first is the old beatup two-door ones which you see in a field or with a sheep in the back. The second is far more common, they are pristine, as if they've just been valleted, they have 4 doors, and are often parked in the disabled space at the local shop. Seems that these 4 door monstrosities "Ranger", "Warrior" etc, have major tax benefits. You can claim them as a working vehicle so your company pays for them, where paying for a typical car attracts benefit-in-kind taxation.

onlyrealcuzzo 3y ago

> I just really don't understand the appeal from a usefulness perspective. Most $100k are about signaling in the same way most $100k cars are... The vehicle doesn't need to be useful (or have any utility) to signal.

acdha 3y ago

It’s about image, not utility. I’ve had a few big projects in the past couple of years and all but one of the tradespeople drove vans (your tools don’t get stolen/wet) or an old, small pickup. I asked the HVAC guy about that pickup and he noted that it got better mileage, held and much, and he never had trouble parking.