- cross-posted to:
- fuckcars@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- fuckcars@lemmy.world
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One of the sadder reasons: I need a pickup but they stopped making small pickups in the 90’s.
Meanwhile, I just still own a small pickup built in the '90s in 2025. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Yeah I had the idea to buy a used one, but it’s such a risk especially since I know nothing about cars. It could develop issues days or weeks after purchase. It would be great if I already had one and it just kept chugging though. I wish your truck a long and healthy life
I would do this if I could afford it. I was looking a few months ago and somebody locally had a ‘00 Ranger 5 speed 2 seater w/ ~150k mi for $5000 and an ‘01 S10 for $7000.
Why not get a van?
I actually have one! I was generously gifted a Ford E-Transit to transport my wheelchair-bound elderly mother. It’s all electric. It’s pretty heavy and unwieldy, but doesn’t have a massive horizontal profile like a lot of the common pickups these days. The van works great for this purpose, though it only has a 135 mile range. But that’s fine for going around the city. (I can’t park in parking garages though - it’s too tall.)
Before I got this, I was trying to find a small truck or SUV to transport the wheelchair in and it was very hard to find something that was small, not falling apart, cheap, etc. I had almost given up.
Don’t take this personal, I don’t know your specific situation but most people who claim they need a pickup don’t really need a pickup.
The biggest reason that was never mentioned is …
They need a vehicle that can accommodate and carry a 300lb human.
I have a friend who is over weight, his wife is over weight and their four teenage children are all overweight.
One of their previous vehicles was a small car and it looked like a clown show to see four of them stuff themselves into an average sized car and watch the suspension dip.
I couldn’t believe they got a newer F150 that they paid about $50,000 for … a used vehicle! It’s a great truck and they got it just to fit four of them comfortably. They parked next to my 2010 F150 and theirs looks like a transport.
And when they step into the truck, they look normal and you no longer notice how big they are because their truck is huge.
CAFE standards base fleet fuel economy targets on wheelbase. It’s cheaper for manufacturers to produce large trucks and SUVs, which don’t have to meet as stringent a standard due to their large wheelbase.
Those are also classified as light trucks, which means they don’t have to comply with the higher safety standards that “passenger cars” do, another reason they’re cheaper to produce.
How do we sell those? Marketing to make people think they need them.
Americans can’t count because that is eleven reasons.
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The last one is a significant concern. Huge trucks and SUVs are so prevalent and they’re so big it seems like the drivers aren’t as aware of their surroundings. I’d love to see us move to taxing based on vehicle weight/mileage since it’s the true measure of how much wear a vehicle puts on the roads. You want that insane Hummer EV? You’re paying 20x what the guy in a Civic is paying.
Probably this effect:
and this https://carbuzz.com/news/the-abrams-m1-tank-has-better-visibility-than-a-ford-super-duty/
Interesting that they referenced the infographic multiple times but couldn’t be bothered to put it in the article.
I live in Germany where people usually drive reasonably-sized cars. Something like a Škoda Karoq SUV is already considered unreasonably large.
A while ago I saw someone drive a Ford F-150 past our house. That thing is almost 1m (~3 feet) longer and 30 cm (~1 foot) taller than those SUVs. In its smallest version. How the hell do Americans live like that?
Mate, every time I go into even small suburban areas I see people driving RAM pickups, G-Wagons and other enormous SUVs.
This is a global problem, maybe it’s not as bad as it is in the US but it’s still there.
Yeah, I’m starting to see Dodge Rams and similar vehicles here in Germany, too. People are such assholes.
Also: Because my truck can’t be smaller than my neighbor’s.
The last one is understandable from the standpoint that she needs an mpv to transport all those kids
I don’t know what an MPV is, but the most comfortable way to transport a lot of kids is a minivan.
I have a friend whose daughter got into an accident that scared her, so he got her a Ford Explorer.
The biggest problem isn’t having big cars around, is the prevalence, the absolute car dependency that makes everyone have to drive, and that a lot people simply should not drive (either for skill it attitude issues).
By mpv i meant this:
Probably what you call a minivan
(English isn’t my mother tongue, so i’m probably in the wrong here)
That is indeed an MPV, what we call a “people carrier” in Britain, and I think you’re right that Americans would call it a mini van
Yes, it’s called a minivan in North America.
Then this turns this conversation into a “wtf is a kilometer” xD
You meant a kilometre /s
Le kilométrè.
I love this language
Okay. Those aren’t considered big cars in the US. They are the compact alternative to behemoth 3-row SUVs like the GMC Yukon.
Just checked it out and wtf is this thing ???!
Appropriate reaction.
pecuniary emulation drives consumers to spend more on displays of wealth and status symbols, as opposed to more useful commodities.
aka, Keeping Up With The Joneses, Conspicuous Consumption.
You can have my Corolla when you pry my cold, dead body from it
That last one is actually legitimate. My wife was rear ended twice at a red light. Her physiatrist, recommended she gets a slightly bigger car because it would change the angle of impact if it happens again. The lower more reclined angle could potentially kill her if she’s hit again.
She went from a car to a compact SUV. Small change, but she is now in a more upright seated position.
The vehicle size arms race. Large cars force other cars to become larger just to match their mass in an accident. Still doesn’t mean if you buy a large vehicle that you’re not making the problem worse
I wouldn’t call a Honda HR-V large.
It’s ok, tramp is going to teach everyone about frugality, lol. They can eat military parades.
That’s really bad, sorry, yet that extra safety also makes it more unsafe to spot e.g. children crossing the street (better to have a higher tilt angle in that case)
A Honda HR-V is not very big and has plenty of visibility.
Giggling in hatchback at this.
American, here; can’t stand large cars. Which is why I plan on driving my 350Z forever.
Did Jesus even want to not get caught? Im pretty sure a God cant be worse than a big car in any situation
My local roads are shit, the SUV prevents me damaging my vehicle in all the potholes / construction zones.
I would totally rock a Slate, though.
