Scientific Proof that Americans are Completely Addicted to Trucks

I’m split on the truck ownership craze. On one hand, spending $40K or more for a “truck” with heated leather seats, navigation, HID lights, etc. that only gets 15 mpg and daily driving it when it isn’t necessary to your job or business is kind of insane. If I am spending north of $30K on a car it better be something necessary or really fun to drive.

You rarely see a true no frills 2WD, Single Cab, long bed, “work truck” being driving by the average person or even built for that matter these days. Forty or Fifty years ago having AC, a radio, and an upholstered headliner was considered a luxury in a truck. I’m sure there are plenty of truck owners that use their trucks for something purposeful, but I think there are just as many that “like” to drive trucks more then they “need” to drive trucks on a daily basis.

To me the much greater waste is the SUV and CUVs today. Susie Soccer Mom doesn’t NEED to have a behemoth 7 - 9 passenger, 2 ton, 4WD SUV to take the kids to soccer practice and pick up a bag of mulch at Home Depot. And worse yet, they do it because the high center of gravity and the size of the vehicle makes them feel “safe”. Well the rest of us are in danger because they have no business being behind the wheel behind a vehicle that large that they can’t properly control! At least the guy in the “Cowboy Cadillac” loaded Silverado might haul a trailer, but there’s a lot of SUV drivers that don’t have the need for the space or the passenger capacity yet they drive them anyway.

I will also say that the minute you complain that you need an SUV to haul things my first response will always be “Get a real truck”. I have yet to buy one but I do want to eventually pick up a cheap old beater truck that could tow, etc. and serve a real purpose to me. I’ll get something that’s 4WD, high mileage, rusty, and “cosmetically challenged” and I’ll use it like it’s really intended. In the Midwest we call those “Plow Trucks”. Too old, worn out, and ugly to be fashionable but still usable to do real WORK.

So....I just bought a el Camino, where do I fit in?

Flat_Black13z wrote: ...where do I fit in?

You don't. And we like it that way around here.

This thread sucks.

I like my truck, and I don't give a berkeley whether anyone thinks I "need" it or not.

BTW- My company pays me a truck allowance. They do NOT pay a car allowance.

BTW- Every make and model of every vehicle has become bigger, with more unnecessary features.

BTW- Azzhats in sports cars are still azzhats.

BTW- Nobody "NEEDS" sticky tires, or turbos, or modified suspension...

BTW- There are 200 miles of dirt roads in the county I live in. I feel sorry for the people that live on them when some of you become king and they have to try to drive to their house in a Prius.

I do not need a truck. I like my truck, and intend to keep it. Same reason most of you drive whatever you drive. I have about 20 vehicles. Only 1 is a truck. If I had to limit it to 1 vehicle, only the truck would remain.

Such passion about trucks.

I think the core point is that relative to comparable populations, we of the USA seem to have a lot more trucks per person than other countries. That doesn't mean USA is right or wrong just very different.

The right and wrong comes in when you talk about your carbon footprint per person. Individual financial stability due to purchasing decisions. etc.

So don't blame the trucks. Trucks don't brodoze people, people do.

Advan046 wrote: I think the core point is that relative to comparable populations, we of the USA seem to have a lot more trucks per person than other countries.

my bad. i think i skew the trucks per person numbers.

Man, we certainly can get wound up about trucks.

I'm addicted. I like my truck. It gets me and whatever crap I gotta haul wherever I gotta go. It's dead nuts reliable and looks good too.

dropstep wrote: my 89 f250 weighs less then a modern half ton and its even an industrial package truck. I find trucks handy for truck things but have no desire to ever DD a fullsize. ive never understood people who buy giant trucks for grocery duty. We have a regular customer at work who drives an 08 duramax 4x4 with a lift and 38's just because she wanted it. Never sees use as a truck its just a minivan with a bed in her life.

It depends on a few things. If you have a need for a truck, it often makes sense to DD one instead of having a separate vehicle. Despite the poor gas mileage, when you run the numbers, it's still often cheaper than owning a second vehicle for commuting.

Put me down for not giving a Carp what people that are not me think they need or not.

And anyone who derides the truck owners that don't haul stuff in the bed or tow often enough while driving a car that has a top speed higher than the highest speed limit in the country of ownership or corner faster than the speed limit on any given bend in the road is somewhat of a hypocrite.

Now that I think about it, and I'll include myself in this, how ironic is it to argue about automotive "needs" on GRM?

PHeller wrote: I don't have any issues with folks driving trucks, I just hate that truck owners drive a political demand for cheaper oil so those same folks can afford to drive their trucks. Instead, truck owners should be demanding better efficiency out of their trucks (like smaller diesels available overseas.)

I haven't read the whole thread yet but if you're curious why trucks keep getting bigger look at the way the CAFE math works.

http://www.c2es.org/federal/executive/vehicle-standards#calculating

The larger the footprint the less efficient it has to be. If you need time to make the car more efficient but CAFE mandates it now (or before your redesign), make it bigger to hit the target.

Anyone else see a flaw in this plan? You know besides the lack of incentive to go smaller.

patgizz wrote:

Advan046 wrote: I think the core point is that relative to comparable populations, we of the USA seem to have a lot more trucks per person than other countries.

my bad. i think i skew the trucks per person numbers.

Like I said, nothing right or wrong about it. Just statistics. Like saying China consumes more coffee than any other country.

The owning of trucks isn't an issue but the impacts do matter and I would have found the article more interesting if it discussed the impacts of this general statistic.

Cost of ownership impact on truck buyers' savings compared to sports cars, compared to beige sedans.

Carbon footprint for same categories.

What would national gas consumption change by if USA buying habits were similar to Canada or France or etc?

Those are much more useful sets of data other than just saying more trucks.

I enjoyed my Cherokee, two Dakotas, and Durango. But now the minivan is my best utilitarian vehicle.

I enjoy my choices but don't act like they don't matter in the global sense. My Miata was great as a single guy. Truck got hella used when I bought my first house. Minivan fills up with kids and stuff.

The point of living in a sustainable society is you can't just think what I want is fine. Don't you remember all those Saturday Morning cartoons? The self-centered always end up screwing up the situation! Then they end up complaining about kids and dogs, the Joes, or some plastic guy that turns into cars defeating them.

In reply to Advan046:

I agree and a lot of these truck owners freak out if gas prices go up so they'll vote out anyone who mentions a gas tax. Its one thing to own a large truck but don't freak out because it costs you more to fill the tank. That's what I have an issue with.

I like trucks and have always had a truck. I live in the country and like a lot of people here they come in handy a lot. Usually its been an old beater but a couple years ago I had to replace a winter beater and a beater truck so a new Tacoma met my needs. Its the perfect size (its actually similar in size to the 1994 F-150 it replaced) and will last me a long time. Fuel economy isn't that great but I don't drive it daily.

sjd wrote: ... so they'll vote out anyone who mentions a gas tax.

I agree, but that perspective is only one side of the equation, and misses the realities of the complexities of highway revenue sources.

A fuel tax may not keep up with rising construction costs, as one is a flat fee per gallon (which has been stagnant for a long time), and the other has inflationary pressures on it.

So yes, I agree that construction costs have risen and the tax per gallon has not.

But usage has also climbed. There are far more vehicles using far more gallons of fuel. So, it is a bit disingenuous to say "taxes have not risen". Tax rates have not risen, but tax revenues have.

Plus, highway revenues are a complex network of revenue sources, not a simple fee per gallon. They include local option taxes, federal general funds, state general funds, sales taxes, toll fees, over-the-road fees, lease revenues to private companies, etc. etc.

In some instances, taxpayers are paying twice:

Washington Post article

I do not profess to understand the whole picture, nor do I know whether or not the funds are sufficient or properly managed. The system is (deliberately) complex, so very few of us have any idea of the truth.

Here is what I know- There is precious little evidence that our roads are improving, regardless of how high the taxes are, and there is no honesty in discussing the costs or revenue sources.

So, I am clueless whether an increase in taxes for road improvement is needed or not. But I won't rubber stamp an additional tax as a necessity for improving our transportation system, and will definitely not play the "let's blame the evil truck owners" game.

It's all a berkeleyin political game, and I won't play.

PHeller wrote: I have nothing against trucks, but I wouldn't own one. I take that back, there is one in particular that I'd want if I could afford it.

WTF is that? That thing is the sort of vehicle in which you could have a deep intimate relationship with another man involving bi-directional penetration along with episodes of snuggling and still call (nohomo)!.

I'm pretty sure that is the cure Romney had up his sleeve.

Frankly, I find a lot of the comments in this thread disturbing. Here we are on an automotive forum, and people are calling for increased taxes, fees, penalties, or outright bans on trucks, because they feel others don't need them. Just remember, there are a lot of things that we like but don't need. Be careful when you cheer for one groups loss, because your group might be next. And there will be no one left to stand with you.

I'd gladly pay higher fuel costs if it was actually used to fix this abysmal infrastructure. Ask Wally how many tires the "road" ate off his cars this year.

Boost_Crazy wrote: Frankly, I find a lot of the comments in this thread disturbing. Here we are on an automotive forum, and people are calling for increased taxes, fees, penalties, or outright bans on trucks, because they feel others don't need them. Just remember, there are a lot of things that we like but don't need. Be careful when you cheer for one groups loss, because your group might be next. And there will be no one left to stand with you.

Truth. For many people, cars/trucks are costumes. However... taking away freedom of choice in what you drive seems like the beginning of a slippery slope.

In reply to Appleseed:

This is the part I don't get. We have a fairly low gas tax (.16/G) and I really can't complain about the roads. There are a few that get pretty beat up by logging trucks but the state is pretty quick to repair or repave them. I drive about 60K miles a year all over the state, so it's not just a local thing.

New York with it's 42+/G tax should be paving the entire state every year.

Georgia is at 7.5/G. You would think they didn't have roads, but theirs are pretty nice too.

Something doesn't add up and I don't think the gas tax is the magic bullet. Reform of the bureaucracy might be a better starting point. The money has to be going somewhere if it isn't going to the roads.

In reply to Toyman01:

NY winters destroy roads. I'm sure NYS politics doesn't help either, but there has been enough flounder in this thread for a nice fish fry.

800 bucks, factory non ac industrial package 2wd truck. rubber floormats and manual windows and locks. rated 8800gvw and will do any truck thing I need, even in ohio

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

PHeller wrote: I have nothing against trucks, but I wouldn't own one. I take that back, there is one in particular that I'd want if I could afford it.

WTF is that? That thing is the sort of vehicle in which you could have a deep intimate relationship with another man involving bi-directional penetration along with episodes of snuggling and still call (nohomo)!. I'm pretty sure that is the cure Romney had up his sleeve.

That magnificent creature is the Earthroamer and it s just as sexy on the inside as the out. It is the yupppie superman of expedition vehicles. I want one.

I'm addicted to love.

Advan046 wrote:

The self-centered always end up screwing up the situation! Then they end up complaining about kids and dogs, the Joes, or some plastic guy that turns into cars defeating them.

Anth my man, you are the only person I know who remembers that cartoon where the guy melts into the car. I've been trying for years to figure out what it was called. I would have figured it out too, if it weren't for those meddling kids.

I guess I will just plop this cherry here then.

Theres a lot of butthurt here from truck owners who feel lumped into this category of truck hate. Thats not the case, we hate ill-equipped drivers of said trucks particularly those who feel the need to in one to be safe, its a berkeleying car its not safe its as dangerous as a loaded 357 with the hammer back its all up to the operator and as we are all members of an enthusiasts, drivers forum I feel safe to say very few of the members here are actually bad drivers at what they drive. Women, teenaged kids ect are the main problem, it's the American mentality to have bigger crap and its ingraned into our children. If you need a truck, chances are you know how to drive it as you are aware how big it is, this isnt about you so unravel your undies. Ignore the runon sentences I dont care too much for punctuation.