Why are Americans so obsessed with pickup trucks?

That is a very good question!

Only space for one corpse in the boot.

Because ‘murica.

People in Europe who own cars – where automobile ownership is a far lower percentage of the population than it is in the USA – cannot afford to drive pickup trucks and larger SUVs. The reasons for that primarily stem from the fact that gasoline (petrol) is priced far higher than it is in the USA because of very high taxation. After all, the product on the world market is more or less the same everywhere, varied only by distance from refineries and the mode of transportation used to distribute the fuel.

But high gas prices aren’t the only reason. European homes in general are much smaller, and generally do not include garages and parking areas. Streets are narrow, so street parking is also problematic.

Finally, in the European nations that I know anything about (Netherlands primarily, but having heard from people there who have friends in Germany, France and England), driver licensing is far more rigorous than it is in the USA. In the USA nearly anyone who can read and physically operate a vehicle will fairly readily obtain a learner’s permit, and then graduate with little additional effort into a full-privilege driver’s license. Not so in most countries, I think, where driver training is highly rigorous, and most people expect to fail the courses not just once, but several times.

I think that a lot of Europeans, given the chance, would prefer to drive the same kinds of vehicles that we drive in the USA.

The question to my mind is, “Why do they put up with that?”

The only people who got in and out of our 500ft driveway after a snowstorm this past winter were people who drove a pickup or larger.

This is why we are looking to purchase a truck or SUV. We were stranded several times this winter. They are also handy for hauling large items.

You obviously don’t have to do serious outdoor work. Sometimes you need a pickup. You can do anything with the right tools.

Because we aren’t that far removed from hard, physical work. Hubs and I are on the lookout for a cheap, old pickup for working on the land.

Geez. In Oklahoma, I couldn’t believe it, at the two state parks we went to, we saw no less than 3 pickups with little kids packed in the bed. Just these rows and rows of little heads in the bed of the pick ups.

Try hauling mulch in a Honda Accord. I can only get 5 bags in the trunk at a time. I usually need 30 bags. If you do any yard work, a truck is really handy.

@Adirondackwannabe I can’t even count the number of pickup trucks on the road because there are too many. Are you telling me those are all used for work?

Owning them for work is understandable, owning them for the sake of owning them is ridiculous. I’d say the latter wins, hands down. Most truck owners are too afraid of ruining their paint job.

I’ve lived in the USA for nearly five decades, and have never known anyone who was obsessed with pickup trucks. I have known people who own them, but none were obsessed with them. If someone’s lifestyle results in carrying cargo more often than passengers, pickup trucks are a great option. I specifically define a pickup truck as one that has the bed in the back.

SUVs, like Suburbans and Escalades are just wagons with 4-wheel-drive, in my opinion. Those really are utility vehicles because they can manage passengers and/or cargo. The lifestyle in the US is generally different, as we tend to have bigger bodies, bigger houses, longer commutes, and generally spend a lot more time in our cars than our European counterparts. Plus a lot of people get bigger vehicles just to feel a bit safer amongst all the other big vehicles.

This is a good question @flip86. It isn’t all Americans who are obsessed with these large gas guzzling vehicles, and yes, every now and then someone owns a pickup truck who actually uses it for work.
Many people around here own pickup trucks which they only always use as a simple car. And with gas running around $4.50 a gallon, they are really fools.

@Dan_Lyons I don’t know where you live, but here in my neck of the woods, most trucks are used for work or hauling and not used as a pretty vehicle that can’t get dirty.

@Dan_Lyons I wasn’t pinpointing all Americans but Americans in general. I’m American myself and I’d never own a truck. No need for one. I never haul anything.

If you want to haul something, why not get one of these?

@flip86 I never haul anything but I have helped others haul stuff. I was glad they had a P/up truck!

@chyna Here many many people own pickup trucks that never ever even see dirt.

@Dan_Lyons Dirt would not be the only thing people haul. Appliances, roofing, furniture, the list is endless.

Some of you need to come to rural America and see what trucks are really used for. And most of the trucks are dirty on the outside.

@chyna Would this not serve the same purpose?

It is because of all those Pickup truck commercials.

@flip86 That would not hold the 16 7ft posts my husband bought last Friday for our garden. It would also not hold 2 adults, 3 children, two dogs, a tent, cooler, fishing gear and sleeping bags.

There are two primary reasons. Firstly, the American government deliberately keeps gas prices lower than in other countries, like with subsidies for example. Secondly, it’s the culture and way of life for many Americans. Four wheeling is very big where I live, and so is hunting. Pick-up trucks have an attractive appeal in American culture that has grown as a result.

I have only one pick-up truck currently, but I’m looking to get a smaller car to travel for work since they’re better on gas, and cheaper to buy. There were times I had several pick-up trucks at one time, and I consider myself to be more of a truck than a car guy. I’m not as big on SUVs and jeeps though.

@flip86 It might work for hauling enclosed sacks of stuff, but wouldn’t work for branches and loose dirt and posts as @jonsblond said) and a lot of other stuff. Them pick em ups sure come in handy.

You need them to help move stuff. Trucks are handy. If you’re financially set, one will have a car for show and for work.

@Dutchess_III This then? I mean, the Europeans seem to get along fine with out American pickup trucks. All these arguments are just excuses really. There are more efficient vehicles that can get the same job done.

@jonsblond Where do you put your dogs in a pickup truck with 3 kids in it? Don’t tell me you put them in the bed.

Have you ever put 10’ posts in a Buick Regal? It’s a pain. You have to stick them out the rear windows and make 5 trips to get them all. We Americans Do It Ourselves. Pretty much, anyway.

Perhaps other pick-up truck owners love theirs and much as I love mine.

Since 1991 I’ve owned 2 small Ford Ranger ½ ton pick-up trucks. I like the short bed and short cab for that sporty look. Extended cab pick-ups to me look like pregnant guppies. I use my pick-up mostly for dependable commuting to and from work (28 mpg average), I’ve also used it also for hauling wood, junk, dirt, beauty-bark, camping gear etc. It is so versatile, efficient, dependable and in my opinion very cool looking. I’ve said this before that I have the resources to easily own about any luxury car but I prefer my stripped down no frills Ford® Ranger® pick-up.

@flip86 I’m curious. How are your examples in your links better than trucks? Why are you showing us these vehicles? Do they get better gas mileage? Are they the type of vehicles that farmers in Europe use? I’m not familiar with farm life in Europe, but I am familiar with farm life in the MIdwest. Those vehicles won’t work that well here in this part of the country.

There is a third row of seating in Suburbans, Escalades and Blazers. We’ve only transported our family and pets in a mini-van when we had one. We have a tiny little car right now that doesn’t hold all of us with the dogs included, and it won’t get us out of our driveway with the snowdrifts we get out here in the country. We are looking for something like a Blazer that will give us what we need. Room and height is what we need.

How would you haul a boat without a truck @flip86?

I always feel that people want big cars to compensate for relatively small genitals.

Hey,hey not just America , us Canucks like our trucks to, wouldn’t be without one, can’t even remember the last time I was in a car, myself I find cars sub useless, a truck on the other hand it’s uses are almost limitless.

As someone who has driven in snow up to 8 inches deep in Corollas, Golfs, and other small cars, I don’t buy the, “they’re the only vehicles that can handle snow” arguments, especially given the number of times I’ve managed when 4wd trucks with chains got stuck.

@jerv I agree. This last winter during a snowstorm on my way to work, we were going up a pretty steep hill and we passed a mid size truck that was skidding and sliding backwards down the hill. He was having a hell of a time. My Stratus climbed that hill like it was nothing.

That said, hauling capacity is an issue for many. If the cargo area is less than 8’ long, then it’s not even worth looking at. Load a few sheets of plywood onto a Daihatsu Midget and you’ll see. And try carrying two dirtbikes while hauling a trailer and still seating 4 people. For those that need trucks, little flatbed golf carts won’t cut it.

I didn’t read answers yet

Because I take my dog everywhere.
Because I have toys – bikes, snowmobiles, skis, snowboard, motorcycles.
Because I like to car camp.
Because I have more than 3 friends I want to take with me.
Because I can take the local Girl Scout Troop in a parade.
Because of hay rides.
Because of friends that move, or because I’m moving.
Because there’s somethin’ women like about a pickup man.

@GloPro You forgot the many people who use their “work truck” as personal transportation so they don’t need to register/insure an extra vehicle.

Sure, throw that in, too. Seems legit.

I also forgot lining it in plastic and having a homemade hot tub. Fill it with ice and beer… Par-Tay!

@jerv You don’t live with my 500 ft driveway and the deep snow drifts we get out here. I didn’t imagine the past 4 winters we’ve lived here in the country and the numerous times we’ve been stuck. Trucks got in and out fine. Cars didn’t. It was impossible until it was plowed, by a truck.

About 5 years ago I was on my way home from work as the snow started falling very heavily. On about a one mile up hill on the freeway, traffic came to a stand still as cars got stuck in the snow. I simply pulled to the shoulder and quickly put chains on my 2 wheel drive pickup and continued on up the hill weaving my way (slowly) through all the stuck cars. People were abandoning their vehicles as I nonchalantly continued on. When I got to the top of the hill it was so strange to be the only vehicle on the road. Why should I pay so much more money for 4WD when all I need is chains now and then? The cost-benefit of 4WD just isn’t there for my needs.

@jonsblond :: Where I live we get one or two days of snow a year. But people drive around monster trucks that have never had lumber or mud anywhere near their truck. A Prius sees more action.

Hmmm…I don’t recall anyone ever calling their Suburban, Blazer or Escalade as a pick- up truck. They usually call them an SUV. I wonder if this is a regional thing?

A good sized van has far more capacity to haul stuff around, way better than a pick-up.
If the A-Team used a puny pick-up they’d have looked stoopid & Face would probably have fell out.

My husband will never own anything but a pickup. Most of the good ole Southern boys ‘round these parts feel that way. A lot of them use it for things like going mud riding, hunting, working, etc. We don’t do much of that with our truck, and our dog rides in the backseat regardless, but pickup trucks are a big deal down here. It’s part of the culture. And I think it’s also a masculinity thing – there’s something more manly about driving around an F150 as opposed to a Toyota Camry.

@fluthernutter A lot of people here in the South call their SUVs trucks. I thought it was odd at first, but now I’m used to it.

Calling an SUV a “truck”, is appropriate, because many share the same chassis as a pickup – but only the vehicles with the bed in the back are “pickups” around the Midatlantic.

My current vehicle is an older Honda Odyssey minivan. We use it to haul cargo and not people – the middle seats have been removed for ages and we keep the back seat folded down. This works really well most of the time, but falls short when it comes to moving: garbage (we take ours to the dump; no trash pickup here), certain building materials (such as tall fence posts and cattle panels), some animals (our new goats are immanent arrivals – while we could move them in the Odyssey – and we actually have local friends who moved a mini horse in their Prius – they would be more comfortable and secure in a pickup bed, and we will probably borrow a truck for this purpose), extra kayaks we can’t fit on the roof (our solution thus far has been to lay the front passenger seat all the way back and stick the ‘yak’s nose through the front window), the dog after we go to a farm and she rolls in pigshit (so horrible!), and, probably most importantly, firewood (we heat with a woodstove in the winter and being able to move our own wood would save us a lot of money). Finally, my fiance does landscaping work in the summer and snow removal in the winter, currently with other people’s equipment – but if we owned a truck he could then invest in his own mowers and plow and really expand his business. Also, we live on a dirt road and get oodles of snow in the winter, plus I drive into some hairy spots sometimes to put my boat in the water. Though I agree with jerv that 4WD isn’t necessarily necessary in bad conditions, it is nice to have.

@ragingloli Most cars don’t have towing capacity for hauling much, plus trailers are fucking annoying. Ever try driving with a loaded trailer, especially in a hilly, curvy area – oh yeah, and with manual transmission? Not super fun.

I’m not sure why you use the word “obsessed”. We are a different nation from the European countries, we have a different culture, we live in different topological circumstances, we have access to differently manufactured things. The pick-up truck, as an easily available, practical, tool, was developed in this country. It is part of our automotive consciousness here, it isn’t in Europe.

We also have developed different types of and wear more sneakers than most Europeans, but that is harder to discern while looking at Google Maps.

@canidmajor Bullshit. These automobile companies shoved these trucks down our throats with heavy psychological advertising. They brainwashed an entire nation. They’ve tried the same all over the world but only the US and Canada have taken the bait.

@flip86 For how long? Before you answer, you’re talking to a person who grew up around farms, bikers, and contractors; people who actually need what only a pickup can offer unless they want to deal with the hassles and expense of multiple vehicles. So if that’s their game, they’ve been at it a long time.

I believe @canidmajor is correct; as our needs from vehicles are different, our taste in vehicles is likewise different.

Is a woman hoping to look more manly and compensating for a small vag if she wants to drive a larger vehicle?~

@jonsblond That might be a thesis paper. LMAO

@jerv You don’t think Europeans do the same type of things as Americans? They need to haul things, deal with snow, transport people and they do all of it without the help of American pickup trucks. Like I said, everything people here have said is just an excuse.

Also, obsess is the right word. Look at how adamantly you people defend the use of these things

In America, you have to have the vehicle that is capable of doing all the stuff you’d like to do, whether you actually use that vehicle to do it or not. It’s a status symbol thing.

If you’re a fishin’, huntin’ kinda guy, then you need a pickemup truck. Forget the fact that this particular pickemup truck gets sent through the car wash twice a week and lives in the garage, and you only use it for commuting to another parking garage. If you really wanted to you could take it fishing. It has four wheel drive and everything.

Can’t go off-roading with a Prius, now can you?

Long story short: Americans are stupid.

But they are good excuses @flip86. What’s your excuse for hating them so much? You asked the question and we are providing answers as to why some of us prefer or need a truck. You are the only person I see that is angry. It looks like you are the one obsessed.

I’m not angry at all. I just find it a bit ridiculous that Americans feel the need to drive unnecessarily large and unwieldy trucks. Whatever happened to driving small trucks? You know, ford rangers, S10’s and the like? You used to see those trucks all the time. Now all you see are the monstrosities.

Oh, bullshit yourself, @flip86. There will always be a portion of the populace that is “brainwashed” (“brainwashed”? Really? How smug you are about your uninfluenced-by-media automotive choices.) but not the entire population. We (and the Canadians) live in a LARGE country. We, as a rule, have bigger farms, bigger ranches, greater distances to traverse, simply by virtue of having much more land available much more recently. We haul larger amounts of stuff.
There is a great variety of pick-up model options at various ranges of affordability available to a large population. It makes sense that there would be more purchased.

If you are an American, and you are obsessed with pick-up trucks, fine, but you present a “Stevie Wonder is God” kind of logic, here, with your assumptions.

@canidmajor It isn’t just Europe that doesn’t use American trucks. Asia doesn’t either. Asia dwarfs North America in size and population. They have the same sorts of climate extremes we see in the US. Excuses, excuses, excuses.

Who needs excuses? I love a big pickup because I can’t see the stars laying in my van when I car camp.

I’m not hauling a bloody deer carcass in a van.

I’ve yet to see a single person, ever, anywhere, haul a snowmobile in the back of their van. Or a motorcycle.

And that hayride… Well, I’m glad I don’t have to clean the hay out of a van.

I love a truck because everyone else has one, and I don’t feel safe in a tin can Prius on the interstate, driving amongst the bigger, heavier, safer vehicles.

I don’t see them as excuses. I see them as benefits. You just want to argue.

Little geography lesson, @flip86: Asia is not a country. The vast majority of Asians do not enjoy the standard of living that most Americans do. If you want to counter with “Japan does” then please remember that Japan, compared to the US is teeny tiny with a much greater population density per square mile and a culture that largely developed without a need for distance travel and major hauling capabilities.

You say “excuses, excuses” because people aren’t agreeing with you. I see some well stated reasons.

By all means, don’t get a pick-up if you don’t want one.

@Paradox25 “Firstly, the American government deliberately keeps gas prices lower than in other countries, like with subsidies for example.”

This. Eventually, Americans will have to start paying what the rest of the world is paying for gas. Then, hopefully, priorities will shift.

I have no beef with people on farms who actually use these vehicles as tools. But I see plenty of pickups and SUVs that are nothing but shiny status symbols. The best are the Hummers in the richest parts of town. I mean, what’s next, a tank? Come on.

@GloPro I’m not arguing that they can’t haul things. I’ve posted links to more than just a van. A Piaggio porter truck can do all the things you claim American pickups trucks do. Why do American trucks need to be ridiculously large?

I will say this one more time: you cannot haul two snowmobiles without a trailer using anything but a larger truck with a sled deck accessory. Where I live that is a very, very common sight.

parking is not abundant, so everyone can’t just haul a trailer

@GloPro If parking is not abundant, the trailer should be the better option. The whole point of a trailer is that it’s only hitched when it’s needed. When it’s not needed (like, say, when there’s no snow to use your snowmobiles in), you’d have far more parking options than you would with a truck.

Why a better option? Parking is not abundant where the snowmobiling is done. Taking two car length items, regardless of separating them, still takes two spaces. That would make me a selfish douchebag to the rest of the snowmobiling crowd.

Also, digging out a trailer is a major pain in the ass. You keep the sleds in the garage, load them only when being used, and go. Takes 20 minutes versus 2 hours to get going. And if it’s dumping while you are out there, then digging out a trailer after a long hard day just sucks all over again. People just don’t do it because sled decks are better for many reasons. You put your trailer on to haul your boat in the summer.

And I’m talking FEET of snow. Would you feel safe hauling a trailer in your Outback on slippery mountain roads? Not me. You slide one way, the trailer slides the other… Scary. I’d rather weight the back of the pickup and have a shorter length all going one direction.

I would love to have a small Toyota SR5 again but it is not an option in the US. Even the midsized trucks are big.

And try getting one that is a “work truck” with no carpeting, vinyl seats, manual windows. They don’t offer them anymore. Everything is carpet, leather and fancy breakable options.

And speaking of which, try to find a manual transmission! Sure, you can find them, eventually, and pay a premium for purchasing what used to be the norm.

@canidmajor Did I say Asia was a country? I believe I compared it to North America, both of which are continents.

So they can carry their guns and Bibles, naturally.

@janbb What an odd thing to say. The farmers and ranchers out here in Nevada aren’t religious.
Why do you equate big trucks to guns and bibles?

My mom, in the south, carries her gun and bible in a Legacy sedan.

@GloPro Just a lighthearted satirical remark. Not going to get into a back and forth about it but I do see some (not all) pick-up usage as part of the American macho ethos.

Let’s not forget one of the aspects of the response that is certainly true:

fashion

Among many people it is still fashionable to own a large vehicle.

So what? Many people like to get ink because it’s fashionable, and to pierce body parts for the same reason, and wear silly clothes, and decorate their homes in ways that I find strange. Not to mention the odd music and tastes in food that seem to be in vogue these days. More power to them, to all of them.

@CWOTUS I agree with you, a lot of it is about fashion – it’s basically part of the uniform in some parts of North America. But the difference between driving a large vehicle (when it’s not needed) and all of the other things you mentioned is that it consumes fuel at a high rate, and that affects all of us.

Anthropogenic climate change, it’s a thing. Fashion should be set aside in that context.

Ah. I didn’t realize religion was part of the American macho ethos. Curveball. There doesn’t seem to be much religion on display in general out West.

@dappled_leaves A lot of my friends drive big trucks in the winter and little cars or motorcycles all summer. It’s a common discussion as to who will drive based on gas guzzling.

@GloPro I think that’s great! I wish it were a more prevalent philosophy. As I say, I don’t have a beef with people who are using these vehicles as tools, but all I see around me is people who don’t. And ride sharing is not going to happen among those people.

Incidentally, one reason @janbb‘s comment resonated with me is that I tend to associate climate change denial with religion.

@dappled_leaves I see the same as you. People own pickups simply to own them. Hardly ever do I see people hauling stuff with them unless they have the name of a construction or landscaping business on the side. The funny part? These businesses tend to use mid size trucks for their job. The huge monstrosities are the personal truck.

Go to any college campus (out west anyway) and you will see the biggest, shiniest, chrome-platedest, jacked-upest machoest, testosterone-extruding 4wd pickups anywhere. Tools? HA! Few of them have ever seen a day of work in their entire existence (wouldn’t want to scratch the paint or stain the bedliner now would we?). But we have to put on a show on the way to failing our English class. Can’t show up in a Prius now can we? Not out west.

@flip86 I live off a major two-lane highway in rural Illinois. I can see the highway from where I’m sitting right now as I type. I’ve watched about 12 trucks pass my house in the last minute. Most were hauling something and most looked used and abused. Only one stood out as being squeaky clean. It sounds like you have issues with douchey city people. That small minority ruins it for the rest of us. (good times with generalizations~)

I think this may be one of those issues where the usage differs depending on where you live in the country. On the East Coast, where I live, may pick-up trucks do seem more for fashion than usage and commercial businesses use vans.

I am prepared to believe it is different in the West.

Oh, I understand the Q now. I was unable to extrapolate “Why are some urban Americans in the Eastern United States the owners of very large, clean, flashy, pick-up trucks?” from how it was worded.

My bad.

I guess having a clean, expensive truck is the equivalent of having a Hummer, a Jag or a Rolls. I don’t know very many people who have a fancy truck for show. Everyone I know use their trucks to pull campers and boats and 4-wheelers, to move furniture, haul sod and garden mulch, or take a load of trash to the dump.

So the questions is; how to people in Europe do these things?

People in America who don’t own a truck rent one from Home Depot for $20 in order to get their supplies home. It’s much less expensive than paying double for petrol the 364 other days you don’t need it.

My family has a truck – one truck that sits in the side driveway, ready for whenever anyone needs to move, or to pick up building supplies or landscaping supplies, and those million other things that we use a truck for. I have four grown kids, and we get our money’s worth out of that truck. No one drives it full time. Everyone uses it for the kind of things I listed above – moving, hauling, camping, boating. Sometimes you just need a truck, and I would rather have one than have to beg all my friends, relatives and neighbors to use theirs.

People in America who don’t own a truck rent one from Home Depot for $20 in order to get their supplies home.

We don’t have anything like that in our area. Anyone who doesn’t have a truck calls a friend who has a truck to help them when they need to haul something. That’s what we did last week. My husband bought the guy beer for helping out.

U-Haul rents out pickup trucks. As far as I know, U-Haul is national.

@jonsblond My sons also haul for beer. Ha-ha!

@flip86: So now you don’t want anyone to own a pick-up? I thought it was just the large, shiny ones. Or only people who have a business decal on the side can own the truck? Or maybe they should rent the truck, and have those magnetic signs to slap on the doors, so they are only pretending to own the truck.

Our nearest U-Haul is 30 minutes from us. There’s no guarantee that specific U-Haul facility will have the vehichle we need when we need it. Not every town in this country is located that close to a U-Haul facility. You need to get out and drive around the states a bit more @flip. It’s a big country. city people~

I suspect that @flip86 would like to be the car czar, @canidmajor.

@canidmajor I suspect you’re correct there too.

@canidmajor I never said that. @jonsblond responded to @Seek saying that there was nothing like that in her area.

When the price of gas is as high as it already is, and these damn trucks seem to be getting bigger and bigger, people shouldn’t be driving them. Seriously. They are huge wastes of space and resources.

Today I saw a jacked up pickup with exhaust pipes on the back of the cab, spewing thick black smoke.

So, this whole thread is an “I hate trucks!” rant!

/thread

trucks are bad, m’kay

@jerv No. I don’t hate trucks. I hate that everyone thinks they need one. They don’t. Two entire continents(Europe and Asia) get along just fine without everyone and their mother owning a pickup truck.

But @flip86, you specifically targeted pick-up trucks. I see less inappropriately owned pick-ups than other types of vehicles. Families with only children own mini vans. Young urban couples own SUVs. Empty-nesters have large luxury sedans.

But I guess Google Maps doesn’t really show that, either.

@canidmajor When you see 4 or 5 large pickup trucks(sometimes more)on every zoom in, they tend to stand out.

Gas guzzlers of all types should be reduced, but the main point here is that trucks are the epitome of gas guzzlers.

@flip86 To be fair here, I don’t think most people who have pick-up trucks probably need them. I also think people usually drive pick-up trucks that are much too big for their needs and do it to showboat. I still think trucks are more attractive than cars but I’m not in my 23 year old stage anymore where I need to drive a very big truck, or jack one up.

I’m still glad that I have my ranger since I live in a rural area and haul a great deal of branches and wood. It comes in handy for driving in very bad weather because of the four wheel drive. Living in a rural area means I actually have to drive, and drive a decent distance to get to work. We get nasty winters with very deep snow where I live, and there are many mountainous roads here. I’m getting a small car for normal travel needs though, and I’ve had cars before.

@dappled leaves I do find it ridiculous that many conservative and redneck types think they have an inherent right to cheap gas so they can drive oversized pick-up trucks and other gas guzzlers.

Many rednecks will not willingly give up their internal combustion engine powered vehicles, even if a the perfect environmentally friendly prototype vehicle came to be at an affordable price. Maybe gas prices should be allowed to rise to the same levels they are in Europe, though it’s very predictable what rants by conservatives would follow such an event. Drill baby drill!

@Paradox25 The irony there is that electric motors have more torque (and therefore, hauling capacity) than gas engines, or even diesels. In fact, that is why hybrid trucks exist; it’s not for MPG, but because of towing capacity.

Also, the White Zombie electric dragster only has 350 horsepower, but at over 1200 foot-pounds of torque (more than two V10 Vipers), it can take nearly anything off the line; 0–60 in 1.8 seconds. It embarasses those who think V8 muscle cars are better than Hondas since Datsuns aren’t supposed to have more torque than anything from Detroit.

@jerv Some four pole DC motors can produce an immense amount of torque for their frame size, so this doesn’t surprise me. I’m not very familiar with how hydrids work, but my thinking would be if an individual motor is being used per wheel this would produce far more torque than a single drive system from an internal combustion engine, though proper gearing can make up for the torque.

I have one, I need one. Leave me alone! I guess people in Europe never bought a crib from a yard sale, or a used dining room set from a friend. Or had a boat or camper, or 4-wheelers, jet skis. Maybe our lifestyle is different from people in Europe.

@Skaggfacemutt That’s the thing. Europeans do all those things. They just don’t find it necessary to own a monstrous gas guzzling machine.

Really, it is ONLY the US and Canada that sees asinine amounts of people who own pickup trucks. The rest of the world uses common sense and rejects them, like they should.

@flip86 “That’s the thing. Europeans do all those things. They just don’t find it necessary to own a monstrous gas guzzling machine.”

Well, exactly. These are not things that are done 24/7, or if they are, they don’t need to be. It’s just a matter of adjusting one’s point of view. I own furniture that I bought at various places, and have never owned a car. When I need one, I rent one, or use a ride share service, or whatever. It doesn’t make that much sense to own a huge vehicle for occasional hauling. Again, everyday hauling is a different matter.

It doesn’t make that much sense to own a huge vehicle for occasional hauling

Maybe for people who live close to a city with many different options available for them, but for the many people who don’t live near large cities that’s not an option. I’m amazed how little people know about the world outside of their little bubble.

Of the many people I know who own a truck, the truck is not the only vehicle in the family. Usually the husband drives the truck and the wife drives a smaller vehicle. The family travels in the smaller vehicle when they go to grandma’s house 2 hours away. These families do many outdoor activities that require hauling large items like boats, campers, 4 wheelers, kayaks, etc.. Truck owners help friends and family when they need help moving something. The truck is not for an occasional haul. It makes more sense to have a vehicle that will do these things for you when you need it. As mentioned before, many people also have trucks for the terrain where they live. Seriously people, get out and travel and see what’s beyond your cities.

I’m sure there are many people who don’t need a truck, but that does not make it the majority.

I know what people who don’t have trucks do. They bum a truck from a truck-owning friend. And the truck owners get really tired of it. As @jonsblond said, most families own a passenger vehicle AND a truck. And the truck is used for more than a once-in-a-while run to Lowe’s for sheetrock. I own a truck because I hate being a mooch. And I have a boat.

@jonsblond I hear what you’re saying. I don’t know how much further I can bend over backward to say that I’m not referring to everyone in these comments. People’s usage varies, a lot. I have acknowledged that.

But you must also acknowledge that there is a huge proportion of users who don’t need these vehicles as much as your family does yours. It’s a real phenomenon, I promise.

@dappled_leaves When I first joined fluther I answered a questioned and stated that women are emotional. You should have seen the backlash I got for that little comment. Adding the word “some” would have saved me from a huge argument. I get what you are saying. I really do.

@jonsblond There are nearly 7 billion people in the world. Imagine if the entire globe felt the same way about pickup trucks? I’m glad they don’t. They recognize that trucks have a specific purpose and don’t feel it necessary to make it a family vehicle.

I live in Maine. Our biggest city has a little over 66,000 people. Most of this state is rural.

For what it’s worth, our family vehicle is a smallish pickup truck. It’s the only automobile we have since my Crown Vic broke down. My husband is in a band and uses his truck to haul his gear to gigs. He also does construction when there’s work available, and needs to be able to use the bed of the truck for mixing chemicals and stuff that you don’t want to be doing where it can mess up the customer’s driveway.

All in all, though, he’d prefer to have a van, and I’d prefer to live somewhere that I never needed to operate a motor vehicle.

If wishes were horses…

@Skaggfacemutt I live in a small farming town in Kansas. I’d say most people don’t own trucks, at least not in town.

We used to have an extended bed pick up. Lord, I hated that truck. We finally traded it in for a Mountaineer, which we use the crap out of. We have a 16’ trailer we haul stuff on, including our tractor at the land, when we bring it into town for Rick to work on.
I drive the Mountaineer, Rick drives the Jetta. However, because of the 5 acres we own, we could use some cheap, used $500 truck for hauling stuff around as we’re cleaning up the property.

Look at these 3 big happy dogs in a truck bed at the ball diamonds. The park was packed this evening and the dogs didn’t bark at anyone who drove or walked past them. They were the best behaved dogs. (sorry for the pic quality)

@jonsblond You drive your dogs around like that? That is very irresponsible. Those dogs could get seriously injured or even killed riding in the bed.

@flip86
Mayhaps that is what he is betting on.

The truck looks parked to me. It has an extended cab, room for dogs to actually ride inside. I don’t see that they are in danger in this picture.

Yeah, sorry @jonsblond, that’s really dangerous. Especially if they’re tied up back there. I had a childhood friend whose dog died that way.

Millions of dogs ride in beds of trucks daily. Those dogs are fine, and they love it back there.

Curious as to why everyone assumes that those dogs are A) @jonsblond‘s dogs (they may well be, but I don’t know that) and B) that they are in the bed when the truck is moving? (Again, they may be, but it’s not evident from the picture.)
The people I know that have dogs and pick-ups have the dogs ride inside. Sometimes, going pretty slowly in rural areas the dogs will ride in the bed, but at those times the danger is minimized.

I’ve personally watched a big, happy dog, happily jump out of a moving truck bed and happily get crushed by the truck driving in the next lane.

@GloPro Just because you think they’re fine doesn’t mean they’re actually fine. You become more aware of these things when it happens to someone you know.

According to the American Humane Association, 100,000 dogs die each year as a result of riding in the back of a pickup.

Ha. Yeah, not my dogs. I’ve said several times that I’m looking for a SUV to purchase. I noticed this at the park and took a picture. I knew some of you would get your panties in a bunch, so I thought I’d take a pic and share. :P

@jonsblond Well, thanks for the reminder of childhood trauma. That was awesome.

I’ve personally seen a big, happy bulldog jump out of a window of a moving car, too. I’ve seen one fall from the top of a waterfall, too. Not all dogs have strong self preservation skills. I guess we could leave them locked up in a crate at the house all their lives so they stay safe.

Not all dogs should be pickup dogs. Some love it and spend their whole lives happily riding along with their owners everywhere. The choice and training belongs to the owner of the dog.

@dappled_leaves Sorry. The dogs were really happy. And alive.

and this… The people I know that have dogs and pick-ups have the dogs ride inside. Sometimes, going pretty slowly in rural areas the dogs will ride in the bed, but at those times the danger is minimized.

I live in a very rural area. 30,000 people within 590 sq miles of our county.

@ragingloli Mayhaps that is what he is betting on. I’m proud to call myself a woman. I’m not a he. Maybe you are thinking of my husband @Blondesjon?

It’s equally idiotic to let the dog ride unsecured with the windows down.

They make seatbelts for dogs. Use them.

Yes, shit happens. But bad things happen to people sitting and doing nothing sometimes, too. I am someone who believes that in many cases risk is worth reward.

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty an well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting: Geronimo!”

I had a rottie for 8 years that rode in my Wrangler with no doors or top and never fell or jumped out. She straddled my jet ski with a life vest on. She went sailing with me, and yeah, she fell off of the boat a few times, but she loved every minute of it. She scaled some rock slopes so steep I had to rope her and lower her down sometimes. I took calculated risks with my dog. There is always a chance for the unknown and bad things happen. But she was my sidekick, she loved being on adventures.

She wasn’t the type to sit in the front with her seatbelt on. There are a lot of us like that. It doesn’t make us idiotic. You spend a lot of time telling everybody what they do wrong.

A calculated risk would be driving with your dog safely secured, knowing you could still get into an accident.

Allowing an animal that relies on you to provide its safety and wellbeing to travel at 60 miles per hour in an unsecured truck bed is not a calculated risk. It’s just a risk.

Only on Fluther could an argument about pick-up trucks rage for days! Gotta love it!

Well, @jonsblond, I’m just waiting for the generalizers to start vilifying you for eating antibiotic and Monsanto GMO corn fed veal (raised in dark and tiny sheds and force-fed through cracks) and entering your toddler into beauty pageants staffed and run by registered pedophiles just so you can get some sort of TV contract. Cuz, you know, that’s what people with pick-up trucks do. Cuz of all the brainwashing and stuff. ~

@GloPro, I doubt you’re exempt. Or me, either, for supporting your right to make informed automotive decisions based on your locations and lifestyle demands.

Come on over to my house, Ladies, and we’ll have a good old time torturing our dogs and talking in a politically incorrect fashion. ;-)

@canidmajor I have a feeling the people who are complaining about dogs in truck beds think skydiving dogs are just adorbs. ;)

No, I’m pretty much against putting any animal into a risky situation they are incapable of understanding and consenting to unless it is absolutely necessary.

Lots and lots of people drive around with their dogs in the bed of their trucks. I think it’s dangerous too, and I wouldn’t do it, but apparently some people think it’s OK.

When I had the shop I was talking with one of my customers and the subject of dogs in the bed of a truck came up. I said, “Aren’t you afraid they’ll jump out?”
He said, “No. It’s instinctive for them to stay in the truck bed.”
Then, a few minutes later, having wandered of the subject and on to dogs in general, he mentioned something about his sister’s dog. “But he died,” he said.
“How did he die?” I asked.
“He jumped out of the bed of a truck at 60 mph.”
I looked at him closely. Not a flicker of anything resembling awareness of the conversation we’d had just minutes before….

My old boss’ dog died by jumping out out of a truck and getting hit by another car. She didn’t realize that herding dogs should not be allowed to ride in a truck in urban areas. Apparently their instinct is to herd or chase and that raises the probability of them jumping out. Guess it depends on breed and individual sense of self-preservation. Know your breed, know your dog.

A while back I remember seeing a truck driving around town with a three legged dog hopping from the bed to the tool box to the roof and back. He seemed to be very comfortable with his position in life and his owner did not seem to think this was out of the ordinary; he just kept on truckin’.

I kinda wondered if this free-wheeling lifestyle was not a contributing factor to him being a tripod.

@GloPro  “In many cases risk is worth reward.”

Some risk is unavoidable, no doubt. Then again…is riding in a truck bed really rewarding enough to warrant a chance of your being responsible for killing your dog? I know you loved your Rottie to pieces. Could you honestly have forgiven yourself for killing her?

Would you ride in a roller coaster without a safety harness?

@longgone It wasn’t like I threw her in a bed of a truck one day and went speeding off. That would be irresponsible. Not all dogs are suited for all things. It’s up to individual owners to know the dog. My rottie was an exceptionally well behaved listener. We progressively introduced her to everything, including truck beds.

I personally wouldn’t have a dog attached to the truck in motion so that it would have a chance should something happen. Most places I frequent are less than 5 miles away, and the speed limit is 35. When I was a kid I rode in the back of trucks in similar circumstance all the time. My parents weren’t worried I was in extreme danger, so if I’m sure the dog isn’t a jumper I feel the same way.

I guess my answer is that if I accidentally killed my dog because she lives the same lifestyle as me then yes, I would feel incredible guilt for the rest of my life. But my pets are not the kind to stay safely at home, just like I am not. I could just as easily kill myself rock climbing or wake boarding or whatever, but I’m not going to sit safely at home either. Again, if I thought my dog wasn’t completely eager and happy to go, she wouldn’t.

I have rescued several dogs on my Search and Rescue team, so there are a lot of adventurous dogs. Those of you that think the back of a pickup is dangerous would freak out to see an avalanche dog hop on a moving chairlift and ride all the way to the top unrestrained. @ragingloli, yeah, I guess you could compare that chairlift to a roller coaster. But a well trained dog can handle it.

With my dog now, for the first few years I will introduce him to things slowly and don’t push him when he’s nervous. He’ll either eventually want to go along or not. Not all dogs do. So far he hasn’t been in a truck bed, and I won’t just toss him back there one day and take off, no more than I would toss him off of my kayak to force him to swim.

@GloPro I understand that. I consider you extremely responsible, in general. For me, it wouldn’t be worth it. If there is a chance my dog will get hurt, and there is another way to do things – why not choose that one? Avalanche dogs are at great risk. That’s tolerated, because they also do a hell of a job. We need them. My dog does not need to have the time of her life on a car ride. That’s why she’s secured.