Can you live without a pickup?

[GasGuzzler]

Some of the trucks people mentioned are barely trucks.

They keep getting bigger.

Try having to work on them. The GM body style from 88-99 is like working on a 3/4 scale vehicle compared to a new one. There's even a huge jump from the 2014-2018 truck to the 2019+ truck. The new ones have the engine half a foot lower and more than a foot farther back from the front. A new 3500 4X4 hood is shoulder height and I am just under 6' tall.

My current truck is a 2002 GMC Denali Quadrasteer.

Were you on the Denali/4WS forum all those years? I was but I just kinda stopped visiting even though I still have a 2003 Yukon Denali I got used in 2008.

 

[DGW1949]

390 engine?

Yes, an "S" code 390....C-6 trans, 9" rear, 3.25 gear, and heavy duty suspension/brake package....Most non-Ford folks didn't realize that those early Torino's were little more than a reshaped Mustang with 4 headlights and a touch longer wheel base. That made for a very quick, lite-weight, family car that handled like a race car.....but all good things come to an end...So today, I'm just one more old guy who's holding up traffic..LOL.

DGW

 

[BSA1]

Pickups are very common here. I put the owners into two distinct categories.

The first is City Folks. They keep their trucks washed and waxed. The real give away is the bed is never been used for hauling or work projects. The bed is as nice and clean as the rest of the truck. Usually 1/2 ton and not set up for serious trailer pulling such as horse trailers. By far these are the most common.

The second category is Country Folks. Their trucks are work vehicles. Dirty, maybe dented, rust. Trailer hitch for pulling horse or other trailers. They get used hard. I include company / business trucks in this category.

To answer the question is I have NO intention of giving up owning a pickup.

 

[roylt]

FYI:

https://www.menards.com/main/rental...se-rental/5760014/p-1444422070983-c-19171.htm

Features

• Starting at $18.95 for first 75 minutes
• $6.00 for each additional 15 minutes (rounded to next quarter hour)
• A charge of $0.50 for each mile driven
• Perfect for hauling home large purchases
• Truck must be returned by the end of the business day
• Brand and model may vary by store
• A Rental Deposit (amount determined at time of rental) will be collected at the time of rental. Upon return of the vehicle, if it is determined that the vehicle is free of damage, the Rental Deposit will be returned
• A weekend surcharge may apply
• Menards has hand controls available for Guests who require them to operate these vehicles. If you require such an accommodation, please contact your local store. While we will satisfy requests for hand controls as soon as reasonably practical, we may require several days? notice depending on the location where such an accommodation is requested, the availability of the hand controls, and other delays beyond our control.
• 8' truck bed

 

[gnappi]

Even city dwellers have uses for a pickup...

When my four headlights go ablaze my Silverado intimidates the weeine BMW, Honda and other pedal to the metal jackrabbit car owners who would cut me off sufficiently to dissuade them from making the move.

If a hurricane strike is imminent, I have a high topper that can hold a lot of stuff I'd take during an evacuation.

I can and do haul cord wood, washing machines, dryers, my genset or pressure washer when needed, fishing poles in an overhead rack as well as my bed launch-able 10' electric powered Jon boat. Look for uses and they appear to truck owners, to weeine cars they're just intimidating obstructions :-)

 

[GasGuzzler]

Pickups are very common here. I put the owners into two distinct categories.

The first is City Folks. They keep their trucks washed and waxed. The real give away is the bed is never been used for hauling or work projects. The bed is as nice and clean as the rest of the truck. Usually 1/2 ton and not set up for serious trailer pulling such as horse trailers. By far these are the most common.

The second category is Country Folks. Their trucks are work vehicles. Dirty, maybe dented, rust. Trailer hitch for pulling horse or other trailers. They get used hard. I include company / business trucks in this category.

To answer the question is I have NO intention of giving up owning a pickup.

Gross generalization.

 

[Mobuck]

We have 3 'pickups'. The 3/4 and one ton are generally farm use vehicles and look the part-dirty, dinged here and there -- just showing their usage. Trailer hitches for bumper and gooseneck, tool boxes, and cabs cluttered with tools/parts/???. The 1/2 ton is mostly used for Grouch Attack's part time business and our trips to town for groceries or parts. It's mostly clean (nothing stays 'clean' at the end of 2 miles of gravel road). Even that one has a class 3 trailer hitch and brake controller and bed liner for real use if necessary.

 

[MaxMan]

I'm so confused. Many people say its not a truck, I think it is, it might be a truck it could be a car with a bed' I'm so confused/ I'm sorry IO opened this thread. I have a headache. I'm going to go take a powder...

 

[Tensaw]

I had a truck since the early 70's. I've gone through a few. Latest is a 2021 Ram Bighorn, a great truck. And 4x4 is a must but I don't use it that often but when you need it you need it.

Now the wife has always had sports cars, too many to list. Current one is a 2019 Mustang GT convertible (460HP just in case).

 

[32shooter]

Here is my current truck, 2020 Ram. And it gets used as a truck. The cap is a bit of a pain at times, like when hauling firewood but guess who gets to drive on the week long fishing trips to Canada. Room enough for 4 and all the gear. Yes, it does need a bath.

 

[OneShotRuger]

Last summer I traded in my Ram 1500 and got a GMC 2500.

I’m not sure why we do that. I wanted a diesel and they didn’t have any GMC 1500s with diesel engines. So we test drove the 2500 and it drove pretty nice.

But it’s so freakin’ big… We are thinking of trading it in for some sort of smaller SUV.

And then half of me wonders how it would be to not have a truck. We’ve had a pickup truck since 1998.

If you don’t have a truck how do you move furniture? What if you want some gravel or dirt for landscaping? Or some firewood?

Just now I picked up my neighbor’s Christmas tree. It’s going to go down to the beach to help against erosion.

So if you don’t have a truck do you wish you did? Or if you do have one could you get by without it?

And by the way, in looking at various SUV’s, any of them of a good size get the same mileage as a truck.

The 2500 size truck is just not city friendly.

I have an F250 King Ranch. 2020 . I got in it and fell in love instantly. I had a Ram 1500 since 1984. The new Ram 2500 just didn’t do it for me. So I went by the Ford Lot. 3 hours later I drove my new Ford home.
It is the 7.3 gas GODZILLA engine. Got a recall for oil pump and dropped it off. Longest 4 days !
I came up with 15 chores put off due to lacking truck.

 

[Randyzzz]

Some of the trucks people mentioned are barely trucks.


Try having to work on them. The GM body style from 88-99 is like working on a 3/4 scale vehicle compared to a new one. There's even a huge jump from the 2014-2018 truck to the 2019+ truck. The new ones have the engine half a foot lower and more than a foot farther back from the front. A new 3500 4X4 hood is shoulder height and I am just under 6' tall.

Were you on the Denali/4WS forum all those years? I was but I just kinda stopped visiting even though I still have a 2003 Yukon Denali I got used in 2008.

No, haven’t been to that forum. I was on GMT400.com but no longer…I kept getting offered too much for my 400’s. Sorta wish I’d kept the last one, though…

 

[Jeepnik]

View attachment 91909

I'm so confused. Many people say its not a truck, I think it is, it might be a truck it could be a car with a bed' I'm so confused/ I'm sorry IO opened this thread. I have a headache. I'm going to go take a powder...

Simple. A pickup truck has a body on frame construction. Ford F series and the like. A car with a bed is unibody construction.

 

[Randyzzz]

Simple. A pickup truck has a body on frame construction. Ford F series and the like. A car with a bed is unibody construction.

I’ve always gone by the additional designation that a Bronco, Blazer, Suburban, Tahoe, and RamCharger- any multi-passenger vehicle that is built/based on a truck frame is a truck, a Utility Vehicle. A unibody vehicle like a Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, etc., those are SUV’s, Sport Utility Vehicles.

 

[Jeepnik]

I’ve always gone by the additional designation that a Bronco, Blazer, Suburban, Tahoe, and RamCharger- any multi-passenger vehicle that is built/based on a truck frame is a truck, a Utility Vehicle. A unibody vehicle like a Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, etc., those are SUV’s, Sport Utility Vehicles.

But what did we call them before SUV was invented. Folks even called El Caminos and Rancheros pickups.

Other things were called vans or station wagons.

 

[Randyzzz]

The full/mid size body on frame UV was always a truck, at least in my time. A Ranchero or El Camino was a truck too- honorary designation due to its bed…

A van has always been a van, unless it’s a VW. Then it’s a Bus. And a station wagon- always been a wagon.

 

[Joe Chartreuse]

Pickups are very common here. I put the owners into two distinct categories.

The first is City Folks. They keep their trucks washed and waxed. The real give away is the bed is never been used for hauling or work projects. The bed is as nice and clean as the rest of the truck. Usually 1/2 ton and not set up for serious trailer pulling such as horse trailers. By far these are the most common.

The second category is Country Folks. Their trucks are work vehicles. Dirty, maybe dented, rust. Trailer hitch for pulling horse or other trailers. They get used hard. I include company / business trucks in this category.

To answer the question is I have NO intention of giving up owning a pickup.

"The second category is Country Folks. Their trucks are work vehicles. Dirty, maybe dented, rust. Trailer hitch for pulling horse or other trailers. They get used hard. I include company / business trucks in this category."

I am midrange. I am a suburban with who also has a cabin in the woods. You are right. There are some who keep freakin' dust covers over their beds. One advantage of owning a 33 year old work truck is that no one gets in your way. " Do you really want to cut off this beat up SOLID STEEL work truck with your brand new little plastic car?"

My truck is literally a tank. With a plus. I swapped in a same year Corvette engine into a truck that weighs 1000 lbs. less than the 'vette. I can keep up with or pass anyone. NOTE: before some twit talks about how there would be a torque loss, let it be known that it towed a 40 foot trailer up a mountain with ease. Both the 93 Sierra and the '93 'Vette had 5.7 engines ( I don't speak Canadian- they are 350s to me). The only difference was that the Sierra engine was 210 HP. and the 'Vette engine is 300 Hp.

 

[Jeepnik]

The full/mid size body on frame UV was always a truck, at least in my time. A Ranchero or El Camino was a truck too- honorary designation due to its bed…

A van has always been a van, unless it’s a VW. Then it’s a Bus. And a station wagon- always been a wagon.

Ah! But I what about panel trucks. Some folks called ones with windows panel wagons.

 

[GasGuzzler]

An El Camino is a car. It's a Malibu station wagon with two doors and no rear roof. An Avalanche is a truck but not a pick up truck. It's a Suburban without a roof over the rear. A Suburban is a truck but not a pick up.

 

[wheelgun1958]

Trailer. Not as convenient, but works.

 

[Randyzzz]

Ah! But I what about panel trucks. Some folks called ones with windows panel wagons.

Well, I’m going to take the easy way out. Some folks were wrong.

 

[Armybrat]

Never understood why city people own a pickup. They use it maybe once or twice a year. I think it is a manly thing - my truck is bigger/cooler than yours.

Two of my sons have pickups , so I don’t need one to haul stuff.
I liked my little basic 1991 S-10…..4 speed, a/c, radio.
Mainly used it to commute to work, and only hauled small loads once in awhile. Wouldn’t mind having another new one like it - just because - but with automatic transmission.
Am 81 years old, so no testosterone competitions for me.

 

[GasGuzzler]

That must be the last year for the 4-speed. It's the first year for that grille. I'm guessing they were all 5-speed manual or 4-speed auto 1992+. I'd like to have a very low mileage one just like that ^^^. V8 swap for retirement ...

 

[coachk64]

When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California I was driving an 84 Bronco, with 3" lift, 351 Windsor, and oversize off-road tires on it. Once I had a small accident where I rear-ended a small, lowered, tricked-out S-10 and almost removed his whole bed, while slightly cracking the plastic frame around my front license plate.
I was incensed when I read the police report describing how the "station wagon" had struck the "pickup truck". California DMV needs some lessons on classifications of vehicles.

 

[Jeepnik]

When I was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California I was driving an 84 Bronco, with 3" lift, 351 Windsor, and oversize off-road tires on it. Once I had a small accident where I rear-ended a small, lowered, tricked-out S-10 and almost removed his whole bed, while slightly cracking the plastic frame around my front license plate.
I was incensed when I read the police report describing how the "station wagon" had struck the "pickup truck". California DMV needs some lessons on classifications of vehicles.

Believe it or not, California doesn't classify vehicles. The manufacturers do. Here's an example. To compete with the then new S-10 and Ranger Jeep classified the CJ-8 (not much more than a very slightly stretched CJ-6 that was classified as a passenger car) as a pickup. As a result I have been paying commercial registration on my CJ-8 since 1982. Jeep caught a lot of flak over this back then. When they introduced the original Unlimited (two door with a bed in back) they classified it as a passenger car. The CJ-6, CJ-8 and Unlimited are all body on frame.

Want to get really confused. The new Maverick is unibody. But because Ford classifies it as a pickup, so does California. The old El Camino and Ranchero were body on frame and since the manufacturers classified them as passenger cars that's how the state classified them. I've got a sneaking suspicion other states do pretty much the same.

 

[MaxMan]

Saw a bumper sticker like this.

I guess it's just who you ask.

 

[Mobuck]

"My truck is literally a tank. With a plus. I swapped in a same year Corvette engine into a truck that weighs 1000 lbs. less than the 'vette."
I'm confused. A 'truck' that weighs 1000# less than a Corvette? I'd make a SWAG that my farm pickup has 1/2 the weight of a Corvette IN THE BED. Take a full-sized pickup, add a 4K trailer plus 6K load and it's still a pickup.
If you want to talk 'truck', load all that on a 6000# trailer and pull it with the old C6500 dump TRUCK. :)

 

[Busterswoodshop]

I have several pickups and several trailers. Always have.
In my business you have to have a truck.
If it doesn't have an 8 foot bed it is useless to me.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Trucks are except from many EPA regs that cars aren't most notably CAFE in many instances. An El Camino is a car. It's a station wagon Chevelle with two doors and no rear roof.

 

[cleg]

06 3500 sw Dodge mega cab 5.9 6spd manual. Previous truck was 05 chevy 6ltr crewcab that sucked at towing. 10mpg when not towing 8 with 26ft camp trailer. Shifted constantly. Found out later that it had bad torque converter. Traded it for the mega cab. Had 155k on it when I got it. Has 176k now. Engine will out last bed and cab. Bed needs replaced and cab corners and rockers need redone. But I dont have a shoo or body work experience. Will see what the future brings.