this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2024
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Fuck Cars
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Okay, go buy a couch. Or a table.
Even with the hatchback open you're not safely fitting a couch in there, a box that's 37" by 69". Mind you, that's just one of the 4 boxes.
My compact SUV can just barely it all the Morabo couch boxes in a single trip...
Plan on buying more than that couch? Too bad. Not fitting.
How often are you buying furniture? Every day? Every week? Every month?
Plumber, carpenter, construction, woodcraft, metalworker, etc etc. There are plenty of good reasons to own a large vehicle. People who use a large vehicle for its intended purpose aren't the problem, it's the assholes driving them for fun that makes everyone else unsafe.
I need the third dimension on that box. I absolutely could fit a 37" × 69" × 12" box in my SAAB 900 SPG, load in smaller boxes, and still close the hatch. I know this because I fit a bureau in the back that was 40" × 70" × 30".
That's why just about every shop selling items larger than the boot of a regular car offers delivery.
Like sure, it's not free, but it's cheaper than the difference between a regular car and a Fall Guy truck.
Use a trailer, get a rental truck, get it delivered. All options a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a truck and paying the cost of a truck plus the fuel for such a horribly inefficient daily driver
Unless you're transporting couches regularly of course. Then a truck makes sense
When I last moved, I fit my six person dining room set in my VW Passat at the same time. The table was partially disassembled, all the chairs were whole. Pretty sure there was other stuff in the car at the time too. Regular people don't need these giant pickups.
that's why we don't have couches or tables outside of USA. You just can't go buy them and there's no very easy and practical way around it.
...what
when?
Here, let me adjust your sarcasm detector
Ah, appreciate that, thanks.
You can just rent a truck for such cases. Most truck use cases are so rare for the average person that renting is cheaper than buying a large truck. Also, a lot of these large pickups have a auprisingly short 🛌.
Every time I read this take I am a little surprised it's so prevalent. I guess I just go to the hardware store or IKEA or get free furniture on the side of the road more than nearly everyone else on the Internet. I would LOVE a truck, since my Subaru often isn't big enough for what I need/want to do. Now granted, I want a small truck with a full size bed that can fit a sheet of plywood, not a giant hauler for a boat or RV*, and certainly not an inexplicable 4-door truck for hauling people with a 6-ft bed like you mention, but it's still wild to me that there aren't more heavy DIYers or even new home owners like me on Lemmy. Maybe I'm on the wrong instance.
*Technically we could probably get away with a truck like that since my wife needs to haul giant boat trailers for work, but they provide a rental. We'd probably make more money with a reimbursement using our own, but I don't have space to store a giant F350 or whatever because we DO have a giant RV, but not a tow behind because I don't like them.
https://minitrucks.net/ they have kei trucks that are already imported into North America, and Australia it seems, and their prices seem reasonable.
Holy crap I've always wanted an Acty, but I thought they would be more expensive to import and what not. Thank you so much for posting this link!
If those are highway legal I might be very interested once I sell my project car. Thanks!
They're not highway legal in at least several states. I also don't think they're capable of highway speeds anyway though
Oh, so thats why he’s defending a truck.
My partner is a professional woodworker. Turns out, we haul a lot of very large stuff. You might be surprised to learn that many people utilize their trucks.
I specified normies in my comment because trucks are for utility. If you need it for work, honestly it should be a licensed thing. After all, you can also write it off your taxes and maybe even get it covered with subsidies.
They generally don't need to seat a family of four, nor do most benefit from a lifted bed, though. A simple cab and an easy to reach bed make for a more efficient transport.
I think you would be quite surprised how little the vast majority of consumer trucks are utilized.
Leave the city and its uncommon to find a moderately underutilized truck. The Ford F150 is the most popular vehicle in america for a reason, and it's not because people like trucks. It's because they use them. Towing capacity, cargo space, gravel or dirt roads. Live in Michigan with tough winters? Have fun in that shitty sedan.
That said, american trucks are definitely oversized and the average owner would get the same utility out of a Kei truck.
As far as gravel and dirt roads go, a Subaru, or just an SUV with 4 wheel drive is going to perform better off road. Pickup trucks have stiffer suspension, and larger overhangs with the truck bed that require them to be lifted higher to get the same clearance as other non-pickup style off road vehicles.
If they aren't being utilized for their stowage or towing capacity, then they are being underutilized, as there are just better vehicles for off road use.
Personally, I'd take a Subaru sedan with all wheel drive over a pickup truck, for a place like Michigan.
Sedans are people movers and are designed for paved roads. They can certainly survive tough winters, though, and I wouldn't call them shitty. You would be an idiot trying to go camping in one though, for that occasional trip I'd rather rent an SUV.
It's a niche, though. My subcompact is the absolute best city car I've ever been in. When you're tiny, parallel parking is a breeze, getting through tight city streets is easy, and climbing hills is simple. Many city streets are thin because they're were not built with cars in mind.
As for popularity, do keep in mind the cities are home to 80% of the US population. The truck isn't getting it's sales strictly from rural buyers, you can thank a fair amount of pavement princesses for that!
There's lots of use cases in cities, too. As you said, most people live in cities, which means most construction work (both for businesses and for private citizens) will be in the city. While the companies that businesses contract with will usually have their own fleet of vehicles, many private citizens contract with smaller privately-owned companies. Many of them use their own vehicles for transportation. (I'm friends with the heads of three such companies in my area.)
Construction supplies (wood, pipes, etc.) like the kind many contractors get at Home Depot or Lowe's is usually pretty long, so they would benefit from having a really long truck. Many of those companies usually need that supplies ASAP, too, so they get it themselves instead of having it delivered. Or, if they know they'll need it, they order it ahead of time and pick it up themselves when it's ready rather than trusting others to get it delivered on time. As others in this comment section have said, long objects like that create a risk of impalation. So the longer the truck, the better in that case. Not to mention they also need to store their tools and stuff in the truck alongside whatever supplies they've purchased.
If only there were companies (perhaps even the ones you bought furniture from) who had speciallist delivery vehicles for the twice in a decade time you need to move funiture.
Alas it isnt to be.
Alas, if only I had free delivery with my couch and loveseat I purchased. If only they had something like that as an incentive to get people to buy furniture.
Woe be us.
I fit an entire Kivik (sofa with chaise) into a Nissan Rogue no problem. It's impressive how effective their sizing and modularity is.