Am i still a man if I don't own a pickup truck?

AndyM · Aug 4, 2004

Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

After searching for a small, fuel efficient car for some time now, I finally bought a new car a couple of weeks ago, even though it wasn't a model on my original list.

Anyhoo, I now have a Ford Ranger sitting in my driveway that has only been used once in the past two weeks, and that was only to give the dog a ride to the gas station and to fill my 5 gallon can with diesel fuel.

I've been struggling back and forth with this decision for the past few weeks. It's sure nice to have a truck to pick things up at the big box store, but is it worth paying $500 a year for license plates and insurance for this convenience?

It seems I could sell it for $2500, build a deck with the money, and use the $500 per year that I save from insurance and plates to put towards paying for deliveries.

Every time I convince myself of that, I go back to the convenience factor again! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I'm flip-flopping more than a political candidate! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I guess I should also say that I have my father's Ford E150 Club Wagon sitting at my house too. He doesn't drive it anymore so it just sits out in my driveway, and I use it a few times a year to move tractors around (it has a towing package). I could use this to haul lumber, etc. in small quantities. It just won't work to haul mulch and topsoil. I could build sides for the trailer, but that will cost money too!
Aaaaaaaaagh! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

johnday · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

500$!!!! Thats all?!! Man , keep the truck, you'll regret every time you need one that you got rid of it. I sold my only truck once. I'd have felt better after 6 month's if it had been my left hand. Now I've got three of them and can't see getting rid of any.

Again, 500$, you can't get too many deliveries for that much!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BIGUN · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

No you won’t be. Well, maybe a girlie man. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Just kidding, but I would sure hate to be without a pickup. I think if I could only have one vehicle it would have to be a pickup.

ikline · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

It is funny you mention this. I have been debating buying another truck. (I drive a Lincoln LS now) I really miss my Dodge Dakota. But my wife keeps reminding me that my dad bought a 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 Extended Cab with a plow for the entire family to use at anytime. (He lives less than 10 minutes away. And her SUV has a trailor hitch to pull the tractor (But I use My dads truck for that too). I feel empty inside about not owning a truck. But then again when I stomp on the Accelerator on the LS I forget all about the truck. Sorry about rambling, but your post just struck home with me. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Golfgar4 · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

I've had those very same thoughts. They seem to becoming more frequent as I get older. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

But when I do get those thoughts, I quickly remind myself of a friend of mine who was moving from a house into a condo, and one of the last things she had to do was mow the lawn. As she'd agreed to catch and dispose of the grass, she loaded the grass bags into the trunk of the car, and the back seat, AND the front seat! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Of course, I don't need to tell you that a number of the bags got ripped and spilled grass all over the inside of her car. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Now I don't think I'd be foolish enough to do that, but it sure is a nice reminder of what the "occasional" use of the truck is worth! /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'm with John. Keep the truck. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

johnday · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

I must be real lucky, even my wife doesn't want a car. Ofcourse the new truck, a 04 Ranger Edge is hers. The two old ones, a 99 Ranger XLT and the "real" truck, a 01 Stroker are mine. Sure do like my stroker!!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

And yes, you'll still be a man, unless Sweden isn't an issue. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

trkbldr · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

My vote would be to keep the truck. Do you really want to haul diesel fuel around in your brand new car /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif? One spill /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif and the new car smell is gone. Have you ever spent all DAY hanging around the house waiting on a delivery that was promised between 9:00 and 11:00 that morning /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif? I just think that if you sell your truck, you will soon wish you had it back. Tough decision for sure. If you decide to sell, you will still be a man. You'll just be a man without a truck /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. By the way, what type of car did you buy?

buckle97 · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

You must keep the truck! I too just bought another car to commute to work in but I decided TO keep my truck. Seeing as how I am only 24 years old, my yearly insurance and tags are around $1,400 and I still wouldn't even think about selling it. Convenience is worth much more than $500 per year.

Keep the truck!

Lawrence

Bob_Skurka · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

I've never owned a pick up truck and see no real need for one.

But I say that with the knowledge that I have a neighbor who I share things with and he has a pick up and there have been 2 occasions in the past 9 years where he hauled something for me.

I also have access to a fleet of large trucks, and I do use one of them to haul things to my house, but as I think about it, the loads I bring in would take 2, 3, or sometimes 10 pick up truck loads. I suppose that for the projects I do, a pick up would usually be way to small for the job.

So getting back to your situation, I would definately buck the trend of advice you are getting. I would sell the truck for $2500. I would save the $500 per year. First year savings is $3000. From the economic standpoint you have $2500 in pocket and $500 in accruable savings that are really divided up over the 12 month lifespan of the license plate & insurance payments. If you live on a buget, then you are setting aside a little bit of money each month to pay the $500 insurance/license plate fees, so you could simply re-allocate that same money to your savings account and pocket that money over the course of the next few years. I am a BIG believer in saving little bits of money over long periods of time and watching it grow. Now back to the $2500 cash in hand from the sale of the truck . . . If you kept the truck and built the deck you'd spend that same $2500, but you'd also likely be paying interest on that, so keeping the truck and building the deck will cost more than the same $2500, or if you are really good about sticking to budgets, then you would build a $2250 deck and allocate $250 to pay interest over the next couple of years. . . either way, you are compramising on the deck if you keep the truck.

You admit the truck is really of very limited value to you, and it seems like it is mostly a male ego thing versus a practical thing. Personally I will go with practical more than ego.

As for the car you just bought, what type did buy? I am big believer in hybrids as a practical transitional vehicle while the world decides what to do about oil supplies and shortages. Hydrogen powered vehicles and fuel cell vehicles simply are not practical answers right now, and may not ever be . . . battery technology is probably a good thing to bet on for future vehicles as battery technology is increasing at a rapid rate while prices are decreasing accordingly, however, practical applications might still be a decade away. So what did you get???

Boondox · Aug 4, 2004

Re: Am i still a man if I don\'t own a pickup truck?

Does it make sense to sell the truck given your situation? Probably. Should you? No way!

I just can't imagine being without a truck. Driving to work the other day a smallish maple lay across the road. Fifteen minutes of work with the chainsaw and I had a truck full of free firewood. And the time I found some second cut hay for $1 a bale; the sheep are still eating it. And the dump runs with multiple bags of disgusting stuff. And the joy of dumpster diving at construction sites!

I mean come on! Life without a truck!?!

Pete