Pickup Philosophy Question

[case245]

i couldnt live without my 3500hd chevy i use it for work theres know way id go back to a car or suv

 

[lockhaven]

:ashamed: I thought this was about picking up women, oh dam*

 

[bcp]

How a little modern car crashes:

Smart car vs concrete wall at 70 mph crash test video. I don't know if a person would have would have survived the sudden stop and twist, but the car interior is surprisingly intact. Looks like the windshield didn't even break out and the door still opened.

 

[aczlan]

How a little modern car crashes:
Smart car vs concrete wall at 70 mph crash test video. I don't know if a person would have would have survived the sudden stop and twist, but the car interior is surprisingly intact. Looks like the windshield didn't even break out and the door still opened.

Mercedes C300 vs Smart FourTwo in 40 MPH Frontal Offset crash test (Which one would you prefer to be in?):

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

Also, from the IIHS "SUVs and pickups pose less risk to people in crashes":

Aaron Z

 

[techwrtr2]

I just have an old Chevy Suburban 4x4 and an asortment of trailers. A one ton for mulch and stuff and a duel axel 16' for long lumber/tractor. The Chevy is enclosed so I can lock the tools in. Also 4x8 plywood fits nice. I never have the seats up!

That's how my family did it for many years from when I was a wee sprout (71 Suburban w/3 doors 2wd purchased new through an 85 diesel 4x4) until about 3 years ago when the last one had a fatal meeting with a round bale and tractor. Always had multiple trailers, 17ft flat for cars, Bri-Mar dumper for "stuff", travel trailer for family vacations and even a tiny one that really was meant to go behind my old Jeep CJ7. Tools, lumber, people all fit nicely inside the Suburban. In the days before 4 door pickups were common, it was a better option for the family. Plus a standard crew cab truck was a lot longer. Suburban fit in the garage. Barely, but it fit.

They replaced the Suburban with a well used diesel Dodge (dad loves his diesels). Even though he no longer drives, I keep it around to maintain their property. It pulls that Bri-Mar fully loaded with coal very nicely. Same with the other trailers. The only thing a 2500 series truck does better than a 2500 series Suburban is being able to dump a ton of coal in etc in the bed or carry a load that's tall. Beyond that, the Suburban did everything else well.

Of course I'm nto sure if you can get a 2500 series Suburban new anymore. I know you can't get a diesel.

Would I buy a truck for my uses? If I had the funds, absolutely. But having previously done pretty much all of it with a trailer, I could use that just as easily. My little Subaru supposedly can tow up to 2000lbs. Have not cared to try it. My Cherokee can tow more. Many things I might use a truck for, a 5x10 trailer will do just as well. Considering that the Dodge just cost me $153 to renew the tags where my car and Jeep cost $36 and a trailer costs $12 per year... It's also going to be cheaper from that standpoint.

Truck is useful and more convenient, but for most things it's not essential. The costs probably won't benefit for most people. Somethings I would have difficulty doing with my Jeep and a trailer (like hauling home 3ton of nut coal). And if I finally find time to continue to restore my old CJ I will be happy to have the trailer for dragging parts rigs back. But again, it could be done without.

:2cents:

 

[MRSDOUGLAS]

what do you do if you need one but don't have one? do you rent one?

That is what we have done for the last 3 years that we have been without a truck. We have rented one from Lowes or Home Depot 3 times. Of course that is living in the city. Now that we have bought some land we are thinking about a trailer to pull behind one of our jeeps.

 

[heviduty]

How many times per month do you have to need a pickup, before it makes sense to buy one?

A very good question.

When struggling to raise a family you make purchases that make sense. I needed and had several well used pickups over the years, and got by with a garden tractor for a home garden, road and yard maintenance. They both served the purpose and would do so today. BUT, when the kids are on their on and doing well, and you see retirement on the horizon, it's just natural to think about things you want, not just things you need. If you have the means and want a nice truck for you and the wife to take to the mountains in winter, off road, on the beach, or just to putter around the countryside in on the weekends, I say go for it, I don't have a problem with that. If not, what have you been working and saving for all those years?

When mom and dad retired my brother and I both told them that we hoped they spent every dime they had because we were both doing fine and didn't need it. Mom died right after retirement and after that dad lived like a hermit. He wouldn't go anywhere and wouldn't spend a penny he didn't absolutely have to. We don't want to grow old living like that, we want to enjoy what time we have left even if it means buying a 4 wheel drive, 34 hp. hydrostatic drive tractor with a front end loader that I really don't need and one of them stick steer zero turn lawnmowers the wife, who loves to mow, always wanted, and letting her pick out the car she wants, then loading it up with all the bells and whistles I want...

So the question "How many times per month do you have to need a pickup, before it makes sense to buy one?" begs other questions such as, how big of a garden or how many cattle do you need to justify land purchases, or, how many times a month do you rent or borrow tools before you buy your own?

 

[indianaEPH]

Mercedes C300 vs Smart FourTwo in 40 MPH Frontal Offset crash test (Which one would you prefer to be in?):


Aaron Z

I guess this video says it better than any words, there is no substitition for mass in a head on crash.

 

[aczlan]

I guess this video says it better than any words, there is no substitition for mass in a head on crash.

Ayep. The Smart may not have "passenger compartment intrusion" but what difference does it make if the people are dead from bouncing across the road like a pinball.

Aaron Z

 

[MossRoad]

The difference is that pickups and many SUVs are bodies bolted down to a steel frame. When you hit something, the vehicle stops but you don't. You hit the interior of the vehicle with sometimes lethal force. Cars are built with a unibody chassis that has crumple zones. The car may get totalled, but it gives the passenger much more time to come to a stop in an accident. The crumple zones absorb the energy of the impact before it gets to your body.

And yes, pickups and SUVs are much more likely to roll over. Rollover accidents are just 4% of all traffic accidents, but account for 86% of fatalities. The higher you sit off the road, the more dangerous your perch is. A pickup may be more useful than a car, but it is not safer.

Yeah. I remember the crumple zones VS frames now. You need the frames to handle heavier loads, towing, etc.... but they don't give as well in accidents.

 

[tcartwri]

I get the itch about every three months or so,.... and then I do the math. Quite simply cannot begin to afford driving one, and the wife and I make pretty good money. I have a single axle trailer that I can beat the snot out of that basically costs me nothing. I literally could buy two nice 40 mpg sedans for the truck payment and the cost of the fuel that it would burn through.

Maybe when I retire and have a 10 KM daily radius that I traverse.

 

[dmccarty]

A month or so back I saw a nice little accident at the on ramp to the Interstate. This is a really nasty on ramp because the traffic heading east bound in the morning can be blinded by the rising sun. North and south bound traffic turning into the on ramp can have trouble seeing the backed up traffic....

The morning of the accident traffic was backed up for some reason but not from the sun since it was raining. I could not make it out of my lane to get out onto the ramp because traffic had backed up. The light changed for the south bound traffic and a woman in a VW thought she was in a drag race. I saw her accelerate onto the ramp and knew this was going to be ugly. At the very last second she saw the line of traffic and she slammed on the brakes but she still hit the Jeep in front of her. The Jeep had made the extra effort to squeeze onto the ramp to stay ahead of the next pulse of traffic from the light, aka the woman. He succeeded in saving 90-120 seconds but it cost him a bump in the rear.

Everyone was ok which surprised me even though they all where wearing seat belts. I can't remember if the air bags deployed in her car but I think her car was totaled. The car was not drivable and the front the car was toast. The guys in the Jeep drove off after the report was written. The Jeep looked just fine and it was a Cherokee. I really expected the Jeep to take some damage, and maybe it did under the trim, but I could see nothing broken on the ground. In any case, the two guys drove off, while the woman, waited to be towed.

Later,
Dan

 

[sandybeach]

How many times per month do you have to need a pickup, before it makes sense to buy one?

If it's a question of finances, amortize the cost of owning and operating the truck over the time you'll own it.

I've owned pickups for over 40 years. I bought most of them used, i.e., cheap. In '95 I treated myself to a new one. 203,000 miles later it's still running great. My monthly amortized cost over the years? Pocket change.

 

[WilliamBos]

In '95 I treated myself to a new one. 203,000 miles later it's still running great. My monthly amortized cost over the years? Pocket change.

Exactly! If you own for 10-15 (or more) years, the cost is pocket change.

I will be up for a new truck in 2015, and look forward to what GM has in works for the next Sierra.

 

[WilliamBos]

In '95 I treated myself to a new one. 203,000 miles later it's still running great. My monthly amortized cost over the years? Pocket change.

Exactly! If you own for 10-15 (or more) years, the cost is pocket change.

I will be up for a new truck in 2015, and look forward to what GM has in works for the next Sierra.

 

[Bird]

If it's a question of finances, amortize the cost of owning and operating the truck over the time you'll own it.

I've owned pickups for over 40 years. I bought most of them used, i.e., cheap. In '95 I treated myself to a new one. 203,000 miles later it's still running great. My monthly amortized cost over the years? Pocket change.

Pocket change?? Then you've got a lot bigger pocket than I have.:laughing: Of course, I know I'm one of the few that actually keeps track of everything a vehicle costs, and most people would be greatly surprised (in fact, probably wouldn't even believe it) if they knew what a vehicle actually costs.

I'm currently driving a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup, 4-dr SuperCab, loaded with all the options. It was 3 years old with 36k miles on it when I bought it for $13,503.79 including tax, title, & license. And I have a spreadsheet with everything I've spent on it, gasoline, oil & filters, tires, insurance, even wash jobs ($5 today). It now has just over 90k miles on it and if I scrapped it today with zero salvage, it would have cost m $353.05 a month or $0.55 a mile. If I could get Kelly Blue Book "good condition" trade-in value for it, then it would only have cost me $252.53 a month or $0.43 a mile.

I'd be surprised myself if many people are doing any better than that, but for me that ain't pocket change.:laughing: And I actually expect the little truck to last the rest of my lifetime.

 

[dave1949]

Pocket change?? Then you've got a lot bigger pocket than I have.:laughing: Of course, I know I'm one of the few that actually keeps track of everything a vehicle costs, and most people would be greatly surprised (in fact, probably wouldn't even believe it) if they knew what a vehicle actually costs.

I'm currently driving a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup, 4-dr SuperCab, loaded with all the options. It was 3 years old with 36k miles on it when I bought it for $13,503.79 including tax, title, & license. And I have a spreadsheet with everything I've spent on it, gasoline, oil & filters, tires, insurance, even wash jobs ($5 today). It now has just over 90k miles on it and if I scrapped it today with zero salvage, it would have cost m $353.05 a month or $0.55 a mile. If I could get Kelly Blue Book "good condition" trade-in value for it, then it would only have cost me $252.53 a month or $0.43 a mile.

I'd be surprised myself if many people are doing any better than that, but for me that ain't pocket change.:laughing: And I actually expect the little truck to last the rest of my lifetime.

That's interesting Bird. I always assume any vehicle is a basic money pit, but I would not have guessed the monthly amounts you documented, and think what they would be on a $30K truck. FWIW: No Ford will outlast you

 

[Soundguy]

How many times per month do you have to need a pickup, before it makes sense to buy one?

to me.. if i need one.. I need one... to much of a PITA to 'borrow' one.

get a crewcab or extended cab.. it hauls 4-6 people depending... about as much as a car.. thus anything you could do in the carn.. you could do inthe truck, AND haul cargo. if you don't like guests.. get a single cab and leave some stuff piled up in the seat and floor board..

 

[Bird]

That's interesting Bird. I always assume any vehicle is a basic money pit, but I would not have guessed the monthly amounts you documented, and think what they would be on a $30K truck. FWIW: No Ford will outlast you

I bought a new 1993 Ford Escort station wagon to tow behind a motorhome. We towed it just over 15k miles and drove it just over 106k in 73 months before my wife rolled it and totalled it. So I know what kind of salvage or residual value it had.:laughing: So that little car cost us $269.68 a month or $0.1855 a mile (average price of gasoline back then was $1.079 a gallon).:laughing: