pickup truck size

[Root Cause]

I 'was' looking around for a cheap commuter car until after the chip issues on new cars dies down. I found a suburu with 121k on it and looked near new. Carfax's last known report was 371,000 miles. I did some digging to find how easy it is to alter a odometer. I thought those days were gone. Now, like tractors, people are bringing out crap because of the car shortage. New car dealers will ship off the new cars to other areas where no one would think to look for flood damage. I decided to just run up the miles on what I have unless I find someone I know is selling their vehicle and buy a Ranger next year with a tow package (7,500 lbs - not perfect but I can flat tow it behind the motorhome.)

 

[ArlyA]

That sounds boring. A winter without snow is like breakfast without orange juice.

Why wouldn't someone not get out in it and have a great time skiing on it.

 

[check]

I drive thousands of miles in my company 4 door short bed pickup with snowsled or ATV in back. Just because something is useless to you doesn't mean that it won't work for somebody else. I would not want to go back to hauling all of my winter clothes and gear in the bed of the truck, and I sure don't want some behemoth with the extra cab and 8 foot bed on some of the roads I drive. Besides, that extra 18" bed isn't that important; my snowsled would still be sticking out the back.

I agree. And in fact, each time I get a new F150 super crew, I get to choose between the 6 1/2 foot box in the 5 1/2 foot box. I always take the 5 1/2 foot box. Much easier to get into parking spaces, both on the street and in parking lots. Don’t really miss the extra foot of box length.

 

[ArlyA]

I agree. And in fact, each time I get a new F150 super crew, I get to choose between the 6 1/2 foot box in the 5 1/2 foot box. I always take the 5 1/2 foot box. Much easier to get into parking spaces, both on the street and in parking lots. Don’t really miss the extra foot of box length.

We got a 2019 ranger with a 6ft box. Its nice to drive around town and fit on narrow roads. It gets fabulous fuel mileage, gobs of power at 260hp, towing capacity is 6000lbs + something and comfortable to ride it. Its a keeper. Here is its review.

 

[Jstpssng]

Why wouldn't someone not get out in it and have a great time skiing on it. View attachment 712469

Have you ever tried hooking them up to a harness and letting them pull you?

 

[lman]

I fixed that problem and moved to Texas. If it sounds like snow, everyone in the city goes to the grocery and buys everything. Then they hunker down and wait for the blizzard. After a light dusting, they cancel all non-emergency activities and wait. TXDOT drives around spreading water on the roads to prevent icing. Plows are apparently illegal for Txdot. Fortunately, global warming comes and melts the white stuff before anyone dies of starvation. Then, people get together and tell stories about how they survived snowmageddon and make "I survived winter 202x" t-shirts and hot chocolate. To be fair this is in the DFW area. The panhandle gets real snow at times and I have heard stories of bootleg snowplows roaming the highways. But it is all worth it because we don't have to shovel or blow snow and our cars are rust free...unless you live on the Gulf Coast. The End.

I was in Houston, TX in July years ago and swore I'd never go back. I've kept my promise.

 

[Torvy]

I was in Houston, TX in July years ago and swore I'd never go back. I've kept my promise.

No offense to my neighbors to the south, but Houston is the nether regions of Texas. We're a solid 4 hours north of that humid, overpopulated area. My wife has to go there for work quite often. She will not miss it next year when we retire.

 

[Torvy]

That sounds boring. A winter without snow is like breakfast without orange juice.

I hear you. My adult life has been about equally spent north and south. The advantage for me now is that snow is a choice. I can head north a bit and enjoy it. For what it's worth, I don't drink OJ either. Too many carbs.

 

[Farmer495]

Someone I know up in Nova Scotia pretty much figures that any time he has to wrench something that he will have to cut bolts (which also means replacing them). I'm fortunate in that my conditions see me expecting to NOT have to do such things (and when I do I'm not happy about it).

Yes. faster to cut/torch bolts then trying to free them up usually.

If anything is on the road after 10 years old it has had body rust repairs. Anything 20 years old is something either senior owned or seasonally used (convertible, some farm trucks) and never drove in the winter much.

If the frame rots out it's junk...usually with fairly decent interior and low miles on it.

Government inspections pull the rust buckets off the road at inspection expiry.

 

[Oaktree]

I agree. And in fact, each time I get a new F150 super crew, I get to choose between the 6 1/2 foot box in the 5 1/2 foot box. I always take the 5 1/2 foot box. Much easier to get into parking spaces, both on the street and in parking lots. Don’t really miss the extra foot of box length.

I have no particular use for a back seat in a pickup so I generally go for the extended cab with longer bed. Don't really need an 8' bed anymore, but the 6½ is nice.

Saw a tacoma the other day with one of those hitch-mount bicycle racks on it, kind of sad when you can't even fit a bicycle in the back of a pickup.