What I mean is like, what do you think is unironically awesome, even if people now think its cringe or stupid?

  • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    35
    arrow-down
    25
    ·
    2 days ago

    Owning a pickup truck is pretty awesome, and I don’t think I’ll ever buy a different type of vehicle again.

    Mentioning it online gets hate, but in real life people keep coming up to me, complimenting how nice it looks, asking questions about it, and kids give me thumbs up when I drive by. All of that is just a bonus on top of the fact that I love driving it and the way it looks - and that’s all that really matters.

        • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Are you paid by some truck company? Vans absolutely better carry. They also have cover, so the stuff you carry doesn’t get wet.

        • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          Why does that matter though? A van is just as big and heavy with even worse visibility around you.

          • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            You’re aware that mirrors exist, right? And that vans also often have back windows? And that the visibility is actually worse with those big trucks?

            Yer talkin’ bull, lad.

      • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 days ago

        I use it for work so pretty much every single day but that’s besides the point. It would be awesome even if I had no need for one.

        • sploosh@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          I was just curious. You mentioned just liking the truck enough that I wondered if it was more fashion or function. Nothing wrong with fashion of course, who wants to drive a vehicle they don’t like the look of? I have feelings about efficiency, but that’s your wallet, not mine.

          I want to get a small truck for my wife (she’s always got a project going that would benefit from cargo space) but small trucks are tough to come by these days. I wish Rangers weren’t as big as F150s used to be.

    • zrst@lemmy.cif.su
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      10
      ·
      2 days ago

      Crazy watching you get downvoted for driving a pickup.

      Most of the people on these forums live in major cities and don’t do any real work with their lives, so it’s understandable.

      I guess I was mistaken for holding them to a higher standard.

      • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 days ago

        Uh, nope. Lived in rural America. Most truck drivers are pavement processes who haul something maybe a handful of times a year. The vast majority.

        There was not a shift from 30 years ago everyone driving tiny cars and hatchbacks to now where everyone became blue collar and needed a truck for work suddenly. It’s corporate marketing. Corporations can get around fuel standards by making trucks instead of cars, so they convinced everyone that having a truck was somehow necessary, and the good people of the USA gladly ate it up making the f150 the most popular vehicle on the roads followed by the other truck models.

        Also, “most people on these forums live in major cities”. Ftfy. It wasn’t until I left my town in Iowa did I realize how many people there are. The entire population of thestate of Iowa lives in my one city.

        • zrst@lemmy.cif.su
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          2 days ago

          Yeah, you’re clueless.

          Pickup trucks are useful for more than just work.

          • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            10
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            Insulting me doesn’t make it untrue.

            Trucks are for hauling things and towing things. Again, the vast majority of truck drivers, and I’m not saying all, but the vast majority of people do not need a truck.

            Most truck beds now are only a few feet long. Minivans and old school station wagons can store more in them then most modern trucks can. Why do you think Amazon and UPS use vans instead of pickups? Because they’re more efficient at hauling things.

            Then even if you need to haul things and you choose to disregard the whole thing about vans having more cargo space, I ask how often? How often do you actually roll up to the home Depot and grab a while pile of lumber to take home that wouldn’t fit in a van? If it’s not once a week or more that you fill the truck, congrats you’re losing money on your truck. Truck rentals are about 20 bucks and haul my stuff just as easily back to my home, with the added benefit of them I’m not paying for gas and maintenance for this giant thing as my daily driver nor a huge car payment either.

            Oh and proof of all of this? Crew cabs. The stupidest invention and absolutely proof it’s just marketing. “Hey we convinced you that you need a truck even though all you really need is a rental truck every once in a while, but oh no you have this family, where do they go? Don’t worry now you have five seats AND a shortened bed!”. They already solved that problem. Vans and station wagons. Can haul minimum 5 people and if you needed to haul shit you just folded down the seats, could fit an entire sheet of plywood in there.

            Same goes for towing. If you own a boat I might get it, or again a trailer if you’re towing something regularly, then sure, you need the torque.

            I would wager that 95% of truck owners do not actually need a truck.

              • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                5
                ·
                2 days ago

                I invite you to read my comment again.

                Same goes for towing. If you own a boat I might get it, or again a trailer if you’re towing something regularly, then sure, you need the torque.

                Again though, I ask how regularly you do this. If you go out every week? Sure it makes sense, have a truck to carry them out every week. However, an ATV is light enough a cheap trailer attached to any number of vehicles would be able to tow it. If it’s monthly or less, then again, renting a truck is cheaper on the books, or again a cheap trailer is only a couple thousand.

                Again, I grew up in rural America surrounded by truck people exactly like you. This is not some new opinion I gained a couple months ago. Do you want to keep trying to trip me up because I guarantee I’ve heard it all before. To date there are only maybe a small reasons I see to own a truck, and most of them involve some level of using it for blue-collar work.

      • Botzo@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        It’s perfectly representative of the opinion asked for.

        Getting down voted is hilarious, because we’re admitting “fuck you, this is actually awesome.”

    • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Speaking as a Texan, I associate the worst of truck driving with “being an ass.” It’s not always true, but man, if someone’s gonna cut me off just to be a jerk, it’s usually a lifted abomination.

      This though:

      1993 Ford Ranger

      This is fine.

      No, it’s magnificent.

      • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        That small red truck is a truck of a man who truly is masculine. Doesn’t give a shit what other people think, needs it to carry supplies, and didn’t want to waste any money.

        Giant lifted trucks are the opposite of masculine. They’re for showing off, desperately trying to get people to notice them, they arely if ever haul anything (if they even can anymore with the lift), and they wasted huge amounts of money.

        • blarghly@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          Funny that everyone agrees with this take when it comes to trucks, but if you apply it to clothing it is “toxic masculinity”.

            • blarghly@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              2 days ago

              My point is that the same people who bemoan the lack of expressiveness in men’s clothing are at the same time defining masculine coding as being utilitarian in the context of trucks.

              This incongruity is frustrating to me.

              • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                2 days ago

                Agreed.

                I think cars should be more individualistic, which is part of Slate’s pitch. So should men’s fashion expectations.

                That being said, a lot of truck lifting is very similar and more “I’m signicaling I’m part of this culture,” than doing it for the sake of being cool. Some people do it as a form of expression, but that’s the exception in my experience.

                • blarghly@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  2 days ago

                  I’m confused. Most self expression in fashion is about identifying with some kind of culture. Hence why a conservative will wear cowboy boots, a punk will wear a band t shirt, and a gay man will wear a neon pink mesh tank top. Sure, runway fashion designers and people for whom fashion is a hobby will look at a piece with a discerning eye and try to unravel its intrinsic appeal based purely on immediate understanding of the impact of the piece on the human eye. But most people, male or female, intuitively use fashion in the most utilitarian of senses - they want to look good, and tell others who they are in a way that others will understand. And the most important thing that most strangers will want to know about us is what communities we are part of.

        • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          I dunno, chief. That “small” red truck is big as well. And the stuff in there will still get wet. Much more practical to have a van.

            • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              2 days ago

              I mean, sure, but I were forced to pick I’d rather bring both to the scrapyard and get a bike instead. Or a van, but yeah. Choosing the lesser evil over time will lead to the actually good options getting eliminated.

        • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          If it were a nice person inside and they just liked the ‘lifted’ style though, that’s one thing. I think there’s something to be said for auto personalization culture, like people do with jeeps and the Slate is trying to start up. I actually knew a really short girl who drove a lifted truck and simply thought it was neat, heh.

          But usually, I wince in anticipation of what flavor of ‘macho’ is going to step out. Like you said perfectly, it’s usually not Hank Hill.

          • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 days ago

            That’s neat you found a girl like that, but it is not the norm from my experience, as it looks like it’s yours too. I usually see a lot of angry men who are too eager to swerve lanes and show off how cool their truck (and by extension they) are.

    • Botzo@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      I agree. I don’t need the truck part very often, but when I do, it is so nice. I got a BEV truck and it’s also stupid fast, especially for a truck. And it has outlets everywhere, 4x 110V 20A in the back plus a 220v 30A, and more 110V in the cab and the frunk! 130kWh of mobile power.

      The suspension is sloppy, the tires are squishy. But I don’t mind that most of the time (I do wish the dampers were a just bit more aggressive).

    • trslim@pawb.socialOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      I actually want to get a pick-up truck for furniture, not like one of these road monsters, but something reasonable, like a 2 seater with lots a bed space. Like an old Chevy or something.

        • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          2 days ago

          Not a truck guy, but I’ve had enough vans to know that not having an open top REALLY reduces the potential of what you can put in the back.

          • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            Well, that’s clearly bull. They got the same space and on top of that, they provide cover. Opens up a lot more options for stuff that shouldn’t get wet.

            And likewise, you can also park easier with them (they have back windows too). Plus, they are safer. If stuff sticks out of the car that’s a transport hazard right there.

            • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              2 days ago

              Ok, but it’s clearly not. On more than one occasion, I’ve loaded up large appliances or furniture with a van only to learn that it won’t fit through the back hatch, or there are cubbies and curves inside that cut the corners. Even if you have plenty of empty space inside, you have to fit it through a smaller keyhole. I have been stuck with a half empty back and a tied down hatch because the opening wasn’t big enough to get the whole thing in.

              With an open bed truck you can just drop the tailgate or drop it in from above.

              I can tell you have a real hard on for vans, but just ignoring facts because they don’t fit your stance is ignorant. I’ve never even owned a truck, so I don’t care about defending their honor or any bullshit like that, but you have to give them credit where it’s due, and they haul like nothing else, even vans.

              • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                edit-2
                21 hours ago

                For that furniture there’s a thing called dismantling them and reassembling them, though. And one can also always rent a load carrier for the back, for those few days. Cheaper on the long term.

                • Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  21 hours ago

                  Vans are about the same price as trucks, so it would actually be cheaper to buy a truck in the first place than spend the same amount on a van, and then spend even more time and money disassembling furniture or renting a trailer.

                  I’ve owned a lot of vans because I needed the capacity for kids. I’ve never personally needed to own a truck.

                  They each have their own purpose and one is not always better than the other.

        • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          2 days ago

          The number one reason I went with a pickup over a van is that it just looks way better. Vans are boring. But also that my pickup has a 4WD, low-range gear box and a diff lock which vans don’t. It also has a camper shell on it so stuff on the bed stays dry too.

          • Denjin@feddit.uk
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            2 days ago

            Hah, you took the one part that makes a truck stand out from a van, and put a box over it making it a bad van!

    • Frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      I agree with 95% of FuckCars. Cars should not be the default in our society. Cars are at the root of why our cities suck so bad. We need to do as much as we can towards walkability, bikability, and public transportation. Cars won’t go away completely, but they don’t have to be so prevalent.

      The 5% where FuckCars goes wrong is people who don’t know anything about cars talking about cars. Their treatment of trucks vs vans is one of those. Vans are useful for trades, and so are trucks. Let the workers decide which one they prefer for their job.

      Those workers usually don’t need an F150 the size of a small house. They don’t even want an F150 the size of a small house. That doesn’t mean a van is necessarily what they want.

      • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        Well, I’ve atleast got the two seater with a long bed so it’s barely adequate for what I need it for at work. It’s undeniable that a similar size Vivaro or Transporter would be more practical but I’m willing to trade some of that for a fun truck.

    • stoy@lemmy.zip
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      61
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      2 days ago

      Pickup trucks in and of themselves as a concept is fine.

      The issue I an many others have with them is that they have grown to large, even here in Sweden we have got infected by American pickup trucks that has their bonnet at the same height as my 2021 Seat Leon’s roof.

      That is insane.

      Get back to the size of 80-90s pickups, and I doubt you’ll get a many complaints

      • One_Honest_Dude@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        I have a 99 Tacoma and I love it, 283k miles. My aunt has a much newer Tacoma, 2016-2020, not sure which year but around there. When my truck is in the shop sometimes I borrow hers and when I do I can’t park in my parking spot at my apartment because the truck is too big.

      • silly goose meekah@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        25
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        Exactly.

        The crew cab with a laughable bedsize, hood as tall as the average person, and clearly unused off road tires is what is unreasonable.

        A truck actually being used for work is totally fine.

        • brucethemoose@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          edit-2
          2 days ago

          hood as tall as the average person, and clearly unused off road tires

          This is especially silly. Even the ‘F1s’ of offroad racers are lower sprung than that.

          1

          2

          3

          4

          5

          And they are very street illegal. But they don’t need to be skyscrapers! Even the Ultra4 rock crawler (the last one) sits lower than lifted pickups.

          There’s basically no practical reason to do that, not even an offroading fantasy.

      • Perspectivist@feddit.uk
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        2 days ago

        I think those huge American trucks are cool too, but the size is more of an inconvenience than it’s worth, and they stand out and draw too much attention - which is a big reason I didn’t get one. I’m honestly surprised by how much attention even my ’07 mid-size Nissan gets, but luckily it’s all been positive.

        • Taalnazi@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          2 days ago

          What’s cool about an energy slurping vehicle that’s a danger to children and adults alike? It only serves to trick men into thinking their fragile tiny tick gets bigger with that car.

          The bigger the car, the smaller the ego, generally. Better to just work on themselves and bicycle. That’s truly good.

      • hansolo@lemmy.today
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        13
        ·
        2 days ago

        I agree 1000000% with this. Light duty pickups are amazing.

        Nissan used to have a light duty pickup everywhere, even the US, called the NP300 Hardbody that slowly morphed into the bloated “Navara” - except for South Africa. Nissan used to have this very Africa-appropriate tiny light duty truck, the Champ. Stellar vehicle. They made the same exact model from 1971 to 2008, and then replaced it with the Nissan NP300 Hardbody. Both are solid metal deathtraps, can be fixed with wire and string, but they’re donkeys as well. Modestly sized and will just go forward (not too fast!) forever. Nissan never stopped making a light duty pickup because the Africa market demands it - something cheap and simple that carries and goes. No frills, not even good for a drive more than 4 hours because the seats are terrible.

        And don’t get me started on the way Toyota ruined the Hilux. The only entity in the known universe that could destroy a Hilux was Toyota itself. Damn shame.

        Everyone driving these giant monsters wouldn’t know a good economical work vehicle if it drove up to them and dumped a cubic meter of sand on them.

    • SGGeorwell@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      The rise in pickups causes everyone’s insurance rates to go up because of the increased fatality of average crash now, they blow through our global carbon budget even faster, they make roads less safe for everyone, they drain your wealth away from your kids inheritance and directly into banks and oil companies. I know you love bankers more than transmitting generational wealth to your kids. Fuck them kids. The bankers need your money more.

    • birdwing@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      Out of curiosity, why did you buy it? It’s so big and seems like a safety hazard for people, wasteful as well.

      What would’ve convinced you to switch back to something else? Or what would convince others to do so?

    • A_Union_of_Kobolds@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      28
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      Trucks are fun, 100%. Id love a small truck with a tow package, i don’t need a gigantic Ram child-flattener but having something versatile and tall enough to clear some obstacles is always nice. RIP that little Mazda i got circa 2007 for $500 with no working gauges and a fuel leak, when it felt like driving i loved it.

      Honestly if those Slate (is that right? Im still half asleep) trucks take off I may get one