Originally Posted by ekpolk
Originally Posted by PimTac
Everyone is free to buy whatever vehicle they want. It is none of anyone's business how they use it.
I'm generally in this school of thought, with a couple rare exceptions around the far edges. Example of exception: a few years ago, in New Orleans I saw a black Tahoe (I know, not a pickup), grossly overdone with extra chrome, stickers, night dark tint and best of all, ghastly
chrome spinners that must have been well into the high-30s. I'll make up a hypothetical tire size to try to describe: 305/20-38! Yep, looked like maybe an inch of sidewall visible between the rim and road. Just the perfect formula for gaining real off-road traction! AND, the spinners themselves were clogged with mud and debris -- hey, at least he made it back to the paved road somehow. . .
Anyway, sure, if you've earned the money, buy whatever floats your boat, but at a certain point, past certain extremes, you may find others looking and laughing (or crying. . .). Or laughing so hard they're crying too.
There are some absurd examples out there for sure.
I have though for the longest time that in a two car household the better option is for one vehicle to be a pickup. It depends on where you live of course. Even if you only use the bed a half dozen times or so a year it is worth it. Sometimes you can help out a friend or neighbor or a family member with the pickup such as hauling stuff or moving or whatever.
The rest of the time it's a commuter vehicle. This is also the reason for the double cab popularity. Picking up kids at school or play for example. That gives the pickup more flexibility.
So just because one sees a pickup on the road with a empty bed and one occupant doesn't mean it's getting used like one.
Gathering statistical samples on Internet forums has its problems as well.