Luxury Car Owners Switching to Pickup Trucks

[bbhero]

Originally Posted by Wolf359
Oh yeah did anyone else mention why pickups are popular? Lots of overweight/obese Americans, over 50% actually. They actually need the room of a pickup/SUV to fit in as opposed to crawling into a sedan.



True ^^^^

However one more huge factor here no one thinks about....

For Older people it is far far easier to get in and out of a truck or SUV or even CUV... Why?? The change in hip angle getting in and out is much much easier to perform. Increasing the hip angle can help older people a whole whole lot. And since older people generally have more money than you get people. Thus the increase in higher ride height vehicles.

Even my father in law who is not fond of those types of vehicles... Said it was far far easier for him to get in and out of... And he is not alone in thinking if this . Millions and millions of people my parents age and his aka baby boomers age know this too.

For people my age and younger.... It is just likely a status thing more than any real utility needed.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I don't get it. I have owned pickups for 20+ years and never really like them too much. There is so much wasted space. Parking is a pain, wasted gas, not as good as a sport sedan no matter what anyone says. You can drive a truck stupid fast but doesn't mean you should. I need a truck for work and weekend fun but always enjoy leaving it at home and taking a car.
More baby-boomers destroying the planet environment for future generations and blaming it on someone else and passing regulations for everyone else after the fact.

 

[SubLGT]

Originally Posted by ArrestMeRedZ
...There are a lot of practical things that a pickup adds. Easy to get in and out of, can carry just about anything you want, can see traffic ahead of you easier, etc. My half ton 4WD Silverado gets good mileage and will comfortably and safely travel just about anywhere at 9 MPH over the speed limit, which is usually the upper limit of what is permitted before getting ticketed in the areas I travel. My trucks are also practical to own, easy to maintain at a relatively low cost, and in the past depreciation was minimal when compared to a luxury car. Not so sure about now at today's prices...


Does it fit inside your garage?

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by 2strokeNorthstar
I don't get it. I have owned pickups for 20+ years and never really like them too much. There is so much wasted space. Parking is a pain, wasted gas, not as good as a sport sedan no matter what anyone says. You can drive a truck stupid fast but doesn't mean you should. I need a truck for work and weekend fun but always enjoy leaving it at home and taking a car.
More baby-boomers destroying the planet environment for future generations and blaming it on someone else and passing regulations for everyone else after the fact.





Too bad. The environment will live in despite all the wailing.

Pickups are very useful. They haul stuff, they move furniture and so on. Sometimes it's to help a relative or a friend. If people didn't have pickups then there would actually be more trucks on the road as those same people without a truck have to rent one or hire a truck to do they work.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by spasm3
Originally Posted by Wolf359
Oh yeah did anyone else mention why pickups are popular? Lots of overweight/obese Americans, over 50% actually. They actually need the room of a pickup/SUV to fit in as opposed to crawling into a sedan.



Now that i can agree with, some truth in that. The morbidly obese need large vehicles , flip flops, and floor fans.


I did drive an SUV once, very roomy. Actually felt more like I was driving a barn. Way too big, more of a handful to maneuver and longer stopping distances.

 

[ArrestMeRedZ]

Originally Posted by SubLGT
Originally Posted by ArrestMeRedZ
...There are a lot of practical things that a pickup adds. Easy to get in and out of, can carry just about anything you want, can see traffic ahead of you easier, etc. My half ton 4WD Silverado gets good mileage and will comfortably and safely travel just about anywhere at 9 MPH over the speed limit, which is usually the upper limit of what is permitted before getting ticketed in the areas I travel. My trucks are also practical to own, easy to maintain at a relatively low cost, and in the past depreciation was minimal when compared to a luxury car. Not so sure about now at today's prices...


Does it fit inside your garage?

It could, but my 3 car garage currently has room for 1 car. All our drivers are kept outside anyway. Not a cold climate, and weather is a rare event.

 

[MNgopher]

Will fully admit that I did not read all the posts in this thread. That being said, of the posts I read, this thread went about exactly as I figured it would. Some folks offering why they own one, others criticizing their choice and insisting they know better what would meet their needs, and others just demonizing trucks because other choices do certain things better in their view. So much stereotyping...

All in all, I drive a pickup truck. It meets my needs. The end. Beyond that, not anyone else's business...

 

[Andrew1972]

The worst aspect of pickup trucks is abysmal fuel economy compared to nearly everything except larger SUVs.

Otherwise do many thing really well and should with an excessive price tag attached.

I split an aluminum trailer $500 each with neighbors so the utility aspect of pickup has no appeal to me.my qualm with pickups is the excessively high loading height compared to a trailer at near ground level.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

This is a funny phenomenon. Talk about signaling. Men projecting what they believe to be their "manliness" or "being country" by driving a pickup even though they have a high paying desk job in the city. I see it all the time around here but more so in states like Texas.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
This is a funny phenomenon. Talk about signaling. Men projecting what they believe to be their "manliness" or "being country" by driving a pickup even though they have a high paying desk job in the city. I see it all the time around here but more so in states like Texas.

Or maybe they just like trucks?

I'll also be the first to admit it is a pain to borrow a truck when I need one, and I'm not keen on having a trailer sitting in the yard 90% of the time. Have one vehicle that can do it all is appealing.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
This is a funny phenomenon. Talk about signaling. Men projecting what they believe to be their "manliness" or "being country" by driving a pickup even though they have a high paying desk job in the city. I see it all the time around here but more so in states like Texas.


While we are categorising, do you remember the one on what is the difference between a BMW and a Porcupine ???

 

[4WD]

Yes … I know some office types who own expensive PU's … but they have expensive toys to pull …

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted by Shannow
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
This is a funny phenomenon. Talk about signaling. Men projecting what they believe to be their "manliness" or "being country" by driving a pickup even though they have a high paying desk job in the city. I see it all the time around here but more so in states like Texas.


While we are categorising, do you remember the one on what is the difference between a BMW and a Porcupine ???


ROFL..wow, someone is sensitive. Who's categorizing? I'm surely not. I said it was a phenomenon. Just like the phenomenon behind why woman wear makeup and high heels, why a peacock displays its feathers, why people drive luxury sedans. It's all signaling. Here's a real world example, I know a young guy (28 yrs old) who grew up in a rural area, was middle class. He moved to the city about 3 years ago and has been making over $300k+/year in a sales job. He bought one of these luxury pickups, but he hardly ever uses it for yard work and maybe fishing/camping gear once a month. The bed essentially shows no wear from all the "hauling" for his 1/4 acre lot, but it's this huge freaking pickup that gets horrible mileage, is a royal pain to drive around in traffic, on city streets, and in/out of parking decks. He can't even fit the thing in a typical parking space because it's too long. He couldn't bring himself to buy a beater pickup for yard work (scarcasm here, since he pays people to take care of the landscaping, but ya know he may want to buy a tree or some bushes once in a while), coolers/gear for fishing and then have a nice sedan as a daily driver. He told me he's a "pick up guy" and I joked with him "Ya a pick up guy whose GF convinced him to get manicures" .

 

[Rumble]

That explains the absurdity of $40,000+ msrps on RAV4's. If someone is dumb enough to pay $40 grand for one, they'd probably pay $80 grand, as that would make the person twice as hip.

 

[SubLGT]

https://news.pickuptrucks.com/2018/09/survey-what-do-americans-love-about-pickups.html

Quote
Chevrolet decided to take a deeper dive into our national obsession with pickups by commissioning Harris Poll to conduct a survey aimed at discovering how pickup owners feel about their trucks....

How Do Pickup Truck Owners Use Their Trucks?

89 percent have used them to help others
33 percent have towed the cars of family or friends
33 percent have used their pickups to support school, community or charitable efforts


How Does Owning a Pickup Affect Image?

38 percent think driving a pickup increases their attractiveness
37 percent think driving a pickup increases their popularity

 

[Alfred_B]

I don't think these are luxury pick-up trucks. They are well built regular trucks with very nice options. They are very pleasant to drive and be in and are priced accordingly.

And they retain their value far better than a Mercedes, etc. SUVs because under all that comfort they are old school trucks.

 

[PimTac]

A lot of households consider their pickup as a second vehicle, hence the double cab and nicer touches. You can pick up the kids, and load up on mulch for the yard. They are a real practical solution.

 

[ndfergy]

Let's get real here. The sheer volume of pickup truck sales suggests you can't pigeonhole a demographic. Consumers want them for a variety of reasons. Sure, there are probably better choices - roof rack, utility trailer - from an environmental angle but similarly cheap gas, practicality, and resale value also makes sense. What doesn't make sense is the CAFE red hearing of vehicle footprint that creates a dead zone for manufacturers in suppling and marketing an economically practical midsize form; i.e. larger has a lower MPG standard. Unfortunately that barn door will be difficult to close without hampering the economy.

CUV's are growing in trend so hopefully that segment eventually supplants the full size pickup truck as a consumer choice.

 

[javacontour]

Pickups are not for me. I'm not a fan.

But I'm a fan of you owning what you want to own.

I do shake my head at the guy in OK who thought his pickup handled as well as a German sports coupe.

Probably handles better than 1960s pickups, but better than a sports coupe? I'm not buying it.


There are plenty of people who feel the need to justify their purchase instead of just owning it and saying it's a free country and I like what I have.

Originally Posted by MNgopher
Will fully admit that I did not read all the posts in this thread. That being said, of the posts I read, this thread went about exactly as I figured it would. Some folks offering why they own one, others criticizing their choice and insisting they know better what would meet their needs, and others just demonizing trucks because other choices do certain things better in their view. So much stereotyping...

All in all, I drive a pickup truck. It meets my needs. The end. Beyond that, not anyone else's business...

 

[CKN]

Most who demonize pickup trucks just dont want to pluck down 50k for one.