americans want heavy gas hogs

[mikehallbackhoe]

I understand the concept of a full size pickup. I run a backhoe business,and I used to drive a chevy 3/4 ton pickup. I carried 50 gallons of diesel, and assorted tools. I parked the chevy, and now I run a 4 cyl. nissan pickup. I only carry 20 gallons of diesel, which is enough, and whatever tools I might need. what we need is to start taking baby steps, drive a v6 instead of a v8, manual transmission instead of automatic, ect. The american auto makers are going the wrong direction. Every year the pickups get more horsepower, bigger, faster , more power. it's not just pickups, my 84 crx has 60 hp. , A new honda civic can be purchased with 185 hp. Even my motorcycle has 100 hp, and it is nowhere near the top of the ladder as far as hp for a motorcycle.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by mja1

Can't do contract work or heavy manual labor with little cars... can't tow a 5,000+ lb trailer 500 miles and back for months in a row, can't fit two refrigerators or kitchen cabinets in a metro or a full ton of wood/cement for building projects etc.

Sure you can. I used to, a lot of the time riding a motorcycle to the job site, or driving the Austin-Healey. Later on I used to do the "punch list" work on job sites (fixing up all the niggling little bugs needed for final approval) driving a Mazda RX-3 wagon. (The company did commercial construction all over the west, and it was great for long highway cruising.)

What you don't seem to realize here is that if you're working normal construction, that ton of wood or concrete is delivered to the job site, then the workers take days or weeks installing it, so you have e.g. one heavy truck trip with materials plus 20, 40, or more trips carrying a single worker and maybe a few tools. It's just an ego thing that a lot of the workers think the need to take themselves to the job site in a F-350 4x4.

[mikehallbackhoe]

I have known contractors who drive around in a full size pickup, filled with every tool they own. most of those tools may not even be used that year. The old addage "time is money" sometimes applies, but usually they spend more time digging through all those tools trying to find some tool buried among all those other tools. Sometimes something will come up that you didn't expect, and you may need that certain tool, but most of the time, if you are well organized, you are going to know which tools you are going to need for the day.

[mechman600]

Or why not drive a small car equipped with a hitch? When you need to haul stuff, hook up to your trailer and haul stuff.

Oh...because it doesn't look cool.

Many small cars have 1000 lb towing ratings. My Matrix has a 1500 lb rating. For a couple of summers I pulled my 1350 lb tent trailer (5000 lb including car & gear) from BC to Alberta. That's as mountainous as it gets. I would pull 7-8% grades in 2nd at 5000 rpm at 80 km/h. There were some 15 minutes episodes of this sometimes, and she never blew! The best part is, I averaged 24 mpg.

I'm just saying that some small cars are more capable of hauling than you would think.

[Fat Charlie]

My wagon has plenty of space. On top of that, my 5x8 utility trailer is bigger, lower and more versatile than any pickup bed. Pulling the sides off takes a minute, and it tilts.

As an added bonus, I don't have to lug my cargo carrying capacity around with me all the time.

[mikehallbackhoe]

I have talked with contractors who say they need the big deisel pickup because it makes them look successful, which gets them more business. personally, I tend to hire the guy who drives up in a modest economy vehicle, he understands the value of a buck, and isn't trying to get you to help pay for his 40,000 dollar pickup.

[PaleMelanesian]

I like the ones who drive shiny trucks to the construction office, then take the company truck from there to the job site. Why does the personal vehicle need to be a truck?

Or my coworker in the next cubicle who commutes his F250 50 miles each way to a software job.

[Frank Lee]

Or the scrawny 110 lb runt that commutes to the cubicle in a King Ranch.

[Thymeclock]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

I like the ones who drive shiny trucks to the construction office, then take the company truck from there to the job site. Why does the personal vehicle need to be a truck?

Or my coworker in the next cubicle who commutes his F250 50 miles each way to a software job.

It's the idea of their keeping up with the times and being fashionable, which in this case amounts to a display of ego and/or machismo. It's a free country. Let 'em spend their money on such foolishness.

The car I drive daily is a 23 year old Galant that has been garaged since it was bought new. My wife drove it for the first 15 years and it still looks and runs like new. It's a lot more fun to drive than a truck. But then I'm hardly 'a slave to fashion'...

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Thymeclock

It's the idea of their keeping up with the times and being fashionable, which in this case amounts to a display of ego and/or machismo. It's a free country. Let 'em spend their money on such foolishness.

Who suggested otherwise? But as you say, it's a free country, which means we're free to derive enjoyment from poking fun at their foolishnes.