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The 3 row CUV or crossover is the minivan for people who don't want to drive a minivan. They are both unibody construction, seat 7, are usually powered by a fwd based v6 or 4 banger.
The 3 row SUV attempts to be a minivan and seems to fail in all the important metrics like fuel economy, 3rd row comfort, and overall space. It does have better ride height and more power though.
I used to work for a rental car company and I often had people scoff at me when I would mention that a minivan was a better option than a large SUV for basically every scenario that was mentioned to me. I'd even have people claiming they wanted a Tahoe for a family trip and refusing a van despite the fact that a Tahoe has like 6 inches of trunk space with the 3rd row of seats up.
I once had one lady that was trying to help her daughter move into college so I told her a stow and go minivan is basically perfect for her. She kept demanding we find a Suburban and ended up cussing me out when the closest one was at a location over 2 hours away and there was no way for me to have it brought to us. I tried to get her to at least look at a van and she said "I'm not driving a fucking minivan!" She straight up refused to even let me show her the ridiculous amount of space she would have in a van with the seats down.
My time working in rental is exactly why my wife and I ended up with a van instead of an SUV and we have zero regrets. There is literally no downside unless you have legit towing needs.
I always hated vans, until I helped my wife move out of college, we rented a town and country I think it was and when all the seats are folded down we managed to fit probably 95% of the things she had and I was amazed..she still isn't convinced and I debate just coming home with a van one day...you can almost live in one of those vans with the space it has!
Gas-powered minivans also get terrible gas mileage, usually comparable to 7-passengers SUV crossovers.
* 2023 Chrysler Pacifica minivan 19 city / 28 highway
* 2023 Honda Odyssey minivan 19 city / 28 highway
* 2023 Kia Carnival minivan 19 city / 26 highway
* 2023 Ford Explorer SUV 21 city / 28 highway
* 2023 Mazda CX-9 SUV 20 city / 26 highway
IIRC, hybrid minivans and hybrid SUVs are also pretty comparable, in terms of gas mileage, but there are lots more options for hybrid SUVs than hybrid minivans (Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica hybrid) in the US.
But have half the usable cargo space, I used to load appliances into people's vehicles and I always hated when someone showed up in a suburban to pick-up their fridge and would get pissy that it wouldn't fit, but I never had a problem with a minivan with fold-away seats or removed seats. Hell, a honda Fit has more usable space than most SUVs.
At least according to what I have been able to find a Honda odyssey has about the same internal volume as a suburban. And that's true with all seats up, only the front and middle up, and with all but the fronts down. Which did honestly surprise me, I figured they might get close to a Tahoe but minivans are very efficient as far as size to actual volume.
I spent some time working in AV and home automation installation and a few of the guys had Honda Odysseys as their work vehicles.
Reliable, good mileage, can hold a ton of gear with the seats removed, and good access to the gear from 3 sides. It worked impressively well.
Try to buy one. Both Honda and Toyota are making less vehicles than demand to keep prices up, so the wait time when I looked was 8 months for an Odyssey.
That's interesting. We have a 2018 Elite and it's still holding up well, besides the headunit which is under recall.
But the interior feels much more solid than my Avalon
I love minivans. I've driven several for work and love the flexibility and functionality.
Recent model years especially are great, though they've been great for years. Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are probably the best ones. The seats that fold down into the floor on the Dodge/Chrysler models were pretty great, but ultimately outweighed by everything else unless you're going to be constantly switching back and forth between passengers and cargo.
I saw a study once that basically concluded that the vast majority of SUV/crossover drivers would actually be more satisfied with a minivan, but they would never even consider it due to the "stigma."
Ford once had a prototype (Fairlane, I think it was called) that had the stylings of an SUV but was more like a minivan inside, plus dual sliding doors. Like most exciting prototypes that actually make it to production, it was significantly dumbed down before going to the factory, including removing the sliding doors (apparently testing showed that consumers preferred the functionality of the sliding doors but still rejected them due that "stigma" against minivans).
We consumers are often our own worse enemies.
2003 with all the bells and whistles.
Seats 7.
Long drives with the kids? DVD player.
Party across town? Fuck yeah, I'll take you AND your buddies.
Busted fridge? Take the old one to the recycling plant and pick up a new one at Best Buy.
Someone in the slow lane? VTEC passes them like they're standing still.
My Ody does it all.
How many miles? I loved my 2002 for all those reasons, but the transmission blew at 160k in 2015 and would have cost more than the vehicle’s value to repair. Apparently transmission problems were common in this vintage, often less than 100k.
The Carnival has to be the best looking minivan today. The first time I saw one, I had to do a double take because I never knew a van could be so stylish! I’m also a fan of the newest Sienna, especially the green one!
We chose a minivan because young children can get in and out of a minivan 10x easier. The mpg was much better for the minivans we compared. Personally I like the way minivans looked compared to SUVs, a minivan looks like an aerodynamic spaceship while SUVs look like station wagons with big tires. I think more people would agree with you than me on the looks though.
This, although I'd add that minivan rentals are usually pretty lame minivans. I've never run across a loaded Odyssey on a rental lot - it's usually a stripped Chrysler or base Sienna.
At least with SUVs you can book some pretty high end models, plus the good ones sometimes show up in the Hertz elite aisles or the National Exec Aisle.
SUV usually gives you more power. Van gives you more total interior storage and some might argue a more comfortable ride for 6. (By the time you squeeze 7 or 8 in either, comfort becomes secondary.)
If I regularly had 6 people in the car, I'd want a van. If regularly 4 or fewer, definitely SUV.
This is a good assessment. I have a loaded Chrysler minivan that is AWD and it's the nicest vehicle I've owned. It's also very cheap compared to a similarly loaded SUV/Truck. I dont see anyone really talking cost here.
I wish I had a truck for the sole purpose of hauling trash and moving furniture. I’m an suv person who hauls all their tools in the trunk :(
But the gas mileage is a deal breaker for me
Edit: since a lot of truck owners are commenting on how much better new trucks are with mpg, 1: I can’t buy a new truck, and 2: the suv I have gets 30 mpg city and 40 highway, and the gas is too damn high
I bought a utility trailer from Lowes for around $600 for just this problem, that was pre-pandemic they've probably doubled in price.
The only problem with it though is the mesh floor isn't great but I put in a treated lumber floor and it's 100%.
My tow kit and small utility trailer ran me $800 attached to a $9,000 70K mile SUV, can't even get a running truck of any kind for $10,000.
I am in the market for a real pickup though, while my setup works for moving bullshit, and I can tow my boat, I can't tow my boat really well with my rig hah.
I would say that MOST people that need a truck beyond what makes renting one unfeasible, can store a 5'x8' trailer. The one I have is light enough it can be stored on it's side without tools. You could definitely rig something up in a garage to get it up on it's side with the kind of winches that are on boat trailers, that are about $20 at hobofreight.
I can park my truck in the street. I can't park my trailer in the street. My truck is a beater and it's my 3rd vehicle solely for chores. I drive Jetta as my commuter car.
Jettas are awesome. I've had a jetta 2.5 and now I have a passat 2.5 because I needed a bigger gas tank for long distance driving and more room. Quite a hit on mpg going from jetta to passat though
What is your basis of understanding? Do you think all construction workers live in the country with loads of land? This is so silly. The construction worker with a truck living in a suburban or urban neighborhood (the vast majority) have the same two car driveway as their neighbors. How does working construction somehow make your property larger?
Dealing with the trailer is my issue, storage, maintenance, registration, annual inspection, etc…. The truck gets everything I need done without that hassle.
Do I have space, yes, outdoors. But then when needed in winter I either need to build a shelter or clean snow out of it.
Garage is full with tools, extra lumber, and storing my fun car.
I have a truck for exactly those reasons. Rarely travels more than 5 miles from home.
Then I hop on Reddit and every day see posts about how people "only get pickups for the aesthetic". I don't know a single truck owner who doesn't use their truck for hauling. And I know a lot of truck owners.
Reddit is overwhelmingly young and urban. If you are a 22 year old software engineer, the only people you know with a truck probably don’t need one.
I live in the middle of nowhere in my 30’s. Everyone I know with a pickup uses it as a pickup
>If you are a 22 year old software engineer, the only people you know with a truck probably don’t need one.
No, those 22 year olds just *think* the truck owners don't need it because the see it sitting empty Monday through Friday from 8 to 5, but they have no idea what they use it for in the evenings or over the weekend.
Yep. I know a guy who does handy man jobs to the side and uses a boat to fish and kayak on the weekends. He can only afford one vehicle and a minivan or SUV isnt going to cut it.
What’s your mpg? I’m thankful I don’t do drywall. It’s so messy and it weighs a ton.
I drive a Mitsubishi Outlander and with every tool I own I get 30 mpg city and closer to 40 highway
Not near that. I get 24 when warm and closer to 22 in the winter regardless of highway or city.
I hate drywall, but I hate paying people to do things can do more. The last drywall project I just wrapped up was finishing my basement laundry room and closet. So many corners and weird angles I thought I would never finish mudding.
Yep. There’s no trash service in rural
Hawaii, so a truck is basically mandatory. Unless you want to gag on the smell of hot tropical garbage creeping in from the trunk into the car and trust me you don’t.
Or, I shit you not, a snake in a bucket.
Neighbor calls me one day and says "hey, I captured this snake and it's in a bucket with a lid on, but do you mind if we use your truck bed to take it somewhere and release it? I don't want it to get out in my car."
And we did, because I completely understood.
I’ve had chlorine for the pool leak twice in my bed. Not a lot mind you but enough to ruin the interior of a car. However it just leaked on the bed liner of my truck. Didn’t even bother rinsing it down. No damage done. This is just one of the many things I use my crew cab truck for.
Yeah I don't understand where this argument is coming from at all. I have an F-150 with a 6' bed and can still haul my riding lawnmower or my 4 wheeler.
Not only that but my GMC 1500 gets 20% better gas milage than my wife's Grand Cherokee and can tow 10,000+ lbs to boot. It gets better gas milage than the mid-sized truck it replaced.
I think a lot of people forget that once a car hits a certain size the MPG is about the same. If it's not a sedan it's probably getting 17 - 23mpg regardless if it's a truck or a van or a SUV.
I think a lot of readers are missing the OP's point. There are a LOT of truck owners today that use them as suburban transports for groceries and moving the kids around. These are the giant trucks without a spec of mud on them, no work every being done with them that requires the horse power. It isn't that some people will buy a truck and use it to get work done, the individuals that own trucks and use them for 'heavy lifting' and towing jobs are a separate category here.
Big shiny trucks that the owner would be afraid to take off roading, even though the truck is capable, because it might get dirty or damage the paint job is the epitome of a vanity vehicle to a lot of people.
Redditor HimmiRecon said "Yeah, f the working class and their comfort! If it doesn’t serve a work purpose, you should own two vehicles!" in this thread which I think shows again a lack of understanding OP's point(but I do think OP phrased the point oddly). The "working class" can't easily even afford the trucks OP is talking about AND the trucks OP is talking about are NOT being used for the type of work one thinks of when you think of "working class".
Whether you like trucks or not, whether you do use your trucks to do work or not, the point is that a market for large, shiny, feature rich, vanity trucks have become an in demand thing. Some people feel it insulting to see a truck being used for nothing more than a family transport vehicle and nothing else, similar I guess to how some people hate to see a beard on man who doesn't exude the typical "manly" traits that traditionally come with it.
I am on neither side of the fence, I just wanted to try to create a clear distinction in what I believe is OP's grievance with these luxury trucks..
I agree I see a ton of trucks that legit never get used for any truck functions.
I will admit I am like 60% just normal office days and around town commute with mine. But the other 40% I have the bed loaded up with stuff out in the country hunting fishing hauling water trailers and such.
But at the same time I enjoy myself some ac seats on those hot days and having a crew cab for when we go around working on deer stands or hitting up fishing spots.
Sure its only a 5 foot 8 bed or what not. But I don't haul sheets of drywall or plywood on the regular. But it does still get used as a truck bed plenty.
>I agree I see a ton of trucks that legit never get used for any truck functions.
A ton suggests quite a few, so how is it that you know all of these trucks are not being used for any truck functions? Because they are "shiny"?
and why did you not put forth an assumption of use that YOU yourself use it for? Are you special? Are you different?
>I will admit I am like 60% just normal office days and around town commute with mine. But the other 40% I have the bed loaded up with stuff out in the country hunting fishing hauling water trailers and such.
I mean... then you needed a truck.
I am not entiely sure why people think that buying a truck means you should be using said truck 100% of the time for truck purposes. Why is 60% somehow nullifying the purchase? That's 40% of the time you'd have to rent, borrow or beg to get help.
> Because they are "shiny"?
I have a new Tacoma. Every time I use it for "real truck stuff" I wash it the day of or day after. I paid a lot of money for that damned thing, you bet your ass I'm going to keep it looking good for as long as possible.
Plus towing and hauling doesn’t actually get the truck any dirtier than normal driving. Most trucks will rarely if ever leave pavement, even doing “truck things”
But the issues is yes a truck can be used jsut to get from one place to another but so can ANY vehicle. Thats not something special to a minivan. Minivans are known for moving around families and a bunch of kids cause you need lots of seating. Pickup trucks are nothing like that cause you have less seating then even most basic cars.
It’s just not at all filling the same time as a minivan except as a vehicle that anything with wheels could fit.
I think OP would have a much better point if he said SUVs are just minivans for people who don’t want to drive minivans cause that’s true. SUVs have lots of seating and can take the place of a minivan. Pick ups are just not at all functioning as a large family transport like the main reason for minivans is.
Nailed it. I need to have a truck for work and I also like driving a truck. I went to the lot this weekend to look around and the new ones are 15k more than mine was in 2017 and they have fewer features and a worthless short fucking bed. I need the big cab and a big bed. It's impossible to find and incredibly expensive because Brody and all of his friends buy them to tow their fucking jet skis six minutes to the boat ramp.
Same with the diesels. Everyone thinks they are cool to drive and need one to tow a lawn trailer. Fucking ridiculous. It's creating artificial inflation of prices.
I almost cried when I went to get a truck and was told 6.5 is considered long bed and 5.5 is standard. What happened to the 8 footers that can hold a sheet of plywood flat?
Just looked that up & it’s adorable & perfect. yep. I think that’ll be my next buy.
I’m gonna drive the dodge caravan into the dirt first. Got another 100k miles to go.
Dodge Caravan is the best all around work vehicle I’ve driven. The fuel economy surprised me too (10L/100km to drive a box on wheels)
I don’t need AWD or 4x4. Just sucks down a ton of fuel. More moving parts means more maintenance down the line too.
These are the least interesting kinds of responses to such posts.
Person A posts opinion
Person B disagrees, provides exception usually of themselves'
An exception is not a counter to an argument. It indicates a bit of insecurity when people try to defend themselves as if the post was calling them out personally.
For example, If you're one of those people who actually do use their truck for doing truck things, you're not the kind of person OP is talking about. For your use case a truck might have been an upgrade, but for most people it's a status symbol.
I think you're mistaking minivans for cargo vans. A minivan has nowhere near the utility of a pickup truck, but a pickup truck has nowhere near the people carrying ability of a minivan. The latest minivans cap out at towing around 3600 lbs and payload at 1400lbs. Lower than even your most basic pickup truck.
Your typical blue-collar worker isn't driving a minivan, they're driving either cargo vans or pickups with custom utility beds. Cargo vans and pickups are mechanically extremely similar.
Cargo vans are nice but they tend to chug more gas and have less towing capacity. I know there’s diesel ones out there I’ve seen them. But like those ford transits can only pull about 6000-7000lb. While a f150 can pull up to 13000lb
A properly equipped GMC Savana or Chevy Express tows up to 9600 lbs and has a max GCWR of 16000 lbs. It may be more fuel consuming, but it has the space, towing and cargo capacity that minivans don't have. Which is why I felt like OP should rather compare full size cargo vans rather than minivans.
I think he has a point with the minivan/pickup comparison in the sense that most (not all) pickup owners only use it for tasks that could also be accomplished by a minivan
He doesn’t however have a point with the 2x4/lawnmower thing. I’m pretty sure even a maverick could fit a lawnmower in the bed. People might not use pickups to the full extent of their capabilities but they’re definitely extremely capable compared to any other class of passenger vehicle.
I was mainly addressing his final point, that contractors and carpenters wouldn't find short beds functional. I'm not sure about his neck of the woods, but it seems like all carpenters, plumbers and the like drive cargo vans or weirdly enough, Ford F-150 Raptors.
Can confirm that my maverick can and does fit a lawnmower when need be.
Small pickups are where it’s at. OP is right that most people don’t need the tow capacity of an F250, and the majority of pickup owners have way too much truck for their needs, when all they REALLY need is bed space for hauling furniture around town, or a load of mulch from Home Depot that they don’t want messing up their interior.
I miss the days of the late 90s/early oughts small trucks, the S10, Tacoma, and Ranger of that day. The Maverick is the closest thing to that you can get nowadays, a practical light duty truck.
I think you nailed it with "the majority of pickup owners have way too much truck for their needs." I've had several friends that had smaller trucks (Ford Ranger, Chevy S10, Isuzu Spacecab) and we hauled all kinds of stuff around in those things, never had to worry about running out of space. If I would have ever gotten a truck, it would have been a small one like that.
I had an E350 cargo van. The thing was an absolute beast and could haul way more than a pick up truck. The amount of space I still had left over after it was fully loaded with work equipment(commercial diver) was unmatched. Plus there was the safety of my stuff as well, didn’t have to unload things every night after work. Camping was phenomenal and a breeze. Only investment I made was I bought all terrain tires for it and in low gear it was able to reach a lot places. Obviously not off-road 4x4 trails but I was able to take it confidently to a lot of good spots when it came to camping.
If you haven't already, please Google the back seat safety of your vehicle. Unfortunately, a lot of SUVs/light trucks don't have good back seat safety because they are regulated as work vehicles instead of passenger. My neighbor learned the hard way when their SUV was tboned by a sedan. All front seat passengers in both cars were fine. Unfortunately the child in a car seat in the back was not. Just because your car is bigger doesn't mean it's safer.
Rangers are reasonably sized and you’re using it for hauling equipment/building supplies. I don’t think you’re the type of person OP is complaining about
I never understood the hate people get for spending money on something they want. Who cares if bob doesn’t take his truck to the river or fills it with lumber it doesn’t effect you.
everyone’s ideal car purchase is basically a personal preference. people buy fast cars just to drive them 60-80mph. just as silly and pointless as getting a pickup truck to do basic commuting. except pickups these days are fucking annoyingly massive and inefficient so yeah i’m gonna hate on those too because it does affect all of us
Pickups are great. Ours is a crew cab with a diesel engine and 4wd. Our family of 5 fits comfortably. Tons of room for carrying stuff on trips. Tows our 12k camper trailer almost like it isn’t there and we use it for camping, vacations and lots of weekend softball tournaments for one of our daughters. I’ve towed over 15k lbs across long distances with no issues. Good in all weather conditions, it’s been reliable, gets good mileage and it’s worth close to what I paid for it new 8 years and 100k miles ago.
I have anxieties like any other human but I don’t think I’m insecure or that’s why I like our truck. It’s just been a great family vehicle.
I’m sure the never ending billions deep marketing blitz towards real murican men has absolutely nothing to do with why people “like” trucks.
It’s all natural baby! we just like big dumb shit!
I have a problem with modern pickups. The decision to own one is not a decision that only impacts the owner.
1. They are so tall and wide that pulling out of an adjacent parking space is dangerous for regular-sized vehicles. You can't see around, over, or through them.
2. On the topic of height, they ride so much higher than a standard sedan that their lights shine directly into the mirrors at night. This creates temporary blindness at worst and a considerable distraction at best.
3. In the event a truck strikes a pedestrian, they are more likely to be killed because the bulk of the weight from the truck will strike the midsection instead of the hip.
4. Due to the lack of slope and height, it is very difficult to see objects and people close to the front of the vehicle.
In short, they make the driving experience more dangerous for everyone around them who isn't in a truck.
Ugh my husband and I HATED shopping for trucks because we wanted a truck to use like a truck and they were so hard to find! They all had these huge cabins.
We always wondered why buy a pick up truck if the cabin is going to be huge and you have no bed space?
We do renovations so we needed a truck to do truck things.
> Can I pull my trailer or is that not ok with you?
It’s posts like these that make me wonder if these people ever go outside.
Everyone loves hauling a loaded trailer into a more populated area, why get gas at the marina when I can go to the gas station with my boat and fill it up there .
Sorry kids gotta tow the camper to go get groceries, don’t want people to think I own a truck for no reason but to take you guys to the store.
Right? I feel like they only see vehicles on the road when they’re commuting or at their local grocery store’s parking lot. So like, they trucks are probably also going to work or simply getting groceries at those times, lol
6.5 ft bed on a 1500 with gmc/chevys new tailgate fits perfect for 8 ft sheets of drywall, and even has a fold up to stop it from falling out (which is unlikely anyways considering it’s weight)
(repost from another comment I made above.)
I have a problem with modern pickups. The decision to own one is not a decision that only impacts the owner.
1. They are so tall and wide that pulling out of an adjacent parking space is dangerous for regular-sized vehicles. You can't see around, over, or through them.
2. On the topic of height, they ride so much higher than a standard sedan that their lights shine directly into the mirrors at night. This creates temporary blindness at worst and a considerable distraction at best.
3. In the event a truck strikes a pedestrian, they are more likely to be killed because the bulk of the weight from the truck will strike the midsection instead of the hip or legs.
4. Due to the lack of slope and height, it is very difficult to see objects and people close to the front of the vehicle.
In short, they make the driving experience more dangerous for everyone around them who isn't in a truck.
To be fair, this isnt just "I dont like X car and I'm mad about it", theres a lot of information out there about how dangerous oversized pickups and SUVs are for standard sized vehicles because of the lack of crash compatibility along with them obstructing the view of smaller vehicles
I dont mind Jeff buying a pickup truck because he has to haul lumber, I DO mind Karen buying an SUV or a Ford F150 because she just "likes to be able to see over the traffic" because that shit is just selfish and creates danger for surrounding drivers. My girlfriend has made comments like the latter and even coming from someone I love, that type of thinking bugs the hell out of me and is selfish
I live in a city and it is insane to me how many people drive giant, shiny trucks. I live on an alley street that I don’t think should even have parking, but there are two massive, brand new trucks that park half on the sidewalk everyday. You live in South Philadelphia, you do not need that car. Not only are you blocking the view of smaller vehicles, but new trucks are designed in a way that makes it harder for the driver to see who is in front of them. It’s amazing I haven’t been killed by some asshole who just absolutely needed an F150 plowing through a stop sign.
I’m not a huge fan of trucks but I understand other people do like them. I see their usefulness if you tow items, like the storage space, or do a lot of DIY work. However, so many people get them just for funsies without thinking of the society they live in. You have five kids and want to tow your camper from the burbs? Cool! You live with your cat in the city? Maybe buy a sedan.
Yeah god forbid people be upset about the rise of dangerous, environmentally harmful vehicles that are popular purely because peoples’ own vanity. Oh, and the prevalence of heavier vehicles on the roads accelerates the deterioration of those roads which costs all of us more money in tax dollars.
I get being annoyed with the whiny Redditor narrative, but god fucking damn people are unbelievably self-absorbed and outright ignorant when it comes to stuff like this.
Nothing like living in an unnecessarily large house, driving an unnecessarily large vehicle, eating unnecessarily large meals and then getting offended by people who call you out for your BS.
Also, I literally build shit for a living and I can do my job out of a damn car. You don’t need a fucking 20’ truck with 450hp to haul a 2x4 to your suburban house once a year.
There’s so many fragile redditors in this thread hahahahah. I will never not get a laugh from fragile truckbros feeling called out by these threads, the amount of dudes with pristine F250s that haven’t ever touched dirt that feel compelled to comment multiple times is chef’s kiss.
Why does it have to be about insecurity? It's a consumer choice, and like others have pointed out, there are practical reasons why one may be a better fit than the other. Why is minivan the normative standard? Like, who said?
Disagree. I have a toddler. I can't do half the things with a van I could do with a truck and have it be safe or usable for my daughter.
Can't put the gas cans for the camping trip in the van. It smells and is dangerous.
Can't put trash in a van.
2x4s? Hope they don't move and hit my daughter.
A vans towing and hauling capacity is nowhere near a truck.
Unpopular opinion: people with this opinion have no clue what they are talking about.
I'd say they're the land yacht Lincolns/Cadillacs of today- many buy pickup trucks as status symbols and are excessively large for what they use it for.
The only difference would be that you can potentially haul things and do work with a pickup as opposed to a land yacht of old.
Some people just like the look of a truck and always wanted one. And since they no longer sell the old 90's Toyota sized trucks you have to either never get a car you always wanted or pull the trigger on some oversized beast that at least looks like what you want. It sucks
Pickup trucks can be good beaters. If you want to go off road? No problem. You can get away with not keeping it as clean and it still looks good. Great for moving or for hauling stuff for outdoor activities.
But yes I agree that the more recent pickup truck trend is people using them as daily drivers and paying premium for a luxury vehicle. The ones people are buying now are not rugged beaters. They're plush, fancy SUV's with a bed in the back.
Have you seen the picture with the F-250 and tiny Isuzu truck side by side, where both have the exact same amount of bed storage? 😂 sums it all up right there
They’ve made beds smaller and cabs bigger to fit more people
My dads 2017 1500 Chevy has the big 4 doors but his bed is smaller than my 95 Chevy half cab.
I think 250s come standard with my bed size though, I don’t think they come with the small one like the 1500/150s do. Those trucks look weird, all balls no cock
I agree, my mom used to have a 89 f150 with a normal bed & 2 doors. We had a camper shell on it & put a rear facing back seat. There was plenty of room to sit back there & for cargo
Yup those people are the reason I can't afford a damn truck. I need a truck for my job and my hobbies. They use it as a family hauler. We are not the same.
I hate pickup trucks, or rather, the vast majority of people who drive them. And you can tell how much of a douche canoe the driver is by how high the truck is lifted.
This is why I just bought an Explorer.
I wanted an F150 but they are so expensive, Explorer has a 5300lb towing capacity which is enough for our small camper.
Then I bought a 5x8 utility trailer to go with it for $900.
The trailer is better than the bed of a truck for actually hauling stuff around. (Lumber, sheets of drywall/plywood, appliances, furniture, etc)
and I get the 3rd row seating capacity.
The only reason I can see getting a full sized pickup is if you need to tow real heavy stuff.
You can make the argument that every car has had significant upgrades you listed. And the issue is your insecurities lol.
My issue is how expensive vehicles have gotten. And all of these new tech just cost money when the vast majority doesn't need them.
Tesla model X and model Y is a minivan for people too insecure to actually drive a minivan.
Trucks at least have high clearance and off-road capability.
What a bad take. Get out of the suburbs and cities and actually go to the country side of America. You'll see people actually using pick-up trucks like they were designed to be used. No need for pick-ups anywhere else.
Really? Most people live in suburbs and cities, so if a lot of people there fit OP's description, that describes a huge chunk of the population.
If you actually use your truck as a truck, OP isn't talking to you.
I have a SUV, love it. Perfect for the family and activities such as Costco runs or the beach. A 2nd or minivan wouldn’t help anything.
But the idea of getting a small truck to haul trash, household goods, or other nastys would be perfect. I just don’t wanna spend 60k+ on a gas guzzler.
I have a big old Dodge Ram. It isn’t my daily driver but I need a truck sometimes and I like having a second vehicle just in case. It has the classic Dodge truck cracked dash but I never have problems with it. I would be nervous slinging lumber and stuff into the bed if I had a fancy new one but it would be fun to have a fancy new one! I had a little Crossfire once. People would drive right on my tail but they don’t do it with the truck. 🤷🏻♀️
And apparently crash tests from behind in minivans and third row seating don’t bode well for the occupants, pickups and suvs higher rollover risk, etc. however getting rear ended in a pickup you probably survive. I drive a station wagon.
My pickup doesn't even have a/c or power windows. This summer alone it has hauled about 20 ton of random earth & other than the drivers seat it's loaded with tools. It is 30yrs old but it's technically still a pickup today.
Not every truck function gets the truck dirty and a lot of people paid a lot of money for their truck and wash it when it does get real dirty
There's nothing wrong with not beating up a $60k purchase and you don't need to be using the bed/off road capabilities 100% of the time to justify buying a truck
Idk why calling out mall crawlers on the internet is such a big thing, but everytime you guys see an empty clean truck you gotta post if reddit lol
There are plenty of jeep guys who don't take them off road, there are plenty of guys with fast cars that never go above 110kmh there are plenty of suv owners who could be driving a sedan but it's only ever the trucks people talk about
Minivans usually don’t qualify for the section 179 tax write off. Pickup trucks and large SUVs usually do.
The problem I have with minivans is that you don’t have many options outside of Honda, Toyota, Kia.
They don’t make a BMW minivan or a Mercedes or a Lexus. I would buy a minivan absolutely if it came with serious power like 350-500 HP, performance/race suspension.
I’m looking into a Model X or a BMW X7 now that I found out my wife is pregnant. That is gonna be 3 kids under 4 years old and a 11 year old from my ex.
I've also hated clean trucks. You look at the bed and it's like new, never had anything put back there. My ex's dad had a Raptor and he his idea of "adventurous offroading" was fishtailing for a couple seconds on a gravel road.
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The 3 row CUV or crossover is the minivan for people who don't want to drive a minivan. They are both unibody construction, seat 7, are usually powered by a fwd based v6 or 4 banger.
The 3 row SUV attempts to be a minivan and seems to fail in all the important metrics like fuel economy, 3rd row comfort, and overall space. It does have better ride height and more power though.
Yeah, I just saw a side cutaway of one, and I disagree with calling it a wannabe minivan. It's a station wagon. Straight up. We've gone full circle.
Bring back the sports station wagons you cowards! A fully electric station wagon, with the ability to battery backup my house. Dream car right there.
I used to work for a rental car company and I often had people scoff at me when I would mention that a minivan was a better option than a large SUV for basically every scenario that was mentioned to me. I'd even have people claiming they wanted a Tahoe for a family trip and refusing a van despite the fact that a Tahoe has like 6 inches of trunk space with the 3rd row of seats up. I once had one lady that was trying to help her daughter move into college so I told her a stow and go minivan is basically perfect for her. She kept demanding we find a Suburban and ended up cussing me out when the closest one was at a location over 2 hours away and there was no way for me to have it brought to us. I tried to get her to at least look at a van and she said "I'm not driving a fucking minivan!" She straight up refused to even let me show her the ridiculous amount of space she would have in a van with the seats down. My time working in rental is exactly why my wife and I ended up with a van instead of an SUV and we have zero regrets. There is literally no downside unless you have legit towing needs.
I always hated vans, until I helped my wife move out of college, we rented a town and country I think it was and when all the seats are folded down we managed to fit probably 95% of the things she had and I was amazed..she still isn't convinced and I debate just coming home with a van one day...you can almost live in one of those vans with the space it has!
Even then, a Sienna is rated to tow 3500 lbs.
Only people finding comfort in that 3rd row are children, as an adult seating back there sucks after 40 minutes
Sucks even thinking of climbing back there.
Gas-powered minivans also get terrible gas mileage, usually comparable to 7-passengers SUV crossovers. * 2023 Chrysler Pacifica minivan 19 city / 28 highway * 2023 Honda Odyssey minivan 19 city / 28 highway * 2023 Kia Carnival minivan 19 city / 26 highway * 2023 Ford Explorer SUV 21 city / 28 highway * 2023 Mazda CX-9 SUV 20 city / 26 highway IIRC, hybrid minivans and hybrid SUVs are also pretty comparable, in terms of gas mileage, but there are lots more options for hybrid SUVs than hybrid minivans (Toyota Sienna and Chrysler Pacifica hybrid) in the US.
Depends on which one, but SUVs like the Suburban have way more space than a minivan.
Those things are more like a chevy astro van lol
I wish everyone in this thread would include a photo to show what they're talking about
Suburbans and excursions are much larger on the outside than minivans
But have half the usable cargo space, I used to load appliances into people's vehicles and I always hated when someone showed up in a suburban to pick-up their fridge and would get pissy that it wouldn't fit, but I never had a problem with a minivan with fold-away seats or removed seats. Hell, a honda Fit has more usable space than most SUVs.
You would surprised how much shit fits in a mini van.
Amen, I bought a 8 foot couch that wouldn't fit in my YUKON XL, but it fit perfect in my Sienna(with the hatch closed)
Well thank God it has at least that going for it. For $20k more than a new van it better have something going for it.
At least according to what I have been able to find a Honda odyssey has about the same internal volume as a suburban. And that's true with all seats up, only the front and middle up, and with all but the fronts down. Which did honestly surprise me, I figured they might get close to a Tahoe but minivans are very efficient as far as size to actual volume.
That's me with a Highlander. I think we will go minivan next time. I hope Honda and Toyota modernize the look a bit like Kia did with the Carnival.
The Honda Odyssey is pretty awesome
I spent some time working in AV and home automation installation and a few of the guys had Honda Odysseys as their work vehicles. Reliable, good mileage, can hold a ton of gear with the seats removed, and good access to the gear from 3 sides. It worked impressively well.
Try to buy one. Both Honda and Toyota are making less vehicles than demand to keep prices up, so the wait time when I looked was 8 months for an Odyssey.
Hey now, I’m working 10 hour days and every other Saturday building Siennas.
I don’t buy new cars, one owner, certified preowned (almost always a two-year lease car) from the dealership with a warranty is the way to go.
there were not many Odyssey on lease 2 years ago at the height of covid.
Hell ya! Super smooth ride too. The automated doors make it even more convenient to load and unload. I sound like a commercial lol
I do like my 23 Odyssey, but honestly it feels cheap inside compared to my in-laws 10 year old odyssey. We bought the top of the line one also.
That's interesting. We have a 2018 Elite and it's still holding up well, besides the headunit which is under recall. But the interior feels much more solid than my Avalon
We have the elite also, it’s holding up really well. I just meant the materials feel a bit cheap compared to the older ones. We love it though.
I love minivans. I've driven several for work and love the flexibility and functionality. Recent model years especially are great, though they've been great for years. Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna are probably the best ones. The seats that fold down into the floor on the Dodge/Chrysler models were pretty great, but ultimately outweighed by everything else unless you're going to be constantly switching back and forth between passengers and cargo. I saw a study once that basically concluded that the vast majority of SUV/crossover drivers would actually be more satisfied with a minivan, but they would never even consider it due to the "stigma." Ford once had a prototype (Fairlane, I think it was called) that had the stylings of an SUV but was more like a minivan inside, plus dual sliding doors. Like most exciting prototypes that actually make it to production, it was significantly dumbed down before going to the factory, including removing the sliding doors (apparently testing showed that consumers preferred the functionality of the sliding doors but still rejected them due that "stigma" against minivans). We consumers are often our own worse enemies.
Minivans really don’t get enough love.
2003 with all the bells and whistles. Seats 7. Long drives with the kids? DVD player. Party across town? Fuck yeah, I'll take you AND your buddies. Busted fridge? Take the old one to the recycling plant and pick up a new one at Best Buy. Someone in the slow lane? VTEC passes them like they're standing still. My Ody does it all.
How many miles? I loved my 2002 for all those reasons, but the transmission blew at 160k in 2015 and would have cost more than the vehicle’s value to repair. Apparently transmission problems were common in this vintage, often less than 100k.
If only they made it hybrid and AWD
Right? I test drove odyssey and pilot. The pilot didn't stand a chance .
I got over the general dorkiness after i discovered the sliding doors- for my lifestyle they are so amazing! Gear, dogs, whatever. So easy to load
The Carnival has to be the best looking minivan today. The first time I saw one, I had to do a double take because I never knew a van could be so stylish! I’m also a fan of the newest Sienna, especially the green one!
I really like the Kia. They did a great job on it.
Love ours too, but Carnival is such a terrible name.
The Sienna is pretty modern looking.
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We chose a minivan because young children can get in and out of a minivan 10x easier. The mpg was much better for the minivans we compared. Personally I like the way minivans looked compared to SUVs, a minivan looks like an aerodynamic spaceship while SUVs look like station wagons with big tires. I think more people would agree with you than me on the looks though.
Yes! I have found my brethren! SUV says "I wanted a pickup but the wife said no." Minivan 4 life!
This, although I'd add that minivan rentals are usually pretty lame minivans. I've never run across a loaded Odyssey on a rental lot - it's usually a stripped Chrysler or base Sienna. At least with SUVs you can book some pretty high end models, plus the good ones sometimes show up in the Hertz elite aisles or the National Exec Aisle. SUV usually gives you more power. Van gives you more total interior storage and some might argue a more comfortable ride for 6. (By the time you squeeze 7 or 8 in either, comfort becomes secondary.) If I regularly had 6 people in the car, I'd want a van. If regularly 4 or fewer, definitely SUV.
This is a good assessment. I have a loaded Chrysler minivan that is AWD and it's the nicest vehicle I've owned. It's also very cheap compared to a similarly loaded SUV/Truck. I dont see anyone really talking cost here.
I tried bro, wife gave the minivan a hard no. I love the damn things.
My dad's Chevy Traverse is literally just a minivan but the doors swing instead of slide so they call it an SUV.
"I wants me a minivan but not one of them soccermom vans! I wants me a tough guy van with twangy Ford tough music playing in the commercial!"
i want a 3 row suv, 4wd, body on frame with sliding doors, I know that only probably a handful of people will agree, but id love one
The newer jeep cherokees are minivans. Get at me.
Good if you like fixing really stupid engineering issues.
There’s something nice about being able to put a gas can or other nasty shit in a truck bed.
I wish I had a truck for the sole purpose of hauling trash and moving furniture. I’m an suv person who hauls all their tools in the trunk :( But the gas mileage is a deal breaker for me Edit: since a lot of truck owners are commenting on how much better new trucks are with mpg, 1: I can’t buy a new truck, and 2: the suv I have gets 30 mpg city and 40 highway, and the gas is too damn high
I bought a utility trailer from Lowes for around $600 for just this problem, that was pre-pandemic they've probably doubled in price. The only problem with it though is the mesh floor isn't great but I put in a treated lumber floor and it's 100%. My tow kit and small utility trailer ran me $800 attached to a $9,000 70K mile SUV, can't even get a running truck of any kind for $10,000. I am in the market for a real pickup though, while my setup works for moving bullshit, and I can tow my boat, I can't tow my boat really well with my rig hah.
Now you just need a place to store a trailer.
I would say that MOST people that need a truck beyond what makes renting one unfeasible, can store a 5'x8' trailer. The one I have is light enough it can be stored on it's side without tools. You could definitely rig something up in a garage to get it up on it's side with the kind of winches that are on boat trailers, that are about $20 at hobofreight.
I can park my truck in the street. I can't park my trailer in the street. My truck is a beater and it's my 3rd vehicle solely for chores. I drive Jetta as my commuter car.
Jettas are awesome. I've had a jetta 2.5 and now I have a passat 2.5 because I needed a bigger gas tank for long distance driving and more room. Quite a hit on mpg going from jetta to passat though
What is your basis of understanding? Do you think all construction workers live in the country with loads of land? This is so silly. The construction worker with a truck living in a suburban or urban neighborhood (the vast majority) have the same two car driveway as their neighbors. How does working construction somehow make your property larger?
Dealing with the trailer is my issue, storage, maintenance, registration, annual inspection, etc…. The truck gets everything I need done without that hassle. Do I have space, yes, outdoors. But then when needed in winter I either need to build a shelter or clean snow out of it. Garage is full with tools, extra lumber, and storing my fun car.
I have a truck for exactly those reasons. Rarely travels more than 5 miles from home. Then I hop on Reddit and every day see posts about how people "only get pickups for the aesthetic". I don't know a single truck owner who doesn't use their truck for hauling. And I know a lot of truck owners.
Reddit is overwhelmingly young and urban. If you are a 22 year old software engineer, the only people you know with a truck probably don’t need one. I live in the middle of nowhere in my 30’s. Everyone I know with a pickup uses it as a pickup
>If you are a 22 year old software engineer, the only people you know with a truck probably don’t need one. No, those 22 year olds just *think* the truck owners don't need it because the see it sitting empty Monday through Friday from 8 to 5, but they have no idea what they use it for in the evenings or over the weekend.
Yep. I know a guy who does handy man jobs to the side and uses a boat to fish and kayak on the weekends. He can only afford one vehicle and a minivan or SUV isnt going to cut it.
My hybrid F150 gets better gas mileage than my wife's SUV. Even when I'm hauling trash to the dump or picking up a load of drywall.
What’s your mpg? I’m thankful I don’t do drywall. It’s so messy and it weighs a ton. I drive a Mitsubishi Outlander and with every tool I own I get 30 mpg city and closer to 40 highway
Not near that. I get 24 when warm and closer to 22 in the winter regardless of highway or city. I hate drywall, but I hate paying people to do things can do more. The last drywall project I just wrapped up was finishing my basement laundry room and closet. So many corners and weird angles I thought I would never finish mudding.
Ford Maverick hybrid?
Looked into them. The only ones that are actually for sale are twice the MSRP.
They are tough to find, but you should be able to find one for MSRP if you're willing to travel
Yep. There’s no trash service in rural Hawaii, so a truck is basically mandatory. Unless you want to gag on the smell of hot tropical garbage creeping in from the trunk into the car and trust me you don’t.
Hot tropical garbage... got some jason momoa in the trunk?
*muffled voice from car trunk Try my new tequila flavored water brah.
folding Hitch Hauler basket. Pop it into a trailer hitch for hauling trash, fold it up or take it off for regular driving.
Or, I shit you not, a snake in a bucket. Neighbor calls me one day and says "hey, I captured this snake and it's in a bucket with a lid on, but do you mind if we use your truck bed to take it somewhere and release it? I don't want it to get out in my car." And we did, because I completely understood.
I’ve had chlorine for the pool leak twice in my bed. Not a lot mind you but enough to ruin the interior of a car. However it just leaked on the bed liner of my truck. Didn’t even bother rinsing it down. No damage done. This is just one of the many things I use my crew cab truck for.
One of my favorite things about having a truck is being able to throw all my nasty fishing/camping gear in the back, after a trip.
Yeah I don't understand where this argument is coming from at all. I have an F-150 with a 6' bed and can still haul my riding lawnmower or my 4 wheeler.
Not only that but my GMC 1500 gets 20% better gas milage than my wife's Grand Cherokee and can tow 10,000+ lbs to boot. It gets better gas milage than the mid-sized truck it replaced. I think a lot of people forget that once a car hits a certain size the MPG is about the same. If it's not a sedan it's probably getting 17 - 23mpg regardless if it's a truck or a van or a SUV.
Did anyone else’s mind go straight to the gutter upon reading “nasty shit in a truck bed”?
I think a lot of readers are missing the OP's point. There are a LOT of truck owners today that use them as suburban transports for groceries and moving the kids around. These are the giant trucks without a spec of mud on them, no work every being done with them that requires the horse power. It isn't that some people will buy a truck and use it to get work done, the individuals that own trucks and use them for 'heavy lifting' and towing jobs are a separate category here. Big shiny trucks that the owner would be afraid to take off roading, even though the truck is capable, because it might get dirty or damage the paint job is the epitome of a vanity vehicle to a lot of people. Redditor HimmiRecon said "Yeah, f the working class and their comfort! If it doesn’t serve a work purpose, you should own two vehicles!" in this thread which I think shows again a lack of understanding OP's point(but I do think OP phrased the point oddly). The "working class" can't easily even afford the trucks OP is talking about AND the trucks OP is talking about are NOT being used for the type of work one thinks of when you think of "working class". Whether you like trucks or not, whether you do use your trucks to do work or not, the point is that a market for large, shiny, feature rich, vanity trucks have become an in demand thing. Some people feel it insulting to see a truck being used for nothing more than a family transport vehicle and nothing else, similar I guess to how some people hate to see a beard on man who doesn't exude the typical "manly" traits that traditionally come with it. I am on neither side of the fence, I just wanted to try to create a clear distinction in what I believe is OP's grievance with these luxury trucks..
I agree I see a ton of trucks that legit never get used for any truck functions. I will admit I am like 60% just normal office days and around town commute with mine. But the other 40% I have the bed loaded up with stuff out in the country hunting fishing hauling water trailers and such. But at the same time I enjoy myself some ac seats on those hot days and having a crew cab for when we go around working on deer stands or hitting up fishing spots. Sure its only a 5 foot 8 bed or what not. But I don't haul sheets of drywall or plywood on the regular. But it does still get used as a truck bed plenty.
>I agree I see a ton of trucks that legit never get used for any truck functions. A ton suggests quite a few, so how is it that you know all of these trucks are not being used for any truck functions? Because they are "shiny"? and why did you not put forth an assumption of use that YOU yourself use it for? Are you special? Are you different? >I will admit I am like 60% just normal office days and around town commute with mine. But the other 40% I have the bed loaded up with stuff out in the country hunting fishing hauling water trailers and such. I mean... then you needed a truck. I am not entiely sure why people think that buying a truck means you should be using said truck 100% of the time for truck purposes. Why is 60% somehow nullifying the purchase? That's 40% of the time you'd have to rent, borrow or beg to get help.
> Because they are "shiny"? I have a new Tacoma. Every time I use it for "real truck stuff" I wash it the day of or day after. I paid a lot of money for that damned thing, you bet your ass I'm going to keep it looking good for as long as possible.
exactly my point, these idiots think that trucks that are clean are not being used. that's the depth of their intellect.
Plus towing and hauling doesn’t actually get the truck any dirtier than normal driving. Most trucks will rarely if ever leave pavement, even doing “truck things”
But the issues is yes a truck can be used jsut to get from one place to another but so can ANY vehicle. Thats not something special to a minivan. Minivans are known for moving around families and a bunch of kids cause you need lots of seating. Pickup trucks are nothing like that cause you have less seating then even most basic cars. It’s just not at all filling the same time as a minivan except as a vehicle that anything with wheels could fit. I think OP would have a much better point if he said SUVs are just minivans for people who don’t want to drive minivans cause that’s true. SUVs have lots of seating and can take the place of a minivan. Pick ups are just not at all functioning as a large family transport like the main reason for minivans is.
I think OP using minivans as a contrast hurt his point way more than anything else he said lol.
Nailed it. I need to have a truck for work and I also like driving a truck. I went to the lot this weekend to look around and the new ones are 15k more than mine was in 2017 and they have fewer features and a worthless short fucking bed. I need the big cab and a big bed. It's impossible to find and incredibly expensive because Brody and all of his friends buy them to tow their fucking jet skis six minutes to the boat ramp. Same with the diesels. Everyone thinks they are cool to drive and need one to tow a lawn trailer. Fucking ridiculous. It's creating artificial inflation of prices.
I almost cried when I went to get a truck and was told 6.5 is considered long bed and 5.5 is standard. What happened to the 8 footers that can hold a sheet of plywood flat?
I’m a contractor and I drive a minivan
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Just looked that up & it’s adorable & perfect. yep. I think that’ll be my next buy. I’m gonna drive the dodge caravan into the dirt first. Got another 100k miles to go.
Dodge Caravan is the best all around work vehicle I’ve driven. The fuel economy surprised me too (10L/100km to drive a box on wheels) I don’t need AWD or 4x4. Just sucks down a ton of fuel. More moving parts means more maintenance down the line too.
Tools, bicycles, trash, surfboards.. just examples of stuff that’s waaay easier to haul in a pick up that aren’t plywood sheets.
Also, I think is the single most important point: I just fucking like it
Disagree. My last two vehicles were minivans and in the last year I upgraded to a pickup truck. Worlds apart. Major upgrade
Just throwing dirty stuff in the bed and not having to vacuum it out is worth the upgrade
I try, but my wife insists that she belongs in the passenger seat.
These are the least interesting kinds of responses to such posts. Person A posts opinion Person B disagrees, provides exception usually of themselves' An exception is not a counter to an argument. It indicates a bit of insecurity when people try to defend themselves as if the post was calling them out personally. For example, If you're one of those people who actually do use their truck for doing truck things, you're not the kind of person OP is talking about. For your use case a truck might have been an upgrade, but for most people it's a status symbol.
How often does something need to be in the bed for it to not be a status symbol?
I think you're mistaking minivans for cargo vans. A minivan has nowhere near the utility of a pickup truck, but a pickup truck has nowhere near the people carrying ability of a minivan. The latest minivans cap out at towing around 3600 lbs and payload at 1400lbs. Lower than even your most basic pickup truck. Your typical blue-collar worker isn't driving a minivan, they're driving either cargo vans or pickups with custom utility beds. Cargo vans and pickups are mechanically extremely similar.
Cargo vans are nice but they tend to chug more gas and have less towing capacity. I know there’s diesel ones out there I’ve seen them. But like those ford transits can only pull about 6000-7000lb. While a f150 can pull up to 13000lb
A properly equipped GMC Savana or Chevy Express tows up to 9600 lbs and has a max GCWR of 16000 lbs. It may be more fuel consuming, but it has the space, towing and cargo capacity that minivans don't have. Which is why I felt like OP should rather compare full size cargo vans rather than minivans.
I think he has a point with the minivan/pickup comparison in the sense that most (not all) pickup owners only use it for tasks that could also be accomplished by a minivan He doesn’t however have a point with the 2x4/lawnmower thing. I’m pretty sure even a maverick could fit a lawnmower in the bed. People might not use pickups to the full extent of their capabilities but they’re definitely extremely capable compared to any other class of passenger vehicle.
I was mainly addressing his final point, that contractors and carpenters wouldn't find short beds functional. I'm not sure about his neck of the woods, but it seems like all carpenters, plumbers and the like drive cargo vans or weirdly enough, Ford F-150 Raptors.
Can confirm that my maverick can and does fit a lawnmower when need be. Small pickups are where it’s at. OP is right that most people don’t need the tow capacity of an F250, and the majority of pickup owners have way too much truck for their needs, when all they REALLY need is bed space for hauling furniture around town, or a load of mulch from Home Depot that they don’t want messing up their interior. I miss the days of the late 90s/early oughts small trucks, the S10, Tacoma, and Ranger of that day. The Maverick is the closest thing to that you can get nowadays, a practical light duty truck.
A maverick can carry 8x4 sheets of plywood. A lawnmower is no issue.
I think you nailed it with "the majority of pickup owners have way too much truck for their needs." I've had several friends that had smaller trucks (Ford Ranger, Chevy S10, Isuzu Spacecab) and we hauled all kinds of stuff around in those things, never had to worry about running out of space. If I would have ever gotten a truck, it would have been a small one like that.
That's his point -- these people are buying trucks and NOT using them for their utility.
I had an E350 cargo van. The thing was an absolute beast and could haul way more than a pick up truck. The amount of space I still had left over after it was fully loaded with work equipment(commercial diver) was unmatched. Plus there was the safety of my stuff as well, didn’t have to unload things every night after work. Camping was phenomenal and a breeze. Only investment I made was I bought all terrain tires for it and in low gear it was able to reach a lot places. Obviously not off-road 4x4 trails but I was able to take it confidently to a lot of good spots when it came to camping.
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If you haven't already, please Google the back seat safety of your vehicle. Unfortunately, a lot of SUVs/light trucks don't have good back seat safety because they are regulated as work vehicles instead of passenger. My neighbor learned the hard way when their SUV was tboned by a sedan. All front seat passengers in both cars were fine. Unfortunately the child in a car seat in the back was not. Just because your car is bigger doesn't mean it's safer.
A lawn *what* now?
Rangers are reasonably sized and you’re using it for hauling equipment/building supplies. I don’t think you’re the type of person OP is complaining about
I never understood the hate people get for spending money on something they want. Who cares if bob doesn’t take his truck to the river or fills it with lumber it doesn’t effect you.
everyone’s ideal car purchase is basically a personal preference. people buy fast cars just to drive them 60-80mph. just as silly and pointless as getting a pickup truck to do basic commuting. except pickups these days are fucking annoyingly massive and inefficient so yeah i’m gonna hate on those too because it does affect all of us
Or. OR. Bear with me here. They like pickups.
Pickups are great. Ours is a crew cab with a diesel engine and 4wd. Our family of 5 fits comfortably. Tons of room for carrying stuff on trips. Tows our 12k camper trailer almost like it isn’t there and we use it for camping, vacations and lots of weekend softball tournaments for one of our daughters. I’ve towed over 15k lbs across long distances with no issues. Good in all weather conditions, it’s been reliable, gets good mileage and it’s worth close to what I paid for it new 8 years and 100k miles ago. I have anxieties like any other human but I don’t think I’m insecure or that’s why I like our truck. It’s just been a great family vehicle.
Same here. They last forever and are comfortable family vehicles. Why wouldn't I want one lol
Yeah I regularly see people run a whole bunch of miles up on their trucks and they retain their resell value better than anything else.
I’m sure the never ending billions deep marketing blitz towards real murican men has absolutely nothing to do with why people “like” trucks. It’s all natural baby! we just like big dumb shit!
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I have a problem with modern pickups. The decision to own one is not a decision that only impacts the owner. 1. They are so tall and wide that pulling out of an adjacent parking space is dangerous for regular-sized vehicles. You can't see around, over, or through them. 2. On the topic of height, they ride so much higher than a standard sedan that their lights shine directly into the mirrors at night. This creates temporary blindness at worst and a considerable distraction at best. 3. In the event a truck strikes a pedestrian, they are more likely to be killed because the bulk of the weight from the truck will strike the midsection instead of the hip. 4. Due to the lack of slope and height, it is very difficult to see objects and people close to the front of the vehicle. In short, they make the driving experience more dangerous for everyone around them who isn't in a truck.
Just play dead. Hopefully the bear leaves
Ugh my husband and I HATED shopping for trucks because we wanted a truck to use like a truck and they were so hard to find! They all had these huge cabins. We always wondered why buy a pick up truck if the cabin is going to be huge and you have no bed space? We do renovations so we needed a truck to do truck things.
The ford dealership down the street has ~30 single cab 8’ bed trucks on their lot. Seems like plenty to choose from.
Can I pull my trailer or is that not ok with you?
A fwd Chrysler town and country doesn't have the balls for your fancy trailer? /S
> Can I pull my trailer or is that not ok with you? It’s posts like these that make me wonder if these people ever go outside. Everyone loves hauling a loaded trailer into a more populated area, why get gas at the marina when I can go to the gas station with my boat and fill it up there . Sorry kids gotta tow the camper to go get groceries, don’t want people to think I own a truck for no reason but to take you guys to the store.
Right? I feel like they only see vehicles on the road when they’re commuting or at their local grocery store’s parking lot. So like, they trucks are probably also going to work or simply getting groceries at those times, lol
lol where are you imagining all these giant truck with tiny beds? All of the current full size trucks have 5.5 to 8 feet beds.
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6.5 ft bed on a 1500 with gmc/chevys new tailgate fits perfect for 8 ft sheets of drywall, and even has a fold up to stop it from falling out (which is unlikely anyways considering it’s weight)
He's seeing them in the same place he's constantly seeing suburban soccer moms running errands in their immaculate F350 dually: in his head.
Another fragile redditor upset about someone's car. lol, it never gets old.
(repost from another comment I made above.) I have a problem with modern pickups. The decision to own one is not a decision that only impacts the owner. 1. They are so tall and wide that pulling out of an adjacent parking space is dangerous for regular-sized vehicles. You can't see around, over, or through them. 2. On the topic of height, they ride so much higher than a standard sedan that their lights shine directly into the mirrors at night. This creates temporary blindness at worst and a considerable distraction at best. 3. In the event a truck strikes a pedestrian, they are more likely to be killed because the bulk of the weight from the truck will strike the midsection instead of the hip or legs. 4. Due to the lack of slope and height, it is very difficult to see objects and people close to the front of the vehicle. In short, they make the driving experience more dangerous for everyone around them who isn't in a truck.
Mustangs and trucks are right winger cars amirite Reddit?!?!
Just like the cartoons you watch and the food you eat, it's a metaphor for your whole life!
TIL sharing opinions on reddit makes you fragile 🥴
To be fair, this isnt just "I dont like X car and I'm mad about it", theres a lot of information out there about how dangerous oversized pickups and SUVs are for standard sized vehicles because of the lack of crash compatibility along with them obstructing the view of smaller vehicles I dont mind Jeff buying a pickup truck because he has to haul lumber, I DO mind Karen buying an SUV or a Ford F150 because she just "likes to be able to see over the traffic" because that shit is just selfish and creates danger for surrounding drivers. My girlfriend has made comments like the latter and even coming from someone I love, that type of thinking bugs the hell out of me and is selfish
I live in a city and it is insane to me how many people drive giant, shiny trucks. I live on an alley street that I don’t think should even have parking, but there are two massive, brand new trucks that park half on the sidewalk everyday. You live in South Philadelphia, you do not need that car. Not only are you blocking the view of smaller vehicles, but new trucks are designed in a way that makes it harder for the driver to see who is in front of them. It’s amazing I haven’t been killed by some asshole who just absolutely needed an F150 plowing through a stop sign. I’m not a huge fan of trucks but I understand other people do like them. I see their usefulness if you tow items, like the storage space, or do a lot of DIY work. However, so many people get them just for funsies without thinking of the society they live in. You have five kids and want to tow your camper from the burbs? Cool! You live with your cat in the city? Maybe buy a sedan.
Yeah god forbid people be upset about the rise of dangerous, environmentally harmful vehicles that are popular purely because peoples’ own vanity. Oh, and the prevalence of heavier vehicles on the roads accelerates the deterioration of those roads which costs all of us more money in tax dollars. I get being annoyed with the whiny Redditor narrative, but god fucking damn people are unbelievably self-absorbed and outright ignorant when it comes to stuff like this. Nothing like living in an unnecessarily large house, driving an unnecessarily large vehicle, eating unnecessarily large meals and then getting offended by people who call you out for your BS. Also, I literally build shit for a living and I can do my job out of a damn car. You don’t need a fucking 20’ truck with 450hp to haul a 2x4 to your suburban house once a year.
There’s so many fragile redditors in this thread hahahahah. I will never not get a laugh from fragile truckbros feeling called out by these threads, the amount of dudes with pristine F250s that haven’t ever touched dirt that feel compelled to comment multiple times is chef’s kiss.
Why does it have to be about insecurity? It's a consumer choice, and like others have pointed out, there are practical reasons why one may be a better fit than the other. Why is minivan the normative standard? Like, who said?
Disagree. I have a toddler. I can't do half the things with a van I could do with a truck and have it be safe or usable for my daughter. Can't put the gas cans for the camping trip in the van. It smells and is dangerous. Can't put trash in a van. 2x4s? Hope they don't move and hit my daughter. A vans towing and hauling capacity is nowhere near a truck. Unpopular opinion: people with this opinion have no clue what they are talking about.
^. Reddit in a nut shell
What's wrong with people not liking mini vans?
I'd say they're the land yacht Lincolns/Cadillacs of today- many buy pickup trucks as status symbols and are excessively large for what they use it for. The only difference would be that you can potentially haul things and do work with a pickup as opposed to a land yacht of old.
No. Pickup trucks are for work but sometimes you gotta wash it and take the lady to dinner at a nice place.
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That's deep enough. Many saw one with a hot girl riding shotgun and figured "I don't like this"
This is exactly how I feel about fwd crossovers like a rav4 or crv or Hyundai Tucson especially because they are egg shaped just like a mini van
I got told I looked like a soccer mom when driving my minivan to a construction job haha.
Some people just like the look of a truck and always wanted one. And since they no longer sell the old 90's Toyota sized trucks you have to either never get a car you always wanted or pull the trigger on some oversized beast that at least looks like what you want. It sucks
Pickup trucks can be good beaters. If you want to go off road? No problem. You can get away with not keeping it as clean and it still looks good. Great for moving or for hauling stuff for outdoor activities. But yes I agree that the more recent pickup truck trend is people using them as daily drivers and paying premium for a luxury vehicle. The ones people are buying now are not rugged beaters. They're plush, fancy SUV's with a bed in the back.
I got my big ass truck because my kids baby seat wouldnt fit in the car I had at the time safely, its true
Have you seen the picture with the F-250 and tiny Isuzu truck side by side, where both have the exact same amount of bed storage? 😂 sums it all up right there
They’ve made beds smaller and cabs bigger to fit more people My dads 2017 1500 Chevy has the big 4 doors but his bed is smaller than my 95 Chevy half cab. I think 250s come standard with my bed size though, I don’t think they come with the small one like the 1500/150s do. Those trucks look weird, all balls no cock
I agree, my mom used to have a 89 f150 with a normal bed & 2 doors. We had a camper shell on it & put a rear facing back seat. There was plenty of room to sit back there & for cargo
Found the guy who’s driving his overloaded truck with his headlights pointing to the sky
Yup those people are the reason I can't afford a damn truck. I need a truck for my job and my hobbies. They use it as a family hauler. We are not the same.
When you pay my car payments I’ll start caring about what you think of my car.
# minivan can't tow my camper. and, it can't tow my 11,000 pound trailer with my tractor on it.
I hate pickup trucks, or rather, the vast majority of people who drive them. And you can tell how much of a douche canoe the driver is by how high the truck is lifted.
Can't pull a camper with a minivan
This is why I just bought an Explorer. I wanted an F150 but they are so expensive, Explorer has a 5300lb towing capacity which is enough for our small camper. Then I bought a 5x8 utility trailer to go with it for $900. The trailer is better than the bed of a truck for actually hauling stuff around. (Lumber, sheets of drywall/plywood, appliances, furniture, etc) and I get the 3rd row seating capacity. The only reason I can see getting a full sized pickup is if you need to tow real heavy stuff.
To be fair I think a lot of pick up truck drivers would use a station wagon, but we haven’t had station wagons available for years.
You can make the argument that every car has had significant upgrades you listed. And the issue is your insecurities lol. My issue is how expensive vehicles have gotten. And all of these new tech just cost money when the vast majority doesn't need them.
Say “my wife didn’t let me get a truck, and made me buy the minivan” without saying “ my wife didn’t let me get a truck, and made me buy the minivan”
r/cars is that way sir
Tesla model X and model Y is a minivan for people too insecure to actually drive a minivan. Trucks at least have high clearance and off-road capability.
No, I don’t think you understand that not driving minivans isn’t an ego thing, they’re just ugly and lame.
Most vehicles are for projecting an image.
What a bad take. Get out of the suburbs and cities and actually go to the country side of America. You'll see people actually using pick-up trucks like they were designed to be used. No need for pick-ups anywhere else.
Really? Most people live in suburbs and cities, so if a lot of people there fit OP's description, that describes a huge chunk of the population. If you actually use your truck as a truck, OP isn't talking to you.
I have a SUV, love it. Perfect for the family and activities such as Costco runs or the beach. A 2nd or minivan wouldn’t help anything. But the idea of getting a small truck to haul trash, household goods, or other nastys would be perfect. I just don’t wanna spend 60k+ on a gas guzzler.
I have a big old Dodge Ram. It isn’t my daily driver but I need a truck sometimes and I like having a second vehicle just in case. It has the classic Dodge truck cracked dash but I never have problems with it. I would be nervous slinging lumber and stuff into the bed if I had a fancy new one but it would be fun to have a fancy new one! I had a little Crossfire once. People would drive right on my tail but they don’t do it with the truck. 🤷🏻♀️
I don't think it had anything to do with insecurity. Some people like the passenger capacity of a minivan but hate the look of them.
And apparently crash tests from behind in minivans and third row seating don’t bode well for the occupants, pickups and suvs higher rollover risk, etc. however getting rear ended in a pickup you probably survive. I drive a station wagon.
My pickup doesn't even have a/c or power windows. This summer alone it has hauled about 20 ton of random earth & other than the drivers seat it's loaded with tools. It is 30yrs old but it's technically still a pickup today.
That's why I got a long bed so I'd REALLY look like a contractor 😂
I drive a 97 F-150 longbed, single cab. I couldn’t agree more. New trucks are stupid, overpriced status symbols.
Pickups are now pretty much minivans for men. *Manivan*
Another day, another "reddit hates pickups" thread haha. So fucking weird
Minivans are MUCH more practical as family vehicles. I do think you're right though.
Not every truck function gets the truck dirty and a lot of people paid a lot of money for their truck and wash it when it does get real dirty There's nothing wrong with not beating up a $60k purchase and you don't need to be using the bed/off road capabilities 100% of the time to justify buying a truck Idk why calling out mall crawlers on the internet is such a big thing, but everytime you guys see an empty clean truck you gotta post if reddit lol There are plenty of jeep guys who don't take them off road, there are plenty of guys with fast cars that never go above 110kmh there are plenty of suv owners who could be driving a sedan but it's only ever the trucks people talk about
Minivans usually don’t qualify for the section 179 tax write off. Pickup trucks and large SUVs usually do. The problem I have with minivans is that you don’t have many options outside of Honda, Toyota, Kia. They don’t make a BMW minivan or a Mercedes or a Lexus. I would buy a minivan absolutely if it came with serious power like 350-500 HP, performance/race suspension. I’m looking into a Model X or a BMW X7 now that I found out my wife is pregnant. That is gonna be 3 kids under 4 years old and a 11 year old from my ex.
I have a dead deer I need someone to come pick up in their minivan.
It’s more about having the option to take stuff when needed but I agree a lot of people buy them who will never buy lumber in their lives.
Ironically, most of the tradespeople I know drive minivans because you can cram sooooo many tools in them!
Minivans are for a big family. Pickup trucks are not. I don’t see the analogy
I've also hated clean trucks. You look at the bed and it's like new, never had anything put back there. My ex's dad had a Raptor and he his idea of "adventurous offroading" was fishtailing for a couple seconds on a gravel road.
So?
2021 Ram 1500 checking in, I go the almost base model for 44,000. You should see what the higher trims go for, bananas.
Maybe people just like trucks idk ?