Reapster

To start off, this is the first truck I've ever owned. My parents got by for ages with no truck besides a few brief stints here and there where my dad owned an old S10 and then one of the big straight six F150s from the '90s.

I have noticed (since I am a car enthusiast and look at various car sites) that there often seems to be untoward comments towards trucks, about people who buy them and then don't "use them as intended" earning a lot of ire from others. Basically, if you're not loading things into the truck once a week or regularly going down beaten dirt and gravel roads "why have a truck?" is their mindset. I find this a real double standard considering how for basically the last 20 years I've seen SUVs which can be argued to be meant to "haul people and things" and rarely do I ever see most people with those haul much more than the driver and a bunch of air yet somehow they get a pass.

It seems like take an F150 that doesn't haul lots of things and now you're a jerk, but buy an Expedition which in essence is an enclosed F150 and now it's no big deal. Is it because trucks have been around much longer as a popular vehicle type in the US and just driving a truck to drive a truck has been a thing much longer? Truth be told, I rarely haul anything in my truck but I like the look, the ride, knowing those times I do need to haul something I can. I hate most SUVs because they're just the most bland things on the road and inherently can't do as much as a truck since they're fully enclosed. Partly I wonder how much it's people realizing SUVs are just minivans now and assigning them similar status of being non-offensive.

I would've been ok with driving a hatchback or some kind of wagon as a second vehicle, but the number of times in my previous car and the Corvette that I've been boxed in on all sides by huge SUVs and stupid drivers staring at their phones I finally caved in and bought something equally large so as not to become a pancake if they fail to notice my car (The Corvette is also at least bright yellow, not that that really helps - some Corsa exhaust should do the trick though ). I have no plans to put a big lift kit or tons of off road lights I'll never use on my truck, I just think it looks sharp, is surprisingly fun to drive, and feels very sturdy. Is there something more to this that I'm not getting since I've not been driving a truck for years as I'm sure many of you probably have?

Eduskator

That's because they are usually linked to that non-eco-friendly AKA you-are-a-dumba**-polluter thing.

At the end, it's all a matter of what you like. You want a truck but you don't need one? Get one. You know what, a lot of people own a car but don't need one. It's the same principle.

Plus, my F150 has a better MPG than my previous car (Lexus IS) and I'm sure that it's more fuel efficient than many SUVs out there, but nobody cares since the truck looks bigger.

PlasmaJab

Double standards seem to be one of those things where youre damned if you do and damned if you done.

Say you buy yourself a nice Mustang GT or Camaro. Practical? No. Useful? Not Really. Fast. Yes. Are you going fast all the time? No.

This point you get the Why'd you buy it then or just 'cool'. Its not just pickup trucks that suffer from these things..

Remember when an SUV was an SUV? Like the old 70-80's blazers and broncos that were essentially a pickup with a cap and a backseat that you could actually take offroad? Now most SUVs are pavement princesses, minivan replacements for all the soccer parents with a sensitive ego.

See? I just did it myself. Like Ed said.. Buy what you want. Enjoy it, you dont have to justify it to anyone. If they cant figure out why thats thier problem.

SCORGE

I've used the **** out of my truck, but if you want to buy one just because, IDGAF. You're helping support the economy so good on ya. There seem to be two sides to this coin. People who are stuck in the past, being angry because; "you don't use your truck as intended" or, "It's a truck, why do you keep it clean, it's supposed to be dirty".
Then you got the eco burners who cry every time they hear trucks fire up (just a generalization). if only they knew how much pollutants their precious little batteries produce. Oh yeah, can't forget about the people who say you're compensating for driving a big truck. It all boils down to the fact that people are never happy, either because they have sensitive egos or are just really stupid.
/end rant

chickenwire

I have a '12 F150 Lariat. It's a "weekender" and will pull my travel trailer for the first time this year tomorrow. After using it daily for nearly a week helping one of our kids move my wife commented on how sitting in it "felt like sitting on the sofa" in our living room. Some owners of work trucks might scoff at my usage (or non-usage) of my truck and I don't care. If anyone wants to say I caused Harvey or Irma, I don't care about that either.

I personally think the whole SUV craze was nothing more than to shake the stigma of a "soccer mom driving a mini-van" phase. Very little "sport" and a bit of "utility" going on and almost nil "off road" even for those that bought the "off road" package. Well, other than pulling into the yard to wash it but I don't really consider that "off road".

Flip that over to the Pontiac Solstice we bought 5 years ago. People called it a "parts bin car" which is stupid. Car makers use "parts bin" components for everything - it doesn't make sense to tool up a new heater core if you already have one that will work. Others have said "there's no trunk space" and they're right. But I didn't buy this thing to haul kids or groceries.

In short, someone's gonna biotch no matter what. I just smile, get in my vehicle of choice and go my way.

FX4BullDog

I like sitting up high, having 4 wheel drive, and having a place to put crap in the back. Oh and giving my daughter, and the fiances kids, a safe place to ride in the back seat.

Not to mention in my line of work, and car parts getting bigger, i needed something that could actually fit crap! Ever try to stuff a 6' long fully assembled car grille into a ford escape, with a car seat in the back?! lol

BCMIF150

I don't really care what other people think of what I do or don't do with my truck.

SCORGE

Vehicles nowadays are investments. Gone are the days where you buy four wheels, bolted to a steel frame, a few seats and an engine. Vehicles are so much more, therefore....I treat it as such.

tland4

That same double standard exists for sports cars too. "If you're not consistently using that car to it's fullest capacity, then why even buy it?"--same could be said for sports bikes/motorcycles as well

I don't believe those double standards. If someone has the means to buy what they want, do it. Trucks make sense for those that need that bed often, and even not. Trucks are stereotypically a manly vehicle, so be a man! Lol

Reapster

Hmm, it's funny how that goes. The Corvette despite being a V8 usually gets compliments because it's cool looking. In fact, I can't say in person I've ever had someone say anything negative to me about either it or the truck nor the Mustang I owned before. Though of course, some guy complimented my truck as I left the hardware store. Ha, I guess if I hung around there more often it may happen more often.

I guess lots of people just haven't even been in these trucks (or maybe any truck for many years), I used to think based off the old truck my dad use to own that they were just bouncy things to drive as needed but this 2015 rides like a Cadillac. Only over really uneven pavement does it start to show its truck-side and get a bit bouncy but even then it's not bad. Also as someone who hates slow vehicles, this 3.5 EB gets up and goes like a car. Just for a laugh I did a 0-60 video where I totally did not do it real well and it did it in 6.2 seconds. That's only a tick or two slower than my previous car was...and I'm sure I could do better. If it got even better gas mileage would be great, but truthfully 15 MPG really isn't that bad for the mixed driving I do considering I was looking at 11-13 MPG if I went with a V8 truck like a Silverado or Tundra.