I can totally see why soccer moms drive huge SUVs here in Dallas, what with all these huge mountains and their love for off-roading.
Fixing Misconceptions: Pickup trucks, SUVs, and muscle cars
- Thread starter BOOM headshot65
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This is what I see on Mac and Firefoxace_of_something said:What browsers? Shows up on the three I have just fine. I'm not computer savvy so I'll change it. Not sure why i wouldn't.Lionsfan said:So that image isn't showing up on the Browsers, just to let you know. Was it supposed to be a pro-Dodge image?ace_of_something said:BOOM headshot65 said:Matthew94 said:You all make me sad.Blablahb said:
This is what i meant.
It's the logo. The logo has horns and just... i don't know how else to explain it. It's a phrase I've been hearing since I was a kid. (my dad always drove chevys though)
And I know what you mean by the Dodge Horns logo, I'm a Michigan kid, I know all the car logo's haha
Edit: And now the first image is showing up, but none of the reposts. Weird
*facepalm* Im a moron. Sorry, I am more of a Chevy guy, partly because I think they look better the older they get (until you hit the 40's, then its Ford), but mostly because my dad hates anything not made by General Motors. Although, I can tolerate anything as long as I can be at least 70% sure it was made in an American factory.ace_of_something said:BOOM headshot65 said:Matthew94 said:You all make me sad.Blablahb said:
This is what i meant.
Yeah but not everyone use them for that, in fact some people use them ONLY as a means of transportation...BOOM headshot65 said:3) Gas Mileage: Yes, they all have bad gas mileage. But people miss the point. They look at the gas mileage and write them off:
I agree about utes and 4WDs (or pickup trucks and SUVs if you're USian, even though a 4WD could technically be anything) when being used appropriately.
But most of the time I see a 4WD, it's not, it's for driving round the city. They even have slightly different variants of them specifically for driving in "the urban jungle".
Offroad vehicles are for offroad. If I see one in the city and/or not covered in mud/dust, I'm going to make assumptions about the drivers. Especially when they have to slow down to a dead crawl to go over a speedbump.
Oh, in regards to taking up space, I think that might be in terms of visibility. Lots of fun when a normal car is in a car park between two offroad vehicles that have clearly never been offroad or designed with that in mind.
But most of the time I see a 4WD, it's not, it's for driving round the city. They even have slightly different variants of them specifically for driving in "the urban jungle".
Offroad vehicles are for offroad. If I see one in the city and/or not covered in mud/dust, I'm going to make assumptions about the drivers. Especially when they have to slow down to a dead crawl to go over a speedbump.
Oh, in regards to taking up space, I think that might be in terms of visibility. Lots of fun when a normal car is in a car park between two offroad vehicles that have clearly never been offroad or designed with that in mind.
I think point three was always more directed at the geniuses who live in the city, never leave the city, and decide that they must absolutely must have an SUV for no real reason.
I can't say this universally, but in my area every single person that has a pick-up truck has one so they can haul firewood, or pull trailers, a very few even need it for the super-heavy stuff like logging and ect. Do you honestly think people drive a vehicle with under 15mpg just cuz? Every single person I have met who drives a pick-up truck drives it because they need it.Matthew94 said:
Look, both sides are right in a sense. Some Americans, like myself, use trucks for the reasons they were meant for. We haul shit stuff around in it, we off-road when the need comes, and whatever else we need to use it for. Other Americans use trucks to look cool, to make loud noises, and to waste a bunch of gas.
When it boils down to it, what makes a car better or worse is how you use it. I'm not going to be driving through the streets of Rome in '66 Mustang and I'm not gonna be off-roading in a Scion Soul either. I drive a Chevy S10 Pickup not because it makes me look cool, but because it gets me decent enough gas mileage, I use it quite often to help move stuff around or I can carpool with it, and because it's pretty damned durable.
When it boils down to it, what makes a car better or worse is how you use it. I'm not going to be driving through the streets of Rome in '66 Mustang and I'm not gonna be off-roading in a Scion Soul either. I drive a Chevy S10 Pickup not because it makes me look cool, but because it gets me decent enough gas mileage, I use it quite often to help move stuff around or I can carpool with it, and because it's pretty damned durable.
I don't think this is a European thing, it's more "not the US" in general. Russians and Chinese, Japanese all drive normal vehicles. We aren't going to drop everything and start driving your cars just because you say we should! =p
Frankly, I reckon the whole fixation on these things is just another facet of blatant American nationalism... (of course, they'd never call it that, but if it looks like a drainpipe and acts like a drainpipe...)
(Also, you can add "RVs" to that list. Seriously, what the hell? So it's like a camper vans the same size as a lorry? How do you justify something like that?)
Frankly, I reckon the whole fixation on these things is just another facet of blatant American nationalism... (of course, they'd never call it that, but if it looks like a drainpipe and acts like a drainpipe...)
(Also, you can add "RVs" to that list. Seriously, what the hell? So it's like a camper vans the same size as a lorry? How do you justify something like that?)
Really? I'm 6'4 and had no problem with leg room... I even knew a guy who was 6'8 who owned one, too.BOOM headshot65 said:
Further proof, a 6'2, 245 lb linebacker owns one without problem:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/sports/football/31giants.html?_r=1
Lol, Amerikaner. ^^
The thing is, the car is a very cultural thing in America, as well as much more needed in day-to-day life. I, for instance, probably won't even own a car, I won't need to. I just take the tram or the bus to wherever I need to go. But if I remember right, communal transport isn't as widespread and affordable in most of America, and the only real, reliable way to get from point A to B is by car.
The rest of the world just isn't so much into cars as America. But I suppose it's good someone is.
All I ask is that you only get a monster of a SUV if you truly need it, if you live on the countryside or have a large family or whatnot. Don't get it just because it looks impressive on the parking lot. But honestly, people does that everywhere.
Now, if I do ever get a car, it'll be something economical and practical, like the red bolshevik I am. >:3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Saab_J_35A-01.jpg
Or one of these Saabs.
The thing is, the car is a very cultural thing in America, as well as much more needed in day-to-day life. I, for instance, probably won't even own a car, I won't need to. I just take the tram or the bus to wherever I need to go. But if I remember right, communal transport isn't as widespread and affordable in most of America, and the only real, reliable way to get from point A to B is by car.
The rest of the world just isn't so much into cars as America. But I suppose it's good someone is.
All I ask is that you only get a monster of a SUV if you truly need it, if you live on the countryside or have a large family or whatnot. Don't get it just because it looks impressive on the parking lot. But honestly, people does that everywhere.
Now, if I do ever get a car, it'll be something economical and practical, like the red bolshevik I am. >:3
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Saab_J_35A-01.jpg
Or one of these Saabs.
Yes pick up trucks are for transporting things and what not, but if you have a huge ass pick up truck out fitted with huge-ass tires and a muffler that makes it sound like a fucking Concorde just flew by every time you rev the engine, then you're not using it for transporting stuff, you're compensating for something.
Last generation of RWD V8s in Australia now. Both Ford and Holden (GM) are switching over to AWD for the 8s... can't remember if that was due to a government mandate or not. Probably, sounds like the sort of thing the federal govt would do.TestECull said:
It will be a sad day for many a Hoon and Petrolhead when the last RWD V8s roll off the line.
Heh... bringing this up reminds of the time this yank was acting all "Oh, does Australia even have a car industry?"... and the silly **** drove a Pontiac GTO '04.
I use the old bushies' assumption - if you don't have mud on the roof, you're a fuckwit.thaluikhain said:
I've never driven a pick-up truck, but I'm just going to point out flaws in your argument.
If you're trying to fix a misconception you should take the time to look up what they think.
At this point your title is starting to feel less accurate.
Maybe you're right, but you've not proven anything, and won't convince anyone.
Really this is more a rant than anything else. Calm down and try again.
Captcha: Hug me, maybe you need to?
The handling for a vehicle is not entirely subjective. Ever tried steering a car where the wheel doesn't turn left?BOOM headshot65 said:
I can think of a few plausible complaints: people might be annoyed when the parking spaces are small and the truck is making it harder or impossible to fit your car in the next spot. It blocks more of your view on the road. Scarier for people in smaller cars?
If you're trying to fix a misconception you should take the time to look up what they think.
At this point your title is starting to feel less accurate.
So it's not a misconception?
Okay, again if you're trying to disprove a misconception, personal experience isn't worth anything, unless that personal experience include studies, surveys and/or other real sources of information. Maybe you're in a special area making your view of the world wrong.But people miss the point. They look at the gas mileage and write them off:
Pickup trucks....are for transporting heavy loads. And that is what most people that I have seen use them for. You will almost always see people with a toolbox in the back of thier truck. Or they will have a horse trailer hooked up and pulling livestock. They are just smaller versions of heavy-class tracter trailers, heck, they are even on the same scale as them. Same thing with SUVs. They are just bigger, more powerful (thus able to pull things) minivans. Plus, they are more durable. Most pickup trucks keep going...and going...and going. My Cheyenne, dispite being 40 years old, was still running on the engine that was put in it in the factory in 1972 (with afew new parts). They also have FAR superior abilities on rural roads that are poorly paved, if at all.
As for Muscle cars....excluding what I have already said, as far as I am concered, so long as you people across the pond keep building overpriced and obnoxis supercars[footnote]I am just kidding. Just poking fun at the fact I only like American made cars[/footnote] Then we should be allowed to keep building our beautiful, loud, easy to drive muscle cars.
Capchta: Get over it
Really people, you need to.
Maybe you're right, but you've not proven anything, and won't convince anyone.
Really this is more a rant than anything else. Calm down and try again.
Captcha: Hug me, maybe you need to?
Agreed, though truth be told, the bigger the vehicle, the more it tends to get in the way. I think a lot of the problem people have with them being road hogs stems from a number of factors:BOOM headshot65 said:
1) A lot of drivers are really bad at staying in their lane. The number of people I see swerving around the road because they're either just bad drivers or their distracted by something else is scary. The bigger the vehicle, the more distracted driving could at least scare other drivers as they take up more space within the lane, and cast an imposing figure.
2) A lot of parking lots and spaces simply aren't made to accommodate them. Rows are too narrow, and spaces don't allow enough room for many large vehicles to reasonably fit.
3) Many bad drivers get nervous when vehicles are beside them. Anxiety tends to go up if the vehicle is larger.
If you'll notice though, none of these is a problem of the vehicle itself. It's all stupid/bad drivers and people who can't engineer a parking lot worth a damn. I have no problem with large vehicles myself. They serve a purpose and as long as they are used for that purpose then they're cool with me. I do dislike when people buy big obnoxious trucks and never haul anything with them though. And yes, it sadly does happen. It makes no sense to me since you're not using it for the thing it was made for.
