Why do people think a truck is something that can be borrowed?

[Boomhauer]

Drewtam, Ben's math was done for a super high performance truck versus an economy car.  For me to get a car with the same interior options and reasonable interior space, the cost difference would not be so much.  I would also think most high performance sports cars would be more than a truck. 

This, Birdman's Raptor cost a whole hell of a lot more than my utilitarian, 13 y.o. pickup.

[birdman]

Drewtam, Ben's math was done for a super high performance truck versus an economy car.  For me to get a car with the same interior options and reasonable interior space, the cost difference would not be so much.  I would also think most high performance sports cars would be more than a truck. 

Additionally, look at it this way.
A New F150 and a new taurus, with nearly identical options, will be within a few thousand dollars of each other.  Even the SHO and the raptor are nearly the same price when you get down to it.  So when truly comparing apples to apples, (f150 4x4 and taurus with identical options), i.e "pickup" vs "car" the price difference is minimal, and the operating cost difference isn't -that- much (20mpg ecoboost vs 30mpg Taurus), so it seems that, doing the math, if you need the pickup capabilities AT ALL, it's a good idea, as the economics aren't that much different (30,000 miles @ $4/gal gas is $2k/yr and that's A LOT of driving).

So since when making a REAL comparison, between NEW vehicles with comparable convenience/comfort options, you could make your same argument for renting THE CAR for long trips, and buying the truck.

So go compare prices:
Similarly equipped F150 4x4 ecoboost and Taurus (non SHO)
Raptor and Taurus SHO
Used 10yr old pickup vs used 10yr old Honda accord.

I would bet the price differences are minimal, and even the long run cost of operation is a wash if you make the rental argument for long trips as I did above.

Additionally, since one can rent sportscars, and there are even track-day schools that rent, your same logic could be used to:
Buy truck, and 5-10x per year, rent a vette for a day and had fun
Buy truck, and 1-2x per year, take a driving school for $1k/day
Buy sportscar (let's say, same price as truck) and rent truck, thereby allowing track days for 1/2 as much

All virtually identical price.

So your same argument can be totally turned around once apples to apples comparisons are made, and thus it boils down to, which choice do you prefer, because your economic model doesn't quite work, even in non one-in-a-million cases where a person would need a truck maybe 5-10x per year, but also only go on long trips or want to drive fast/have fun maye 5-10x per year.

[RevDisk]

You're just DELUDED birdman!

Yea. About that. When a mad engineer has a certain idea, right or wrong, just nod a lot. If you want time to make your exit, just ask them if they could double check a number or attribute. Don't SAY their number is wrong or they'll spend the next five hours explaining why it's right. Just make a facial expression, and ask them to rerun the numbers on something. Trust me.

Reminds me, I need to start looking around for used pickups. There's enough material on APS, I can just use the search button for recommendations. Won't use it enough to justify a new truck, but wouldn't mind something reliable.

[birdman]

Yea. About that. When a mad engineer has a certain idea, right or wrong, just nod a lot. If you want time to make your exit, just ask them if they could double check a number or attribute. Don't SAY their number is wrong or they'll spend the next five hours explaining why it's right. Just make a facial expression, and ask them to rerun the numbers on something. Trust me.

I hate you.  You aren't supposed to let people know these tricks. 

[seeker_two]

I rarely let my wife drive my truck....much less anyone else....

....however, I do rent out my services for reasonable (IMHO....steaks & sangria are reasonable) rates....

[kgbsquirrel]

I hate you.  You aren't supposed to let people know these tricks.  

Hey Birdman, could you check the dimensions on that 1TW reactor again? *inches towards exit*

[Tallpine]

You have to factor the speeding tickets into the cost of the sports car 

[birdman]

You have to factor the speeding tickets into the cost of the sports car 

Total cost of all the speeding tickets I've ever gotten in high performance cars: $1000 in 13 years, and none in the past 8.  And I drive FAST.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

88 ford f 250 utility body  straight 6 4 speed  cost   i installed a staircase  roughly 40 hours labor
finally can haul most tools ladders pumpjacks and walkboards . with some materials. makes real one day in and out jobs a reality.   plus can haul my dumpbed trailer without me needing to change drawers

[RoadKingLarry]

Been done before but a wheat farmer friend of mine tells the story of one of his big city cousins. Showed up for a family reunion in a brand new Corvette. Yeah your $50,000 sports car is real nice, Wanna go for a ride in my $350K combine? I only use it 3 month a year.

I'm thinking the combine will have a more comfortable ride.

[Tallpine]

88 ford f 250 utility body  straight 6 4 speed  cost   i installed a staircase  roughly 40 hours labor
finally can haul most tools ladders pumpjacks and walkboards . with some materials. makes real one day in and out jobs a reality.   plus can haul my dumpbed trailer without me needing to change drawers

Dunno what you charge, but I'm that would probably figure out to $1500 - $2000 price.

2wd ?  With all that weight, I doubt you would ever need 4wd 

I used to have a wood frame topper on my 76 C-20.  It was pretty heavy.  One fall I was working in the woods and this one timber unit was down a steep little 2-track road.  It got real icy and I had my chains on already.  Another kid working there had a C-10 with an automatic and couldn't get back up the hill at the end of the day, so I backed down and hooked up a chain and dragged his pickup up the hill too.  It was some pretty fine work getting started in 2nd gear - I didn't dare use granny 1st or I would likely spin out.

That was 16 years ago and I didn't mind so much lying on the ground and putting on tire chains.  Heck, the log truck drivers had to do it 2 or 3 times a day.  I would put mine on going in on Sunday night or Monday morning, and then pull them off Friday evening when I hit hard road again.  Stayed in a little camper trailer down to twenty below.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

yea she doesn't get stuck and i rarely use granny. i can start it on level ground with 10 k in the dump bed in second
i have considered a plow
these are the way and the truth for installing chains
http://www.discountramps.com/snow-loading-ramps.htm

i have a 3000 watt inverter mounted in the first box on passengers side have all my chargers in it my batteries are always ready when i show up

and this is in the bed
http://www.bedslide.com/
was 500 bucks but i can haul 24 ft lumber in the bed


11 mpg loaded 12 empty

i once hauled a 54 ft piece of gutter 50 miles strapped to a 40 ft ladder on the rack
and as an aside did you know they make 60 ft ladders? 3 pieces?   you need to strong men and a boy just to load it and the best way to put one up is with a crane

[Boomhauer]

and as an aside did you know they make 60 ft ladders? 3 pieces?   you need to strong men and a boy just to load it and the best way to put one up is with a crane

Yes, I had the opportunity to throw one once. It was not a fun evolution.

[Tallpine]

yea she doesn't get stuck and i rarely use granny. i can start it on level ground with 10 k in the dump bed in second

I bought an 89 F-150 4x4 with the 300 six and 5-speed overdrive for my daughter.

It was nearly worthless.  I think the transmission was designed for a mustang. 

You could hardly get it started in first on level ground, and with a 2-horse trailer on a bit of a hill there was a question if you would need low range to get going.

One time it was sitting in the drive in front of the garage, and it just up and started lurching down the hill on its own.  Her little dog started barking at it or else it might have been down in the coulee when we found it.  I went out and stuck it in low range to hold it in gear.  I don't remember what the deal was with the parking brake.

[MrsSmith]

But pickup owners are sooo sensitive to defend their choice. They identify with the things personally. And it is a social marker that one is part of the manly conservative social group, and not an "enviroweeny". Too funny.

Um. Excuse me. That would be "girly conservative" to you, thank you very much.

And please explain to me how my 12-yr-old truck, that's been beaten to hell by an ex-husband and teenage drivers, with 182k miles on it, is a status symbol. 

[Boomhauer]

Well, looks like I'm going to be in the market for a 1 ton truck or a small dumptruck fairly soon, because I'm gonna need one for the business I'm working on starting, even though "real contractors" don't use trucks...

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

i had a dump truck then got the trailer  got rid of truck. don't miss it if the loads too big for the trailer i get a real dumptruck to haul it

[Tallpine]

Well, looks like I'm going to be in the market for a 1 ton truck or a small dumptruck fairly soon, because I'm gonna need one for the business I'm working on starting, even though "real contractors" don't use trucks...

Big jump in stability between a 1 ton and a 2 ton, and the gas mileage is about the same.  :)

That said, those gooseneck dump trailers look pretty handy.

[Boomhauer]

Big jump in stability between a 1 ton and a 2 ton, and the gas mileage is about the same.  :)

That said, those gooseneck dump trailers look pretty handy.

Options are being explored as we speak. There is a pretty decent small International dumptruck up the road that is looking mighty good for $5k.

[Hawkmoon]

Sittin' here in Mickey D's using the free WiFi because I don't have Internet at home yet (post-Sandy), and I look out the window and there's a cherry, red (but it's fire engine red, not "cherry" red) Ford mason's dump sitting there. And I have a large yard full of storm damage and a twenty-four year old pickup that's not running.

I SOOOOOOOO want that mason's dump ...

[Tallpine]

Options are being explored as we speak. There is a pretty decent small International dumptruck up the road that is looking mighty good for $5k.

Sounds good, but you also might want to look into plates/insurance.

[RoadKingLarry]

And DOT requirements.

[Tallpine]

When I had my C-50 GMC, it came in under the wire to not have a GTM plate.  The plates were expensive for a then 15-20 yo truck, but I didn't have any additional paperwork.

And no CDL required.

1987, CO passed stricter insurance laws and for some strange reason all the rates more than tripled.  It basically put us out of business because our profit margin was already so thin.

I finally traded off my two trucks and a portable sawmill to a buddy, for a little Case tractor/loader and a flatbed trailer to haul it.  He had to pay for a lowboy to come get the trucks.  By then it would have cost about as much as they were worth just to get them legal to drive across the street.  He traded one to another guy who used it in his chainsaw carving yard, and used the other one on his own property.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Best summary of this thread i can think of
http://youtu.be/woySeSNBL3o