Stopped by the ford dealership

[Tom]

Originally Posted by special-K

This is what annoys me about people. Such monkey see monkey do trend followers.

I don't see it like that. My first truck was a regular cab [the 78]. My second was as well. My third was going to be but I found a great deal on my 98 and the wife wanted extra room so extended cab it was. I'm not going back for a daily driver or doing anything useful type truck. Regular cabs for race trucks and fun only.

Regular cabs can't hold people and stuff. Suburbans can't put large loads in the bed. Extended cab and even better crew cabs are the best compromise to do everything. And most people don't want multiple vehicles, they want to pay for one.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Tom

Regular cabs can't hold people and stuff. Suburbans can't put large loads in the bed. Extended cab and even better crew cabs are the best compromise to do everything. And most people don't want multiple vehicles, they want to pay for one.

Those stupid little short beds can't haul large loads either. And not everyone wants the length of a crew cab plus a long bed.

There's just the two of us now and the back seat would just be a waste of space, compared to putting that into the bed where it would be useful to carry an 8' camper. There's got to be a lot of couples that want to start travelling again.

Actually I think the crew cabs and short beds are a great idea and I don't know why they didn't think of making them 40-50 years ago. But not for everyone. Why does it all have to go the other way?

[special-K]

Actually, most people do own multiple vehicles. I can haul better in my Suburban than a shortbed truck. I don't own a vehicle just so I can haul refrigerators, plus there are trailers for even larger loads, when such need arises, and the Suburban is an excellent tow vehicle*. All I know is I'm an industrious guy on most all levels, have been running a contracting business, and raised a family. I have never had a use for an ext cab. The trucks used in my business require a ladder rack which limits height of load just as a Suburban does. Suburbans have existed longer than any other vehicle model for a reason... absolutely handy useful vehicles on all levels. For me it's long beds for work, shortbeds for fun and a little work, and Suburbans for everything. In fact, I've been working out of my K2500 Suburban for five years now. Right now it has an 8' floor full of building tools with 9 sheets of 1/2" plywood and 4 sheets of 5/8" drywall on top. I didn't want to unload yesterday with thunderstorms coming last night. Can't haul any more than a Suburban in a long bed with a cap over the bed to keep cargo dry and locked up

* I see 1t crewcabs with bed covers that can't haul crap. I see them with bicycle racks in the hitch.

[1976gmc20]

We've hauled lots of stuff in our Suburban, except I don't put dirty and loose stuff in there like firewood or hay. I've hauled fence posts and roofing materials and stuff like that back from town. But it's a 1991 Square Body that you can fold everything down flat and completely take out the third seat. But the newer ones aren't really fit for that; you might break the back seat TV screens

And yeah, when you live way out where we do you absolutely have to have more than one vehicle (and you keep the gas tanks full!). Anything no matter how new can break down or suddenly fail to start and sometimes you need to go to town right now. If one of us goes somewhere, we don't want to leave the other at home without a vehicle ready to go, which means we need to keep at least one of the extras dug out of the snow and started within recent memory.

In 2008 we got our "first car" because of gas prices after driving nothing but pickups and suburbans (and Trucks!) for decades. It's great for fuel economy but sucks for most every other purpose. The first few years we didn't even break even with all the extra costs vs the gas savings. I've come to the conclusion that it's just not worth it for us. I want to buy a nice lwb pickup that we can travel and stop and sleep in the back. Just saving on motel costs would pay for extra gas, and then it would be a 4wd so we could actually drive it all year long instead of leaving it sit parked for four to six months in the winter/spring. But I would still have at a minimum a "ranch truck" and the Jeep just for a local runabout. I don't see where a crew cab pickup fits in anywhere. If our kids and grandkids are out here visiting, then they all still wouldn't fit anyway.

[kingsolver72]

I’ve work out of every truck I’ve owned. I hauled a 72 long bed frame from the powdercoater in a 1970 long bed. 12’ goods in a short bed. Carpet, pad, tackstrip and all my tools. Sometimes you just got to get it done... no excuses.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by kingsolver72

I’ve work out of every truck I’ve owned. I hauled a 72 long bed frame from the powdercoater in a 1970 long bed. 12’ goods in a short bed. Carpet, pad, tackstrip and all my tools. Sometimes you just got to get it done... no excuses.

That doesn't mean you want to pay $50K for a pickup that isn't what you want

[burnin oil]

Went into town today and wasn't paying attention until leaving. I saw 4 new body style chevy standard cabs and one dodge. Half were 8 lug and all were long beds though. Now if you counted all ages of trucks then one in three was a standard cab. Plenty of 90s and early 2000s models. Only a handful of short boxes including a 60-66 stepper for sale along the main drive.

[dajn]

There are a lot of people that are like me that not only like owning multiple vehicles but actually have no choice. I supply my mom a vehicle. I also have borrowed vehicles to other people close to me that were broke down with their one vehicle. My job head quarters is 90 miles from my house. I own a 30 foot fifth wheel camper. I own a 20 foot 10k pound tandem trailer. For just myself, I suppose I could get by with just a 3/4 ton pickup with an 8 foot box. But what sense does it make to commute with a 3/4 ton? That's why I also own a car and a half ton 2wd pickup among my many other vehicles. So I quess it just depends on your situation.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I have a 2015 Z71, 2010 Mustang (wifes car... soon to add midsize SUV), 67 C10, 65 Mustang, and 68 Pontiac Firebird. All are drivers and insured except the bird... working on that.

I think this is the wrong forum for anyone to suggest or imply people own one vehicle

[Boog]

I dislike trying to use a long wheelbase truck around town. And I don't mind my 5 1/2' bed at all. I have a utility trailer for anything my short bed won't haul.

[special-K]

^^^ That's why extended cabs and crewcabs aren't for me either. I don't want a truck to be any bigger than it needs to be, and for me a truck is about the bed. I see all these longass pickups the drivers can't swing into a parking space taking up 1 1/2 spaces all the time. If you drive a big truck you need to park on the outskirts of the lot and walk. I drove a '70 C/30 157" WB with an 11' utility body and always parked in the open unused part of a lot, or on the street along the curb. It was also kind of wide, like a Dually and big mirrors. Now that everybody and their brother and sister are driving trucks it's different. I swear I used to notice how it seemed most anyone driving a pickup had common sense because they were generally the type of person who got through life on it. Working men, or their woman. Salt of the earth.

[FleetsidePaul]

My company replaced all the 2003 F150's with new one's (2017's ?) And they were a lot bigger/ taller than the old one's. Of course all the guys *****ed about it. But what was I supposed to do about it. If that's what they got us. Then that's what we've got.

I was lucky. They kept 2 Rangers and one of them was mine. We worked in city's where parking was tight. It was even tough to park the extended cab Ranger sometimes.

I had to drive one of the F150's once and I have to admit it a much nicer ride than the Ranger.

The funny thing is all the trucks in the fleet were 4X4's and we worked in the city. I've worked in districts where we really could have used a 4X4 and they wouldn't give me one. Too expensive. Then I get transferred to the city and that's all they give me. (He shakes his head)

[special-K]

Hey Kirk, a funny thing happened to me just yesterday. I was driving past the Ford dealership when a guy came running out into the street waving his arms and shouting for me to stop. I thought maybe flames were coming out from under my truck or something. Just as I was about to go into panic the guy gets to my window and asked "Have you considered buying a Ford lately? Why don't you stop in a have a look"

[Stocker]

So Tim, did you politely say "no thanks" or was it a sarcastic laugh and a "HELL NO!"?

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Boog

I dislike trying to use a long wheelbase truck around town. And I don't mind my 5 1/2' bed at all. I have a utility trailer for anything my short bed won't haul.

Maybe it works for you. If I'm going to spend the money for a pickup and buy gas to feed it then I want an eight foot bed.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by special-K

^^^ That's why extended cabs and crewcabs aren't for me either. I don't want a truck to be any bigger than it needs to be, and for me a truck is about the bed. I see all these longass pickups the drivers can't swing into a parking space taking up 1 1/2 spaces all the time. If you drive a big truck you need to park on the outskirts of the lot and walk. I drove a '70 C/30 157" WB with an 11' utility body and always parked in the open unused part of a lot, or on the street along the curb. It was also kind of wide, like a Dually and big mirrors. Now that everybody and their brother and sister are driving trucks it's different. I swear I used to notice how it seemed most anyone driving a pickup had common sense because they were generally the type of person who got through life on it. Working men, or their woman. Salt of the earth.

Something you might find funny: to save on gas and trips to town, sometimes my wife would ride into town with me with a load of logs, and after we unloaded and fueled up then we would go to the grocery store with the 2-ton and the empty log trailer behind Everything had to fit into the single cab with us because there was no bed at all on either truck or trailer, just log bunks.

More recently, there used to be an unofficial "gooseneck section" at Walmart, out by the garden stuff fence. But now everyone seems to park everywhere. Women pull into a spot with a crew cab and leave the entire bed sticking out into the driving aisle, without seeming to even notice

[special-K]

Originally Posted by Stocker

So Tim, did you politely say "no thanks" or was it a sarcastic laugh and a "HELL NO!"?

First was "No" and then "I see them. spare a dollar?"

[Boog]

So it IS true. Ford salesmen actually run into the street chasing people down trying to make a sale.

[72 tigger]

Originally Posted by Boog

So it IS true. Ford salesmen actually run into the street chasing people down trying to make a sale.

Only people who look like they’re wealthy

[Stocker]

Originally Posted by Boog

So it IS true. Ford salesmen actually run into the street chasing people down trying to make a sale.

Originally Posted by 72 tigger

Only people who look like they’re wealthy

Hmmmm, that would explain why they've never chased me down....

[davischevy]

We were headed back from Tennessee yesterday, and somewhere, over in the delta, What appeared to be a new (I'm guessing 2019) single cab short bed Silverado passed us.

My personal late model truck, is a long bed, crew cab with a fiberglass topper. I have slept in it while camping.

I have an extended cab, short bed truck and that extended cab is a pain in the neck.

I usually drive my 71 Longhorn though.

[special-K]

I got a laugh from this. This guy needs a truck

And I admit, my Suburban couldn't do that

[FleetsidePaul]

When I bought the cab for my 70 I thought that I needed a bigger truck. My buddy said we could take his F150. I had forgotten it was a 4 door.

[TwoFiftyShifter]

I saw a nice BN F250 today. 4x4, regular cab, topper and lifted a bit. Not a base model. It was nice to see.

[1976gmc20]

I was just looking on the nearest Chevy dealer website today. They are now calling a short bed a "standard bed"