Fast-Orange profile

> gotta love clean air.

I've seen the sky in vancouver look exactly the same, it's called overcast. They have blue sky there too….

yes for a while I was, I just sold it and my new commuter bike is now orange

Posted by: Hepcat

Or how about an electric Toyota version of that /\ truck...🦄 Hopefully without a sunroof, electric 43 way adjustable seats, and a 92 speakers stereo.

But those things are awesome. Driving sucks I'll take anything that improves the experience.

Posted by: tashi

Posted by: Fast-Orange

What are some of the valid purposes for owning one? 

Who determines which luxury purchase (remember we’re talking about personal vehicles here, not anything anyone actually needs) is done for a “valid” reason and why should the owner of said luxury item give a shit?

My truck is not a luxury item. I actually need it or something very similar to it to do my job. 

The only thing luxury about it is I can also use it as a recreation vehicle the two or three times a year when I actually get two days off in a row..

You're right I shouldn't give a shit when people who don't really know me tell me I should have gotten (blank) instead but it's pretty annoying and I'm an extremely flawed human.

Posted by: syncro

For example FO could have bought a slightly used Leaf or something similar for day to day use and an older truck/suv for weekend exploits and spent less money overall. Plus there’s the convenience of having two vehicles.

No I couldn't have. My day to day use is carrying stuff for work which is a full bed of tools and other crap that's usually covered in drywall dust. Why would I want to share interior space with all that in a station wagon? Plus I change jobsites sites daily often two or three times a day so I always need to be dragging my stuff around and I bill for all my travel time.

90% of my driving is for work the other 10% is off-roading. Errands and groceries are done on foot or by bicycle for the most part. Basically if I don't need the truck I don't need to drive at all and it stays at home. Having a second vehicle would cost more in the long term.

Posted by: syncro

Not electric but a cool option to a truck if you need to haul some stuff around

https://www.uline.ca/BL_116/Steel-Rolling-Scaffold

^ Im sure I could fit one of these plus all my other crap in there no problem.

EDIT- my next vehicle will most likely be an electric one. I'm not against them just none of them seem to suit my budget/lifestyle yet.

Posted by: Hepcat

Posted by: Fast-Orange

Posted by: Hepcat

Posted by: [email protected]

The Cybertruck might be safe for its driver but like most big pickup trucks, it's high and heavy and has poor sightlines so it's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.

But of course it's more important to have a bulletproof vehicle in case you get shot at since that's so much more likely than hitting a pedestrian or cyclist :-\

Perhaps says something about Elon's world view?

It blows my mind that anyone would buy a truck they have no expess purpose for. Especially in a big city. Pretending to be a cowboy must be really rewarding for some people? Pew pew pow pow bang bang. Everything about them sucks on the road compared to a car- Turning radius of a small planet, frame on body rattles, forklift suspension ride, length that fits nowhere ever.

We've always had full size trucks, F150's, F350's because we pulled an enormous trailer around and hauled heavy loads at least weekly. But I wouldn't drive 3 feet in a truck if I didn't need to.

What are some of the valid purposes for owning one?

For me the mid-size full-cab pickup truck is a nice multi purpose vehicle. Whatever I could possibly need a vehicle to do I'm ready for it and it's not so huge there is anywhere I can't take it. I also feel like I have better sightlines now because I'm higher up which is great for not hitting cyclists. I can see above the parked cars on the narrow streets to the left and right after stopping at stop signs. when I had a sedan I couldn't do that so it was way harder/sketchier to creep out through the intersection. I also don't know what you mean about suspension or frame rattle. I find it just as comfortable as my sedan was.

Are there really that many people that buy big trucks for no reason and never do anything with them a car couldn't do?

Sorry, I didn't convey that properly. My only vehicle is an F150.

And I agree with everything Neils said. I drive very, very carefully knowing it takes longer to stop and maneuver due to the massive weight, and blind spots abound.

All the modern blinky alarm lights and cameras everywhere help. 360° aerial view is the only way I make it in and out of the mall unscathed lol.

If I had a choice, I'd drive a sub compact electric. But as much as people like to fool themselves, a truck is a necessary for a lot of things that keep the world turning 'round. 

The cop parked on the corner of Bricks and Blocks in N Van (where my parents insisted they could pick up a heavy load of bricks in the little SUV...they couldn't) said he handed out tickets all day to optimists trying to drive off with their suspension bottomed out haha

Getting the truck had that effect on me too. I drive way slower now and just take it easy. Especially on the small residential streets. It blows my mind how agressively some of the dudes in the jacked up Rams drive. I'm starting to think there's no real difference between cocaine and monster energy drinks. 

I would love to drive something smaller too but my daily carry involves a full stacked milwaukee packout, six-foot rolling scaffold/baker, various boxes of different fasteners, sawhorses, chop saw rolls of poly etc... I could drive a van I suppose but vans are such a drag to drive.

Posted by: [email protected]

Posted by: Fast-Orange

I also feel like I have better sightlines now because I'm higher up which is great for not hitting cyclists. I can see above the parked cars on the narrow streets to the left and right after stopping at stop signs. when I had a sedan I couldn't do that so it was way harder/sketchier to creep out through the intersection.

Bigger vehicles have bigger blind zones. You may be able to see above the parked cars into the side streets but you can't see the kids crossing right in front of you.

Lots of info online, for example https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/03/17/study-megacar-drivers-up-to-4x-more-likely-to-hit-walkers-while-turning.

"SUVs and pick-up truck drivers are three to four times more likely to hit a pedestrian when they make a turn than the drivers of smaller cars"

"Fatal crashes involving pick-up truck drivers, meanwhile, are four times more likely to involve a driver making a left — and when it comes to right-turn crashes, they're still 89 percent more likely. Right-turning SUV drivers are 63 percent more likely to strike a person than the drivers of smaller vehicles."

"For instance, the massive blind zones of the 2021 Ford F-150, one of the most popular new cars sold in the U.S today, can fit a staggering 578 preschoolers if they crowd close together, according to a calculator sponsored by USDOT."

You can play with that calculator at https://blindzonecalculator.herokuapp.com/

For example compare Honda Fit and Ford F-150, you can select kids, adults, wheelchairs etc. to see how many are in your blind zones.

I wonder how much that has to do with the fact that it seems like 1 in 4 cars is small nowadays. I feel like everyone is driving at least an suv crossover. Of course I'm probably gonna get hit by an SUV or a pickup if that's what most people are driving.

As for the other stuff i dunno...maybe dont pack 578 preschoolers onto a road in an f-150's blind spot? Doesn't feel like a huge ask to be honest.

Posted by: Hepcat

Posted by: [email protected]

The Cybertruck might be safe for its driver but like most big pickup trucks, it's high and heavy and has poor sightlines so it's dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.

But of course it's more important to have a bulletproof vehicle in case you get shot at since that's so much more likely than hitting a pedestrian or cyclist :-\

Perhaps says something about Elon's world view?

It blows my mind that anyone would buy a truck they have no expess purpose for. Especially in a big city. Pretending to be a cowboy must be really rewarding for some people? Pew pew pow pow bang bang. Everything about them sucks on the road compared to a car- Turning radius of a small planet, frame on body rattles, forklift suspension ride, length that fits nowhere ever. 

We've always had full size trucks, F150's, F350's because we pulled an enormous trailer around and hauled heavy loads at least weekly. But I wouldn't drive 3 feet in a truck if I didn't need to.

What are some of the valid purposes for owning one? 

For me the mid-size full-cab pickup truck is a nice multi purpose vehicle. Whatever I could possibly need a vehicle to do I'm ready for it and it's not so huge there is anywhere I can't take it. I also feel like I have better sightlines now because I'm higher up which is great for not hitting cyclists. I can see above the parked cars on the narrow streets to the left and right after stopping at stop signs. when I had a sedan I couldn't do that so it was way harder/sketchier to creep out through the intersection. I also don't know what you mean about suspension or frame rattle. I find it just as comfortable as my sedan was. 

Are there really that many people that buy big trucks for no reason and never do anything with them a car couldn't do?

I do hate Musk for his union busting and the unsafe conditions he insists on for his workers but yeah I'll eat crow on this one.

I guess I just assumed ignoring decades of crash testing research and replacing crumple zones with rigid steel panels was a bad thing. Seems I'm mistaken.

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: Fast-Orange

Posted by: PaulB

Posted by: Couch_Surfer

the marketing push for vaporware truck continues.

Spotted a Cyber Truck in Deep Cove this morning. I didn't realize that they had actually shipped any. It is not an attractive vehicle, at all.

And it turns out it's a total death trap:

https://says.com/my/tech/first-reported-cybertruck-crash

That is not what the article says at all? It only brings up the question (with no data available) if the hardened steel body panels of the Cybertruck cause more damage than a conventional vehicle. I figure any vehicle with 2x the mass of the other is going to be the winner in a collision no? For the record, I am no fan of Cybertrucks or pretty much any EVs that are currently being produced.

Cybertruck vs. Toyota corolla

Corolla? Totaled.

Cybertruck? Minor damage.

Guess which driver was injured... sorry i shared the wrong article earlier

https://futurism.com/cybertruck-driver-crash-injuries