What explains the trend behind so many people finding that 4 door pickup trucks are a must have these days? They're challenging SUVs rule of the road. When driving, I hate the way they project out from the street where parked. Some of them are so long, I'm not sure one would make for a comfortable fit in my garage. If I stayed on the farm, maybe I could appreciate them a lot better.

I have a wife and kid
I have a job that requires I have a truck

Next question? You live in a state where many need a truck either for work, recreation, or some other reason. Many of those people have kids.

I'm guessing you've never owned a pickup, Bunty. It's simple really. They combine the roominess of an SUV, but have the capabilities of a pickup.

Simple really. They combine the roominess of an SUV, but have the capabilities of a pickup.

Yup.

It just depends on which box you get, I will get another pickup in the future and it will be a 4-door this time. My 2000 F-150 was an extended cab with the rear suicide doors and 6.5 foot box, you can buy the one with a 1 foot shorter box and it is about the same overall length as my previous one. There is no way I would want a full 8 foot box with the crew cab unless I actually needed a 1-ton for towing a bigger race trailer, I would opt for a 6.5 foot box if I could find one used. Definitely one with 4WD up here and in my wife's SUV when we replace it (2WD 4Runner).

I think guys like them because it makes their p***s seem bigger. This was meant as a joke by the way. Trucks in Oklahoma go hand in hand. But when you drive a smaller car the sizes of some vehicles do seem extreme. When my '79 El Camino was running I would be at a stop light and all I can see is hubcaps and bumpers. Not a comfortable feeling.

I'll drive my old 89 Suburban (well, the body is 89, though little else is) until the wheels fall off. But my next rig may well be a 4 door truck. Kiddos are grown and I no longer have little Scouts to transport or my youngest son's bass to move back and forth to concerts. But I do still move other folks from time to time and there are always garden projects, day care stuff, honey dos, etc. so having a car alone is not in our future. We'd have a truck or the tank alone before we'd go back to just a car.

Several years back, nine or so, a repair job on a car proved defective and I put the car back to the body shop folks to correct the issues. They sent me to enterprise for a loaner vehicle. When I got there, the only thing they had open at all was a 4 door dodge ram shortbed 1/4 ton. They were all apologetic and I simply put on my best Eyore face, tucked away the briar rabbit smile and semi-softa groaned "I'll survive."

Came back the next morning at their suggestion but arrived after an unexpected run and again, they were all apologetic and I was briar rabbit inside and Eyore on the outside as I again gave an "I'll survive." Go back the next day and by now they're a tad embarrassed that they still don't have a ride for me and could I please be willing to keep the truck another day. I suggested maybe it would be easier if I just kept the truck until my own car was finished. They assumed I was annoyed, but were grateful and a touch surprised. I finally allowed as how I was not bad at keeping my briar rabbit insides in check and assured them all was indeed just finer than frog hair between me and the truck. I was a touch side when my own car was finally finished, but daughter was happy. She wasn't old enough to drive the truck and was a tad tired of friends and poppa having to cart here everywhere.

Trucks and Okies ... they just fit.

I'm probably downsizing to a Ridgeline (if they still make them in a year)

Would never own one mainly to avoid getting called every weekend to help move or pick up someone's couch at Rit's store

I often borrow a friend's F150 crew cab and I REALLY like it. I'd buy one but it isn't practical due to the number of miles I put on a car and the cost of fuel.

My old truck was a 4 door, but not the crew cab with independent door. When I bought new I made sure to get the crew cab. Best decision ever. My truck seats six, and is the roomiest in my family now. Plus I can haul a 4-wheeler in the back. I will never go backwards now.

The only four door truck I have ever driven was a Dodge Power Wagon, U.S.A.F. issue. They were handy at Ellsworth A.F.B. in the winter. Early '70s.

Would never own one mainly to avoid getting called every weekend to help move or pick up someone's couch at Rit's store

I've owned at least 10 full size trucks...I had to be really good at saying "NO" to helping move.

Also...No...You can't borrow my truck. :D


My old truck was a 4 door, but not the crew cab with independent door. When I bought new I made sure to get the crew cab. Best decision ever. My truck seats six, and is the roomiest in my family now. Plus I can haul a 4-wheeler in the back. I will never go backwards now.

I recently bought a Tundra Crew cab. Holy MOLY is there a lot of room in the back. Backwards facing car seat, and my wife can still climb in back there by going between it and the front seat. GIANT. My other truck is an Avalanche. And it's got great room...But nothing on this Toyota.

I drove a truck all through highschool and college at 10-13 mpg, and now I drive a car and the wife has a CUV. 2 years ago before I bought my car I brought home a 4 door gmc and a 4 door f150 and neither comfortably fit into the garage we had at the time with out some major inconvenience. With the new house one should be able to fit but im still on the fence because its a solid 35 minutes each way, before even factoring in picking up kids and running errands which easily makes it over an hour to get home. I get an actual 28.5 mpg on a weekly basis which is hard to give up in a comfortable and good looking full sized car. With trucks even with technology upgrades such as direct injection, 8 speed trannys, ecoboost, etc. All of the research i've done people are still only getting an actual 12-14 mpg in weekly use, unless they hypermill the crap out of it which doesnt reflect actual use. Im hoping technology continutes to improve and that more manufactures start offering diesel outside of their heavy duty trucks.

I like how the dodges are now offering the 6cyl turbo diesel with the 8 speed tranny, but im just not a huge dodge fan. I also read two weeks ago where the new titan will have a cummins diesel, so I will make a point to test drive that one, they just desperately need to update the body style thats almost a decade old.

My dream would be a 3-4 liter turbo Diesel sold in a f150 or a new silverado but with gas not going back down and 1-1.5 hour commute 5 days a week im not in a huge rush to spend 45k on a truck that gets 14 mpg.

Back on topic - If people want to drive one more power to them, I prefer to use my money in other ways and live pretty far from work. I have mentally thought about getting one and making it a weekend truck, but then I would have it sitting in the garage, a new payment, and i keep on thinking we are about to see some major improvements in technology within the next few years.

I plan on getting one because I have a family and I like having the ability to move cargo when I need to. I don't have to call somebody and talk them into it, buy their gas and sometimes a meal depending on what needs to be moved. Nor do I have to kill a day for a delivery driver to deliver something between 2-4.
I have the worst luck with delivery crews. Their always late, they deliver the wrong item or they break something.

Right now I have an 05 F150 regular cab. It's one of the most comfortable vehicles I have ever driven. I am a tall guy. I hate driving cars because they sit too close to the ground. I have to spend forever adjusting the seat to where I don't feel like I'm spooning with steering wheel. F150 is perfect and the new ones are even more comfortable for tall lanky people like myself.


My F150 has plenty of power and it drives perfect. The only money I have had to put into it in the 7 years I have owned it is gas, tires, routine fluid changes and brakes. I bought with 9700 on it and today it has about 92,000 on it. The crazy thing about it is that it gets better gas mileage than the 98 S-10 with a 4 cylinder engine I used to drive. Sure, I spend a $75 at the pump but, that tank last me two weeks driving about 30 miles a day. If every Ford Truck runs and drives like mine does you can bet I will be a Ford Guy for life.

i have a 2.5 door s-10. i recently hauled well over a ton of gravel for a landscaping project in it.
(in five or six trips.)
actually, it is more like a 2.3 door s-10.

I've owned at least 10 full size trucks...I had to be really good at saying "NO" to helping move.


Saw a bumper sticker on a truck about that. It said, "Yes, this is my truck. No, I won't help you move."

What explains the trend behind so many people finding that 4 door pickup trucks are a must have these days? They're challenging SUVs rule of the road. When driving, I hate the way they project out from the street where parked. Some of them are so long, I'm not sure one would make for a comfortable fit in my garage. If I stayed on the farm, maybe I could appreciate them a lot better.

We're a family of four . . . the kids are 12 and 15. We need room and I need a truck.

Thankfully it isn't one with the huge full-size bed, so it doesn't stick out quite as far . . .

I drove a truck all through highschool and college at 10-13 mpg, and now I drive a car and the wife has a CUV. 2 years ago before I bought my car I brought home a 4 door gmc and a 4 door f150 and neither comfortably fit into the garage we had at the time with out some major inconvenience. With the new house one should be able to fit but im still on the fence because its a solid 35 minutes each way, before even factoring in picking up kids and running errands which easily makes it over an hour to get home. I get an actual 28.5 mpg on a weekly basis which is hard to give up in a comfortable and good looking full sized car. With trucks even with technology upgrades such as direct injection, 8 speed trannys, ecoboost, etc. All of the research i've done people are still only getting an actual 12-14 mpg in weekly use, unless they hypermill the crap out of it which doesnt reflect actual use. Im hoping technology continutes to improve and that more manufactures start offering diesel outside of their heavy duty trucks.

I like how the dodges are now offering the 6cyl turbo diesel with the 8 speed tranny, but im just not a huge dodge fan. I also read two weeks ago where the new titan will have a cummins diesel, so I will make a point to test drive that one, they just desperately need to update the body style thats almost a decade old.

My dream would be a 3-4 liter turbo Diesel sold in a f150 or a new silverado but with gas not going back down and 1-1.5 hour commute 5 days a week im not in a huge rush to spend 45k on a truck that gets 14 mpg.

Back on topic - If people want to drive one more power to them, I prefer to use my money in other ways and live pretty far from work. I have mentally thought about getting one and making it a weekend truck, but then I would have it sitting in the garage, a new payment, and i keep on thinking we are about to see some major improvements in technology within the next few years.

Nissan is putting a 5.0 Cummins diesel in the Titan soon.

The newly redesigned Chevy Colorado's will have an inline 4 cylinder diesel option, that will have 300 ft/lbs of torque. The design looks sleek too.

My particular favorite are the people who drive the largest possible truck to work, park it badly, and then go inside and work in a cube farm.

I work with some of those people...

Ask where they live and they live on a regular lot with no acreage, ask if they hunt and it hasn't been in decades,...but they still always get 4x4 because bad weather.

And the kicker...when it snows they ALWAYS stay home anyway.

Heck, they're status symbols now days. A fully loaded Chevy crew cab Z71 Duramax is over $60,000. Same with the King Ranch Ford. .. I during the Hummer craze Jay Leno joking that, " it would have been cheaper to buy a bumper sticker that says, I have a little p***s"

I really have no problem if you want to buy something out of convenience. And a normal F150 or Silverado wouldn't have too much of an issue in most cases. What gets me is folks who get F250/350s or Chevy HD's that are huge, but work downtown or something. I can't tell you how many times I see some person trying to squeeze their massive truck through a parking garage, nearly hitting other cars, and taking up the entire spot to the point where other cars can't even open their door. The best is when Billy Bob in his lifted Powerstroke is having a Friday Night in the Big Town and trying to parallel park somewhere downtown. They are the one's oftentimes complaining about parking DT the loudest.

And yes, mot of these people are living in a subdivision in Edmond, are not towing anything, are not outdoor-type people at all. Really don't care what vehicle you buy, but please don't hit mine!!

I think guys like them because it makes their p***s seem bigger. This was meant as a joke by the way. Trucks in Oklahoma go hand in hand. But when you drive a smaller car the sizes of some vehicles do seem extreme. When my '79 El Camino was running I would be at a stop light and all I can see is hubcaps and bumpers. Not a comfortable feeling.

What's nice is that you could reach over into the bed of that El Camino with out having to tiptoe or stand on the back tire. You can't do that on today's pickups.

I've done more out of town work in the last 18 months than I've done since the mid 90's. As my tank is older, I tend to rent for my day trips, with limited exception avoiding tiny cars (though what some rental folks consider a full size is downright laughable at times.

Of everything I've rented in this time, my favorites for a bigger fella have been the small SUV range, the Ford Escape and Toyota 4Rav. Of those, the Escape was the most comfortable. In the smaller than full size category the only truly comfortable one I ever tried was a little Kia bare bones Forte back in 2011. Basically a box, motor, 4 wheels, A/C and a radio. Speakers dinna suck and it floated fairly smooth at interstate speeds for such a tiny ride.

I do prefer my tank though. But aged vehicles and being on time in another county are not always the best of friends, so I keep them away from each other.

My particular favorite are the people who drive the largest possible truck to work, park it badly, and then go inside and work in a cube farm.
That holds true for anyone driving any vehicle. Bad parking knows no vehicle type boundaries.


I work with some of those people...

Ask where they live and they live on a regular lot with no acreage, ask if they hunt and it hasn't been in decades,...but they still always get 4x4 because bad weather.

And the kicker...when it snows they ALWAYS stay home anyway.
I work in a cube farm, but so what? I didn't buy my 4x4 for work, but for play. And screw skipping work because of snow, I look forward to those days! On the way to work I've helped lots of clueless souls who have no idea how to drive their cars on snow get unstuck as well as given rides to fellow employees who couldn't make it to work and even pulled a cop out of a ditch once (hellooo good karma).

Little senstive aren't we....;)

Now don't get me started on short men who drive trucks. I personally get a kick out of watching them scamper up the side and climb in. It looks like a little kid climbing the stairs to a school bus.

You are right that bad parking knows no vehicle type boundaries, but there is far more margin for error with a smaller car. A crookedly parked sedan may still be within the lines, the same for a giant 4x4 is very unlikely. And you are much less likely to find a sedan sticking out of their spot into the lane of traffic.

Park yours well? Then I have no problem with you.

That holds true for anyone driving any vehicle. Bad parking knows no vehicle type boundaries.


I work in a cube farm, but so what? I didn't buy my 4x4 for work, but for play. And screw skipping work because of snow, I look forward to those days! On the way to work I've helped lots of clueless souls who have no idea how to drive their cars on snow get unstuck as well as given rides to fellow employees who couldn't make it to work and even pulled a cop out of a ditch once (hellooo good karma).

I have a Jeep and it's not as big as a pickup but I skip work when it snows so I can go out and play :)

I have a Jeep and it's not as big as a pickup but I skip work when it snows so I can go out and play :)

I also drive a Jeep and I thought that I was the only one that did this.

... you are much less likely to find a sedan sticking out of their spot into the lane of traffic.
...

I'm gonna chime in just long enough to note you and I, we must visit different parking lots. I am often amused at the folks who leave a good 2 feet or more of spare space in the front part of their parking space. I presume they are worried about touching bumpers and need new eye wear to boot.

I'm gonna chime in just long enough to note you and I, we must visit different parking lots. I am often amused at the folks who leave a good 2 feet or more of spare space in the front part of their parking space. I presume they are worried about touching bumpers and need new eye wear to boot.

They must be the same ones who stop a car length behind the person in front of them at a stop light.

" And you are much less likely to find a sedan sticking out of their spot into the lane of traffic. .[/QUOTE]


You don't go to Walmart much do you?

What's nice is that you could reach over into the bed of that El Camino with out having to tiptoe or stand on the back tire. You can't do that on today's pickups.

I still got asked to help move stuff. The inflatable shocks came in handy.

Ehh, different people notice different things. The 4x4s are the ones that stick out in my mind as being noticeably bad (like, almost always), but I'm willing to concede that I may be biased in my observations.

They must be the same ones who stop a car length behind the person in front of them at a stop light.
Ooohh, that irks me too.

Little senstive aren't we....;)
No, not at all. Just esplainin' that you don't have to work in the outdoors to enjoy having a big, roomy four wheel drive vehicle (truck, SUV, whatever). Its a lot of fun too. Heading out to the offroad park this weekend in fact.

Heading out to the offroad park this weekend in fact.

Honestly - I can respect it that you actually use your vehicle. I was referring to people who never have any intention to ever use it (even though its their own choice and own money), but its like why eat that continued cost if you dont use it.

I have an old dodge truck I bought just to have one for hauling stuff and it ended up being my everyday vehicle. Sure it gets horrible gas milage and smells like a dirty shoe but it sure is comfortable. I don't know what the rage is or if it even exists but that's okay I tend to miss the point of a lot of things.

I worked at a taxpayer funded training installation that provided me with a nicer version of this to drive in performance of my duties. Note the impressive "bed fenders" over the dual wheels.

http://www.2040cars.com/_content/cars/images/52/317652/001.jpg

One day, for reasons that are too complicated to get into here, while hardly moving, I barely brushed the driver's side rear wheel bulge up against a rickety, steel, fence gate post. It, that is, the fiberglass codpiece, shattered like fragile, antique china.

Perhaps one reason you never hear the slogan "Built Chevy Tough" . . .
(although I loved my old '68 Chevy pickup and '70 model van. and still have fond memories of the '48 Chevy pickup i was going to restore. did you know that a '48 model would still start and run even if you had the battery cables reversed. it would. the generator gauge would drop the more the engine revved but it would still run! =)

I drove a truck all through highschool and college at 10-13 mpg, and now I drive a car and the wife has a CUV. 2 years ago before I bought my car I brought home a 4 door gmc and a 4 door f150 and neither comfortably fit into the garage we had at the time with out some major inconvenience. With the new house one should be able to fit but im still on the fence because its a solid 35 minutes each way, before even factoring in picking up kids and running errands which easily makes it over an hour to get home. I get an actual 28.5 mpg on a weekly basis which is hard to give up in a comfortable and good looking full sized car. With trucks even with technology upgrades such as direct injection, 8 speed trannys, ecoboost, etc. All of the research i've done people are still only getting an actual 12-14 mpg in weekly use, unless they hypermill the crap out of it which doesnt reflect actual use. Im hoping technology continutes to improve and that more manufactures start offering diesel outside of their heavy duty trucks.

I like how the dodges are now offering the 6cyl turbo diesel with the 8 speed tranny, but im just not a huge dodge fan. I also read two weeks ago where the new titan will have a cummins diesel, so I will make a point to test drive that one, they just desperately need to update the body style thats almost a decade old.

My dream would be a 3-4 liter turbo Diesel sold in a f150 or a new silverado but with gas not going back down and 1-1.5 hour commute 5 days a week im not in a huge rush to spend 45k on a truck that gets 14 mpg.

Back on topic - If people want to drive one more power to them, I prefer to use my money in other ways and live pretty far from work. I have mentally thought about getting one and making it a weekend truck, but then I would have it sitting in the garage, a new payment, and i keep on thinking we are about to see some major improvements in technology within the next few years.
My 2000 F-150 had the 5.4L and I would get about 18 mpg in town and around 24 on the highway. I did have one of the roll-up vinyl bed covers on in, one of the best items that I have had on a truck, made the bed useful as a trunk when traveling and keep things out of sight. A friend with a hard cover (bought the truck with it) and hated it because it wasn't very functional when having to haul anything taller than the bed. He ended up selling it and getting a roll-up type.

My 2000 was 2WD, bought in Oklahoma and living in Texas I didn't need a 4x4. Up here it is easier to find a used 4x4 than a 2WD, in fact the Toyota dealer calls or asks my wife every time her car is in for service about buying it or trading it in until she tells them it is a 2WD, my Colorado co-workers didn't know they even made a 2WD version.

Over the years, I've had numerous pickups, regular cab short beds, then longbeds because I used my trucks a lot and could haul more. Then I moved to extended cab, and then Quad Cab Dodge. Now I'm back to a short wide Chevrolet. ... Better milage and easier to park.

My 2000 was 2WD, bought in Oklahoma and living in Texas I didn't need a 4x4. Up here it is easier to find a used 4x4 than a 2WD, in fact the Toyota dealer calls or asks my wife every time her car is in for service about buying it or trading it in until she tells them it is a 2WD, my Colorado co-workers didn't know they even made a 2WD version.

That's hilarious.

When I lived in Denver, the girl I was dating had a 2WD S10 Blazer. The power steering pump went out on it, and when telling the auto parts store guys the usual info for them to look up the part. Every single one of them argued with me...They said that Chevrolet didn't make a 2WD S10 Blazer. 4x4 only. I would invite them to parking lot to see for themselves...It was quite the novelty. One guy even whistled and said "that's a clean custom job...But why did you keep it stock height? If you're doing that work, lower it and put some nice wheels on it!"

:facepalm:




Over the years, I've had numerous pickups, regular cab short beds, then longbeds because I used my trucks a lot and could haul more. Then I moved to extended cab, and then Quad Cab Dodge. Now I'm back to a short wide Chevrolet. ... Better milage and easier to park.

I had to go crew cab when I had kids. I miss my regular cab trucks something fierce. :(

I always get a chuckle comparing the number of 4x4 trucks vs "regular" vehicles stuck in the ditch during snowstorms. Usually about half are the huge trucks with lift kits and ridiculously huge wheel/tire combos.

I think the only way I would ever seriously consider purchasing a truck is if there were a mid size, small displacement diesel powered option available. I always liked the Nissan Frontier - seemed to offer 90% of the utility of the monster trucks in a much more reasonably sized package. I have a neighbor who got the David Stanley "Trick Your Truck" deal and the thing won't even fit in the garage now.

I am constantly annoyed at the jackasses with the super lifted trucks with monster truck tires, dual smokestack exhaust, etc. driving 90 mph down the interstate, zipping in between cars like they are driving a small sports car. Dangerous. If you are going to drive that large of a machine, you should be responsible by driving the speed limit and allowing plenty of space between you and other cars. One slip of the steering wheel and something that big can kill several people very fast. I don't want to be anywhere near those. Notice how most semi-truck drivers obey traffic laws and are very respectful of other drivers and fully understand the consequences if they make a mistake. It drives me absolutely insane how people with monster trucks value no one else's life enough to drive responsible for how large of a vehicle they operate. Everyone should drive responsible, but the larger and heavier machine you operate, the more you should be responsible. Honestly, the monster trucks should not be legal on the road or should require a special training course.

That's hilarious.

When I lived in Denver, the girl I was dating had a 2WD S10 Blazer. The power steering pump went out on it, and when telling the auto parts store guys the usual info for them to look up the part. Every single one of them argued with me...They said that Chevrolet didn't make a 2WD S10 Blazer. 4x4 only. I would invite them to parking lot to see for themselves...It was quite the novelty. One guy even whistled and said "that's a clean custom job...But why did you keep it stock height? If you're doing that work, lower it and put some nice wheels on it!"

:facepalm:
I had an 89 Ford Bronco II 2WD (in OKC), it still had the transfer case but just no output shaft or front drive axle.

I had to go crew cab when I had kids. I miss my regular cab trucks something fierce. :([/QUOTE]

My Quad Cab came in very handy with the wife and two kids, plus hauling gear and stuff around. Now that my oldest child has been moved out a couple years now and the next one is a teen, i just didn't need the big pickup like I used to.

I like my shortwide.

Ooohh, that irks me too.

To be safe, that's actually how far back you should stop.

To be safe, that's actually how far back you should stop.
You are joking, right?

Can you even begin to imagine what an already maddening traffic situation around The Intersection from Hell (Memorial and Penn) would be like if people actually did that? Cars would stretch all the way back to about Britton Road and it would take about three hours to go three miles when you factor in the delay factor caused by people focused on phones instead of driving plus the needless delays after the lights turn green.

One the other hand, zig-zagging into all of the open spaces in a small enough car doing the 45mph speed limit through there might be fun. I doubt trying it in a Road Barge Pickup would work, though.

Traffic lights are setup to sense a certain amount of cars in a certain amount of time, large gaps in the traffic caused by people putting a large gap between them and the car in front of them creates traffic signal confusions and backups.

A lot of these men that have pick ups that are huge, like to make noise, and are aggressive are obviously lacking in the body part they are trying to convey.

I am constantly annoyed at the jackasses with the super lifted trucks with monster truck tires, dual smokestack exhaust, etc. driving 90 mph down the interstate, zipping in between cars like they are driving a small sports car. Dangerous.
Is it the lift, tires and exhaust that ruin your day or just the driving? Because, as we all know, insurance companies only give safe driving discounts to those with an econo-box who think they have a sports car with lowered, skateboard-like suspension and wheels, "fart can" exhausts, and zipping down the highway weaving in between cars at 90mph. :wink:


A lot of these men that have pick ups that are huge, like to make noise, and are aggressive are obviously lacking in the body part they are trying to convey.
I'm noticing an unusually large amount of people here fixated with the size of other guys' "options package". Why is that? And, what inane generalizations do you make about the women who drive vehicles like that?

A lot of these men that have pick ups that are huge, like to make noise, and are aggressive are obviously lacking in the body part they are trying to convey.

"Hey. Wait a darn minute. I represent that remark!"
http://dl.maximumpc.com/galleries/geekquiz/elwood_only.jpg
It's Wally Cox . . . get it?


This should be required optional equipment
SpU2naSEAS0
It would be great for getting other cars to tighten up the gaps at stop lights.
I wonder what a custom S-5T sounds like . . .

"Hey. Wait a darn minute. I represent that remark!"
http://dl.maximumpc.com/galleries/geekquiz/elwood_only.jpg
It's Wally Cox . . . get it?


This should be required optional equipment
SpU2naSEAS0
It would be great for getting other cars to tighten up the gaps at stop lights.
I wonder what a custom S-5T sounds like . . .
Lol.




I'm noticing an unusually large amount of people here fixated with the size of other guys' "options package". Why is that? And, what inane generalizations do you make about the women who drive vehicles like that?

It's mostly men. Most soccer moms and folks with kids drive a suburban or some sort of SUV, not some 5.2 liter V8 massive 4 door pick up that's weaving in and out of traffic, tailgating like crazy, and makes the most noise as possible. I'm don't think that's you. When someone drives a pick up and hauls things around or for their work, great! But often times, I see one person (usually male) driving agressivly with their huge truck hauling nothing making lots of noise. Those are the people I'm sort of half joking about their package size. Why else try to act so "manly"? Who are they trying to impress?

There are plenty of ridiculous aftermarket modification done to vehicles of every type to be sure. Clapped out Civics with 4" exhaust tips and cartoonish body kits barely hanging on the the car are pretty silly. I laugh every time I see a truck with the huge vertical exhaust pipes sticking straight up through the truck bed - I think they are probably the main ones compensating. But the idiots who've removed the soot reduction systems from their diesel powered trucks and rev their engines when they get beside another car are the worst. It is a very small percentage of truck owners that do that, but man are they beyond irritating.

Now about that Torea guy who was constantly complaining about train horns, I think this guy should be his next door neighbor....

SpU2naSEAS0
It would be great for getting other cars to tighten up the gaps at stop lights.
I wonder what a custom S-5T sounds like . . .

Diesel trucks are the new "rice" as in, they are the modern countrified version of the kids with fart cans on their civics back in the 90's. So it's a little ironic that madmonk makes that comparison

I have definitely seen a few ahole diesel drivers purposely tune their engines with extra boost just so they can make a bunch of smoke. This trend is much more prevalent in other states (thank god) but I have noticed it picking up here. Because nothing states "I'M A MAN!" like making a massive amount black smoke behind you. Youtube is full of videos if you want to see the assholery in person. If that isn't overcompensating, then I don't know what is. And the ridiculous lift kits with 35 inch tires with chrome wheels that would be destroyed at the sight of a gravel road? Hey, its your money, so whatever. More likely than not, these vehicles are driven by males under the age of 25, who will probably have to sell it when mommy stops subsidizing their diesel budget that they burned through trying to smoke people out.

And FWIW, I drive what would be considered a high performance vehicle with tuned exhaust and I respect anyone who is a car enthusiast. But I would never pull what some of these guys in their lifted Cummins/Powerstrokes do on the highways, even though my car is actually made for it.

Don't get me wrong, I know there are plenty of guys with the big trucks that never see anything dirtier than an occasional gravel parking lot. I just think it's silly to over-generalize the guys who drive trucks and 4x4s. I don't drive a truck, I have a Jeep and I would love to have some of the machines I've seen on the road. I don't see how anyone can justify that expense of some of them, but to each his or her own. I guess people like to categorize others based on simple observations, and I know I'm guilty of it sometimes too. Not every Prius owner is a tree-hugging hippie, some just want you to think they are.

"rolling coal" is about the dumbest thing ever

"rolling coal" is about the dumbest thing ever
I had to look that one up. Wow. That is stupid.

Extra Credit Bonus Question:

From the list below pick out The DumbAss:

a) "Look at ME!" (vertical version)
http://stblogs.automotive.com/files/2012/06/diesel_truck_smoke_stack_exhaust.jpg

b) "Look at ME!" (horizontal version)
http://gas2.org/files/2011/07/diseasel.jpg

c)"Less Is More (sizewize)" or "The Best of Both Worlds"
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fENVBVo5evo/To_b8Q2MExI/AAAAAAAAFm4/IDs3kYon3Aw/s320/Diesel+Truck+Burnouts1.jpg

d) (Pay no attention to the insignificant vehicle on the right . . . or to the WussWagon, above)
http://media.caranddriver.com/images/media/493547/2014-chevrolet-cruze-2-0td-inline-test-2-photo-530805-s-original.jpg

e) No Comment
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QIxbWIgV1X8/S8L0keJk_8I/AAAAAAAACQY/MfOXG2pVEHk/s1600/jim_carrey_MASK

f) All of the above

I'm bored with all this smoky truck stuff . . .
Let's go find a jogger and . . .
[terrorize him with our thumping bass amplifier and speakers]
Thereby reserving our spot in The Great American Pinhead Parade.