Well, that guy is clearly a massive prick, but let’s also talk about how fucking ugly that truck is. I don’t know when everyone decided that land yacht pickup trucks were the bees knees, but they’re not. They’re just dumb and so. goddamn. ugly.
For real dude, there’s no decent sized mid sized pickups anymore. I drove my '99 dodge Dakota forever and loved the size! It even had a V8 compared to most of the newer land yachts with 4 bangers and v6s.
I don’t need a block on wheels, I just need a smaller pickup because I camp and haul shit enough to justify needing one vs a car or suv.
So, I don’t know if it’s still an issue but I know the whole land yacht thing started because of emissions standards. The US used to (they might still) set emissions standards based on wheel base rather than vehicle type. The larger the wheel base the looser the emissions standards. The thought was that vehicles that needed a larger wheelbase like large work trucks would always have higher emissions so they wanted to take that into account. But what actually happened is manufacturers just started making larger and larger vehicles to take advantage of the more lax emissions standards.
I think the wheelbase based emissions standards thing has been fixed now, but I don’t know where I heard that so it might even still be a thing.
If you look at actual comparable bed length and cab type, you realise that outside of height, truck dimensions haven’t increased that much (especially not compared to car sizes, ex.: the mk6 Jetta is the size of the Passat from 10 years prior).
I drove an '04 Dakota for years (last year of that body style before they started making them bigger). Loved that truck, perfect size for camping or hauling band equipment.
Sucks that the mid-sized trucks now are bigger that the full-sized trucks from back then.
That’s why I got the Honda Ridgeline. It is basically a Honda Pilot with a bed. Small by truck standards but is great for someone that just needs to haul stuff in the suburbs and will never take it off-road. I don’t get all the people around here that think they need a lifted full sized truck to drive to work on city streets everyday.
Last I’d checked, it was virtually impossible to import non-DOT-approved cars to the US. You basically had to take them apart and then assemble them here as “kit cars” to get around stupid grey market rules.
Safety regulations has a lot to do with it too. They have to squeeze in airbags and all the safety tech which would leave no room to sit in that older Dakota.
Just check the bed. If there’s a liner, chances are the truck is needed. If it’s clean, it’s a vanity truck.
I own a 350 and am very aware of just how big this truck is. But I do need the pulling power for work related things. I’ve also used it to help people that have broken down.
Yeah, not standard. And I guess if they’re that common where you are then check the wear of the liner. Like another commenter said, they get fucked up pretty quickly. It’s easy to tell if a truck is vanity or not just by looking at the bed. I’ve called people out for driving them. It’s especially humiliating for the guys because I’m a woman.
I also appreciate that you’re confident in your assessment without actually talking to any of those people. Assuming just makes an ass out of u and me.
I haven’t seen a new truck without a bed liner in decades.
Plenty of 'em out there homie. I bought a used DMax in 2019 and despite being a Denali edition it didn’t come with a bedliner, just a rubber mat for the floor. I should have had one sprayed in when I got the truck because my box is now beat to shit.
I think all the previous owner did with it was tow a horse trailer.
I drive 3/4 or one ton trucks for work. They suck to drive. You feel every bump, they sway on corners or with wind, and parking is a nightmare. I have no idea why somebody would drive them around for vanity.
I piss off my teenage son all the time using the outlander sport I bought for him. For driving around town it’s awesome.
My DMax is a pretty truck but the beat to crap box, without bedliner, is under a tonneau cover so you can’t see it. Another thing you can do is check the receiver hitch, if it’s scratched / rusty inside then you know its being used to tow something. 🙂
These trucks got huge for literally no reason and can’t for what I’ve read about it, they also lost cargo capacity over the years. So if you want an actual decent truck of this kind you must buy a old one.
Well, that guy is clearly a massive prick, but let’s also talk about how fucking ugly that truck is. I don’t know when everyone decided that land yacht pickup trucks were the bees knees, but they’re not. They’re just dumb and so. goddamn. ugly.
You mean their Emotiional Support Truck.
Pavement princess
Also partly responsible for an increase in pedestrian fatalities.
For real dude, there’s no decent sized mid sized pickups anymore. I drove my '99 dodge Dakota forever and loved the size! It even had a V8 compared to most of the newer land yachts with 4 bangers and v6s.
I don’t need a block on wheels, I just need a smaller pickup because I camp and haul shit enough to justify needing one vs a car or suv.
So, I don’t know if it’s still an issue but I know the whole land yacht thing started because of emissions standards. The US used to (they might still) set emissions standards based on wheel base rather than vehicle type. The larger the wheel base the looser the emissions standards. The thought was that vehicles that needed a larger wheelbase like large work trucks would always have higher emissions so they wanted to take that into account. But what actually happened is manufacturers just started making larger and larger vehicles to take advantage of the more lax emissions standards.
I think the wheelbase based emissions standards thing has been fixed now, but I don’t know where I heard that so it might even still be a thing.
If you look at actual comparable bed length and cab type, you realise that outside of height, truck dimensions haven’t increased that much (especially not compared to car sizes, ex.: the mk6 Jetta is the size of the Passat from 10 years prior).
I drove an '04 Dakota for years (last year of that body style before they started making them bigger). Loved that truck, perfect size for camping or hauling band equipment.
Sucks that the mid-sized trucks now are bigger that the full-sized trucks from back then.
That’s why I got the Honda Ridgeline. It is basically a Honda Pilot with a bed. Small by truck standards but is great for someone that just needs to haul stuff in the suburbs and will never take it off-road. I don’t get all the people around here that think they need a lifted full sized truck to drive to work on city streets everyday.
Buy an Aussie import ute. They’re exactly what you want and not common in the US so you have a fashion statement.
Last I’d checked, it was virtually impossible to import non-DOT-approved cars to the US. You basically had to take them apart and then assemble them here as “kit cars” to get around stupid grey market rules.
You can either bring in a 25 year old one, or rebody a local Chevy SS or Pontiac G8 with a ute shell.
I know; it’s so easy it’s a wonder we don’t see more of them!
Safety regulations has a lot to do with it too. They have to squeeze in airbags and all the safety tech which would leave no room to sit in that older Dakota.
Just check the bed. If there’s a liner, chances are the truck is needed. If it’s clean, it’s a vanity truck.
I own a 350 and am very aware of just how big this truck is. But I do need the pulling power for work related things. I’ve also used it to help people that have broken down.
I haven’t seen a new truck without a bed liner in decades. I apparently thought they were standard equipment.
If you need one, you need one, but I’m confident that a tiny percentage of these things are used for actual work. Also: still ugly. Sorry.
Yeah, not standard. And I guess if they’re that common where you are then check the wear of the liner. Like another commenter said, they get fucked up pretty quickly. It’s easy to tell if a truck is vanity or not just by looking at the bed. I’ve called people out for driving them. It’s especially humiliating for the guys because I’m a woman.
I also appreciate that you’re confident in your assessment without actually talking to any of those people. Assuming just makes an ass out of u and me.
As someone who lives in Texas and every other vehicle in the road is an oversized pickup, fuck em.
They drive worse faster the douchy chargers/mustangs and somehow manage to use their blinker less often than a BMW driver.
Plenty of 'em out there homie. I bought a used DMax in 2019 and despite being a Denali edition it didn’t come with a bedliner, just a rubber mat for the floor. I should have had one sprayed in when I got the truck because my box is now beat to shit.
I think all the previous owner did with it was tow a horse trailer.
I drive 3/4 or one ton trucks for work. They suck to drive. You feel every bump, they sway on corners or with wind, and parking is a nightmare. I have no idea why somebody would drive them around for vanity.
I piss off my teenage son all the time using the outlander sport I bought for him. For driving around town it’s awesome.
Yeah that sounds about right. My liner is already marked up and I’ve had it since March lol. I haul large items almost daily for work.
So you have it from work and also use it privately?
No, they own the truck for work.
Right. Not wealthy enough to have separate vehicles for personal and work
My DMax is a pretty truck but the beat to crap box, without bedliner, is under a tonneau cover so you can’t see it. Another thing you can do is check the receiver hitch, if it’s scratched / rusty inside then you know its being used to tow something. 🙂
There is a lot of anger, frustration, and unacknowledged insecurity going into vehicle purchases in the US.
I agree. The amount of unrequited hate is disturbing.
FTFY
No argument here. The wasteful and dangerous vehicles are just a minor symptom of our cultural issues.
These trucks got huge for literally no reason and can’t for what I’ve read about it, they also lost cargo capacity over the years. So if you want an actual decent truck of this kind you must buy a old one.