2010 Pontiac G8 Ute

[93JC]

I'm not saying pickup trucks are useless, just that THE AVERAGE PICKUP TRUCK BUYER (for instance, a nerdy buddy from uni who bought a Chevy Silverado and to my knowledge has never put anything in the back of his truck, EVER) doesn't need a monstrous full-size truck, if one at all.

You may have used your Ram for offroading, yard work, towing, hauling quads, blah blah blah, but LOTS OF PICKUP TRUCK BUYERS DON'T. I think, based on my own experience, it may even be most.

I think smaller trucks like the Commodore Ute could easily supplant full-size trucks for MANY truck buyers.


In the same way I don't think people need minivans if they pop out one measly kid.

[SVT666]

I'm not saying pickup trucks are useless, just that THE AVERAGE PICKUP TRUCK BUYER (for instance, a nerdy buddy from uni who bought a Chevy Silverado and to my knowledge has never put anything in the back of his truck, EVER) doesn't need a monstrous full-size truck, if one at all.

You may have used your Ram for offroading, yard work, towing, hauling quads, blah blah blah, but LOTS OF PICKUP TRUCK BUYERS DON'T. I think, based on my own experience, it may even be most.

Even so, you can't base that on what you see on your way to work.  I don't know anybody who carries a load in their truck to work.

I think smaller trucks like the Commodore Ute could easily supplant full-size trucks for MANY truck buyers.

Sure, except that it can only seat 2 people.  I wouldn't buy one, just because of that.  They would have to build a 4 door version which they never will.

[akuma_supreme]

For my money, I don't think that a car-based `ute will ever be more than a niche model at best.  The fuel-economy is not much better than a standard truck, and they still take-up a pretty good-sized piece of real-estate, meaning they really aren't much more maneuverable in real-world circumstances.

[SVT666]

For my money, I don't think that a car-based `ute will ever be more than a niche model at best.  The fuel-economy is not much better than a standard truck, and they still take-up a pretty good-sized piece of real-estate, meaning they really aren't much more maneuverable in real-world circumstances.

[93JC]

Even so, you can't base that on what you see on your way to work.  I don't know anybody who carries a load in their truck to work.

Then why drive the damned thing to work!?! Where's the line between "needing" a big pickup and wanting some toy for hauling shit a few times a year?

Sure, except that it can only seat 2 people.  I wouldn't buy one, just because of that.  They would have to build a 4 door version which they never will.

I know I know, it's the old VZ, but I don't see why they couldn't make a VE.

[SVT666]

Then why drive the damned thing to work!?!

Because I'm not going to buy another car just to drive to work.  That's financially...stupid!

Where's the line between "needing" a big pickup and wanting some toy for hauling shit a few times a year?

For me and for most pickup owners that I personally know, it's far more then "a few times a year".

[93JC]

Because I'm not going to buy another car just to drive to work.  That's financially...stupid!

Wasn't that the point of buying the Shitfire?

For me and for most pickup owners that I personally know, it's far more then "a few times a year".

For many of the pickup truck owners I know, it's only  once in a while. In fact, the only person I know who regularly uses the bed of his pickup is my dad.

[Cookie Monster]

Wasn't that the point of buying the Shitfire?

OWNED

[93JC]

The same Shitfire that went through... how many engines?

[SVT666]

Wasn't that the point of buying the Shitfire?

Yes, and look at how that turned out.

[Cookie Monster]

Yes, and look at how that turned out.

That's because you bought a bad car. Buying a cheap used car for commuting makes more sense than driving the huge truck to work.

[akuma_supreme]

So the man who bought a Sunfire by choice is calling me crazy.

[93JC]

to Mr. Hemi for being a good sport.

It's just too easy a target.

[SVT666]

So the man who bought a Sunfire by choice is calling me crazy.

If you think one of those utes gets the same mileage and is as cumbersome as a pickup truck then you're a lost cause.

[akuma_supreme]

If you think one of those utes gets the same mileage and is as cumbersome as a pickup truck then you're a lost cause.

They're based off full-size car platforms.  This may shock you, but there are actually pickups smaller than this on sale in some markets- even the US!

[SVT666]

That's because you bought a bad car. Buying a cheap used car for commuting makes more sense than driving the huge truck to work.

Not when you have to pay for insurance on both vehicles.  The reason I bought the Sunfire was so that I wouldn't put any more kms on my truck before having to return it because it's a lease.  Our Freestyle has a triler hitch and I can tow a utility trailer for most of the things I need to haul, however I made a conscious decision that some lifestyle choices were going to have to take a back seat to some other priorities such as having my wife at home for our kids for the next 3 years.  That means the truck goes away and so do a lot of our preferred activities.  If I was to have had a cheap used car for commuting during the entire 3 years I had my truck, it would have been more expensive then just driving the Ram to work every day...which I did.  You factor in the purchase price for a reliable used car that won't give me any problems ($7000) and insurance ($600 per year) and that is a total of $8800 per year.  That includes no oil changes, maintenance, repairs, tires, or anything else.  Just that $8800 is much more then the extra cost in fuel I paid for driving my truck to work every day.

[SVT666]

They're based off full-size car platforms.  This may shock you, but there are actually pickups smaller than this on sale in some markets- even the US!

We weren't talking about Ford Rangers.  We were talking about Ford F-150s and Dodge Rams. 

[SVT666]

to Mr. Hemi for being a good sport.

It's just too easy a target.

[dinkeldorf]

They're based off full-size car platforms.  This may shock you, but there are actually pickups smaller than this on sale in some markets- even the US!

Dude - the utes get comparable mileage to the sedans. Similar weight, engine. Drag coefficient suffers but the frontal area, the bain of most pickups, is pretty good.