Lamenting the decline of the car

[Coldrsx]

'vehicle' offerings are so incredibly vanilla these days it is pathetic.

Just make everything a Venza and call it a day.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

'vehicle' offerings are so incredibly vanilla these days it is pathetic.

Just make everything a Venza and call it a day.

And the Venza makes its triumphant return in 2021. Needs more cowbell, or tailfins.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Architype

And the Venza makes its triumphant return in 2021. Needs more cowbell, or tailfins.

And apparently quite nice, way better than the first iteration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mQyfWdiN4

Still has the typical plug ugly baleen whale Toyota mug though.

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

'vehicle' offerings are so incredibly vanilla these days it is pathetic.

Just make everything a Venza and call it a day.

Anything "different" gets lampooned heavily in the media. PT Cruiser, Cybertruck, etc.

[MolsonExport]

And yet 40% of the vehicles on the streets of London are huge, hulking and fucking ugly as sin, $50K+ prickup trucks (Dodgy Rams [aka assholemobiles], Fuck-150s, Gross Monster Chariots (GMC), and of course, High-Ho Silverado!!)

99% of the time, nothing in the truck bed. The same ones that have after-market exhaust systems (hey, not only can you see the assholes a-comin', you can hear them from 5 miles away too). Guaranteed that the oaf driving it has a goatee*, premature balding, paunch, pasty flesh, assholish self-entitled demeanor. And really likes Tim Horton's drive thrus. And double-parking. And speeding through school zones, exhaust system ablazing.


Don't hate me because I am ugly as sin.

chad's biscuit

*or even worse, crewcut guy with an extremely bad attitude

[MonctonRad]

Yeah, and you know 90% of the time these people have no legitimate reason to own such a behemoth.

Several times at the hospital in the last few weeks I was forced to park my BMW X3 next to one of these things. My Beemer is an SUV, yet these pickup trucks (this one in particular anyway) is literally twice the size of my car, and jacked up so that when I stand next to it, my nose is at the same height as the top of the side panel of the truck bed. When you park next to such a beast (in a typical parking space), you just know that they won't be able to open the door to their cab without dinging the side of your car.

My eldest son has a large pickup truck, however he is a tradesman (electrician) and legitimately needs a truck for his equipment. Still, part of the reason he owns the truck is that he really likes it. He's my son though and I'm not going to criticize him for it, but I really don't get it.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Yeah, and you know 90% of the time these people have no legitimate reason to own such a behemoth.

Several times at the hospital in the last few weeks I was forced to park my BMW X3 next to one of these things. My Beemer is an SUV, yet these pickup trucks (this one in particular anyway) is literally twice the size of my car, and jacked up so that when I stand next to it, my nose is at the same height as the top of the side panel of the truck bed. When you park next to such a beast (in a typical parking space), you just know that they won't be able to open the door to their cab without dinging the side of your car.

My eldest son has a large pickup truck, however he is a tradesman (electrician) and legitimately needs a truck for his equipment. Still, part of the reason he owns the truck is that he really likes it. He's my son though and I'm not going to criticize him for it, but I really don't get it.

yes, and this is the thing. I have no problem whatsoever with people who use giant trucks for their trade. It is the jerks that act like they are the "King of the Road", blocking the views of others, taking up way more space on the roads and parking than necessary, and basically driving like the pissed-off napoleon-dicked losers that they are.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

And yet 40% of the vehicles on the streets of London are huge, hulking and fucking ugly as sin, $50K+ prickup trucks (Dodgy Rams [aka assholemobiles], Fuck-150s, Gross Monster Chariots (GMC), and of course, High-Ho Silverado!!)

99% of the time, nothing in the truck bed. The same ones that have after-market exhaust systems (hey, not only can you see the assholes a-comin', you can hear them from 5 miles away too). Guaranteed that the oaf driving it has a goatee*, premature balding, paunch, pasty flesh, assholish self-entitled demeanor. And really likes Tim Horton's drive thrus. And double-parking. And speeding through school zones, exhaust system ablazing.


Don't hate me because I am ugly as sin.

chad's biscuit

*or even worse, crewcut guy with an extremely bad attitude

Pretty much nailed it bro. We have those here for sure. Except the trucks here start at $70k.

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

yes, and this is the thing. I have no problem whatsoever with people who use giant trucks for their trade. It is the jerks that act like they are the "King of the Road", blocking the views of others, taking up way more space on the roads and parking than necessary, and basically driving like the pissed-off napoleon-dicked losers that they are.

Yeah, its a joke. I'm near several construction sites during the course of work and virtually all of these pickups there have nothing resembling construction material in them. At best they might get something out of the toolbox in the bed, but really most of these guys could get by with a VW Golf.

[WarrenC12]

Small penis mobiles for dude bros who can't afford a Lambo.

[Rollerstud98]

Originally Posted by urbandreamer

Anyone buying the new Bronco?

I want a base model 2 door painted army green.

With the delivery delays growing to possibly 2022, I made a reservation for a 2 door Badlands today. If it takes that long for it to be built and delivered I’m totally fine with it.

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

And yet 40% of the vehicles on the streets of London are huge, hulking and fucking ugly as sin, $50K+ prickup trucks (Dodgy Rams [aka assholemobiles], Fuck-150s, Gross Monster Chariots (GMC), and of course, High-Ho Silverado!!)

99% of the time, nothing in the truck bed. The same ones that have after-market exhaust systems (hey, not only can you see the assholes a-comin', you can hear them from 5 miles away too). Guaranteed that the oaf driving it has a goatee*, premature balding, paunch, pasty flesh, assholish self-entitled demeanor. And really likes Tim Horton's drive thrus. And double-parking. And speeding through school zones, exhaust system ablazing.

And just when I thought you couldn't get any more upfront about your classism.

I get it academics like yourself should rule the world and driving too.

[vid]

He's kind of right, though. A lot of people who own big expensive drugs park badly (there is one woman with a lifted 2020 Sierra who parks perpendicular to the parking spaces at our work and actually occupies every single one of them—and there are FOUR!) and the last time she did this, a bunch of vehicles started piling up because they wanted to park and she got mad at *them* for rushing her!

The men who drive them are no better, even with backup cameras they have no clue how to position the trucks. They either back up too close or too far because the ground level blind spots in those things is massive. There is another old lady who drives a Silverado, I don't think she could see the intersection she's stopped at even if she stopped behind the line. Her eyes are under the top of the steering wheel. If her airbag ever went off it would miss her. It's insane that she's driving such a large vehicle.

And the "men" that drive them constantly bitch about the price of gas and anything else. Maybe if they used their trucks to do dump runs for people (to the actual dump, not the bird sanctuary that assholes think is the dump—very important distinction!) they'd be able to afford some gas. Or help people move things, which there is always at least one person on your Facebook friend's list who needs to move something. But no, they get a delivery company to bring them a barbeque from Home Depot so they don't scratch their baby. If they do haul something large home from Canadian Tire, like a bicycle, they put a blanket down to protect the box liner! I've seen it with my own eyes several times.

I drive a Ranger and these new trucks make it look like a car with a box. At this point I'm basically driving an el camino. I've even come across SUVs that make it look small.

Also, what the fuck is with the Nissan Armada? It's *massive*. The transit system here is using them as accessible minibuses now. It's like they took the inside dimensions of a garage and just said "make all of it a car".

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by whatnext

Yeah, its a joke. I'm near several construction sites during the course of work and virtually all of these pickups there have nothing resembling construction material in them. At best they might get something out of the toolbox in the bed, but really most of these guys could get by with a VW Golf.

No segment of society is sparred from buying overpriced vehicles. What's the obsession on targetting pickup truck drivers?

If you're gonna buy an overpriced vehicle at least there's some functionality to it.

To me this is just about targeting an icon of the working class, absolutely nothing more than that.

[wave46]

There's a certain overplayed aspect to the machismo thing of pickup trucks. I'm not a huge fan of the excessive chrome and overdone lift on newer trucks.

Look at the clean, simple lines of a 1988 Chevrolet C/K. It's an honest working vehicle. Beauty by way of being functional.

Then again, the people I know who use pickups like work vehicles aren't driving a brand new one. They're buying them 7-10 years used.

On the topic of actual cars, I too lament the decline in choice. We're seeing cheap sporty coupes/sedans, manual transmissions and convertibles go by the wayside. In a sense, I mourn but the people have spoken. As long as a few stalwarts hold out (Honda Civic, Mazda 3, et al.) which seems more likely as competitors drop out of the market, I'll be happy.

Alas, I can't lament too much. I'm about the worst customer the big automakers have - I buy far too infrequently to justify them catering to me.

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by wave46

There's a certain overplayed aspect to the machismo thing of pickup trucks. I'm not a huge fan of the excessive chrome and overdone lift on newer trucks.

Its almost as if machismo is a working class value that centers around a certain brand of egalitarianism. Its almost as if its a really solid indicator of class. And its almost as if you can read books written in roman times about how the imperial elite use to piss on the lower classes for valuing masculinity.

But who am I to suggest this attack of working class masculinity represents a blatant emergence of classism in modern north America. Because there's no way this hostility towards masculinity spans into things like education, politics, law and entertainment.

[vid]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

No segment of society is sparred from buying overpriced vehicles. What's the obsession on targetting pickup truck drivers?

I'm a pickup truck driver and I don't feel targetted.

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

If you're gonna buy an overpriced vehicle at least there's some functionality to it.

Yeah, but they don't use the functionality. They look at a $70,000 truck with a 5 foot box and go "now there's some sexy retractable runningboards!" Honestly once the box gets that small you might as well have an SUV, I'm pretty sure most of them actually have more storage space than a 6 foot pickup box.

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

To me this is just about targeting an icon of the working class, absolutely nothing more than that.

The working class can't afford those trucks. Those trucks are status symbols of the employers of the working class. The working class is driving trucks that get used as trucks, while the employers are driving spotless facsimiles of trucks that they use as intimidating status symbols; "King Truck". They often complain about how "useless" their minimum wage staff are while hauling precisely zero things ever in their "truck". (SUV with a box)

[wave46]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

Its almost as if machismo is a working class value that centers around a certain brand of egalitarianism. Its almost as if its a really solid indicator of class. And its almost as if you can read books written in roman times about how the imperial elite use to piss on the lower classes for valuing masculinity.

But who am I to suggest this attack of working class masculinity represents a blatant emergence of classism in modern north America. Because there's no way this hostility towards masculinity spans into things like education, politics, law and entertainment.

Eh, I just think it looks ugly. Like the front end on many new Toyotas with the gaping 'maw' of a grille.

I've never ascribed to machismo as masculinity. The most masculine men I've ever had the pleasure of working with had a certain confidence. It didn't have to be loud or brash, it just meant the job would get done competently. It spoke for itself. Surgeons you'd trust your life to. Airline pilots who could safely put the plane on the ground, regardless of the weather. We lose this distinction at our peril.

Anyways, back to cars.

[vid]

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

Its almost as if machismo is a working class value that centers around a certain brand of egalitarianism. Its almost as if its a really solid indicator of class. And its almost as if you can read books written in roman times about how the imperial elite use to piss on the lower classes for valuing masculinity.

Now they imperial elite use masculinity to piss on the lower class!

Originally Posted by LakeLocker

But who am I to suggest this attack of working class masculinity represents a blatant emergence of classism in modern north America. Because there's no way this hostility towards masculinity spans into things like education, politics, law and entertainment.

We are not attacking the masculinity (at least I'm not), we're attacking the use of a symbol of masculinity to mock and attack and intimidate the working class. The assholes driving big spotless trucks and parking them like assholes are neither masculine nor working class, so of course we will make fun of them.


And the ones who are working class and drive trucks with the smokestacks or who intimidate others on the road? They might be "masculine", but only just barely. Their real problem is feeling insecure about their masculinity (maybe the smokestack represents the poles they'd smoke if they didn't feel pressured by their peers to have a female acquaintance?) and then taking out that frustration on other users of the road by driving like assholes and intimidating pedestrians with unsafe and reckless driving.

[LakeLocker]

Originally Posted by vid

I'm a pickup truck driver and I don't feel targetted.

You've never really struck me as a member of the working class.

Originally Posted by vid

Yeah, but they don't use the functionality. They look at a $70,000 truck with a 5 foot box and go "now there's some sexy retractable runningboards!" Honestly once the box gets that small you might as well have an SUV, I'm pretty sure most of them actually have more storage space than a 6 foot pickup box.

Status symbols are pretty basic aspects of human behavior. A truck is pretty much the top of the walk in working class culture.

Originally Posted by vid

The working class can't afford those trucks. Those trucks are status symbols of the employers of the working class. The working class is driving trucks that get used as trucks, while the employers are driving spotless facsimiles of trucks that they use as intimidating status symbols; "King Truck". They often complain about how "useless" their minimum wage staff are while hauling precisely zero things ever in their "truck". (SUV with a box)

Working class doesn't mean poor. If my first nation, working class, iq of 90/dyslexic cousin gets paid 120k a year to lay pipe, he's still working class.

This trying to equate class with current year income is a game of trying to ignore when and how working class people get ahead. It's not because they went to a university and climb up 30 points on their IQ score.

It's generally due to being "allowed" to work in heavy industry and working bloody hard.

So forgive me if I hostile towards criticizing something that is so coveted by working class people.