Sunday Rerun: Easy Rider

 The other day there was one of those online brouhahas that I have learned not to take part in, because it hurts my head to see people write things like "Your a moron."  The topic was whether the effete Eastern liberal types disdain people who drive around in pickup trucks.

Maybe some of those hi-falutin' wine-sippin' cheese-eatin' book lovers are that way, but I'm here to tell you, I had three pickups in my day, and I would still have one today except for the guy who drove into a Honda that hit another Honda that hit a Toyota that hit my pick-'em-up and totaled it, as I sat still waiting for a light to change.  I loved all my trucks, and when it was time to haul some top soil or a dozen bags of leaves or mulch or help a buddy move, I was right there.  I always had 4-wheel drive so I could get to work in the snow and mud and rain and ice and whatever nature threw at us.  

I can't say enough about how much I love pickups, and I would still have one, except that after the last one got wrecked, I realized I was getting a little old to haul sofas and entertainment centers around for friends who were relocating, so now I limit my participation to standing around helping to sort socks or frying pans.  Let the firm of Two Guys With A Truck handle the rest.

But that friendly argument started when someone pointed out that the top 3 selling vehicles last year in the USA were the Ford pickup, the Chevy pickup, and the Dodge pickup.

Karl Brauer of Kelley Blue Book says two words explain the appeal of pickups: "Functionality and flexibility," he says. "Everything you need in a big, roomy crew cab."

You can fill the extra seating area with kids or relatives or tools or friends or a picnic basket.  But still, a lot of those trucks being sold are the basic model with no back seat.  

I used to see people buying teeny sportscars and wonder how they hauled home a pile of 2 x 4s they took out of a construction dumpster legally purchased at a hardware store.  They usually said, "What's a 2 x 4?"  

Anyway, is your current ride on the top ten sellers?  Here they are:

1. Ford F-Series pickup  595,656

2. Chevrolet Silverado pickup 425,556

3. Ram 1500 pickup 359,226

4. Toyota Camry  297,453

5. Honda Civic 283,783

6. Toyota Corolla  275,818

7. Honda CR-V   263,493

8. Toyota RAV4   260,380

9. Honda Accord   258,619

10. Nissan Altima 242,321

Source: Autodata