Pontiacanada wrote:

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MC wrote:

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The huge new trucks, with the ads showing some dude dropping a pallet of cinder blocks from 10 feet into the bed and then towing a 50' boat up a hill while passing other 'lesser' trucks to show how manly and tough the trucks are is laughable, but it all comes from this mythology created in the corner offices of some Manhattan advertising firm.  Sure, on spec the new trucks are impressive, but as other posters have mentioned the liftover is excessive and the bed height is so high they have to build steps into the tailgate.  Then they build 'small' trucks that are still too big and too high to be practical trucks.  Like they are caricatures of trucks - cartoons.

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I agree. The macho truck commercials (and macho truck wars) have been going on for decades now.

I just need a basic "stripper" long box/reg. cab truck for the size ... for filling full of "stuff". I don't smoke Marlboros.

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 Maybe it's a Canadian thing, but just about everybody I know wants just that for a truck.  Low option, regular cab pickup that doesn't cost $70,000.  They don't need 1000 lb-ft of torque, just a good sized bed to haul stuff around, and enough power to get out of its way, or in come cases, to haul a car trailer.  Another mechanic from work went down south in order to get a late '90s Chevy to haul his car trailer as well as anything else he needs to move around, specifically because he didn't want one of the new trucks.  The one he got looks and works like new, he soaked it with Rust Check everywhere, and he drives it year round.  He says he will drive these trucks as long as he can still find them.

I do think the big trucks are aimed at the American market, where I find that bigger is still considered better for the most part.  It's definitely a different market than Canada in some respects.