• TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    A lot of people who buy trucks these days just need something that can tow a travel trailer or a boat to their favorite camp site a few times a year. It’s not that they need a truck on a day to day basis, but they might need the towing capability on occasion. That’s why these trucks are a weird combination of luxury sedan (with their leather seats and high end interiors) and pickup truck. Most of the time they use it like a regular car, but sometimes they might need the towing capability.

    • Katana314@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      If it’s a “few times a year” situation that really seems better suited to renting.

      • MarjorineFailureGroan@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Rental companies, at least in America, have policies against using their vehicles to tow things.

        In addition the truck in front has to be imported to the US and there’s weird regulations about purchasing them so you can only buy used. As far as I know you can’t import a new model. If a car is newer than 25 years old it can not be imported unless it meets the requirements of US Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.

        https://www.nhtsa.gov/importing-vehicle/importation-and-certification-faqs

        • turmoil@feddit.org
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          5 months ago

          These all sound like regulatory, issues. Nothing that can’t be fixed with a minimal amount of political goodwill.

          • MarjorineFailureGroan@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            I think it is regulatory. However getting US politicians to do what’s right is never trivial. It would take the legislative branch to change the regulations, while likely ignoring lobbyists within the automotive industry. It’s fixable but it won’t be fixed.

            • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              Michigan is an important swing state, and the UAW is a major political player nationally. Ironically, that doesn’t stop the US automakers from routinely screwing over auto workers and labor in general.

      • TitanLaGrange@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Part of the issue there is that for a large number of people the ‘few times a year’ are major holidays when everybody else wants to tow their house-sized RV and boat to the lake for a day or two. The rental fleet just isn’t big enough to service the surge demand.

      • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Your Subi wouldn’t be able to pull some of these American travel trailers. Many of them are absolutely massive, they’re like a luxury condo on wheels.

        We have no sense of reasonable proportion here in the US. Everything must be unnecessarily large and unwieldy, gaudy and exorbitant. Bigger is always better here in the good 'ol US of A.

    • StaySquared@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Literally planning to buy a truck for when I need it and I’d still make it a daily driver if needed.