Pickup Trucks

Pickup Trucks

Such a fantastically wonderful beast this is. You can haul furniture, cargo, groceries, your dog (the most important thing, in my opinion), a trailer or your other grown up toys in them. They are work

I have to ask then, wtf has happened to the breed in the modern age? vehicles, daily drivers or the once in a long while rig that lives in a barn or under a tarp for when you need it, and are one

of the most recognizable parts of American culture.

Today, trucks are almost akin to Mercedes or Cadillacs. Trucks built wholly out of glitz and chrome lumber around town with their shiny paint and their fancy wheels and car-like ride

.

BUT WHY? Trucks were never meant for that life. I see some truck rolling on 25 inch rims blasting some Puff Piddly or what the hell ever and I just want to vomit. And there are always the ubiquitous “Small penis” jokes that accompany the trucks that are 300 feet high with

monster truck suspension and huge exhaust for the fire breathing engines that can barely lug them around. I just don’t understand it. Isn’t this why luxury cars and muscle cars were invented? To be status symbols? To show you had a lot of money?

And before you say anything about a truck being a symbol of a farmer or rancher’s wealth, I have to say that I always associate the big white caddy with steer horns with either oil or cattle barons. A truck is for work. And besides, so you have enough money for a really nice truck to work your farm….why buy a second to toodle around in and pretend to be important? That’s what fancy cars are for!

But, enough of that, I am more concerned with the new trucks…. about the last 15 years... These trucks, I have found, have no….soul. I personally own a truck that is 30 years old. It is drafty, rides rough, loud, made of real metal and has the aerodynamic efficiency of an Ironclad battleship. The siy cylinder engine, carburetor, old style clutch and clunky shifting transmission all give the truck character that you can speak to. Simple, effective, simple...again... No glitz, no

shiny chrome, crank windows…not even a radio. Like an old fighter plane or bomber, an old pickup has a spirit. It was designed to be a work vehicle, not a sports car. And like those old planes, they are used in ways they were never meant or designed to be: as tractors, veterinary tables, hunting benches, ladders, storage units…the list could go on. But there is some sort of joy that comes from turning that key and hearing it fire up, slotting the lever into gear, and taking off down the street with a heavy snarl. A vehicle to chase adventure with, an old classic that is unique and stands out in a crowd, but isn’t pompus or ridiculous. Dispite the fact they were built to work, old trucks are pretty classy rides. And I mean old ones. My 30 year old Dodge truck is on the very edge of classic, but redone trucks from the 60s, 50s,

out into the 1920s are all just gorgeous to look at and wonderful to drive. They don’t handle well, or are the most comfortable, but that is no matter, because you don’t expect them to be. These are the trucks in country love stories or hillbilly music, the steeds of hard working people, the ingrained image of rustic America. These trucks, these have character.

New trucks, they simply have no soul. You get in and drive and there is just…..blah..Just “Well, have to pick up some ply wood and two by fours” , no “Ha, this is fun!” like you get in an old truck.

Its kinda sad...