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Comment by manuelabeledo | Hacker News Reader

> You can do the job of a $50,000 pickup...

I would say that a non insignificant portion of pickup truck owners, don't even need a pick up truck to begin with.

I think that’s why big shared fleets will never really take off. People don’t seem to mind spending a lot more on their vehicle than what they really need to.

People spend $50k because they want that truck, not because they need it.

Big shared fleets of cars seems like a great idea until you end up with the one with the backseat covered in day old vomit… in July

Cars are pretty much the defacto status item in the US, so it makes sense for people to want to "fake it til they make it."

Same reason many people buy Teslas

To be fair, the first gen Nissan Leaf was a piece of crap though.

It was cheaper too.

The cheapest Model S you could buy back in 2012 was ~$70,000, while the Leaf started at half of that in 2010, ~$35,000.

there is no comparison between these cars, they're vastly different

It's because, as the old saying goes, we fight wars with the army we have rather than the army we want.

We buy cars that provide more than our needs so we aren't left needing in case we come across something that goes beyond our expectations.

Always buying just what is necessary right now in a bid to be efficient leaves no margin for error and will end up being inefficient in the long run.

I don't deny that driving a Ford F-350 is great in its own right, though. That thing screams 'Murica, and all the better if it gets us out of an unexpected rut every so often.

No, it's because trucks got marketed and sold as a symbol since the margins are much higher for automakers.

People got by just fine with sedans. Most folks who own a giant pickup drive it in the exact same way as a Honda Civic and have no actual need for a pickup. It's very apparent in how tall these vehicles are now. If you are actually hauling goods, you don't want clearance to be that high.

Riding around in a sedan is so undignified. Please point me to the $50k trucks...I need a deal.

people spend $50k because they have to have a car to get around, drive kids, get to work, etc. If they're stuck with needing a car, they have too much ego for it to be shitty, so they spend a lot. I think a lot of these people would rather ride share if it was cheaper and it wouldn't be much of a hit to their pride

I love Jim Gaffigans bit on this:

"*I dont even own a car - but everyone I know who has a pickup truck is never picking up ANYTHING...

Thats like me walking around with a large empty suitcase.

'OH... Are you going on a trip??'

'No, but I look like someone who *COULD*'

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