Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:12:02 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: bashing was: vanagon engine conversions
In-Reply-To: <de48c0be0801171519s34ef22dbkc724cbb544abe8e1@mail.gmail.com>
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I was just reading about the new 2009 F-150 pick up.
Yes, 2009 model , available soon I suspect.
Btw it seems like there are a lot of them around...........
Hard to believe, but it is reported that the F series Ford pickup truck has
been the number one selling *vehicle* ( of all types, including cars ) in
the US ( might be north America ) for 31 years in a row.
It's Ford's main product, and they're scrambling to stay in business. Lost
billions last year I think. . Hoping to break even or make a small profit
this year.
AND.......ford is coming out with an optional step thing with hand hold for
the rear of the bed, and side steps that slide out I think, for the side of
the bed ..................because they are so high off the ground. !!
............like duh !! how dumb can you get, why not just make it closer
to the ground - and perhaps in time they'll start back down.
The new F-159 gets 1 mpg better than the outgoing one on the highway. They
sure could NOT come out with a new model that used yet more fuel than the
old one.
And they are desperate keep that '# 1 selling vehicle in north America'
title. It's their main and best claim.
Read about a business in Indiana , sounded like 20 to 50 employees,
something semi-small. They use pickups as delivery vehicles., I image a
fleet of 10 to 20 perhaps. They always used to buy new pickups as they wore
out. Now they are buying used ones at one third of the price of new ones,
and getting just fine service out of them. .........unfortunately this
whole culture depends on consumerism............and now we're getting backed
into a corner with the need for and price of fuel, and the 'false need' to
make and distribute these big new truck products.
It's not lookin' pretty, and it would take near collapse to wake up and
start over responsibly, but I sure hope they can figure it out without
having to go through economic collapse and chaos. Whew...........sure hope
the wake up and figure something out.
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
mordo
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 3:20 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: bashing was: vanagon engine conversions
> I've been wondering myself why pick ups have gotten so huge. I think a car
>
> company might be able to make a mint if they produced a normal "old
> school"
> type pick up. You know not S10 small but "normal" Then again what do I
> know?
>
My boss is an Englishman who has embraced many aspects of Americana I could
do without. One of these is his penchant for The Big Ass Truck. He currently
has an 04 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 with some huge diesel engine. It is
embarrassingly big and tall.It gets 14mpg on the highway. He claims there
were insufficient diesel trucks available to choose from. Perhaps this is
true but it smacks of late-mid-life crisis truck to me.
His dear mother comes over from Portsmouth often and she has to mount his
truck with a small stepladder, a most undignified thing for a lovely woman
of 80+ years.
When he was building a big addition on his house, he could justify having a
big truck as his main ride. Now, he looks like an ass to me. I threaten to
put a pair of those plastic testicles on his hitch when he least expects it.
--
mordo
1990 Carat
