[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_(vehicle)#/media/File:1990...
- the wheel wells are clean
- it's got a tonneau cover on
- no hitch receiver, it's empty, or there's no rust on the ball
- aftermarket anything (lights, step bumpers, lift kit, etc
- no dents, major scratches, or foreign materials on the bed or tailgate
Full disclosure: I have a Dodge 1500 in the driveway right now. In my defense the used truck market is fucking insane, I got this basically new for 60% of what a thoroughly used mid-sized truck would have cost me, and I actually do construction and timber work so the thing gets worked.
Mine is also used to haul a bed full of gravel when my drive needs repair or dirt for lawn correction. Not to mention I have a family.
Rear facing child seats while being 6 feet tall. Most cars I've tested don't support this. (Prius) Or no children can sit behind me because my front seat is sitting so close to the back seat that legs don't fit between. (Camero/Mustang)
Camry and Pasat seem to work, but warranties wouldn't cover things like bad child safety locks.... Not to mention, you can't haul things like gravel. =/
You go from full truck down to flat cars, completely ignoring the vehicles in between like soft-roader SUVS or the venerable minivan. Does none of these vehicles meet your people carrying needs?
People pay double (or more) for gas every year so they can drive around an empty bed and maybe save $50 on a rental once a year.
The gravel isn't for the driveway, but the road. However, we have hauled gravel for flower beds. It's about time to replace fence and some wood around the garage.
No, I don't haul daily or monthly, but more like quarterly and as-needed. (Tillers, Lawn mowers for example)
Well depends what you need to do with, of course.
A quick search suggests that this Toyota can tow 3300lb (if the trailer has its own brakes, or only 1650lb if not).
So if you need to tow more than that, it won't work. 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb.
Of course, what is silly is the people with trucks that are never used to tow or carry anything heavier than a bicycle!
Plus, if work vehicles became lighter, work trailers would be forced to as well.
Try shopping for utility trailers. Anything affordable is very heavy steel & lumber. You can get light(er) trailers in aluminum but the price is much higher. I've never actually seen a contractor with one of those, too expensive.
And of course there is all the materials & equipment they're towing on it for the job. How do you suggest any of that become lighter?
given your example it's "want", not "need"
> 3300lb is very little, even our tiny (19ft) and light travel trailer is over 4000lb
Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones, "very little" and "tiny" are really subjective
Yes, how is this relevant? "Wants" are what drive humanity forward, not mere subsistence.
> Quick googling tells me that most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones
Can you post a few links? Tried to find the most popular travel trailer models in Europe but not finding a good list.
Unless you're building the whole thing from carbon fiber, anything spacious is necessarily going to have some weight.
Ha, so it's spacious, not tiny and very little anymore...
Here's what seems to be the biggest one of that random brand well ranked on Google, 1330kg: https://www.caravelair-caravans.com/models/exclusive-line-58...
Playing gotcha word games is not the HN ethos.
To clarify, you brought up spacious travel trailers:
> most European caravans are sub 1500kg / 3300lb, even the more spacious ones
In contrast, the one I own is very small at 19ft, as mentioned upthread.