Top 10 Reasons to Buy a Pickup Truck

Americans love trucks. We adore them more than fast food, football games and country music. They’re like 4,000-pound hamburgers made with two all-freedom patties, liberty sauce, Willie Nelson, sparklers and Old Glory, sprinkled with bacon bits and built on a sesame-seed frame. Drivers lust after these utility-focused rigs like hungry children crave chicken nuggets; month after month, year after year, we just can’t get enough of ‘em!

America’s peculiar obsession with pickups is a bit of a mystery. Certainly people from other countries don’t understand it. No doubt, Japanese motorists wonder why Americans want to park such fuel-swilling behemoths in their garages. Drivers in Germany probably ask themselves why we want to own vehicles that handle like an overloaded garbage hauler with a busted steering box and no front brakes.

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America is a land full of opportunity. We do things, build stuff and go places; trucks are central to the way we live. And let’s be honest, the founding fathers Tom Jefferson, Benny Franklin and George “the big-man” Washington would have totally rolled in a GMC Denali if gasoline had been invented in 1776. Now that’s a Declaration of Independence from crappy small cars. Grab your cowboy hat and throw on some work boots, here are the top 10 Reasons to own a truck.

Ok, so trucks are built for hauling heavy loads; drivers can literally load them with a ton of s**t. Is that still not enough justification to own one? Well, not only are these vehicles mechanized pack mules but they’re also engineered to drag heavy loads. Like elephants hauling timber out of the rainforests of Thailand, domesticated, light-duty pickups are purpose-built for pulling. Let’s be honest, you’re not going to hook a horse trailer up to the back bumper of a Honda Odyssey, not unless you’re a Shetland Pony breeder.

Whether it’s a fishing boat, a parade float or a flatbed of Sally Struthers impersonators these vehicles can tow immense loads. Even so-called “half-ton trucks” can haul like a freight train. According to Ford a properly equipped F-150 can tow up to 11,300 pounds.

SEE ALSO: Why Your Pickup’s Tow Rating is BS

Doc Brown from Back to the Future said it best, “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.” A flying DeLorean is hard to top, but trucks have nearly the same go-anywhere capability, as long as “anywhere” isn’t in a different time in which case the stainless-steel sports car wins.

With full-frame construction and available four-wheel drive, pickups are built to go where others stop. Drop the transfer case in four-low and buckle up because about the only thing that can impede one of these vehicles is Mount Everest.

True trucks are built on sturdy, ladder-style frames. The body is separate from the chassis, just the way God intended. This makes them tough; it’s part of the reason they can handle off roading with ease and carry such heavy loads. Plus, do you remember what vehicle Bill Paxton drove in the tornado-themed movie Twister? A pickup truck, of course! A mostly shiny-red Dodge Ram 1500, back when Dodge still made trucks. He wasn’t mincing about in Honda del Sol or a BMW 3 Series wagon, no. To chase storms he chose a truck. What else could stand up to flying cows and Helen Hunt? If a pickup is good enough for a B-list celebrity in a mediocre film it should be good enough for you.

Like the crow’s nest on a pirate ship, trucks offer commanding views. Drivers sit up high and can survey the road around them to keep a look out for treasure galleons or good deals on gas-station burritos. The taller stance makes it easy to see over surrounding vehicles. Why is traffic stopped? If you’re driving a Porsche 911 there’s no hope of seeing the grizzly accident scene/escaped wild animal/dumpster fire that’s ahead. In a four-by-four pickup you have a front-row seat. Don’t let some dinky Toyota Y-Arrrrh-is block your view of the road ahead, step up to a pickup.

Thanks to their increasing popularity over the last decade or so, trucks have transformed from blue-collar work vehicles to high-riding family haulers. With the advent of extended- and crew-cab bodies the typical pickup is every bit as comfortable as a Nissan Altima, but orders of magnitude more functional. Bring the kids, load the dog and even leave a spot for your ornery spouse; with a pickup you can bring it all and still tow a trailer and haul brick pavers.

Do you want a Chevy Malibu? Of course not, but if you’re forced to park one in your driveway there’s not a lot of choice. Just two engines are offered (excluding the eAssist model) and one transmission. If you want a manual gearbox you’re going to have to look elsewhere. Might we suggest the Camaro ZL1?

Compare the Malibu to Chevrolet’s truck offering, the Silverado. What kind of cab do you want? There are three options. Beyond that two bed length and drivetrain configurations are available, plus GM offers three different engines. There are enough choices to make even the most decisive person weep, and that’s just the light-duty model.

Not only can their prices be attractive but trucks also have less quantifiable virtues that make them popular choices. People love their rugged good looks and how it makes them appear behind the wheel. Other than his trusty steed, what would the Marlboro Man drive? Don’t even think about a Subaru…

SEE ALSO: Top 10 Trucks for Urban Cowboys

With heated and ventilated seats, dual-zone climate control and premium leather trimmings modern pickups aren’t just built to work; they can also serve as full-fledged luxury vehicles. They offer available features that were once the exclusive territory of flagship sedans.

Ten years ago who would have guessed pickups would be equipped with eight-speed transmissions, like the 2013 Ram 1500? Who would have thought racing-grade twin-turbo V6s with direct fuel injection would ever end up under the hood of a truck? EcoBoost technology powers a huge chunk of F-150s sold each month.

Today’s trucks are worlds apart from where they were just a few years ago. They offer more capability, luxury and style than ever before. When it comes to amenities some of them can rival the likes of BMW’s 7 Series, yet they can still haul a yard of gravel. Beat that, car!