A relatively shallow article built by pasting together generalizations.
I don’t think the F-150 is the anti-Prius. One could argue the anti-Prius would be the Sequoia, the Hummer, or the Viper. Let me explain why.
I have thought a lot about what common characteristic my Prius owning friends have, and I have quite a few who own them. For the most part, the common trait I see is that they are risk-adverse. They are people who are quiet, they play it safe, and they love to portray an image that is likeable…who doesn’t like conserving energy, their reasoning went (I believe). Nothing wrong with that type of person, mind you. Just what I see.
The opposite would be someone who likes to take risks. Someone who is outgoing, takes chances, and loves to portray and image that not everyone likes. Large SUVs are despised by many, as are Hummers. Simply driving a car with as much power as the Viper can be risky also, which is why I put it in the anti-Viper category.
But a pickup? I don’t think the author, George Will, has ever owned a pickup. He simply doesn’t understand what motivates people to own them. I can tell you!
Well into my 20s, I also did not understand pickups. Then my father gave me his old truck because it needed work to sell and he didn’t want to take the time. So I ended up with his refrigerator white 69 Dodge with a black top. It was well worn, with the passenger side caved in from wheel to wheel. The bed bowed down between each cross member. This truck had been used for real work (prior to my dad buying it). It was unnerving to hear the gas slosh in the tank that sat right behind the seat, in the cab itself. That was common back then. At some point in time, someone had replaced the original hubcaps with 68 Mustang hubcaps.
I had intended to fix the truck and sell it within a month or two. But you know what? Once I completed repairs, I kept it instead. Because it taught me what trucks were all about.
They say two things about their owners: they are independent souls, and they are doers.
They don’t hire someone to replace their toilet, they run down to Lowe’s and buy one themselves. And they take pride in that. I love that I don’t have to wait for delivery or rent a truck. If I want something, I pick up the keys and I have it home within the hour.
The next time my wife and I relocated, we had to sell that truck and I miss it to this day. If I knew where it was at, I might just try to buy it back. I put a fairly high price on it when I sold it, just because I usually start high and slowly lower price. The first guy who saw it bought it. No haggling, paid full price.
Within a year at our new location, I bought another pickup and I’ve had one ever since. All sorts of things have been in the bed of my trucks, entire houses have been decorated, backyards built, camping gear and bikes hauled to campsites, pets made their visits to the vet, and its even been used for amore on a few adventurous evenings.
Yes, the American pickup is about independence, Mr. Will. Pure and simple.
