cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/13716542
this post was submitted on 27 Sep 2024
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No worries, at least from me, about reviving a dead thread; I appreciate the engagement.
If you scroll through my comment history, you'll find a few comments about my previous vehicle, a Ford Flex. One of many reasons I miss it is that it had hauling capacity plus enclosure (I'm aware you can get covers for most if not all US pick-up trucks). One time I confidently transported a queen sized mattress within it, for example; every one of the few times I've tried to transport anything in an uncovered pick-up I've spent the entire drive checking whether the load was still in the bed, but that was never necessary in what was essentially a large minivan.
I think, in the case of the Home Depot truck, I ended up renting a U-Haul (or equivalent) instead.
The flex was a cool car, never had one but I remember trying to convince my parents to get one when they traded in the family minivan during Cash for Clunkers (also I love minivans in general, there's a good chance I'll be a minivan guy someday )
That also touches on something that drives me nuts about a lot of pickup trucks- the short beds that so many of them have these days. It feels like it misses the point of a truck- being able to haul big shit around. If I can't fit a mattress, couch, or refrigerator comfortably in the bed, what's the point? My dad's truck is a single cab with a 7ft bed and I can't imagine having a smaller bed, it's going to be a sad day when that truck finally dies (although it's a '93 with less than 100k miles on it, so at this rate it may well outlive me)
Even though we had the truck, we got just as much use out of the van hauling mattresses and such for exactly the reason you gave- it was covered. My wife and I actually borrowed their van once for a road trip (different van, after they traded it in my parents realized they missed having a van and got another) because we could fit a full sized air mattress in the back and camp out in the car with some room to spare for a cooler and our bags.
Sounds like we're on the same page.
The model of Flex I had didn't have this, but some models had a minifridge built into them. I forget whether "built in" was an option, but you could also fit a decent sized mattress into the back as well. While I don't travel much, I suspect the car would have been fantastic for road tripping; my only concern would have been the battery life, but perhaps that concern would have been unfounded.
I originally justified getting it for two main reasons:
Of course, the real reason I got one was that the first time I saw one on the road I said something like "what is that?! I want one!"
Nowadays I want a similar vehicle (or a van as you suggested) but electric. Sadly, while many options matching that desire seem to exist, few or none of them are in the US and even fewer at a reasonable price.
Yeah, I'm holding onto hope for the electric VW bus when that comes out. Fingers crossed it kicks off a wave of electric vans
That would be amazing.