[TulliusCicero]

I'm not sure why you're being downvoted. If you've lived anywhere in the states where pick-ups are very common, it's pretty obvious that few people actually need a pick-up truck very often. It's definitely a status/lifestyle thing for many.

[RosanaAnaDana]

I would agree with this for 'new' trucks but going into my 4th year of home ownership, I bought a 3k light duty pickup. If I own it for ~2 years, it will have paid for its self in dump runs and material deliveries alone (not to mention the convenience of being able to do so on my own time).

[TulliusCicero]

There are definitely some homeowners who actually need a pickup. But there are tons who have a pickup, but would be better served by a van/SUV, or don't need a large vehicle at all.

I used to live in Alabama, a common enough thing was that a guy who recently graduated high school, if they got a halfway decent paying job somehow (e.g. a local factory), they'd rush out and buy an F-150 or similar. They had no real use for it yet, but it made them look and feel more adult.

[ghaff]

I vaguely thought about pickups when I bought my current SUV about 10 years ago. A pickup would be handy now and then but I've never actually needed to rent one and, for weekend getaways, I prefer having the interior space.