I noticed something very odd

[Exterous]

Apparently Europeans have some magical cars. I'm seeing a bunch of sedans towing campers even up into the mountains! In America this simply isn't possible without a Dodge Ram, F-150 or an even larger truck. Not only that but I see them fitting a family of 4 in a sedan with car seats. A sedan!! How do they manage without third row seating in a suburban Landbattleship! (SUV) I'm torn between demanding America get whatever secret technology allows them to survive with such tiny vehicles and the waves of pity I feel for their dreary life confined to easy to maneuver, more affordable, cheap till fill up cars

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Apparently Europeans have some magical cars. I'm seeing a bunch of sedans towing campers even up into the mountains! In America this simply isn't possible without a Dodge Ram, F-150 or an even larger truck. Not only that but I see them fitting a family of 4 in a sedan with car seats. A sedan!! How do they manage without third row seating in a suburban Landbattleship! (SUV) I'm torn between demanding America get whatever secret technology allows them to survive with such tiny vehicles and the waves of pity I feel for their dreary life confined to easy to maneuver, more affordable, cheap till fill up cars

Funny, but a lot of those vehicles aren't really rated for what they're being used for. Most of those poor sedans are probably going to have a transmission die at 60k miles because have been dragging piles of plastic and metal on unmaintained trailer systems up mountains for several years.

 

[Captante]

Provided the sedan in-question is:

(1) Rated to tow the weight of the trailer in-question. (and with sufficient cooling!)

(2) Is RWD -or- AWD. (not FWD!) it should hold up fine to occasional towing.


In reality the biggest issue with frequent towing in new passenger cars is the lack of a solid frame... unibodies don't do a great job holding up to that sort of thing, and real trucks usually have a full/solid frame instead. (also key for serious off-roading and carrying heavy loads in the bed)

And obviously for any regular/commercial towing a proper heavy-duty vehicle (ideally with a big diesel) is the ONLY choice.

 

[Exterous]

I mean the real answer is:
We don't rate cars for towing as much in the US because we have to plan for any idiot to drive 85mph with a ridiculously heavy (big) camper across the country. Just take a peak at a globally sold car and you'll see often see tow ratings for Europe but not the US

 

[Captante]

Every summer you see a few terrible crashes involving idiots in hatchbacks or minivans pulling huge trailers it seems.

Years ago I was 100 yards behind one on I-90 in Mass... trailer was destroyed.

 

[Micrornd]

I mean the real answer is:
We don't rate cars for towing as much in the US because we have to plan for any idiot to drive 85mph with a ridiculously heavy (big) camper across the country. Just take a peak at a globally sold car and you'll see often see tow ratings for Europe but not the US

The real answer is:
In the US, standards for towing loads are established by the DOT and it's subordinate agencies, while overseas there are a myriad of such standards that vary depending on where the vehicle is sold (even in the EU countries there are variations of standards for how vehicle towed loads are rated)
In some countries around the globe, there are no set standards, so the car auto OEM sets the payload limit (and of course that can vary from country to country for the same model auto).
You are comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Exterous]

The real answer is:
In the US, standards for towing loads are established by the DOT and it's subordinate agencies, while overseas there are a myriad of such standards that vary depending on where the vehicle is sold (even in the EU countries there are variations of standards for how vehicle towed loads are rated)
In some countries around the globe, there are no set standards, so the car auto OEM sets the payload limit (and of course that can vary from country to country for the same model auto).
You are comparing apples to oranges.

And the DOT has to set those standards in regards to higher speeds with higher loads over longer distances for less rigorous driving license granting standards. So basically what I already said you just added a rather obvious addition that "an authoritative agency frequently sets standards in countries" and are trying to elbow in on my rant about American vehicle culture. The nerve!

Look the US now has this culture where a large percentage of the drivers "must" have a huge vehicle for no great reason beyond they want one but can't admit that's the real reason. "Oh I have two kids now in car seats so I HAVE to get one." Totally doable in a sedan. "Oh I want to go camping so I MUST get a large vehicle" Yep also doable in a sedan. "Twice a year I go to Home Depot and buy plywood". I mean ok. Just rent a truck for those rare occasions.

But we also complain about the cost of trucks and SUVs. And gas. But we still buy them for incredibly infrequent, solvable, or made up problems.

Now there are 100% reasonable situations that need a large SUV or pickup. But so very many are really just status symbols and garage (or growingly common driveway) queens. If you want one for the sake of wanting one AND can afford it AND moderate your complaints about price and gas? Fine. Just be honest about it. I mean in a couple years I'll probably buy a way more expensive car than I need. Why? Because I want to and can afford it

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

We did five in a '62 Impala for two weeks at a time more years than I can remember. And that included food and a cook stove for roadside meals. May have been a car top carrier some years.

Neighbor had a 18 or 20' Airstream they dragged behind a station wagon of some kind I can't remember.

I just got a 98 Tahoe because I got tired of having to drag a utility trailer behind my wagon every time I had to load something just a bit bigger.

 

[BoomerD]

And the DOT has to set those standards in regards to higher speeds with higher loads over longer distances for less rigorous driving license granting standards. So basically what I already said you just added a rather obvious addition that "an authoritative agency frequently sets standards in countries" and are trying to elbow in on my rant about American vehicle culture. The nerve!

Look the US now has this culture where a large percentage of the drivers "must" have a huge vehicle for no great reason beyond they want one but can't admit that's the real reason. "Oh I have two kids now in car seats so I HAVE to get one." Totally doable in a sedan. "Oh I want to go camping so I MUST get a large vehicle" Yep also doable in a sedan. "Twice a year I go to Home Depot and buy plywood". I mean ok. Just rent a truck for those rare occasions.

But we also complain about the cost of trucks and SUVs. And gas. But we still buy them for incredibly infrequent, solvable, or made up problems.

Now there are 100% reasonable situations that need a large SUV or pickup. But so very many are really just status symbols and garage (or growingly common driveway) queens. If you want one for the sake of wanting one AND can afford it AND moderate your complaints about price and gas? Fine. Just be honest about it. I mean in a couple years I'll probably buy a way more expensive car than I need. Why? Because I want to and can afford it

I love my open-bed SUV.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Getting harder to find trucks with an 8 foot box now days, so think my next vehicle will probably be a SUV and I'll just get a trailer. Though having a truck is quite convenient. If you live in a big city and don't own property or have any hobbies or do any camping it's one thing but some of us do have property and hobbies that may involve hauling large objects. Or if you heat with firewood a truck is pretty much a must as well.

That said before I bought my truck I used to do truck things with my sedan. You use what you have when a job needs to be done.

 

[Captante]

The best thing about an actual truck with a bed for cargo is when you have to deal with moving "filthy" stuff ... nice not having it in the vehicle with you!

 

[WelshBloke]

"Twice a year I go to Home Depot and buy plywood". I mean ok. Just rent a truck for those rare occasions.

Do DIY/hardware places not do free delivery in the US? If I'm buying stuff like that I'm getting it delivered!

 

[pete6032]

Do DIY/hardware places not do free delivery in the US? If I'm buying stuff like that I'm getting it delivered!

Not really but you can rent a pickup truck or cargo van from the store for pretty cheap.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

A true lumberyard can sometimes do free delivery, but some have started charging.

Stores that sell stuff including lumber charge not so reasonable fees.

Stores that have rental trucks charge by the half hour and that isn't great when you're over an hour from them.

I can get a 7' flat sheet fully inside the Tahoe, or a 10' stick of lumber or pipe. I was hoping I could get an 8' sheet in, but not quite. That would fit in a Suburban though. But that won't fit in my garage.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Do DIY/hardware places not do free delivery in the US? If I'm buying stuff like that I'm getting it delivered!

Delivery is flat rate, usually like $50 at Home Depot here anyway, but it may have gone up as I have not used that service in a while. They probably break even with cost of fuel + driver salary. The nice thing about flat rate though if for very large orders that would take multiple trips with the pickup, it may actually be worth paying for delivery. A lot of my purchases though are too small to justify delivery. Before I got a truck I would tend to tally up stuff that I need and when it ended up being enough to be worthwhile, like say 2 grand worth of materials, then I'd just do a big order. Downside is having to store it all.

As for renting that's kind of a pita and ends up more expensive with all the extra fees and stuff. They may also ding you if the truck shows up dirty or scratched or in otherwise non pristine condition. So you're not exactly going to want to rent for a dirty job or even going in the bush.

 

[Exterous]

Do DIY/hardware places not do free delivery in the US? If I'm buying stuff like that I'm getting it delivered!

Depends on the store. Specialty stores still often deliver for free or pretty cheap. Pretty much all our house work is DIY so the tree deliveries from a nursery was $25 for 2 decent sized trees and mulch drop off. Boom lift to repaint my exterior was $25. Drywall from a drywall store to finish the basement was free for both houses. Home Depot does charge but it's been rare I've needed that. You can fit a surprising amount of lumber in a car. I've finished two basements and done all the work (framing, drywall, electrical, HVAC) and done a ton of yard projects (mulch, compost, plants) out of civics, a Taurus, and a camry.

Biggest issue is if I need uncut sheets of plywood and the one time I needed scaffolding. Then I have to figure something out but, whatever that is, it'll be so much cheaper than having bought a truck and it's accompanying worse gas mileage or higher electrical use

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

^^^ I can't even begin to list the stuff I've hauled inside my 95 Taurus wagon. That'll take a 10' stick of pipe fully inside, 12' if I go out the front passenger window a bit. 14-16' on the roof rack.

In the late 80s, I picked one of those HF style utility trailers for $250 or so. Capacity is around 1,200 pounds and I've loaded it to, or maybe slightly beyond that more times than I can count.