Buying a used pick-up truck can make a lot of sense for both business owners and private drivers. The vehicles are spacious, robust and safe to drive on many different surfaces. They tend to have lower maintenance needs compared to other, less resilient vehicles. Finally, they retain a good proportion of their resale value if they are kept in good condition by previous owners.
So, apart from buying a used pick-up truck to cope with rural roads and rougher dirt tracks, why else is it a good idea to invest in this most versatile of vehicles? Here are seven reasons that you may not have thought about before.
Say ‘haulage company’ and most people will think of large lorries and trucks with mighty trailers filled to the brim with foodstuffs, construction materials, FMCG orders and more. However, pick-up trucks can do a similar service, just on a slightly smaller scale. They are ideal for transporting awkward cargo, such as bikes, small items of furniture, lumber and garden shrubs. Add a roof box or additional trailer and you can gain even more haulage space.
If you don’t mind slumming it slightly and bedding down in your pick-up truck at night, you can use it as a base for an amazing, inexpensive holiday/road trip. There are plenty of places where you are allowed to park up and sleep in your truck at night, or you can book into accommodation along the way. Either way, holidaying in a pick-up truck affords you more space to pack things you may want to have with you, plus it means you can drive on pretty much all types of terrain you may encounter on the way.
Adventure lovers can take advantage of the strength and power of their used pick-up truck by using it to tow bigger ‘toys’, such as jet skis, boats, bicycles and dune buggies – or attach them to the back or roof of the vehicle’s exterior. Paying to hire adventure equipment, or have it delivered separately to your destination can cost a fortune, plus it means you cannot be as spontaneous if you need to sort out things like this in advance. The interior space of a pick-up truck is also big enough to take in wetsuits, scuba diving gear and camping gear for plenty of adrenaline-filled fun, all year round.
Another benefit to the extra space inside the vehicle is that you can use it to get rid of unwanted debris, obstacles and clutter very easily indeed. Pick-up trucks can be worth their weight in gold during house clearances, tip runs and moving into a new home. They are also robust enough to withstand having a small snow plough attached to the front to get rid of built-up ice and snow in the winter. Finally, they can help pull stranded vehicles, farm equipment etc out of any potholes, ditches and other tricky situations with hardly any fuss at all.
Bear with us on this one – planning a date in a pick-up truck may not seem to be the epitome of romance, but there is actually a lot of potential to organise something memorable, quirky and fun. One idea is to pack up a picnic and lots of cosy blankets and drive out to somewhere where you can see the stars at night. A great way to destress from daily life and reconnect with your surroundings.
In a similar vein to the date night idea above, why not plan a party with a difference incorporating your second-hand pick-up truck? You could use it to inspire a truck-themed get-together with decorations, food, road trip movies playing in the background and ‘driving music’ tracks to dance to. Or think even further out of the box and use the back of your pick-up truck to serve food and ice-cold drinks. You could even line the back with a large, tear-free tarpaulin, fill it with water and host an impromptu pool party for a small group of people! Just make sure no one drinks and drives home afterwards.
Finally, make your truck pay its way by renting it out to people needing to move bulky items or make longer trips with more luggage space. Many people are unable or unwilling to invest in a pick-up truck – new or second-hand – alongside their car or work vehicle. So, fill a gap in the market by making yours available for a reasonable rental fee. Word will quickly spread and you can work out when you are able to rent it out and when you will need to use it to drive yourself.