What’s the big deal about “Old Trucks”?

Okay, I’ve never been much of a truck guy, but I have owned a couple in my lifetime and they are very useful to haul stuff during a move, pulling a trailer or boat and even prove to be handy during home projects. It seems anytime you are without a truck is the very time when the need will arise for you to need to transport some large items or haul something for a buddy. Besides the practical aspect of a truck, the fact remains that they are just cool to own and everybody needs one.

I just recently purchased a 1976 Ford F100 short wheel base truck with the purpose of using it for those home projects and whenever I needed to carry any large items, but a strange thing has happened. I now find myself enjoying driving it because of the looks and comments I get from folks as I’m out driving it. It’s Crazy! I mean, I keep telling myself, “It’s just and old truck”, but never the less this old rusty truck just has an effect on folks like I’ve never witnessed before.

So I’m asking what’s the big deal about trucks….Why are they so popular? Let’s examine the possible reasons;

Seeing an old truck sometimes reminds you of the days gone by when you rode with your dad or grandfather to the store to get some candy and a soda pop. Maybe they cause you to reflect on early morning drives to school when you were a kid. For some folks it may be the first experience they had at driving…..rolling down an old dirt road on the farm as they listened to their dad tell barking instructions on how to navigate the old truck between the ditches. Some guys may remember an old farm truck being the first vehicle they owned and the ups and downs of keeping it running. You may also reflect on the days when you and your family would throw the fishing rods and a tackle box in the back and drive to the lake for a long day of fishing. (Don’t forget your bucket you carried in the back to bring the fish home in)

Joe Diffie had a song back in the early 90’s called “Pickup Man” and it tops most lists of favorite songs about trucks. It kind of sums up the story of a man and his pickup truck. He describes the well-known fact that women love men who drive pickup trucks. The lyric says “You can set my truck on fire and roll it down a hill, and I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe De Ville, I got an eight-foot bed that never has to be made, you know, if it weren’t for trucks we wouldn’t have tailgates, I met all my wives in traffic jams, there’s just something women like about a pickup man”

I can’t tell you how many times in just the last few weeks that I’ve been driving my old truck around and people stop me to ask what year it is and then proceed to tell me a found memory they have about an old truck. It’s got me wondering why I waited so long to buy another one and thinking about my own memories of the fun times I shared with my dad as we drove around on Saturday’s.

So the next time you see an old truck rolling down the road and you happen to glace at the driver, I’ll bet he or she has a big smile on their face. You can also imagine the memory they are replaying in their mind as they enjoy driving the old rusty, somewhat weathered truck to anywhere USA.