Its all the same and thats a shame is all.

I'm not going to sit here and make it sound like all the vehicles in our yard have the iconic round "peace sign" vw logo on them. We have been loyal chevy drivers for decades, and for us, they have been solid reliable vehicles. But this year old green finally started to show her age. Built in 1993, sporting over 440,000 km on the original engine, minor issues here and there, but no major repairs, it has been a great truck for the last 6 years. I don't expect we will find another one will last as long. It has pulled our boat, trailer, moved us, took us to BC twice, was the main transporter of building materials for our cabin, house reno's and decks. Not to mention the kids, the destroyers...

Off to shop for a new(er) truck. We live on 10km of gravel roads, so a brand new pick up is not part of the equation, can't justify spending 50k on something that will perpetually give me stress as I think about the depreciation each time we drive home on rocks. Now admittedly, I am following Meryl's lead on the whole truck purchase, but like a good husband should, he consults my opinion.  We begin looking around, dealer lots, Internet, asking friends - due diligence. One thing could not escape my mind, why do these trucks all look the same? What happened here? Regardless of the model or manufacturer, they all are starting to blend together. No edge, no identity, no uniqueness. Now I am not so old that I am wishing for the days gone by (67 -72 chevy's), but in this consumer driven mass production world, I am screaming for change.
I know why it is happening, it's economics, I get it... but I don't have to like it. And bolting on all the crap and accessories from the dealer isn't helping find it in the parking lot any faster.
My challenge to manufacturers is this. Find the truth in the product. Break the mold, make it profitable but affordable and give me something to get excited about. How can I justify my consumer loyalty when I can't tell the difference between the domestic big 3??

In the end, the 2004 black  Chevy quad cab came found a new home in our yard. In a years time I expect it to be subjected to all sorts of modifications. But the way I see it, I'm giving it another 6 years for manufacturers to come back to the market with something exciting for a change, without all this canned ham. And in the mean time, I will rock Lil Blue down the highway, knowing next to the ice cream man, I am the coolest thing on the highway...