The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[squeakers]

I was once picking up my kid at her friend's house.  Friend's dad was outside when I told kid to get in the car. "That's not a car," he said, "that's a truck!" A little odd since it was a Chevy Tahoe.

"Nope," I said, "it's a car.  Our other vehicle is a truck, so if I told her to get into the truck, she'd be in the wrong one."

The images of a Chevy Tahoe sure look like a truck to me.  Or maybe a station wagon jacked up (bigger wheels).

[Virg]

Optimoose Prime, since the U.S. government's rules for the Tahoe (and a large number of other SUVs) label it a truck for safety and tax regulations, it's a stretch to say it's not a truck.  The reason I always describe such vehicles as SUVs is to avoid this sort of confusion.

Virg

[Diane AKA Traska]

I have a good rule of thumb:

If, during a car accident, the vehicle can wind up ON THE HOOD of a minivan*, then it's a truck.

* This can happen.  Ask me how I know.  Go on. ::Flexes once-broken pinky::

[marcel]

I was once picking up my kid at her friend's house.  Friend's dad was outside when I told kid to get in the car. "That's not a car," he said, "that's a truck!" A little odd since it was a Chevy Tahoe.

"Nope," I said, "it's a car.  Our other vehicle is a truck, so if I told her to get into the truck, she'd be in the wrong one."

The images of a Chevy Tahoe sure look like a truck to me.  Or maybe a station wagon jacked up (bigger wheels).

Regardless of how you consider the car, since the word car is an overarching word, even if the car is without a doubt a truck, you are still correct in calling it a car.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I was once picking up my kid at her friend's house.  Friend's dad was outside when I told kid to get in the car. "That's not a car," he said, "that's a truck!" A little odd since it was a Chevy Tahoe.

"Nope," I said, "it's a car.  Our other vehicle is a truck, so if I told her to get into the truck, she'd be in the wrong one."

The images of a Chevy Tahoe sure look like a truck to me.  Or maybe a station wagon jacked up (bigger wheels).

Regardless of how you consider the car, since the word car is an overarching word, even if the car is without a doubt a truck, you are still correct in calling it a car.

Small threadjack, but it always, well, bugs me when people say that spiders aren't bugs.  Yes, they are!  They're not insects, but "bug" covers arachnids too!

Okay, threadjack over.

[squeakers]

I was once picking up my kid at her friend's house.  Friend's dad was outside when I told kid to get in the car. "That's not a car," he said, "that's a truck!" A little odd since it was a Chevy Tahoe.

"Nope," I said, "it's a car.  Our other vehicle is a truck, so if I told her to get into the truck, she'd be in the wrong one."

The images of a Chevy Tahoe sure look like a truck to me.  Or maybe a station wagon jacked up (bigger wheels).

Regardless of how you consider the car, since the word car is an overarching word, even if the car is without a doubt a truck, you are still correct in calling it a car.

I would say both a car and a truck are vehicles: one is used to transport people (cars) and one is used to haul stuff (trucks).  If there was no difference between cars and (light) trucks (vs semis which are also called trucks) then there wouldn't be a difference in plate fees, insurance fees and road tax fees or any other fees and laws associated with vehicles. Nor would the manufacturers have lines of cars, SUVs, trucks and vans.. they would just all be called "cars". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet#Vehicle_models and for "what is an SUV?" http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_an_SUV_a_truck

[WillyNilly]

Optimoose Prime, since the U.S. government's rules for the Tahoe (and a large number of other SUVs) label it a truck for safety and tax regulations, it's a stretch to say it's not a truck.  The reason I always describe such vehicles as SUVs is to avoid this sort of confusion.

Virg

This must vary by state not "U.S. government rules" because I have a Ford F150 that is by most definitions a "truck" but it is legally registered as, and taxed as, a passenger vehicle ("suburban") not as a "truck" and as such it is legally allowed on parkways, which in my state at least, are highways that specifically outlaw trucks and any commercial vehicles. I know of no one in my state who's SUV was legally considered a "truck" it is purely a social term for the vehicles.

[Virg]

WillyNilly wrote:

"This must vary by state not "U.S. government rules" because I have a Ford F150 that is by most definitions a "truck" but it is legally registered as, and taxed as, a passenger vehicle ("suburban") not as a "truck" and as such it is legally allowed on parkways, which in my state at least, are highways that specifically outlaw trucks and any commercial vehicles. I know of no one in my state who's SUV was legally considered a "truck" it is purely a social term for the vehicles."

National regulations involve the manufacture of the vehicle and safety regulations for selling them, and taxation on import.  Registration, sales/use taxes and fees are always handled at the state level so that definition will vary by state.  By U.S. government rules, which cover the safety tests they must pass, emissions and engine standards, and design rules, SUVs are trucks.  I wouldn't see a problem saying they are "cars" in the passenger vehicle sense, but I do think that saying they're not trucks is inaccurate because of the above.

Virg

[Diane AKA Traska]

Can I just say I'm tickled that Optimoose Prime is part of a discussion on trucks?   

[jpcher]

New question:

What is the difference between a Breakfront, Sideboard and Buffet?

My mother has a Buffet, my SIL has a Breakfront and my other SIL has a Sideboard. They all seem to serve the same function: drawers & cabinets to store dishes/table clothes, etc. Sometimes food is placed on top for large parties.

Do you have one of these things and what do you call it? Why?




(I actually have a buffet, but I guess I can't call it that because my TV, stereo, etc. are on top of it and I store the videos/dvds/games, etc. inside. )

[Hmmmmm]

I've been reading the thread about how to use a single sink.  Some of the UK posters are referring to something they call a mixer tap and they linked to a egullet post talking about how mixer taps are new (2004) to the UK and that hot and cold water come out separately. 

I'm seriously not getting this.  I thought a mixer tap was what is very common in the US today. One "lever" used to change how hot or how cold you want the water coming out fo the faucet.

I'm an old enough US citizen to remember having faucets/taps that had a "Hot" knob and a "Cold" knob (I still have this now that I think about it in my downstairs powder room) but you just turn them both till you get to the combined temp that is flowing out of the same faucet.

But in reading the egullet description, it makes me think in the UK sinks actually have two separate faucets, one for hot and one for cold.  Is that right? 

[GreenHall]

Why did it take two and a half hours for me to buy a car?  I qualified for the dealers financing, trying to haggle accounted for maybe ten minutes.   Some paperwork, I'm sure they did some things in the back, but there was just a lot of time with me sitting there waiting for the salesguy to come back and let me know where we were going next. 
Was this just a tactic for them to get me so tired of the process, that i was an even easier mark at before? ( no not still frustrated)

I guess I was lucky, my coworker said he spent 6 hours buying his most recent car...

[perpetua]

I'm an old enough US citizen to remember having faucets/taps that had a "Hot" knob and a "Cold" knob (I still have this now that I think about it in my downstairs powder room) but you just turn them both till you get to the combined temp that is flowing out of the same faucet.

That's pretty much what we call a mixer tap.

But in reading the egullet description, it makes me think in the UK sinks actually have two separate faucets, one for hot and one for cold.  Is that right?

Some do, unless they have a mixer tap (as above).

[Onyx_TKD]

I've been reading the thread about how to use a single sink.  Some of the UK posters are referring to something they call a mixer tap and they linked to a egullet post talking about how mixer taps are new (2004) to the UK and that hot and cold water come out separately. 

I'm seriously not getting this.  I thought a mixer tap was what is very common in the US today. One "lever" used to change how hot or how cold you want the water coming out fo the faucet.

I'm an old enough US citizen to remember having faucets/taps that had a "Hot" knob and a "Cold" knob (I still have this now that I think about it in my downstairs powder room) but you just turn them both till you get to the combined temp that is flowing out of the same faucet.

But in reading the egullet description, it makes me think in the UK sinks actually have two separate faucets, one for hot and one for cold.  Is that right?

I don't know what's common in the UK, but such sinks definitely exist. My mother's house (in the USA) was built around 1930 and the bathroom sinks have two faucets, one for hot and one for cold water. If you wanted warm (not hot) water, then you could either put in the stopper (attached on a chain) and mix the water in the sink to the proper temperature or use the hot faucet before it gets up to full temp (what I usually did  ). Washing with warm running water required a certain finesse to avoid either chilling or scalding one's hands. Our kitchen sink and bathtub taps all had single faucets with two knobs, but I don't know if they were that way when the house was built or those were changed during a later renovation.

[Diane AKA Traska]

I've been reading the thread about how to use a single sink.  Some of the UK posters are referring to something they call a mixer tap and they linked to a egullet post talking about how mixer taps are new (2004) to the UK and that hot and cold water come out separately. 

I'm seriously not getting this.  I thought a mixer tap was what is very common in the US today. One "lever" used to change how hot or how cold you want the water coming out fo the faucet.

I'm an old enough US citizen to remember having faucets/taps that had a "Hot" knob and a "Cold" knob (I still have this now that I think about it in my downstairs powder room) but you just turn them both till you get to the combined temp that is flowing out of the same faucet.

But in reading the egullet description, it makes me think in the UK sinks actually have two separate faucets, one for hot and one for cold.  Is that right?

Here's one as an example:
http://www.terrylove.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=137&stc=1&d=1109203130