In 2004, I bought a 24' gas-guzzling moving van from UHaul.
My wife and I were moving from California to Minnesota, but didn't have a home yet, there. We planned to buy our next home, using the proceeds of our house in California to pay cash for a house in MN. Home prices were way higher in California, so we were able to buy a house for about half of what we realized from the sale of our home.
So, we'd have to store our furniture and everything else for at least a month. So, I did the math, and buying a used moving truck for the move would save us thousands of dollars. It could be stored in Minnesota until move-in day there. No extra loading and unloading costs or high storage fees. Then, once we moved it, we could sell the truck, which we did, for a little less than we paid for it.
That truck cost us $6000 to buy. It was big enough to do the job. I loaded it myself, over a month. Then we set off on our trip.
It seemed like a huge truck to me, despite it being a small truck as moving trucks go. It had a 50-gallon saddle fuel tank. It got between 4 and 6 miles per gallon, depending on whether you were on flat ground or going uphill. We were driving about 400 miles per day, so it stopped at a gas station twice each day. In 2004 in June, gas prices were about $2.10 per gallon on average so every fill-up cost about $100. It took us 6 days to make the drive, with me in the truck and my wife in our minivan, which got much better gas mileage.
So, every day of those six days, I burned about $150 worth of gas. That seemed like a lot, but it was all part of the cost of the move. I needed a big truck to tote my junk from one state to the other state. Want to see what gasoline cost during many, many years? Here's a link:
https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg&f=m
My point? Well, my nephew was complaining about how much a tank of gas cost him last week. He drives a Ford F350 crew cab pickup with the largest gasoline engine available for that truck. I don't know how big his gas tank is, but I'm guessing he spent more to fill it up than I did with my 4 mpg moving truck with the 50-gallon tank.
Why does he have that particular truck? There's no good answer, really. He doesn't haul anything in its bed. He doesn't own a travel trailer or boat to tow behind it. Last time I saw his truck, there wasn't a scratch inside the bed. But, you know, it's a manly truck, that Ford F350. Very manly. He's very proud of it, as well he might be, I suppose.
My response to his complaint was, "Maybe you need a smaller truck?" Silence.
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have NO sympathy for those vanity vehicles. 
The pedestrian is a four-year-old.
In some nerdy Internet circles — specifically, bike and pedestrian advocacy — it has become trendy to take a selfie in front of the bumper of random neighborhood Silverados. Among the increasingly popular heavy-duty models, the height of the truck’s front end may reach a grown man’s shoulders or neck. When you involve children in this exercise it starts to become really disturbing. My four-year-old son, for example, barely cleared the bumper on a lifted F-250 we came across in a parking lot last summer.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-11/the-dangerous-rise-of-the-supersized-pickup-truck
On rural stretches of interstate.
In ‘95 they were allowed to revert back to what they were before the 55 limit was imposed, leading to Montana going back to their “Reasonable and Prudent” limit for a time. I took this pic shortly after the signs were put up;
That lasted about a year, as performance and sportscar enthusiasts were heading to Montana in order to just haul ass on the freeway!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law
Montana’s speed laws;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States_by_jurisdiction#Montana
The speed limit on I-10 in west Texas is 80 MPH for about 400 uninterrupted miles from west of San Antonio to east of El Paso.
One of the ones with the gas shocks in it so you can raise it up. Wouldn't want to get the bed dirty, doncha know? He's real proud of his truck, for sure.
puzzled me why folks in places like Canada & Europe mostly drive small 4-cylinder unmanly cars. Only one-ton trucks you see, generally are owned by folks who need such a truck to haul stuff for their jobs. Tires, brakes etc are more expensive to replace.
I shouldn't be saying this as we have an older full-size SUV, we rarely drive it, unless the grands are around or we have folks visiting from the north during the winter. Bought the SUV for next to nothing the last time gas prices spiked. To replace it with a newer fuel-efficient machine....@ 68 years old, I can buy a lot of fuel for the $20K difference a newer machine would cost. I'm rambling, things us geezers do.....
Bottom line is the last time I filled up the SUV was in January, still has 3/4 of a tank, my wife's car, filled it up last week & will again in a few more weeks.
However, I have a legitimate use for it. I tow a thirty foot, four ton travel trailer. I've used smaller tow vehicles, but they weren't really safe. The truck pretty much sits in the driveway when I'm not towing with it. It has very low miles for a truck as old as it is. If you follow our photography contests here on DU you might know that I am a landscape and nature photographer, and it is the most economical way to travel around the country. (Plus, at my age, it's nice to travel around with my own bathroom, LOL).
To be honest, driving a truck this size can be a real pain-in-the-ass. They're impossible to park in many parking lots, won't fit in most parking structures, and are miserable to drive in a big city. Visibility is terrible if you don't know how to use truck mirrors. I don't know why anyone would want to drive one of these beasts if they didn't have to. My last fill-up cost me about $150.
This is Kluane National Park in the Yukon Territory about one hundred miles from the Alaskan border. There was grizzly bear scat all over the place.
from a 1998 Chev 2500 not heavy duty due to the motor on the chevy wearing out (210K miles) and a smart mechanic that said, "buy this one the guy across the street just got for resale, You're gonna just toss money away on this one anymore".
I bought outright for 6K, it has 41K miles on it with a capper and a 6 ftish bed. I get 21 mpg instead of 12 to 18 mpg. so far I've put a starter on it and a new battery.
It's used to haul manure, building products, and my self. It works for me.
Your choice to buy your moving truck makes great sense, I'm glad you're a member of Democratic Underground.
nudder story: In 1983 I did a home renov for a guy that just bought a Lexus of some type for 43K. His place was a mess but he sure had a pretty car. I think he dumped the house and lived in that thing.
As you well know, if you buy a big truck that gets poor gas mileage, you're going to spend more on gas. That's not rocket science. In your case, it sounds like you made the best financial choice.
Maybe school math textbooks should have problems like:
Bob buys a large pickup truck that gets X miles per gallon, he drives Y miles per month. Gasoline costs $G a gallon. How much will Bob spend on gas per month?
Julie buys a hybrid vehicle that gets Z miles per gallon & also drives Y miles per month, the same as Bob. Gasoline costs $G a gallon. How much will Julie spend on gas per month?
Compare & contrast the pros & cons of Bob's choice & Julie's choice.
I know, crazy idea, call me crazy, I've learned to accept the fact that many have & many more will. 😁
Really...