![[image] Both cars fit the same amount of people](https://feddit.de/pictrs/image/e42dc262-7043-4d72-b919-e2e83f8729d9.jpeg){kind=link}
Honestly this is absurd. These death machines shouldn’t be legal in europe. That thing doesn’t even fit in the parking space, even though the parking lot has the biggest spaces in the whole city. The Golf Polo is so small in comparison, it could even hide in front of the engine hood of the truck.
EDIT: It’s a Polo and not a Golf, I don’t know my cars, sorry for that!
How do Europeans get stuff for their house around? Like do appliances just get delivered as part of buying them? Or are there other companies that specialize in that sort of thing? Genuinely curious.
This question baffles me because it seems like a total non-issue to me as a European. How do Americans get stuff for their house around? Do you not have delivery or truck/van/trailer rental services, and are all your appliances (and not just fridges/freezers which are apparently hilariously big in the US) so American-sized that you can’t fit them in an average family hatchback/crossover/SUV? Or do you regularly move all of your stuff from one house to another?
as someone that’s never owned a truck and moved a lot I will say one of the biggest issues with moving here is truck/car rentals. you have to be 26 to rent one and if like me you have no contact with family and you’re moving across country it becomes a real issue. thankfully I’ve had decent people in my life willing to help me but if that isn’t the case you really are just kinda screwed on a rental here in the United States.
most appliances like that stay with the house when you move. When they get replaced they get delivered and install generally by a box truck or roughly a lori sized vehicle.
Yes and yes.
My last SUV was quite large and I had a hard time fitting a portable dishwasher in it. Unfortunately the American largeness is in Canada as well.
Also we moved quite a lot sometimes because we can’t afford nice places and end up in places where the landlord painted over mold and shit so we nope the fuck out as soon as our lease is up.
No. One person has a SUV. But I have a house. When I first got my house I did a lot of home repairs. Then a truck was being used every other weekend. A car would not suffice.
I hate that you’re being downvoted for asking a genuine question about cultural differences. Do better, Lemmy.
I’m not from there. I’m curious how it works. There are many places in the US that are remote. Hauling stuff around is far more common.
Why haul it yourself when you could let professionals do it for you? Faster, better, cheaper, more convenient
Depends. Time and money. Some services are crap.
UK here. Yes you order an appliance and it gets delivered, and in some cases installed, by the retailer. If you have a plumber or kitchen fitter maybe they will collect it for you in their van. I’m sure you could save a bit of money on shipping if you collected it yourself, but not many people have the means to do so. And this way, if it’s damaged in transit, the retailer are liable.
Where I live in the States, all large retailers include free delivery and removal of your old appliance as part of the purchase of a new dishwasher, fridge, etc.
In the U.S., giant trucks, which I refer to as shit wagons, outsell cars. Apparently car makers can charge huge amounts of interest to redneckistan cretins who want a $60,000 shit wagon.
Uh… Ever heard of trailers?
You know. I was asking a perfectly normal question. No disrespect. And you decided to make it disrespectful. Of course trailers are an option, but most passenger cars don’t have hitches. At least in the US.
Sorry, unnecessary way to phrase myself.
It’s pretty common in Sweden with hitches (like, more than 50% if I would make a guess), so even if you don’t have a car or a hitch on your car, you most likely know someone with one.
That’s really different than the US. Cool though.
Basically, yes. Appliances are delivered and installed, usually free of charge (read: the price of delivery and installation is just calculated into the price of the appliance). Same for furniture.
Most home improvement stores either offer a (paid) delivery service or you can rent a small van/truck to get your larger purchases home.
Trailer hitches are quite common too, allowing you to tow a simple trailer (which you can either buy or rent):
I am not even european but all of my big appliances (refrigerator, stove, washing machine) were delivered to my home by the store I bought them from, either free of charge or super cheap, I can’t remember. I’ve also bought bricks amd had them delivered to my doorstep.
…how much house work do you ACTUALLY do? You can’t pay an extra $50 for delivery for that new washing machine you buy once a decade? I owned a house for fifteen years before downsizing and moving into condo life, and never once thought to myself gosh I wish I had a 6 ton gigantic truck to get stuff for my house around.
Oh yea. I have a house too. But it was more of a deal when I first got my house 5 years ago. Now it’s not as common. But there are times when it would be far easier to have my old truck.
Most household appliances I have ever bought fit in a Polo or similar sized cars, if you wrap the back seat bench.
For > 1.8 m and < 50 kg stuff I use a rack.
To be fair – the older generations of Polo were on the smaller side of compact cars. I’ve used VW Polo Variant, Mitsubishi Wagon R, Mercedes A, Hyundai I 10 and modern Polo myself.
If my car is too small, I ask family/friends/neighbors or rent a van.
Most shops that sell big appliances offer a delivery service as well.
Yea. Appliances were part of my question. Lumber is a bigger issue. Or house goods. Construction needs a bed or a van. Which some do use.
People also use a trailers. You can tow stuff with most types of cars no problem once you fit a tow bar.
Actually, we do have trucks and SUVs and pickups, too. Though they are usually a bit smaller than an F150 or RAM 3500, so we often use trailers if we need to transport larger items.
Folks living in the center of big cities (which I personally believe are a bit overrepresented in this sub) often live in flats where stuff like dishwashers and washing machines are already provided, so they don’t need to transport that, or even don’t need/have a car at all. For those, there are delivery services and light trucks that can be rented.
lived in the UK for a while… the appliances I saw were small. smaller washers/dryers (often combos), smaller fridges, etc. everything is bigger in the US, including the amount of dead space we refrigerate for no reason. and our electricity bills.
I think they are called hatchbacks in english(Kombi meine ich). You can fit most appliances into there when you fold the seats. That’s how my parents always transported large things. For even larger things we just got a trailer.
Since I don’t have a car I usually just get things delivered. And the guys who deliver it just drive vans.
how often do you move your appliances around?
but yeah most often they deliver it
Not often. But I do buy some here and there. Fences. I have a dog and a little boy. We build stuff.
Polo is not the only car in Europe. Europeans use cars that i believe Americans would call station wagon. Those cars used to be used widely in US as well AFAIK until car producers figured out they can sell you more expensive cars by making it bigger.
I own “station wagon” car, it’s dwarf compared to these monster trucks but i can make 6.6 ft long double bed in the back where two people can sleep comfortably. I transported single bed sized furniture with that car and it uses approx 1 gallon of gasoline per 62 miles.
Don’t let me start on trailers. Every European car even smallest ones can tow reasonable sized trailer with “dirty” or too bug cargo to fit inside a car. All you need is hook installed once in car life time.
Also if you buy new anything in Europe, most shops will make sure you get it delivered at your doorstep and won’t trow it at your front yard when you are not there. It has to be given “from hand to hand” often even requires verification of receiver.
Dude, as an American I had all of my appliances delivered. The Home Depot guys showed up with a box truck. It’s free delivery too so why would you even need a truck…. In fact, you can get a lot of stuff delivered for free or very cheaply from Home Depot.
The truck in this picture is so shiny it’s clearly a vanity vehicle. I’m guessing it’s owned by a member of the US armed forces judging by the star on the side? American military personnel are known to bring their vehicles with them from the mainland, to Japan or Europe.