What are you currently driving?
2017 Piaggio BV350 ABS
Why are you moving on?
Safety (Airbags/crumple zones > Helmet & armored jacket), protection from the elements, and I want something with more utility.
If you recently purchased a SC, in what ways is it better (not better) than your previous vehicle?
I can carry a whole lot more in the Santa Cruz than I could on the scooter. My daily commute to work has gone from 30-35 minutes on the scooter to 20-25 minutes in the truck (I only rode surface streets on the scooter for safety reasons). I now have more flexibility for going out for lunch (I don't have to gear up, and can get a fountain soda to go), and for picking up breakfast on the way in. I can pick up dinner on the way home much easier than before.
This is the first time since the first week we were married 19 years ago that we've had two automobiles. My car got totalled shortly after we got married, and we never replaced it (we had no need to, for 8 years I lived across the street from work). Five years ago my job situation changed, and I needed a vehicle to commute on. Went with a scooter due to cost & fuel savings. Our car is a 2012 Hyundai Veloster. Now that I have the Santa Cruz, the Veloster will be my wife's commuter, and we'll use the Santa Cruz for everything else.
I'll miss the 55+ mpg of the scooter, being able to park wherever I want, and the ease of getting through traffic on it. I won't miss being invisible to drivers (even when wearing high-vis yellow helmet & jacket), being rained on, being baked in the summer sun, and being frozen in the winter. And my wife's worry level will be reduced.
I've been wanting a truck as our second vehicle ever since my car was totalled. We just could never afford to get one, or we didn't have the room for it, or the need for a second vehicle. When I saw the Santa Cruz concept, I knew that's what I wanted. I really liked the last gen Ranger, too. But then Ford dropped it. I'm not a fan of the new generation Ranger. To get an equivalent spec'd Tacoma or Ridgeline as the Santa Cruz I bought, I'd have to pay at least $2k more, before TTL, than what I paid including TTL for the SC. And they're bigger. I love the size of the Santa Cruz.