• September 25, 2009

Results from a new survey of the pickup-truck segment suggest that 64% of pickup truck owners feel their truck is an extension of their personality, and more than 40% have slept in their truck.

The survey, done for Cars.com unit PickupTrucks.com by Impulse Research, included a list of items from which owners had to choose those they felt were more important than their truck.

Twenty-eight percent failed to cite their spouse as more important, per PickupTrucks.com. More than half wouldn't choose their house as more important than their truck, and 59% wouldn't choose sex over their truck.

Close to 40% of owners have a nickname for their truck. More than of 25- to-34-year-olds gave a name to their truck. Some of the more common names are either female names like "Betsy," "Bessy" or "Sally"; or color references like "Big Blue" or "Little Red," per the firm.

The survey suggests that trucks are a boon to the aftermarket business. The survey says 45% of owners spent at least $1,000 on aftermarket gear and 17% spent at least $3,000. The most common components customized are wheels and tires, audio and video, exterior trim and exhaust systems.

The online survey was of a random sample of 1,068 men and women pickup truck owners age 18 and over.