The Tonka thing can be traced back to the days when BIG, bruising automobiles were a guilt-free pleasure to be found at the bottom of the toy box rather than an environmental disaster on a par with the sinking of the Exxon Valdez.
The tip thing, on the other hand, can be traced back to the halcyon days of garbage disposal, when lads and dads would return from the local refuse depositary with far more booty than they headed out of the house with.
In the days before plastic moulding factories fell into the hands of 20p-per-hour Chinese labourers, the tip was the place where many working class families found some of their most valued possessions.
And there was no surly jobsworth telling you to sort your hedge clippings from your used tea bags, or standing by to beat you with a stick if you dared to do a bit of, er, recycling of your own.
NavaraThe new Nissan Navara is a vehicle which somehow manages to leave even nostalgia enhanced memories of Tonka toys in the shade.
And it's perfect (well almost, but more of that later) for nipping to the tip.
I'd given a lot of thought about how I might test the Navara, a stunning, rugged beast boasting all of the fancy trimmings you'd expect of a vehicle boasting the range-topping Aventura trim level.
Given that the pick-up shares its tried and tested, part-time, four-by-four platform with the Pathfinder SUV, I thought carefully about driving across the Sahara desert - then decided that it would be far more rewarding to load a few boxes of household waste onto the back and head to Agecroft tip.
The Aventura's commanding driving position and luxurious five-seater double cab left me grinning like a chav with his first dole cheque.
It might be built for builders, but it's actually a bit too posh for you to consider chucking bricks in the back - a real oil painting when compared to water-coloured rivals like the L200, Hi-Lux, Rodeo and Ranger. And in Aventura trim, it comes with lots of sporty little extras which suggest that you're really supposed to tow a speed boat with it.
But while it's a bit of a beast, it's relatively easy to drive and shifts far more quickly than the average bin wagon.
The same 2.5litre diesel engine is standard across the range, but you can choose from either a five-speed automatic gearbox or a six-speed manual.
Outskirts
You'll probably be heading for the double-empty spaces on the outskirts of car supermarket car parks and the beefy tailgate is heavier than Anne Diamond's lunch box, but then you won't find many yummy mummys driving a Navara.
You choose between the four-seat, suicide-doored King Cab, or the roomier Double Cab - driven here - which gives you four proper doors and five proper seats, but slightly less load space in the back.
It's also a tax-friendly vehicle for business users - with a flat rate £500 tax liability for company car drivers and a VAT-refund scheme for commercial owners.
In fact, there's only one significant drawback for people who like the idea of driving this thoroughly modern Tonka to the refuse site{hellip} unlike my dad's old Cortina, it won't fit under the barrier designed to prevent white van man from dumping fridges without paying.
But if you're looking for something which leaves you feeling like a big kid all over again, take my tip{hellip} the new Navara Aventura is far from rubbish.
