Yea you can get a bare bones one for a reasonable price....that's just it. You get absolutely nothing but a truck. If you want one with some creature comforts for daily driving or a family car, wham you're into the $40-50k range and all that's added are things you can get on a fully load Honda Fit for $20k (minus the engine and bed of course). The same goes for things like a Tahoe, Expedition, etc. I've been out there shopping around and have just said screw it.
Ever since they became the preferred transportation of dads in the suburbs, the manufacturers took advantage of the situation. People are willing to pay that money.
I remember looking at a brand new Sierra back in '07. It was a Crew Cab, short bed, and 4WD. It was an SLE too, so it had a lot of bells and whistles. It was only $32k. I thought that was ridiculous then.
Yeah, but MSRP on trucks is absurdly meaningless. I mean, when was the last time you saw a new Fit advertised for 25℅ off, before any negotiating on it? And that still has both the manufacturer and the dealership turning a profit on it...Which tells you what they really think of their customers.
Yup, trucks are fashion accessories now. I give my friend E36 M3 all the time for his $40k Toyota Tundra.
I'm having similar revelations on the used market. Not much out there for less than $12-15k if you want a clean half ton with more than 2 doors and less than 100k on the clock. Thinking about upping the budget to the $20k range and getting a decent Duramax or something, that will still be worth half that much with another 200k miles.
Those two rear door must cost a fortune to make because they really charge a E36 M3 load for them.
Nearly $10k option to go from 2 door truck to full 4 door truck.
I used my Honda Fit as a truck. Worked really well. Take a look over on Fit freak At the things you "Fit" inside. I think my fave pic was a GD first gen with a hot water heater inside and hatch closed.
http://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-photos-videos/32704-show-me-what-can-you-fit-your-fit-3.html
they charge that much because people will pay that much. being able to finance them over an 8 year term also helps make that $50k purchase available to people that should only be getting a $30k truck..
even the base trucks have stuff that was luxury when i was younger: they all have AC, power steering, power brakes, automatic trnasmissions, cruise control, touch screen stereos and a ton of cup holders.. most of them have power windows and locks as well as real carpet on the floor instead of a proper rubber mat like trucks are supposed to have..
Its no secret trucks pay for Detroits 401k's.
Crew cabs (remember when they were called that) always cost more. Carpet? More money. A/C? More money. Bucket seats? More money. Radio? More money.
They make traditional, rubber floor, single cab, long beds...but the people that bitch about not having a traditional work truck don't buy them.
Standard cab, long bed, V8,4x4, base trim, no options is $33-35k MSRP before discounts. Thankfully trucks rarely sell at msrp.
Why anyone would want one for a daily driver or family car is beyond me. I see all these trucks driving around empty. Jump in the crew cab 4x4 diesel dually to commute from the apartment to the cubicle. I don't get it.
That drives the prices up so that people who actually need a truck are stuck with the high prices.
You can't seriously compare a medium duty truck with a Honda Fit when it comes to cost. Ignoring the bolt-on toys like dashboard bedazzling, there's a lot more vehicle underneath.
Yes, big heavy work vehicles cost money. They always have. The old man "get off my lawn" griping about how trucks are too big and too tall and too expensive and have too much torque doesn't reflect what the market is actually asking for.
Keith Tanner wrote: You can't seriously compare a medium duty truck with a Honda Fit when it comes to cost. Ignoring the bolt-on toys like dashboard bedazzling, there's a lot more vehicle underneath.
Steel is how much per pound?
I remember looking at trucks at a car show. My 5 year old truck cost me $15,000 at the auction (it was the first time gas hit $4 per gallon). The new equivalent MSRP'd for $51,000. I can deal with 40,000 miles, needing tires brakes, and exhaust studs for $36,000.
Its crazy but people pay it, i dont need a giant 4x4 fully loaded truck so im not there intended market at all. Everytime i see a post like this it confirms my need to find another nice late 70's ford and keep it forever.
They're priced like a big RWD V8 car because that's how they're mostly equipped and bought now.
Knurled wrote:Keith Tanner wrote: You can't seriously compare a medium duty truck with a Honda Fit when it comes to cost. Ignoring the bolt-on toys like dashboard bedazzling, there's a lot more vehicle underneath.Steel is how much per pound?
Yeah, it's all about the price of the raw materials. That's the only factor. I'd rather do the durability testing and engineering on a disposable Honda than a work truck.
My 06 f250 lariat crew cab 4x4 diesel was almost 50k brand new. It was stolen in 2016, insurance gave me nearly 17k for it with 210k miles on it. I could've probably sold it for 14k easily. What new 50k vehicle is still worth 25-33% of their purchase price 10years and 200k miles later? Loaded full size trucks. And a few niche cars. At the end of the day, they don't depreciate like typical cars. But, they do everything a car can do and more (and safer), minus gas mileage and fitting in garage. To me, the pricing makes sense given the utility and comfort of modern trucks.
If I could afford it, I'd gladly buy a new or CPO well optioned diesel truck and keep it for 10 to 15 years. But, I'm also not a cheap ass or dumb with my money.
With that said, I miss my truck.
car39 wrote: I remember looking at trucks at a car show. My 5 year old truck cost me $15,000 at the auction (it was the first time gas hit $4 per gallon). The new equivalent MSRP'd for $51,000. I can deal with 40,000 miles, needing tires brakes, and exhaust studs for $36,000.
Except that you bought your old truck at below market value if you bought it at auction when demand was low due to high gas prices, and MSRP has no correlation to the selling price of new gas trucks which always seem to be $10,000 off. Good time to buy a used one. When I bought my diesel in 2010, equivalent used trucks with 30k on them were selling for what I paid for my new one. I ran it through KBB the other day and it's still worth something like 75% of what I paid for it. A big reason vehicles like retain their value is that you can use them to make money. Can't say that about a Fit unless you're delivering pizza.
Back in 1993, my grandfather brought his 1987.5 V12 XJ-S in to a Jaguar showroom to see what it would cost to trade up to the latest version. Miles weren't that high on his car. I remember it being some astronomical figure like $50k or $80k.
Yes, if you look at the market top to bottom for trucks there was a huge change starting with the 6bt, powerstroke, duramax trucks. I bought my 1998 12valve quad cab 4x4 with almost every option for 18k in 2001. It had 100k on it. I could probably sell it for close to that today in spite of the 260k it has on it. I did put about 6k into it with a highly modified bulletproof auto trans and a larger turbo, injectors, etc.
But there is a good reason. People have learned that these trucks are amazing to tow with and they last pretty much forever when taken care of. That has an effect on values. The used market is crazy because these trucks have a capacity for towing that simply didn't exist before and essentially rivaling new.
Think about it that way and it starts to make more sense. I wouldn't sell my truck for less than 20k. Jcamper.
Agree truck prices are crazy. According to NADAGuides, in 1985 a longbed styleside F-150 with a 302 V8 and A/C had an MSRP of right around $8k. A base LTD with the same options was over a thousand more. Trucks were cheaper than all but the cheapest cars.
Keith Tanner wrote: Yeah, it's all about the price gouging
FTFY. Modern trucks don't appear to be priced on anything relating to actual manufacturing costs. So in that regard, you are right that you can't directly compare truck prices to pretty much any other category of vehicles short of exotics. Nevermind that the cheapest cars show just how little extra cost there really is to the manufacturer these days in adding such 'luxuries' as carpet, A/C, power windows/locks/mirrors,a second set of doors, etc.
Keith Tanner wrote:Knurled wrote:Yeah, it's all about the price of the raw materials. That's the only factor. I'd rather do the durability testing and engineering on a disposable Honda than a work truck.Keith Tanner wrote: You can't seriously compare a medium duty truck with a Honda Fit when it comes to cost. Ignoring the bolt-on toys like dashboard bedazzling, there's a lot more vehicle underneath.Steel is how much per pound?
When you are the entity stamping, casting, machining, etc... is there that big a difference?
Mind you that this is the express reason why small trucks aren't made anymore. They cost almost the same amount of money to make but the expected MSRPs are much, much different.
I looked very briefly at Tahoes for towing and DD. I just don't see the value proposition, but they are thick as flies on the roads here.
Then looked at used 4Runner V8's. Hard to find, always lots of miles on them, and expensive. Found that Lexus GX470 is basically the same vehicle with 500 lbs less towing capacity, mucho more bells and whistles, much more common on the ground, and similarly priced to the 4Runners. Supply and demand...
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