what happened to the basic work truck?

you remember....manual transmission, bench seat, two doors, 8' bed. radio optional.

Where are the pickups designed to be used as work trucks?

Craigslist.

Oh, you mean new ones. Yea, they don't make those anymore.

Try the fleet sales department....that's where we got our GMC 3500 15 passenger "church bus". All the regular dealers had were upscale conversion vans. The lot was full of plain vanilla 3/4 & 1T pickups...some even had manual transmissions (gasps). Of course, this was in 2003 so things may have changed a bit since then.

Grtechguy wrote: you remember....manual transmission, bench seat, two doors, 8' bed. radio optional.

vinyl floors you can hose out when muddy......

You can still build a Chevrolet Work Truck 4X4 with vinyl floors.

2011 Silverado 1500 type 4WD Reg Cab 133.0" style Work Truck Exterior color Victory Red Secondary Exterior color
Interior color Dark Titanium, Vinyl Seat Trim base msrp* $24,775 colors & options $2,000 delivery & handling $995 total msrp $27,770

GM preferred price $26,999

current offers -$4,005

Cash Allowance: Up to $4,005 cash back

Net Price $22,994

Agree with the Fleet sales rhoute, The state of NC can still order plain jane work trucks as we get one or two a year usually from ford and usually F250 flavor, they are not too plain jane but have almost no is any additional options. I don't think A/c and radio are optional anymore, as ours have them, also as of 2011 we get traction control and an electrocially controled locking rear diff. kinda fun in the snow last winter.

GMC

We got a standard cab standard bed vinyl floors with optional auto and 4wd. Radio was standard. I wanted a stick but not every one at work drives a stick... a capital offense in my opinion.

Twin_Cam wrote: Craigslist.

This,

   why in the world would you pay 22-25K for a new stripper when you can pay 1/4 that pre scratched/dented one. Modern trucks seem to run FOREVER.

I will say its amazing how well work trucks hold there value under say 50K miles, then the next cliff is 100K and then 200k.

What's wrong with the work trucks in Leslie's thread??

SVreX wrote: What's wrong with the work trucks in Leslie's thread??

They cost about the same as my house.

Grtechguy wrote:

SVreX wrote: What's wrong with the work trucks in Leslie's thread??

They cost about the same as my house.

And almost as big as a house.

Dodo bird.

Back when I bought my 96 Ranger brand new, it had two options on it that a XL model didn't, cloth 60/40 bench and AM/FM radio. Yep, AM was the standard radio. I really didn't want power steering, but Ford quit offering manual steering a few years earlier. I also wanted manual brakes, but those ended in like 85 or 6. Eventually though I did swap to manual steering.... But now if I wanted something similar, I get rear disc brakes, AM/FM/CD radio, and an additional worthless airbag, PLUS an additional price tag of over 16k for a truck that hasn't changed since 98. I bought my 96 for a few dollars literally over 10k.......

But to answer your question, when "work" trucks were allowed to be taken home as a work benefit, people wanted plusher options....

Back in '99 I went into the local Ford dealer to buy a base truck. The sales guy told me the model I wanted didn't exist, so I went to the next town and ordered one there. I got it serviced at the first dealer and made a point of showing it to the salesman the first time I took it in.

I had a brand new 2010 F150 as a company truck last year. It was the most basic model they could find on a lot - short bed, regular cab, the only option package it had was one that combined cruise control, power windows and a cd player with audio input jack. It still had manual cloth bench seat and rubber lined floors with the small V8. That was a fantastic truck and the only part of the job I miss.

Dodge has that new workman model that's a stripper model 1500 with a Hemi 2WD or 4WD.

I think they start around $25k.

This one works

http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/2011/1500_express/

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: Dodge has that new workman model that's a stripper model 1500 with a Hemi 2WD or 4WD. I think they start around $25k.

Tradesman starts at 21k.

Specd out the way I want it's 23k.

Bastards.

E: apparently the price bumped up a grand since I last drooled over it.

In reply to Grizz:

Still, for a full size truck that's cheap as hell.

That's not a full size, that's a half ton

You can get a Ram 2500 with vinyl interior, a stick, a regular cab and an 8' bed - and even a turbo diesel if you're serious. Lots of real work trucks around here, although most of them tend to be 4WD (so you can get to the job site in mud season) and four door (so you can actually have enough guys with you to work).

For what though, 10k more on the price?

The Cummins is a $7200 option, total $36k. Buying a 3/4 ton with a gas engine is kinda foolish.

I dunno, I had a 95 with a 360, never had much issue doing anything and still managed to get 18 highway out of it.

How did it do towing a two-car trailer over a 10,000' pass? Around here, gas is for the show trucks and diesel is for the work trucks. I've tried towing a trailer about half the weight up one of our mountains using an F250 with a big gas engine (460?) and it was hurting hard.

Ah, I never really towed with mine besides pulling things out of ditches and stuff like that. Didn't really need a 3/4 ton, but I was 19 and the truck was mine for 3500.

my mom's boyfriend bought an 06 Chevy work truck from a farmer a few months ago.. it's a basic refrigerator white 5.3 powered 4X4 regular cab long box with manual windows and locks, am/fm/cd stereo, rubber floor mat, cloth seats with center console, manual shift transfer case, and 3.73 gears with a posi out back. it even came with the bulged out HD hood stock. it would be the perfect newer truck if they didn't have that stupid fly by wire throttle body setup and if it was a 3/4 ton with a 6.0.