Who's got a new truck ?

[Jim Ziegler]

I buy a new Ram every 3 years. Usually trade them in with 35 to 40,000 miles on them. I always keep them super clean and get great trade ins on them. It costs me right around 20,000 difference so it basically costs me 7000 a year to drive a brand new truck. I like the heated leather seats and steering wheel along with the in bed back up camera, it makes hooking up a gooseneck a breeze!
My trucks always have some kind of big trailer behind them and you cannot beat the newer diesels for pulling. Period!

 

[nettle]

The bed in a Z28 won't carry much!

I have a 20 acre farm with horses, goats, and cows. I have found it far cheaper to pay someone to haul things than to bear the high costs of trucks these days. I like pickup trucks. Owned them for 30 straight years. Trailers for them also. The cost of a new truck these days takes too much away from other things in our lives we enjoy more.

 

[jds holler]

And for being tough, the new stuff doesn't hold a candle to trucks of old.
This pic is the morning after the night before, when I drove straight off of this cut-bank in the dark. (cross country, no road) Where that fresh dirt is, is where the truck spent the night with the front end stabbed down into the creek-bed -- rear wheels still up on top. The rig was damned near vertical, and my home made front bumper literally saved the front end.

I was by myself, and it took about half a day to dig, jack, pray -- over and over. Had to clear out under the front end until the front wheels could get traction and pull it off the bank. I finally had success, and was pretty amazed at the lack of damage.

Try this admittedly stupid stunt with one of today's "trucks" and -- I bet you wouldn't drive away like I did. jd

 

[Aeon]

6 months on my f250, ho 6.7 turbo diesel. 20mpg and can pull a freight train

 

[dave@aDave]

I'm looking for a Newer pickup than my 2012 chevy. I've been a chevy guy all my life. I have had this pickup since 2014 and really agitated how cheap chevy went with inside door panels.lol
I know alot of yall travel and I'm looking for a truck with comfortable seating and quite in cab ride.
I don't want none of these turbo trucks.. just a 8 cylinder.
Year model 2021 to 2024

The last time I looked, you can get a Ford F150 with the 302/5.0 V-8. It has less horsepower than the smaller turbo engines, but you can wait until the warranty is out. There a lot of Ford and aftermarket add-ons to get what you want.

 

[Dave M.]

I'm not trying to argue or anything but I find it hard to believe that a $70k(cheap side evidently) sticker price truck cost $63k to build. If it does its time to get rid of the full size tv in the console, heated seats, steering wheel, adjustable pedals, 47 speaker surround sound stereos, etc, etc, etc. I'm not saying you cant have them models. I'm saying they will sell a lot more of the ones with a motor, floor shifted 4wd, automatic trans or manual, with power windows locks and ac. No more than $40K and I think thats too much. I don't think a truck should cost more than your house. I also don't think a brand new Bat, Borden etc. should cost $2k+. Just saying rant over!

Sure sounds like you are trying to argue with what I said. I’ll just leave it at that, but I have no reason to lie to you, and I’ve been with Ram trucks for 30 years.

 

[Dave M.]

Truck were cheap because they didn’t have all
the bells and whistles. I still look for the model with the least amount of furniture.

^^^^^^ BINGO

 

[jpjulian]

Yeah if a person spends a little time with the manufacturers build tool other than moving from gas to diesel nearly all the extra cost is inside the cab and for wants not needs.

Yesterday I priced both Chevy 2024 and GMC 2025 starting with a base 3500 4x4, lowest was $49k/52k add diesel +$10k which is almost exactly what it was in 2016. I went to crewcab LB 3500 4x4 diesel and added the things I really wanted which was quite a few of the bells/whistles for towing/safety and ended up <$71k for each. So no leather, heated everything, infotainment out the backside, etc. But otherwise pretty loaded. They were each only few thousand more than I paid for my 2016 Denali 3500 and sure not nearly the creature comforts / bling, but I still get all the stuff that makes it a usable and comfortable truck.

Here's the Sierra 3500 I worked up. The Silverado was roughly the same options and maybe $2k less.
'https://www.gmc.com/byo-vc/tiny/Sh4tAhw5I8GE'

Still pricey, but a long ways from the $80-110k trucks which cost 15-55% more just for the bling! (same chassis, engine, body).

Here's the rip-off rub: I checked dealer inventory, same price but no diesel, or many of the packages I added. Based on that build sheet, appears the dealers are doing a huge markup.

Nice truck. I'd have to have a dually though....... as is my 2015 F-350

 

[Aeon]

Pretty much any truck besides a raptor r should be sold at invoice now... The market has shifted a, lot.

 

[urbanrifleman]

Sure sounds like you are trying to argue with what I said. I’ll just leave it at that, but I have no reason to lie to you, and I’ve been with Ram trucks for 30 years.

When I was at International truck, we had the highest markup in the industry of heavy truck. 5%. Almost double that of Ford at the time. Of that, only about a half of percent was labor. The rest of the cost was the parts themselves. I know this because the CEO told us this, when they told us they wanted a 3 percent cut in the cost of the truck.

We told him if all the people in assembly came to work for free we still couldn't hit their number. They just wanted to send our jobs to Mexico. It had zero to do with labor costs.

Yah, these are dealer markups. Post covid war profiteering.

 

[Tesoro]

Here's a few of the trucks I've owned back in my "real truck days".
When I got done using these, there usually wasn't much left of them. But by God they did real truck stuff while they lived. As a matter of fact, a typical weekend would prolly cost a thousand bucks worth of devaluation on one of todays "trucks".

View attachment 1616500
View attachment 1616501
Oh, and by the way, this is what we used to call Land Cruisers.
View attachment 1616502
The yellow one was my dream machine back when I couldn't afford one. But NO gun rack??

 

[Tesoro]

As it is Christmas morning, here is a Christmas story lol: I had built a one of a kind 3rd gen Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 about 10 yrs ago. I quit counting when passed 80k dollars not miles! It had literally everything modded or beefed up and wrapped in a real custom paint job. And then I decided to sell it and of course at a loss. I placed ads on west coast craigs lists and received the requisite inital flood of calls from dealers and gypsies. And then a fellow, who worked hourly maintenance at his local southern Cal sheriff office, called and told me he he just wanted to tell me that was the nicest 'Cummins' he had ever seen, congratulating me on the build and that this too would be his dream build but no way he could ever afford it. As he was just about to hang up the phone I asked him how much could he 'afford'? He told me he might be able to scrape up 20k but then he would have to buy a plane ticket plus trip expense etc and time off work so no way. And then I told him Merry Christmas. I flew him up and will never forget his expression when he first saw the truck when I picked him up at the airport. It has been 10 years and I still get pics and updates texted to me! This pic is when he was ready to leave for his 12 hr drive home.

 

[butchlambert]

Dually trucks suck in the mud!

 

[Steve Donlon]

Dually trucks suck in the mud!

They are worse on an ice covered road with an empty bed in 2 or 4 wheel drive. I know from years of experience driving in the mountains in winter. Just down shifting can throw you sideways.

 

[danny]

When I see the prices of these pieces of dog doo doo, I am so glad I hate trucks and would never have one.

Danny

 

[brokeasajoke]

Dually trucks suck in the mud!

Facts.

They are worse on an ice covered road with an empty bed in 2 or 4 wheel drive. I know from years of experience driving in the mountains in winter. Just down shifting can throw you sideways.

Also facts. Wet grass isn't much better, but boy it's so much nicer pulling a trailer with a dually.

 

[kberch]

My son has had a landscaping and snow removal business for 10 years. He has always run Fords. Started with F250s and recently moved up to a 2022 F350. He has put over 300000 miles on with no serious engine or trannie issues. He is very fussy about service as well as under carriage washing because of the liquid salt mixture used here in WI. He especially likes the roominess in his trucks.
Also be vigilant of Toyota V8 engine issues. I understand there are lawsuits out and about on these trucks .

 

[jds holler]

As it is Christmas morning, here is a Christmas story lol: I had built a one of a kind 3rd gen Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 about 10 yrs ago. I quit counting when passed 80k dollars not miles! It had literally everything modded or beefed up and wrapped in a real custom paint job. And then I decided to sell it and of course at a loss. I placed ads on west coast craigs lists and received the requisite inital flood of calls from dealers and gypsies. And then a fellow, who worked hourly maintenance at his local southern Cal sheriff office, called and told me he he just wanted to tell me that was the nicest 'Cummins' he had ever seen, congratulating me on the build and that this too would be his dream build but no way he could ever afford it. As he was just about to hang up the phone I asked him how much could he 'afford'? He told me he might be able to scrape up 20k but then he would have to buy a plane ticket plus trip expense etc and time off work so no way. And then I told him Merry Christmas. I flew him up and will never forget his expression when he first saw the truck when I picked him up at the airport. It has been 10 years and I still get pics and updates texted to me! This pic is when he was ready to leave for his 12 hr drive home.View attachment 1616692

Now that is a nice Christmas story. You'd better be careful, or folks might start thinking that you're a great guy.
Merry Christmas! jd

 

[jds holler]

Soooo, that yeller Ford pictured above was a 1976. Back then, the bare bones model of them went for about $5700. That was 3/4 ton, 4x4, 360 CID, -- about the only frill was power steering. (power assist)
At that time I was making about $6.50 an hour, and gas was pretty horrible, at around 50 some cents a gallon.

Was I better off then, or now?? I sure do miss those trucks. jd

 

[RCE1]

I'm still driving the F-250 4x4 7.3L diesel that I bought 3 weeks after the airplanes flew into the World Trade Center. I've never regretted buying it and after updating the stereo to a CarPlay unit that supports touch screen and a backup camera, I don't feel the need for anything more. I remember it was $40k, but it's proven to have been a good investment. It seemed like a lot of money at the time, however.