Have Pick Ups Always Been this Expensive?

I'm trying to wrap my head around why a pick up truck routinely costs 60-80K

If I go back to 1995 when my sister bought her F150 it was 19K, which equates to 39K now and that's not really our of line with what new cars cost.

Bare bones models are at least 45K and most folks I know are spending near 60K. Contrast this with a Miata which were around 14K in 1990 that equates to 32K now, which is what new Miatas are selling for. 

It seems to me that the manufacturers and dealers are piling on the options to drive up the cost (not a new concept to the business).

So it it a case of trucks are the new status symbol, so they are marked up accordingly, or have trucks always been a lucrative profit center?

theoretically a base model f150 starts at 35k but good luck actually making that happen in reality. I've been looking at Tundras lately which start at 36k according to the internet, but they don't seem to exist without all the options and the cheapest one in my area is 65k. They just don't seem to actually make base model trucks except for fleet vehicles

As a kid, our farm trucks were always cheaper than many cars, but those trucks were bare-bones working trucks and not the fully-loaded Gucci Editions that are demanded by the suburban cowboys over the last several decades. 
Quite often, demand increases price.  And manufacturers have the data to show they can sell every one of those chrome-wheeled, leather covered and massaging seats,  lifted quad cabs that never go off road and spend their time "hauling air" to and from the kid's school and Whole Foods.

Perceived status symbols have a price.  And those who actually need/use a truck for more than commuting have to pay an inflated amount.

Just an opinion.  Feel free to disagree.

so for those of us that want a relatively new tow vehicle, whats the best option? seems like buying used is a false economy right now because you're getting a truck with 100k miles on it, but paying nearly the same as a new one. Do i have to bite the bullet and cash out my retirement for something new?

If you can score a bare bones Fleet Model you can get the lowest price.  But that price is still dragged upward by the luxury truck buyers.

Could always use the configuration program on the website, but I don't know the disconnect building one there and actually buying it. I just know a few years ago, like 2019, I was able to build an extended cab 4wd f250 work truck for under $40k when I was trying to prove a point to someone. 

In reply to Tom1200 :

Given size and capability expansion over time, IMHO, the '95 F150 you speak of is closer to a modern Ranger than the current F150.  Or at least in between the Ranger and the current F150.  The 2.3L Turbo makes quite a bit more power than a '95 5.0l.

And a Miata has not really grown at all, just adding some performance with more power.

In reply to RevRico :

That would be good, but I feel almost like they'll try to bait and switch with fees and markups or something. Has anyone here actually configured and bought a truck like that? I'd be interested in hearing someones experience

gixxeropa said:

so for those of us that want a relatively new tow vehicle, whats the best option? seems like buying used is a false economy right now because you're getting a truck with 100k miles on it, but paying nearly the same as a new one. Do i have to bite the bullet and cash out my retirement for something new?

This is tough; when I was buying trucks I always bought on price and then bought the best one at my price point. 

In 2007 I bought a 1990 E250 Campervan, which we currently still use. I had the transmission rebuilt and the AC fixed. I'm into it for 9K. If the motor blows up I will replace it (a long block is only $2500).

To me mileage is unimportant given well cared for trucks will routinely do 250-300K. Because I drive the tow vehicle so few miles annually it would take me 20 years to put 100K on the truck.

In my area I can buy an immaculate 20-25 year old pick for 8-12K. Yes it will have 150K on it but if the motor goes kablamo I can replace it for 4-5K tops.

Yes, the new trucks are more comfortable but I'm never driving one more than 6 hours. 

Trucks have large margins. That's why you can also get significant discounts near the end of the month or model year end. I bought my Canyon for $36K OTD when it would have been $42K at full MSRP. Timing is crucial if you want to find a deal.

Edit: My local Ford dealer has F-150s from $39,700, less if you qualify for A or Z plan.

I'm at cars.com looking at new only F-150's withing 150 miles of Wichita (where I live) and there's a pile of them at $40k.  RWD, looks like the 2.7 twin turbo V6 is in some of them, nearly all of them are white, mix of alloy and steel wheels.  

In reply to Tom1200 :

That's basically what I'm doing. 2010 f150 with 185k right now. But it's starting to have issues and I've found myself passing up on opportunities because I don't want to end up stranded 1000 miles from home with a trailer. So I'm looking at newer trucks for peace of mind, but I definitely don't wanna pay 40k for a truck that has 100k on it already

In reply to alfadriver :

Very true; but how many of us actually need that much truck. 

I still feel like the manufactures are building bigger because status symbol buyers are all about Johnson waving "look at me,  my truck does more". The TV Ads for the trucks sure seem to cater to those buyers. 

There are 13 houses on my Cul-de-sac and there are 11 pickups plus my van. 3 of us actually tow things. I'm towing 1500-2400lbs, my neighbor tows a par of water craft (1500-200lbs?) and the guy at the top of the block has a wrought iron welding business so his 1 ton dually is actually the only one being used to the fullest.  The other 9 trucks are decoration.

Kudos to the manufacturers for spotting the trend and capitalizing on it but I have a tough time wrapping my head around it.

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

This reminds me, I hate white trucks and black vehicles in general (awful to keep clean). I never see trucks on the dealer lot in bright colors, even if they're an option, just grayscale. I just want a fun color pls 

In reply to Tom1200 :

So that makes me wonder what the cheapest new vehicle with a 5k or 7.5k pound towing capacity is? I'd prefer some storage on the outside but that's not a necessity, so I could deal with a smaller suv or something

In reply to gixxeropa :

Me personally I'd go through the existing truck; compression test, oil analysis etc. and replace anything that might be suspect, regardless of whether it's injectors or the tranny.

In reply to gixxeropa :

I bought a white truck just because it rarely needs washing, and it's parked outside all the time.

Colors drives the general base price up to about $43k.  Almost worth it to just buy a white one and have it wrapped?

In reply to Tom1200 :

Might be what I do, I know it at least needs new cats to pass emissions. I really don't like working on my truck, feels the same as repairing a washing machine to me honestly, just time I'd rather spend on a different project

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

Yeah probably, especially since they don't make an f150 in purple lol

It is called capitalism.  Charge the most you can to make the most profit.  When gas was expensive economy cars were expensive and big cars were cheap.  When gas got reasonable again it flipped.  When SUVs became hot margins went up.  Pickups have been the thing for a while now and the margins keep increasing until they aren't the thing.  For most of us a truck is like work boots, when you need them you use them.  But in my neighborhood if you don't have at least one truck you don't count.  And no one ever carries anything in them!

gixxeropa said:

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

This reminds me, I hate white trucks and black vehicles in general (awful to keep clean). I never see trucks on the dealer lot in bright colors, even if they're an option, just grayscale. I just want a fun color pls 

Trucks tend to be white if they're work trucks because you can easily just put a logo on the door. And that's another reason trucks are expensive, because they can earn money instead of just cost money. And the longer they last, the more valuable they are.

If you want fun colors, look at the Ram palette. There are some in there that I think are fleet colors, but I know that when I bought mine in 2011 they had at least 2-3 bright yellows alone.

Just got back from towing across the US with a total weight of 20,000 lbs. Some of us do use them to tow :)

In reply to Tom1200 :

To your point about the truck trend. Local ford dealer has 791 vehicles in inventory, 247 of them are F-150s. They're in demand for folks like me that tow infrequently, or not at all. I know it would be cheaper to rent a truck whenever I tow rather than paying what I did, but I bought it anyway. My truck is a pretty pricey convenience.

In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :

with how many times I've gone to uhaul only to be told the truck i reserved actually isn't there, I think owning a truck is essential if you're towing more than a couple times per year

I have $22,000 in cash and equity for my next truck.  A new Silverado WT (4x4 + V8) with tax is $50-$55,000.  

I just hate to borrow $33,000 @ 7% interest.  I could cash out retirement funds but I'd rather not.