What’s your thoughts on the truck market

[JExpedition07]

Particularly for trucks. I was looking at sales of the F-150 over the last 20 years, and I know Ford touts #1 selling vehicle in USA. However compared to the late 90s and early 2000’s they are selling anywhere between 150,000 to 200,000 less units annually today than 20 years ago. Are the price hikes worth it? How many people now just throw their hands up and don’t buy? I feel like we are hitting that point. They are down on sales by 100,000-200,000 units or more annually depending what year you utilize from the early 2000’s and the msrp trend is astounding on the F-Series. I don’t see this as sustainable.

Seeing the Tremor reviews that launched this week and the stickers got my mind thinking. They were all $80,000 or more and they are mid level half ton trucks!

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[Etl330]

Yup I need a truck and I can’t bring myself to do it. Pair that with the abysmal dealer experience and I may just skip it.

 

[Buyer2021]

I think 'trim-level feature bloat' has some bearing on the crazy F150 XLT curve on that graph.

For example, my still-owned 2005 XLT should be compared to a current base XL to begin to approach feature-parity (and even then, the current XL is 'loaded' compared to that older XLT).

Not saying that's good or bad but IMO it makes these sorts of trim-specific comparisons very difficult.

That notwithstanding IMO there's no question that the cost of vehicles is trending crazy of late (I don't doubt that Ford trucks are leading that trend), and that's doubtless has an impact on new-vehicle sales (trending down) and owner-retention of older vehicles (trending up).

Frankly, I'm stunned at the number of posts on this forum by owners of relatively 'young' trucks trading for new / chasing the latest trims and minor upgrades . Good for them, I suppose they're 'doing their part to boost the economy' .

 

[dmeyer302]

I don't think the comparison to Camry is valid here. The price tracks Camry right up until about 2000. Think about how much F-150 has moved upmarket in that time period, while Camry has stayed the same mid level sedan it always was.

It's a conversation about buyer habits, not some kind of price gouging conspiracy on Ford's part.

• H-D 2000
• SuperCrew 2001
• King Ranch 2001
• Platinum 2009
• Raptor 2010
• Limited 2013

 

[jhelrey]

My 2011 had leather, power fold mirrors, etc. Can't touch that in a 2021 unless you snag a Lariat or a Platinum. That to me is BS!

 

[Bossharp]

I have a 2024 Regular Cab XL short bed on order with Granger. On regular cabs short bed trucks especially XL's I know over the last 3-4 years there has been price increases but for 2024 with what is now 'standard' equipment like the 3.73 locker hitch 5.0 ect it seems to me that percentage wize it's not near as high as extended cabs and all higher trims. Not that it's a loss leader by any means but Chevy still offers one and Ram had one up to 2022. So I think Ford held price increases lower for that configuration so not to lose market share for that segment.
Virtually everything standard this year I would have checked off and ordered. So for me I consider the 2024 a good buy.. But I'm in that rare category that only wants a regular cab with a V-8. In the long bed the new regular cab the 5.0 is a hefty option. A comparable 2023 with Sync 4 and the other options the 2024 has standard (at least in a short bed) the price is close. How you speck out any extended truck makes a huge difference but for desirable options Ford now forces you to go way up in trim levels.

 

[Old Hat]

I'm fine with the truck market. Buyers are free to buy whatever they want, or refuse to buy new trucks all together. Manufactures are free to attempt to maximize profits by offering whatever they see fit. There's plenty of competition out there to keep them in check on price and offerings. What's not to like?

It's a conversation about buyer habits, not some kind of price gouging conspiracy on Ford's part.

Well said.

 

[Bigguy214]

I am going to be getting a new truck in about 6 months or so and have been building online and looking at dealers websites for in stock trucks.The prices are really getting insane.I never thought you could have an xlt at over 70k sticker.But it isn’t just Ford it all car manufacturers.The used prices on trucks have tanked and you really lose when you drive a new one off the lot.

 

[gagliano7]

All the truck prices are way overpriced. The one thing I like about ford is you can get the XL their cheapest model and still get the 5.0 engine. Try that with GM and you can only get the 4 cylinder turbo on there cheap model. You can order a f150 XL 4x4 Screw for just a little over $50000.

 

[Samson16]

Today’s F-150 is an amazing vehicle though and still a value in today’s market. This is my first one, but put the mpg, ride quality, power, and utility up against a 2012 model and it’s likely no contest. 62k is a lot of money but I own a lot of truck.

Oh, and I consider any “new” vehicle purchase a luxury item to some extent.

 

[GypsyDanger]

I stick to used/lease trade ins. I often go on the site and build a truck and immediately exit out once I see the price and estimated payments lol

 

[Bossharp]

As my 2015 Honda Fit I bought new got closer to 100K miles and the extended warranty comes closer to ending I started thinking about something new. I've always liked Classic cars especially convertibles so I seriously started looking for one. I'm 70 no garage and physically challenged (loss of use L arm partial L leg) ,so I knew I had to find one in good shape. I almost bought a 1967 Imperial convertible. I was surprised by the cost of ANY good condition classic. Especially single cab trucks!
I set a limit of 50 grand out the door. And didn't want to spend that much. And since repairs are so much I wanted a warranty. No matter what the TV add says it is difficult to find any new vehicle under 40K OTD. Luckily for me a RCSB fits my needs in a vehicle. I don't tow don't off road or have to deal with snow. I don't care about heated seats or steering wheel. But a V-8 big screens and safety tech does. I can budget a payment but not big repair bills. I think the truck market IS overpriced mainly because my disability pension has not kept up with inflation. If it had I might feel differently. I feel like it's only going to get worse and I'm really glad I ordered a 'cheep' F-150..

 

[Jubilation T. Cornpone]

In my opinion we are already in a recession, at least in regard to new vehicle purchases. Disposable wealth has been severely eaten into for necessities and when you combine that with very high new truck prices I suspect that vehicles will be piling up at the dealerships.

 

[Tall Tail]

Regulations and emission targets play a role in the price. It's likely that truck buyers are subsidizing smaller more fuel efficient car buyers. I wonder if Fords profit on the F150 has changed over time?
One would expect the cost of technology to decrease over time, so greater technology could be offered at the same or lower price (e.g., phones, TVs, etc.).

Ultimately, price and what is offered comes down to supply and demand issues. I don't see construction contractors switching to sedans any time soon.

 

[SumGuy]

Companies, like Ford, have delved deep into the buying habits of their customers and figured out exactly how to extract the most dollars for each buying segment. Meaning the reason we are seeing some standard features move into higher trims or only with certain packages is because they know buyers of those options will pay more just for those features. For me this was the best lighting option. I had to go platinum or lariat 502a high, in order to get the headlights I wanted, which was like an $8k addon.

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