US pickup truck buyers demanding more luxury

ABC News ^ | October 12, 2017 | Dee-Ann Durbin, Automotive Writer, The Associated Press

[867V309]

“demanding more luxury” ha. make a quality pickup with stick shift, no gps or black box, rollup windows or fakebook at a realistic price and it would break sales records.

[Ken H]

You need training before soloing on one of those things!

[Ken H]

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Agree!

[867V309]

wow! cheap dull chrome plated plastic and chinese lcds! Here’s my 10 year indebtedness!

[Drew68]

“demanding more luxury” ha. make a quality pickup with stick shift, no gps or black box, rollup windows or fakebook at a realistic price and it would break sales records.

They do. They're called "fleet trucks" and most dealers sell them.

[Blue Jays]

"...luxury trucks..."

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Sounds fine by me. People are free to spend money as they wish. I enjoy well-appointed vehicles, too.

[867V309]

They do. They're called "fleet trucks" and most dealers sell them.

I know, that's where the profit is. Just like corporate jacking of seats at sports events. No place for real people anymore.

[867V309]

People are free to spend money as they wish.

Not when car makers only make high-priced vehicles.

[Flick Lives]

... But that’s what American truck buyers increasingly want, spending an average of $46,844 on a pickup,

—

Please tell me that’s not the real average people spend for a new truck. That’s insane.

[wally_bert]

How many people can drive a manual now?

I have one of maybe little over half dozen manual Tacomas in the SE.

[kearnyirish2]

In my area (northeast NJ, a dozen miles west of NYC) stickshifts are just impractical; you’d have arthritic wrists/elbows by the time you’re 24.

[kearnyirish2]

They are the new cars for a post-family America (or modern family, with one child and one dog); they have the passenger cab of a sedan with the added functionality of the bed.

[867V309]

How many people can drive a manual now?

Right. And it's a real shame it takes an hour or two to learn.

[867V309]

In my area (northeast NJ, a dozen miles west of NYC) stickshifts are just impractical; you’d have arthritic wrists/elbows by the time you’re 24.

snowflake.

sure glad we didn't need you in the Battle of the Bulge.

[Boomer]

For under $300 I had a nice double din with 7” display with GPS, Stereo, DVD player, MP3 player, and back up camera installed in my older model F150 Supercrew. While they are nice to have; it didn’t add $50k to the value of the truck.

The moral of the story is find an older King Ranch or Lariat (or whatever is equivalent in GM or other brands) and just add a few of these newer tech items for much less than you might think.

For another $52 I added a TPMS to monitor the air pressure in all the tires. They have the vale stem screw on type and the type the tire installer has to install with the tire off. The latter is better if you live somewhere people like to steal anything not nailed down.

Add some decals, stripes, or pin striping if the paint job is still good and you have a new-to-you truck. All for under $600 or so depending on how crazy you go with the decal or pin striping stuff.

[piasa]

People are insanely in debt and getting in deeper...

[kearnyirish2]

No, I’m just a practical person. Having ridden in sticks when I was younger, it is safe to say they have no purpose in an area with so much congestion. Kinda like owning a motorcycle here - too much traffic and bad weather for riding.

You wouldn’t have to worry about me at the Bulge; I wouldn’t have fought to relieve the Axis pressure on Stalin.

[piasa]

I don’t think I’d want to get into a $47,000 truck with what is usually clinging to my shoes.

Unless a Democrat owns the truck...