Blah Blah "Honest Cheap Pickup Truck."

"Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection" (itsalwayssteve) 04/19/2016 at 11:42 • Filed to: None

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I don’t know why people go off about there no longer being “honest” pickup trucks.

I mean, for less than the median new car purchase price ($33,560) you can get a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! double cab, a V8-powered !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Mileage may vary, but I’ve seen people walk out with $38,000 trucks for under 30k after incentives.

BmanUltima's car still hasn't been fixed yet, he'll get on it tomorrow, honest. > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:47

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Because

“hurr durrr, nothing less than a V8 for me”

Party-vi > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:48

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Honest cheap pickup trucks were from a time when you didn’t buy a pick up to commute to work in - you used it as a truck to haul and tow, not to pick the kids up after school and get on the beltway to your office job. Trucks cost $30k because whiners want heated seats and remote keyless entry in what is supposed to be a tool with wheels.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:49

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In 2001, a friend of mine bought an F150 with no options. No AC, a bench seat, a radio (not even cassette), a stick, and a V6 for something like $13k out the door. He needed a tough simple truck for cheap, he got one, and he still drives the thing. Those trucks simply don’t exist new anymore, at least not in the US.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:54

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It’s because of all of this stuff:

You could knock another $10,000 off the price by selling it without all the gadgetry.

The basic work truck of yore only had a few concessions - a radio and a/c. The seat was a vinyl bench and the floors were rubber mats, both for easy cleaning. The windows were hand-cranked. There was no cruise control. There wasn’t even a tachometer.

Basic. Work. Truck. Easy to drive. Easy to clean. Easy to maintain. No expensive gadgets to break.

mazda616 > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:55

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I have an honest, cheap pickup. It's 21-years-old, though.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 11:57

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And what’s the difference between a $25,000 truck and a $60,000 truck? About $5,000 worth of toys and a hell of a lot of marketing.

Quadradeuce > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:59

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Totally agree. I paid $28K (sticker $36k) for my extended cab V-8 Sierra with 4WD Z71 in 2011. So right under the median price of a new car at the time, which was $30k. And it’s roomy for my 6'5" frame, holds both my kids, and hauls/tows everything I need for work and home. And that’s the thing: trucks these days need to play both roles when the median price of a car is now flirting with $35k.

Here’s the other point: I can’t justify paying for a second vehicle as my DD. It just doesn’t make financial sense with the cost of the vehicle, insurance, registration, etc. Newer trucks get decent gas mileage (my combined mileage flirts with 19-20mpg), so it makes NO sense to buy a second vehicle. Maybe when it hits 150k miles I will retire it to just work duty, but until then it’s my DD.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 11:59

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Get a Sonoma, 5k and easy as all hell to work on!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 12:00

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But at the same time, I think the engineering that goes into those trucks is why they cost as much as they do. Not to make it more comfortable but to make it strong. A stripped F-150 would still have an MSRP in the high 20k range (though OTD you’d pay less I bet) because of how much work went into the frame, and body, and engines for it to do “work”. The interior is a parts bin assembly, essentially. Cheap and easy. The “tool” you want to use still costs a boatload of money to make it a damn good tool.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/19/2016 at 12:00

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I remember washing cars during the summer as a teenager. I was surprised by one neighbor that told me not to spend a lot of time on the inside and to just hose it out. That, my friends, is a work truck.

Birddog > mazda616 04/19/2016 at 12:00

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Same here!

Party-vi > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/19/2016 at 12:02

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I don’t think the engineering cost plays that much of a role in pricing, as pickups have always been high sellers, and sales volume would offset engineering costs, no?

HammerheadFistpunch > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 12:02

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An honest truck is one that does honest work, regardless of price. That being said, it does seem like you can walk away with a pretty capable machine for less that $30,000 these days...which considering inflation and the increased capability of new trucks means you are getting more for your money than ever.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 12:06

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Engineering costs are also reduced by the regulatory climate being far more lenient for light trucks.

Urambo Tauro > mazda616 04/19/2016 at 12:10

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1995 GMC RCLB here! No frills, not even power windows. Ugly as sin, but it gets the job done.

BigBlock440 > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/19/2016 at 12:12

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But that was at a time when luxury cars only had those things as well. Pickup truck appointments have only followed along with the general passenger cars.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 04/19/2016 at 12:13

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I don’t know a base model ram regular cab with a hemi and 6spd auto, including A/C is only $19,999 after rebates here in Canada and I’d say that a superb deal.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 12:13

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Yes and no. I think for the full size market, they continually develop and test and refine and upgrade. The mid sized trucks? Eh, fuck it. Also the materials used in making the trucks tend to be much more substantial than you’d think. I make fun of the ridgeline for having “car leather”. When I worked for a leather company, our “truck leather” for GM was specifically designed to resist being punctured if a screwdriver or wrench was left on a seat and it go sat on. We picked out thicker breeds for cow hides and used higher strength coatings. But since it was for a pickup truck we had some tough price goals to hit despite it being, in my eyes, higher quality than the stuff for buicks and acuras. Granted, we would sell a million yards of it a year so that does help, but at some point the raw material costs don’t get any lower. Sometimes high volumes cause an increase in prices when you have to do overtime and invest in more equipment and whatnot....it’s really hard to point to a single thing and say “this is why it costs so much”.

The simplest explanation is this - trucks cost a fair amount. They have leather and radios with screens because there’s no way the majority of those volume buyers will buy any vehicle without some basic comforts and the interior upgrades are so cheap in comparison.

HammerheadFistpunch > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 12:15

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case in point, this took me 5 minutes to find

http://www.chevrolet.com/2015-silverado…

a 4x4 long bed truck with a v6 that would have been V8 power not long ago for 28 large.

285 hp, 305 lbs-ft, 7400 towing, 1900 lbs payload and 18/24 mpg. Not bad for 28 grand.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 04/19/2016 at 12:32

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Here it’s the Pentastar V6 and ZF 8 speed. No thanks on either of those.

shop-teacher > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 12:36

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You’re not getting a crew cab with heated seats for $30k. Try $45k.

Party-vi > shop-teacher 04/19/2016 at 12:38

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There’s a special spot in automotive hell for the pitchman that suggested building a pickup truck where the bed is shorter than the passenger and engine compartments.

Klaus Schmoll > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 12:39

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Don’t they sell the Italo-Rams or the Transits with a simple bed in the US? That’s what I would call a honest work truck.

Bytemite > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 12:39

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We need a new El Camino.

facw > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 12:49

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I think people just have a hard time coping with inflation. They decide that honest pickup should cost $20,000 or something, but don’t note that $20,000 in 1990 dollars is over $36,000 today.

Shift24 > HammerheadFistpunch 04/19/2016 at 12:55

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Thats the truck alot of people got excited about over the updated LS truck V8s. It’s the basic 4.3L v6 (just with DI) from the 1980s which was basically a 350 V8 with 2 cylinders missing. It’s just a truck that’s it, no leather interior or wifi or any of that excess stuff. Its all you will probably ever need from a truck at half the price.

gawdzillla > Steve is equipped with Electronic Fool Injection 04/19/2016 at 13:00

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heres one for u

not bad for 29k

http://www.carlblackchevybuickgmc.com/VehicleDetails…

HammerheadFistpunch > Shift24 04/19/2016 at 13:07

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I’m a huge fan of that 4.3 Ecotec III engine, I think its strait amazing if you look at the performance curves, size, weight, MPG. It’s frankly amazing. Bonus points that it has two ignition curves one for E10 (285 hp/305 lbs-ft) and one for have E85 (297 hp/330 lbs-ft) I know your mileage would tank with E85, but if you needed that little bit of extra power here and there...sure would be nice to get a 5-7% bump in power with just a fillup. Its conceptually similar to the old 4.3, but its a 100% new engine, btw. Frankly I think that this is the engine the Colorado needs. Less peak hp but SO much meatier in the low and mid range.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > mazda616 04/19/2016 at 13:11

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36 here

shop-teacher > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 13:20

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Haha! I drive one of those you know. It works perfectly for what I do with it. I haul my family, tow our camper, haul copious amounts of building and landscaping supplies for working on our house, or working on others houses as a side job. I will say that the 5'8" bed I have is a wee bit too short, next time I will be getting a 6'6" bed. Those are long enough to haul a 10' board or stick of pipe in the bed without flagging the load.

Now I will agree that the price of trucks has gotten out of hand. My truck is an ‘06 Sierra 1500 crew cab 2wd, I bought it brand new for less then $22k out the door. The closest comparable truck now stickers at nearly $40k. That’s bat-shit-crazy-pants!

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Party-vi 04/19/2016 at 13:28

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And a Harbor Freight ratchet will do everything a Snap-On or Matco ratchet does. So then why buy the Snap-On when you can get a functional tool from HF for way less?

Or do you what smart people do and buy the Snap-On used from someone else who doesn’t want it anymore.

And this is why I have a 316K mile truck that only cost ~$8000

Shift24 > HammerheadFistpunch 04/19/2016 at 13:40

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True it is basically brand new, aluminum and all but the reason I still say that is because I think it is the pinnacle of the 90° V pushrod. Something perfected after 60+ years of being in use.

And it should definitely be in the Colorado/Canyon instead of the 3.6L. And to put things in perspective this is the low grade motor basically making 300 hp/torque. The top of the line 5.7L v8 for the c/k 1500 in 1995 made 190hp and 300 torque....

Dru > shop-teacher 04/19/2016 at 13:59

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I think you could purchase a new version of your truck for around 30K if you worked at it. A dealer here in the area had some steep discounts on Sierras from 2015. I don’t think they were crew cab (not single either, the other one) but they were 4x4. Those were going for 30K. I thought that was a decent deal considering a friend of a friend just bought a 2015 Silverado last year and paid maybe 28-29K for a V6 2wd extra cab.

David Baker > Shift24 04/19/2016 at 13:59

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No, its a completely new engine. 3/4 of a LS engine.

shop-teacher > Dru 04/19/2016 at 15:02

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You could probably get a truck equipped like mine for the low 30's, say $32k to make the math easy. That’s a $10k, or about 40% increase in only 10 years. That’s nuts to me.

Although it’s less nuts if you compare the price to, say, a minivan. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it all. I guess I’m just a crabby old man at heart.

Dru > shop-teacher 04/19/2016 at 15:09

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I think being a crabby old man at heart is quintessential to being Jalop.

shop-teacher > Dru 04/19/2016 at 15:10

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Ha! You may be right :)

Shift24 > David Baker 04/19/2016 at 18:20

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Again “basically brand new” the only thing it’s sharing is the 90° V, where as the LS is 60°, so it might share components but the main part of the engine, the block, is different. It might just be they added 30° to the V from an LS and it is weird they are using 90 but it’s still a throw back to the original Small Block. The 2 valve push rod with 4.4 in bore has been around forever and in a ton of SBs. And if we are getting technical it’s based on the Aluminum head LT motors that are based on the LS motors. But again different block.