Sticker shock....!!!

[JDgreen227]

Read a feature story on the new 2015 Suburban in Motor Trend this morning...it said a loaded LTZ 4WD would have a sticker price of $71,385....for a HALF TON model. Back in early Y2K I paid $34,830 for a 3/4 ton Yukon XL SLT with every possible factory option. I was earning $18.26 an hour back then and I thought that was good money...but it truthfully baffles me how the average Joe today is going to able to afford a new truck that costs close to $71,000 after tax even with a GM discount. Oh, just so you know how I old I must be...back in '71 when I got my first full time job, my first new set of wheels was a '73 Nova...only $3185 out the door. I wanted the loaded Suburban they had on the floor but that was $5380...out of my price range.

My biased opinion is that GM loads up new vehicles with features like Forward Collision Alert, Front Automatic Braking, Front/Rear Park Assist, Side Blind Zone Alert with Lane Change Alert, Glass Breakage Sensors, Interior Motion Sensors, Magnetic Ride, etc, etc, etc. to justify jacking up the sticker prices. And it's not just GM that adds more and more useless redundant trouble prone electronic crap that a careful driver will never really need. I'm going to run my Y2K model into the ground.

Thanks for listening.

 

[orezok]

I've come to realize that the major manufacturers have abandoned the middle class. Many of them are going "upscale" with products that only the rich can afford and they can double or triple their profits by doing this. Yes they probably sell less, but overall profits go up and there are less warranties to worry about.

Try and buy a basic appliance anymore. They are not available, only those with a lot of bling!

 

[schmism]

sounds like the classic mark it up to mark it down.

those that can pay and want a new fancy truck will show up on day one and pay 70K..... 8 months later there will be 15K in incentives plus rebates plus loyity blabla bla.... then your 70K sticker truck leaves the lot for 45K and OMG I SAVED 25K!

 

[fordmantpw]

$71k is a bit steep for a Suburban. But, as you mentioned, it has a LOT of goodies. Now, take some (most) of those goodies off and I'm sure you can get one for a decent price.

Manufacturers produce loaded vehicles because that's what people want. If you want a less loaded model, buy one. They don't ALL come with all those electronic goodies.

And if you look, my guess is that there are fewer problems with the electronic "crap" than there is with the mechanical stuff. Electronics are not normally "trouble prone".

 

[schmism]

Electronics are not normally "trouble prone".

1) you must have never owned a BMW
2) you must not provide "tech support" for the elderly parents.
3) these electronic devices that are not normally trouble prone must never be thrown away.... oh wait

An estimated 50 million tons of E-waste are produced each year. The USA discards 30 million computers each year and 100 million phones are disposed of in Europe each year.

 

[fordmantpw]

1) you must have never owned a BMW

No, I haven't. And since BMW has such a very small % of the market, even if every single BMW has electronic issues (which they don't) my theory still holds.

2) you must not provide "tech support" for the elderly parents.

Actually, I do. Incapable users is not the same as trouble prone equipment.

3) these electronic devices that are not normally trouble prone must never be thrown away.... oh wait

Which of the devices in your quote is found in cars from the factory (by computers, they are referring to PC's/laptops, not PCM's in cars, which would be there without all the electronic gadgetry)? And what does the waste have to do with being trouble free? Seriously, that statement is grasping. We also use coal to fire power plants, fuel to travel with, etc. That's all waste, correct? The whole waste issue is a complete different subject than electronics being trouble free and cars costing too much.

 

[Rustyiron]

$71k is not too bad.......IF IT LAST'S 30 YEARS!:laughing:

 

[Toddao]

In 1984 my 3/4 suburban was $16K, my 1994 1500 was $29K , the 2002 was $42k, at one time had both the 94 & 2002 in the garage. Then gas when over $4.00 a gallon. Loved those rolling living rooms

 

[Toddao]

Those prices is what I Ipad , not sticker

 

[JDgreen227]

In 1984 my 3/4 suburban was $16K, my 1994 1500 was $29K , the 2002 was $42k, at one time had both the 94 & 2002 in the garage. Then gas when over $4.00 a gallon. Loved those rolling living rooms

Had I known gas was going to be $4 a gallon 10 years after I purchased my Yukon (it was about 99 cents a gallon then) I probably would not have bought it.

 

[newbury]

$71k is a bit steep for a Suburban. But, as you mentioned, it has a LOT of goodies. Now, take some (most) of those goodies off and I'm sure you can get one for a decent price.

Manufacturers produce loaded vehicles because that's what people want. If you want a less loaded model, buy one. They don't ALL come with all those electronic goodies.

And if you look, my guess is that there are fewer problems with the electronic "crap" than there is with the mechanical stuff. Electronics are not normally "trouble prone".

I think mfg load them up with all the goodies and often bundle a "needed" option in with other stuff that is rarely desired. You want the tow package? It only comes with the parachute deployment system.

Also a lot of people buy "off the lot". I tend to order it how I want it, and wait a few months.

Had I known gas was going to be $4 a gallon 10 years after I purchased my Yukon (it was about 99 cents a gallon then) I probably would not have bought it.

If I had known fuel was only going to double in price I would have bought my powerstroke in 2004.

I expected to be pushing $8/gallon by now.

 

[CLinton_in_FL]

Who the heck wants to afford a new vehicle? I have better things to spend money on, or I save it. That is why I have a 2005, 2002, and 1995 vehicles with no plans to replace any of them. If I did get a "new" car, I would get a 2007 or 2008 model year. Why? My bank will still finance it and it is cheap compared to a new one!

 

[Citydude]

They have to pay back us taxpayers somehow....

 

[ultrarunner]

No, I haven't. And since BMW has such a very small % of the market, even if every single BMW has electronic issues (which they don't) my theory still holds.

BMW sold 1.66 million cars last year... more than Mercedes and Audi with market share growing every year.

Carmaker BMW keeps luxury top spot with record 2013 sales | Business | The Guardian


With all the money pumped into the economy... it is only a matter of time for inflation to hit in my opinion.

 

[check]

One thing about the Ford F150s is that they have been relatively inexpensive for quite some time now. I bought my 2010 F150 super crew XLT 4 x 4 with a fair amount of goodies, and the price was $28,000. That is, before I put a bunch of crap on it then I really wanted but didn't need. Even so, that only took the price up to 31,000 something.

That is very cheap for a fairly well-equipped, heavy duty vehicle that tows some 9400 pounds.

 

[RollingsFarms]

Oh trust me I know what sticker shock is all about! Trucks are insane these days! So are used ones! I still can't believe I bought a $45000 truck. I looked and looked and looked at used but just never found what I was looking for at a price I was willing to pay. Don't get me wrong I am happy as can be with my 2014 Z71 but it ain't no $45k truck by no means. At least not in my opinion. This truck should cost at most $38-39 TOPS. Maybe I'm just a cheap son of a gun.lol

 

[fordmantpw]

I think mfg load them up with all the goodies and often bundle a "needed" option in with other stuff that is rarely desired. You want the tow package? It only comes with the parachute deployment system.

Also a lot of people buy "off the lot". I tend to order it how I want it, and wait a few months.

Agreed. Load 'em up for all of the impulse buyers. I normally order my vehicles as well. We generally keep ours for a long time, so I want to get it exactly the way I want it.

 

[fordmantpw]

BMW sold 1.66 million cars last year... more than Mercedes and Audi with market share growing every year.

Carmaker BMW keeps luxury top spot with record 2013 sales | Business | The Guardian

Like a said, a small % of the total.

In 2011 the last year for statistics there were 59,929,016 cars produced and sold. In 2012 that will top 60 million

And I'm sure the numbers have gone up since then.

How many cars are sold worldwide in a year

 

[flusher]

I like to look at the new cars/trucks at my local Ford dealer when I get my 2009 Focus serviced.
Lately, I never bother to check the window sticker. Too depressing.

 

[Ken45101]

And if you look, my guess is that there are fewer problems with the electronic "crap" than there is with the mechanical stuff. Electronics are not normally "trouble prone".

Our '96 Blazer needed a new fuel pump. $600, just for the part. Fancy electronics included.

The brakes were acting up on it, probably the ABS controller. That was $1300 just for the electronics box.

The engine and tranny were just fine. But "what next?" We traded it.

I get a chuckle out of the "lifetime mechanical warranty" that some were offering. It's not the mechanical parts that cause the problems anymore, it's the expensive electronics.

As for new vehicle prices, every time I go past the Chevy dealer, I want to stop in and see what the sticker is for diesel/Allison C3500. I'm guessing it's astronomical. We paid $43K for ours in 2007. I don't think I will every be buying a new one again.

As for the old days, I paid $2068 out the door for my 1968 Dodge Dart My ex paid a bit over $3K for her 1967 Camaro (first year of production, good car, we kept it for 13 years.)