Fancy Trucks

[deerefan]

As a simple minded person that tries to lead a simple life, I have been guilty of this a couple times in the past but have since moved on. Now, I know some of you guys are going to crucify me for this, but I need to bring it up. After owning 2 trucks back 2 back w/ full power accessories (windows, locks etc), I bought a used F150 XL 5spd manual ,V-6 engine. While it is no performance superstar towing or acceleration wise, it does what I need it to. Its got a reg cab, rubber floor, cloth seat, am/fm radio and cruise control...thats about it for creature comforts. Now, I know several folks on here own some decked out trucks. My question is simple...why? Not being critical at all...just wondering what drives folks to buy 30k+ trucks w/ heated seats, leather, GPS and so on. I mean, wouldn't the base model do the same job and save you a ton of money upfront and in repairs in the long run? Please, do not take this as me saying my truck is better w/o the frills. I just realized the day I bought my truck that I was becoming too uptight about owning fancy trucks (scratches, dirt). Now, I do take care of my truck, you know, wash, clean maintenance but also don't get too upset w/ dirt and scratches. It'll tow my small trailer w/ 2000# of horse feed no problem. I recently hauled about 1500# of wood in the bed w/ out breaking a sweat. Now, when I'm cruising the lot while my truck is being serviced, I look at XL models on down only. It seems the fancier trucks just get more expensive and extravagant every year. Kind of takes away from it being a "truck". I look forward to hearing everyone's input on this. Just wondering what turns the gears in one's head while buying a truck.

 

[slowrev]

Image ?

 

[deerefan]

good one...that is the best 1 word explanation i've had in a while /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[GeneD14]

There have been times when I enjoyed being able to drive a basic "XL" style truck. It's cheaper, I didn't have to worry able it getting dirty, etc...
Right now I spent about 2 hours per day in my truck driving. So if I have to be cooped up in a cab in traffic for almost 10% of my time I want to at least enjoy myself...why not? It does seem ridiculus to spend $40-$50K on a pick-up. I will say that I really enjoy driving my truck much more than any vehicle that I have ever owned...it is fun. I figure that I have 20-30 years left on this planet why not enjoy it a little. There is no question that the truck is way overkill for my needs but I don't view it as any different than my neighbors having expensive: boats, horses, motorcycles, etc...
I believe many people buy "decked out" trucks because they enjoy them, I think it is that simple. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ruglad03835]

You know if I could afford it I would own a much nicer truck than my 99 F-250 but it does the trick for me. It's basically my weekend truck and I bought it second hand for 4k.I bought it from a customer of mine. It has 307,000 miles on it. The motor was changed just before I bought it. I spend about 1.5 hours a day and am not going to drive it back and forth to work as it only gets 15 mpg. Call me a cheap yankee. I'm happy driving my 96 Chevy Beretta back and forth. It gets 33mpg.

 

[YanmarFever]

deerefan
There is something that means a lot to some folks and that is

YOU ONLY GO THRU LIFE ONCE

I have never seen a hearse with a trailer hitch, so you might as well enjoy that decked out truck in this life. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bird]

David, I bought my first new pickup in 1969; a short and narrow bed 1969 Chevrolet half ton. Optional equipment? A rear bumper and spare tire. Six cylinder, 3-speed manual transmission, no radio, no power anything, not even a cigarette lighter. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif A heater was standard equipment by that time. It was right after the '70 models came out and cost me $1,840 new! I think "image" accounts for a lot of the things people buy, but I now drive pretty well loaded vehicles and it sure isn't for image sake. It's just that I've gotten older and lazier. I think power steering and brakes are standard on everything now, and I like the automatic transmission, especially in the stop and go traffic I have to deal with. I like the cruise control because if I have to go long distances, it's tiring to keep a foot on the pedal. And I really like the power mirrors because I use the mirrors and it's awkward at best to adjust the right side outside mirror if it gets knocked out of adjustment or we change drivers. And in my part of the country, the air-conditioner is more important than the heater. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif So far, no GPS, no heated seats, and no desire to have either. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif But yeah, I have AM-FM, CD in both vehicles, and cassette in one, tilt wheel (that's never changed) in both, power driver's seat in one, not the other, and the keypad on the doors (only locked keys in a car once in my lifetime, but it's another nice convenience).

 

[Shimon]

Well if you got the money you might as well enjoy it. If I had the extra cash I would buy a big 350 CC with all the toys. Heated seats would be nice in the winter. Heated mirrors would also be nice and so would power windows and power locks. You are paying for convenience. But if something breaks it's also more expensive to fix. But if you put up $45k for a truck you (hopefully) should be able to afford the repairs unless you overextended yourself.

But until I get my big cash windfall...I'll keep driving my 85 diesel F250 which is all mechanical. No computers other than the stereo. Which makes home repairs easy.

 

[Shimon]

Speaking of "fancy" trucks...here is one that is over the top (actually I think it's pretty darn ugly).

 

[strokerduster]

david, you promised you wouldn't talk about me anymore. i have the exact truck you do but i do have the one your'e talking about also. it pleases me to drive it and is not a good investment nor intended to be. falls under entertainment to me. sorta like basic tractors and deluxe cab/air cd playin types. i work hard for what i get just like you. it's my bassboat, hunting lease, trip to hawaii, and everything else. i don't consider it a big deal. i know i won't always want something like it. i grew up in la. and i see it to. at least i don't have a 4 wheeler in it. not intended to offend anyone with this. like i've seen said on tbn a few times lately "WHOOO CARES !!!!!!!!) i enjoy your posts....... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Jagmandave]

I think Gene has it, people don't just use their trucks for work anymore, they often are the main vehicle instead of a car, and when you're driving it every day, well people like their creature comforts. As long as it doesn't detract from the usefulness of the truck, what's the harm?

There is a place for both the "work" truck and the "luxury" truck in the greater scheme of things, I think. This is mine....

 

[deerefan]

I knew my fellow TBNers would have good answers. I find it interesting sometimes to see how people think when it comes to "wants" over "needs." Trust me, I WANT an F250 Fx4 decked out, but the simple side of me knows I dont need it. Like a previous poster said, "Enjoy life....never saw a hearse w/ a trailer hitch..." I do agree with that. Definitely live life to the fullest b/c not one second is guaranteed. Please keep the replies coming. Again, I am not looking to stir anything up here, just looking for some good opinions and discussion. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif By the way, the pics here of the trucks shown were nice, especially the stretch limo ford.

 

[Highbeam]

I still drive my half ton chevy with 138000 miles on it and it has depreciated down into the 4 digits. The only things that I think are a really important options are power locks and windows. When I was buying, I bought used of course, the optioned out trucks were not much more than the basic ones and a whole lot more pleasurable to drive. High bang for buck.

 

[ronjhall]

I still like the fancy truck stuff. Bought a new truck every 2 years. Each one with more options than the last. But now that I'm retired I have decided to buy someone else's stuff. Last buy was a 2003 van with as many feature as they put on it.
Heated seats has got to be one of the best fancy extras that they started putting on vehicles other than a Cadillac. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Bird]

Until I moved back to town 3 years ago, I had an '81 F250 that I had bought about 5 years earlier for $2,800 because I occasionally needed something to pull a trailer, and I needed something to drive in pastures and fields. It had power windows, automatic transmission, and air-conditioning and they all worked. It also had cruise control that didn't work and I never figured out why. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif But for most of our running around, we had a Ford Escort that got good gas mileage. When we moved back to town, my wife wanted something bigger than the Escort for when we take our daughters, grandson, etc. with us and because she felt safer in traffic. OK, I traded the Escort for a used 2001 Windstar SE Sport minivan. A year ago, I bought myself a used 2001 Ford Ranger 'cause a fellow needs a pickup occasionally to haul something. And what happens? My wife hasn't driven the Windstar in the past year; she always takes the Ranger (better visibility), so I drive the Windstar. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[froggy]

Check out this one: international

 

[ScottAR]

My philosophy is simple, if one wants a fancy truck, get one...

I drive an XL series Ford as I get fairly dirty fairly often in our rental business. I rather like I can clean the inside easily without drama.

My only gripe is that it's hard to find a used truck without so many options. I have found it's easier to find them in the commerical truck trader as opposed to the "regular" truck trader.

 

[George2615]

After reading the various replies I realized something. 35 years ago you could buy a brand spankin new loaded pickup for about $4500 compared to $40-45K today. WOW! Thats over 800% increase. I must have gotten lost or fell asleep along the way since I don't recall my pay increasing with the same proportion. Oh wait, I'm not a big CEO so I didn't deserve an 800% pay increase. I chose the wrong occupational field. IMHO I think this is what is leading to the upcoming truck plant closures. A little off the topic but its my .02 cents worth of venting.

 

[Bird]

I'd say you're not far off with that $4,500 for a truck 35 years ago. I bought a brand new 1971 3/4 ton Chevy, power brakes & steering, air-conditioned, 350 4bbl V-8 (but only an AM radio, no power windows, power mirrors, or door locks) with a 10.5' slide-in over cab self-contained camper for $5,700. They figured $3,800 for the truck and $1,900 for the camper at the time.

 

[George2615]

I worked for a few different dealers back then as a mechanic. That's the prices they were. $4000-4500 fully loaded. And that price was about a third of my annual salary. I don't know how the younger generation can afford a vehicle at todays prices. Even cars cost more than most kids make in 2 years. But I also remember when a family only needed a single wage earner to survive. Sorry, I didn't mean to hijack this thread. Just hate to see the economy going the way it is. I'll save the rest for another thread.