Author Topic: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!  (Read 6092 times)

Slee_stack

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48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« on: October 04, 2018, 10:04:42 AM »
According to an article in USAToday, the average PU truck price is $48K this year.

The average person buying it has an annual household income of $100k.

I've paid a bit much for our two vehicles.  The more expensive one accounted for 9% of our household income.  The cheaper one was 5%.

48%!!  Woo doggies!

Link:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/10/04/pickup-truck-prices-vehicles/1519087002/

Finallyunderstand

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2018, 10:41:30 AM »
Throw income taxes into the mix and estimate the real percentage of take home.  even a bigger Woo Doggy!

GuitarStv

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #2 on: October 04, 2018, 11:17:16 AM »
Worth it.  A truck makes you manly.  The TV told me so.  Without buying a truck I'd have to actually BE manly . . . and that sounds like a lot of work.  Safer to just buy the truck.  And then never use it for anything but commuting to the office.

2Birds1Stone

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #3 on: October 04, 2018, 11:30:41 AM »
The most I've spent on a car is 10% of gross annual income (mine, not household).

ixtap

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #4 on: October 04, 2018, 01:43:34 PM »
Throw income taxes into the mix and estimate the real percentage of take home.  even a bigger Woo Doggy!

Actually, I read not too long ago that "average income" usually means after tax. There just isn't any way of knowing unless an individual article makes it clear.

brute

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #5 on: October 04, 2018, 02:00:42 PM »
You'll have to pry my pickup truck from my cold, dead, callused hands. Then again, I bought it for $9k in 2008 and it's still kicking. New pickups make me shake my head. I don't think I would feel good hauling firewood or gravel in a new vehicle without any dents or scratches.

revisednut

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2018, 09:09:09 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

SwordGuy

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2018, 09:27:23 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

BTSD.

MilesTeg

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #8 on: October 04, 2018, 11:46:46 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

marty998

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #9 on: October 05, 2018, 04:30:53 AM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

BTSD.

The poor wife.


FamilyGuy

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #10 on: October 09, 2018, 08:06:14 PM »
According to an article in USAToday, the average PU truck price is $48K this year.

The average person buying it has an annual household income of $100k.

I've paid a bit much for our two vehicles.  The more expensive one accounted for 9% of our household income.  The cheaper one was 5%.

48%!!  Woo doggies!

Link:  https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/10/04/pickup-truck-prices-vehicles/1519087002/
What can I say! It doesn't sound very sensible at any angle.

brute

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2018, 07:02:30 AM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

GuitarStv

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2018, 07:10:41 AM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

Agreed.  Use the right vehicle for the job.


talltexan

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #13 on: October 10, 2018, 07:58:23 AM »
I'm not so bad-ass, more half-ass.

My new vehicle purchases have typically been in the high teens %-wise as far as vehicles are concerned.

Oh, and they're typically five years apart.

I told my MIL that I couldn't imagine having two car payments at the same time, and she looked at me like I was crazy.

ducky19

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #14 on: October 10, 2018, 11:34:42 AM »
"Herron said he believes he got a good price because the Denali trim level will hold its resale value better than his BMW did. Herron paid $84,000 for his BMW when he bought it new 23 months ago. He sold it for $44,000."

Ouch. Just... ouch. $1739.13/mo in depreciation. Yeah, I'm sure your Denali will do you a lot better, my friend. I'm also in the camp that paid less than 10% of their salary for a car - love my 2007 Vibe, and it's still worth half what I paid for it ($7k) four years ago!

FINate

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #15 on: October 10, 2018, 12:23:30 PM »
I'm somewhat thankful for the guys that buy new trucks every few years. I had lots to choose from when buying a used truck. Lots of trucks with 20k miles/year and higher - seriously, who thinks this is a good idea?! But was also able to find a low milage like new 4-year old truck at about 5/8 the price. It gets less than 5k miles a year, exclusively used for outdoor adventures, dump runs, and towing.

Would never use a PU for commuting, but would also never go back to not having one for the type of outdoor activities I enjoy.

ducky19

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #16 on: October 11, 2018, 07:52:50 AM »
Here's a pic of my set up last weekend car camping at a race. First time using the large canopy - next time will add a couple more tarps to beef up the privacy. Twin air mattress sets up perfect in the back, super comfy and cozy. If it's warm you can leave the back hatch open and get some air, even if it's raining (which it was).

Tempname23

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2018, 06:18:41 PM »
  I paid $11k for my 1997 Toyota T-100 18 years ago.
I was driving it daily until Oct 10th. when hurricane Micheal
pushed the the garage wall in and now the truck is stuck
there until the wall is disassembled and the door is made to function.
  I expect a crew to start any day now, I hope tomorrow, but rain is
expected. I hope there is not to much damage to the truck,
I don't want to insurance company to total it!
 I expect it's still got another 100,000 miles in it.
 

magnet18

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #18 on: November 01, 2018, 07:43:01 AM »
  I paid $11k for my 1997 Toyota T-100 18 years ago.
I was driving it daily until Oct 10th. when hurricane Micheal
pushed the the garage wall in and now the truck is stuck
there until the wall is disassembled and the door is made to function.
  I expect a crew to start any day now, I hope tomorrow, but rain is
expected. I hope there is not to much damage to the truck,
I don't want to insurance company to total it!
 I expect it's still got another 100,000 miles in it.

Take the totaled payout, buy it back for pennies on the dollar, and keep driving it!
SIL rear ended someone, cost to fix cosmetic damage made it "totaled", she got the payout for value less deductible, FIL bought it back for a couple hundred and uses it

JAYSLOL

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #19 on: November 01, 2018, 07:48:43 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

I don't think anyone would advocate towing 10k lbs with a scion, but the average truck people are buying would be the F150, which can handle a max 3200lbs of payload, and the average real-world load that people justify owning an F150 for would probably be under half that, which pretty much anything bigger than a Pontiac Firefly could tow in a little trailer.

MilesTeg

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #20 on: November 01, 2018, 08:04:15 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

I don't think anyone would advocate towing 10k lbs with a scion, but the average truck people are buying would be the F150, which can handle a max 3200lbs of payload, and the average real-world load that people justify owning an F150 for would probably be under half that, which pretty much anything bigger than a Pontiac Firefly could tow in a little trailer.

The number of cars smaller than a mid size SUV that can safely tow 2000lbs (3200/2 + trailer) is very small. Tow rating has very little to do with engine power. Its about the things that allow the tow vehicle to anchor and control the towed load. That means frame, wheel base, suspension, braking power, etc.

JAYSLOL

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #21 on: November 01, 2018, 09:14:43 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

I don't think anyone would advocate towing 10k lbs with a scion, but the average truck people are buying would be the F150, which can handle a max 3200lbs of payload, and the average real-world load that people justify owning an F150 for would probably be under half that, which pretty much anything bigger than a Pontiac Firefly could tow in a little trailer.

The number of cars smaller than a mid size SUV that can safely tow 2000lbs (3200/2 + trailer) is very small. Tow rating has very little to do with engine power. Its about the things that allow the tow vehicle to anchor and control the towed load. That means frame, wheel base, suspension, braking power, etc.

I did say under half of 3200 :)

A Toyota Previa Minivan from the 90's is rated for 3500lbs, and even a modern Toyota Corolla is rated for 1500lbs, which would be like 1200lbs of payload on a 300lb aluminum trailer.  Even 500lbs is the kind of load that most people buy an F150 for.  There's a good number of people that fall into the 500-1500lbs of payload that could use a small trailer paired with a safe tow vehicle more efficient than a $48k pickup. 

MilesTeg

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #22 on: November 01, 2018, 11:59:33 PM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

I don't think anyone would advocate towing 10k lbs with a scion, but the average truck people are buying would be the F150, which can handle a max 3200lbs of payload, and the average real-world load that people justify owning an F150 for would probably be under half that, which pretty much anything bigger than a Pontiac Firefly could tow in a little trailer.

The number of cars smaller than a mid size SUV that can safely tow 2000lbs (3200/2 + trailer) is very small. Tow rating has very little to do with engine power. Its about the things that allow the tow vehicle to anchor and control the towed load. That means frame, wheel base, suspension, braking power, etc.

I did say under half of 3200 :)

A Toyota Previa Minivan from the 90's is rated for 3500lbs, and even a modern Toyota Corolla is rated for 1500lbs, which would be like 1200lbs of payload on a 300lb aluminum trailer.  Even 500lbs is the kind of load that most people buy an F150 for.  There's a good number of people that fall into the 500-1500lbs of payload that could use a small trailer paired with a safe tow vehicle more efficient than a $48k pickup.

Meh, not interested in a moving goalpost argument. I stand by my original statment: a small car with a utility trailer is not capable.of the same load or towing capacity as a truck and it's dangerous to assume so.

Rural

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #23 on: November 02, 2018, 06:12:09 AM »
I'm with MilesTeg on this one. The "bulky but extremely light" category of load is rare enough to not make the cost of a trailer worthwhile even without factoring in the resultant temptation to haul more weight than a small car can control or stop. Most such cars can haul a couple sticks of 8" lumber inside, and for larger loads, rent a truck a couple times a year from Home Depot or uhaul. If that starts to add up, compare the annualized cost of an old beater truck, but don't make it a daily driver.

JAYSLOL

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #24 on: November 02, 2018, 09:14:38 AM »
I'll never understand why folks just don't buy a nice used trailer for less than $1,500--same towing capacity, and you can drop/leave it as needed, and don't need to kill your gas mileage every time you get in the car.

Except... not at all. I won't defend buying a truck that's not used as a truck. But that's merely stupid and wasteful. Using an inappropriate vehicle to tow it haul with us down right dangerous.

Pretty much. Please, don't try to tow 10k pounds of gravel with the defactor 2006 scion xb. As amazing as the videos would be, I'd rather everyone be safe.

I don't think anyone would advocate towing 10k lbs with a scion, but the average truck people are buying would be the F150, which can handle a max 3200lbs of payload, and the average real-world load that people justify owning an F150 for would probably be under half that, which pretty much anything bigger than a Pontiac Firefly could tow in a little trailer.

The number of cars smaller than a mid size SUV that can safely tow 2000lbs (3200/2 + trailer) is very small. Tow rating has very little to do with engine power. Its about the things that allow the tow vehicle to anchor and control the towed load. That means frame, wheel base, suspension, braking power, etc.

I did say under half of 3200 :)

A Toyota Previa Minivan from the 90's is rated for 3500lbs, and even a modern Toyota Corolla is rated for 1500lbs, which would be like 1200lbs of payload on a 300lb aluminum trailer.  Even 500lbs is the kind of load that most people buy an F150 for.  There's a good number of people that fall into the 500-1500lbs of payload that could use a small trailer paired with a safe tow vehicle more efficient than a $48k pickup.

Meh, not interested in a moving goalpost argument. I stand by my original statment: a small car with a utility trailer is not capable.of the same load or towing capacity as a truck and it's dangerous to assume so.

And I agree with that, and never claimed that a small car has the same payload or towing capacity as a full size pickup.  My only point is that people use "I sometimes need to move a fridge and stove and dishwasher" as justification for a full size pickup when a utility trailer and smaller vehicle could do that.  For the record I actually have a truck (and a trailer), and I use the truck for real truck shit, and the truck + trailer for serious truck shit, and haul the same trailer with my Hyundai when I just need to pick up a bedroom set. 

JAYSLOL

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Re: 48% of Household Income.... for a Big Ass Truck!
« Reply #25 on: November 02, 2018, 10:14:38 AM »
I'm with MilesTeg on this one. The "bulky but extremely light" category of load is rare enough to not make the cost of a trailer worthwhile even without factoring in the resultant temptation to haul more weight than a small car can control or stop. Most such cars can haul a couple sticks of 8" lumber inside, and for larger loads, rent a truck a couple times a year from Home Depot or uhaul. If that starts to add up, compare the annualized cost of an old beater truck, but don't make it a daily driver.

This is true, many people suck enough at driving a vehicle by itself, and would be a major hazard towing even a safe load with any vehicle, and some people would overload trailers and be even more dangerous.  These people should definitely stick to renting a truck.  But there are lots of awkward loads that work better on a trailer.  Ever load a ride-on lawn tractor into the back of a late-model full size pickup?  I have, and without ridiculously long ramps, it's a steep, scary ride up into the back of a modern truck.  A nice low utility trailer bed is so much easier, and assuming a 42" John Deere tractor mower and light-duty 5x7 utility trailer, combined weight would be under 900lbs.  Same deal for most furniture and appliances, bulky, but not crazy heavy and a lot easier to load in a trailer.