Author Topic: Ford F-150  (Read 10502 times)

CaveDweller

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Ford F-150
« on: July 30, 2015, 07:23:46 PM »
Cute article about today's American pickup trucks....http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/30/how-americas-truck-the-ford-f-150-became-a-plaything-for-the-rich/?hpid=z5

I can't believe I've been getting from point A to point B for all these years without fiddleback eucalyptus trim!

MrStash2000

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2015, 07:33:24 PM »
"A pickup truck is designed for work. But just because you haul doesn't mean you don't want all the luxury accommodations, or that you don't want to make a statement."

LMAO

southernhippie

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2015, 07:45:19 PM »
What gets me is that I see people with these trucks pulling a trailer to haul stuff because there bed is too small.  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a truck in the first place?

slugline

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2015, 08:25:03 PM »
After dropping that much cash, I'd be terrified of scratching up the truck bed! Maybe I'd stick to hauling loads of cotton balls.

regulator

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2015, 08:44:46 PM »
What gets me is that I see people with these trucks pulling a trailer to haul stuff because there bed is too small.  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a truck in the first place?

Not really.  You can haul X, but a pickup can usually tow 5X (sometimes more).

powersuitrecall

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #5 on: July 31, 2015, 07:25:26 AM »
Man, what happened in 2008 ... Is that the exact moment rational thought left the average automobile consumer?

dude

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2015, 07:31:10 AM »
Man, what happened in 2008 ... Is that the exact moment rational thought left the average automobile consumer?

Holy shit.

slugline

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2015, 08:02:59 AM »
Maybe someone at Ford finally read The Millionaire Next Door and learned that the F-150 was really popular with millionaires?

ncornilsen

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #8 on: July 31, 2015, 08:41:00 AM »
I know of an individual who bought an F-150 because of the Millionaire Next Door.  An attempt to explain he might have the causality backwards was lost on him.

regulator

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #9 on: July 31, 2015, 08:55:40 AM »
Man, what happened in 2008 ... Is that the exact moment rational thought left the average automobile consumer?

Two things happened:

- Low interest rates.  This has a huge influence on sales and pricing

- Ford simply had consistently better product.  I bought an F150 in 2011.  I looked at the GM and Ram trucks and they were miles behind the Ford offering.  While Chrysler and Gubmint Motors were floundering and going bankrupt, Ford hung in there and kept investing in their product offerings.  I paid a premium for a Ford over a GM or Ram because it was a vastly superior product.

My guess is that you will see GM and Ram catching up to Ford on pricing (they are coming up while Ford drops a bit) since the competitors have since refreshed their truck offerings and are more competitive.  But it is hard not to buy a "cowboy Cadillac" when you shop for a truck these days.

frugalecon

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #10 on: July 31, 2015, 09:00:03 AM »
And to think spouse and I are settling for a 1998 Ford Ranger...with hail damage...and non-functional AC.

TheOldestYoungMan

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #11 on: July 31, 2015, 09:00:29 AM »
The graph of average monthly payment doesn't show the same trend, since interest rates dropped and terms lengthened.  When it comes to cars, most people shop monthly payment.

The manufacturers know this more than anyone so they base the sales price on the monthly payment you can afford.

All that just makes it much easier for us MMM folks to just buy an eight year old hatchback.

Syonyk

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #12 on: July 31, 2015, 09:54:32 AM »
The graph of average monthly payment doesn't show the same trend, since interest rates dropped and terms lengthened.  When it comes to cars, most people shop monthly payment.

Well, duh!  How are you going to keep your monthly payments low without an 84 month auto loan?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/06/01/new-car-loans-term-length/28303991/

Emphasis mine.

Quote
The average new car loan has reached a record 67 months, reports Experian, the Ireland-based information-services company. The percentage of loans with terms of 73 to 84 months also reached a new high of 29.5% in the first quarter of 2015, up from 24.9% a year earlier.

Long-term used-vehicle loans also broke records with loan terms of 73 to 84 months reaching 16% in the first quarter 2015, up from 12.94% — also the highest on record.

"While longer-term loans are growing, they do not necessarily represent an ominous sign for the market," said Melinda Zabritski, Experian's senior director of automotive finance. "Most longer-term loans help consumers keep monthly payments manageable while allowing them to purchase the vehicles they need without having to break the bank.

... that said, new F150s are nice, but I'll stick with my older truck.  A lot less money, a diesel as God intended, and I don't worry about throwing shit in the bed, because an older Rhino Linered bed is pretty much impossible to damage.

libertarian4321

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #13 on: August 03, 2015, 02:34:50 AM »
Nice looking truck.

I might have to buy one.

zephyr911

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #14 on: August 03, 2015, 08:31:26 AM »
"Though nationwide wages may be stagnant, the infrastructure is all set up to help them spend, with commonplace offers for six-year loans and low interest rates. "They want the treat they've been putting off for a decade or more, and they've got the tools to do it, even if their finances aren't as strong as they need to be," Brauer said."

*headdesk*

I've never managed to see the appeal of a truck as a status symbol to begin with. I guess I'm just weird that way. *drives off whistling in $.02/mi compact EV*

Faraday

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #15 on: August 03, 2015, 08:34:51 AM »
.... as God intended...

OK, now I'm pretty sure Syonyk and I must be related somehow. that, or random genetic roll of the dice have made us virtually related. Howdy Brother.

Syonyk

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #16 on: August 03, 2015, 11:53:31 AM »
:)

music lover

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #17 on: August 03, 2015, 12:07:27 PM »
"A pickup truck is designed for work. But just because you haul doesn't mean you don't want all the luxury accommodations, or that you don't want to make a statement."

LMAO

A few people I know that actually use a pickup for work purposes do NOT want luxury accommodations or fancy interiors that they will mess up with their dirty work clothes. They would prefer easy to clean vinyl seats and little or no carpet.

Unfortunately, they are in the minority and not big enough of a demographic to be heard.

mtn

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2015, 12:13:20 PM »
My uncle just bought a super-luxurious Silverado. He got the luxury model because his wife wanted it; he wanted the more basic interior.

But he also just sold a very successful company, uses a truck as a truck for at least 5,000 miles a year, and the one prior to this that he traded in had 320K miles on it, so he probably avoids the anti-mustachian label.

Chris22

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2015, 01:23:31 PM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

mtn

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2015, 01:35:10 PM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

Remember, it was published in 1996. Back then, the fully loaded Grand Cherokee topped out at about $30,000, and the F-150 probably about $32,000. That would be about $45,000 today. That was the fully loaded of each, don't forget. You could also get a GC around $22k, and an F-150 around $16k.


The_Dude

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2015, 02:02:21 PM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

Remember, it was published in 1996. Back then, the fully loaded Grand Cherokee topped out at about $30,000, and the F-150 probably about $32,000. That would be about $45,000 today. That was the fully loaded of each, don't forget. You could also get a GC around $22k, and an F-150 around $16k.

Not to mention it takes time to publish a book as well as the fact the Millionaire Next Door types would of been driving used vehicles.  I had the window sticker on the 92 Chevy Silverado I used to drive.  It was fully loaded with every common option available in 1992 and the MSRP was under $15K...

Of course back then that fully loaded truck did not have leather interior, did not have a super duper stereo system, no sat nav or blue tooth, automatic floor boards, etc.  Heck it didn't even have any airbags.

Chris22

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #22 on: August 03, 2015, 02:03:58 PM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

Remember, it was published in 1996. Back then, the fully loaded Grand Cherokee topped out at about $30,000, and the F-150 probably about $32,000. That would be about $45,000 today. That was the fully loaded of each, don't forget. You could also get a GC around $22k, and an F-150 around $16k.

Not to mention it takes time to publish a book as well as the fact the Millionaire Next Door types would of been driving used vehicles.  I had the window sticker on the 92 Chevy Silverado I used to drive.  It was fully loaded with every common option available in 1992 and the MSRP was under $15K...

Of course back then that fully loaded truck did not have leather interior, did not have a super duper stereo system, no sat nav or blue tooth, automatic floor boards, etc.  Heck it didn't even have any airbags.

I could be wrong, but I think there was a 50/50 split or more in favor of new vehicles.  The key was, they weren't vehicle flippers, they bought and held for a long time, but lots bought new vehicles.

Sid Hoffman

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #23 on: August 03, 2015, 02:10:40 PM »
The Chevy Silverado tends to get the short end of the stick when talking about sales, but the Silverado is mechanically the same truck as the GMC Sierra.  The combined sales of the Chevy & GMC are almost identical to that of the F-150.  In 2014, Ford & GM each sold almost exactly 750,000 full-size trucks.  750k F-150s, about 500k Silverados and about 250k Sierras.

With 16.5m total passenger vehicles sold in 2014, this means roughly 1 in 11 was a Ford or GM full-size pickup truck.  They're popular, for sure.

zephyr911

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #24 on: August 03, 2015, 02:20:08 PM »
The Chevy Silverado tends to get the short end of the stick when talking about sales, but the Silverado is mechanically the same truck as the GMC Sierra.  The combined sales of the Chevy & GMC are almost identical to that of the F-150.  In 2014, Ford & GM each sold almost exactly 750,000 full-size trucks.  750k F-150s, about 500k Silverados and about 250k Sierras.

With 16.5m total passenger vehicles sold in 2014, this means roughly 1 in 11 was a Ford or GM full-size pickup truck.  They're popular, for sure.
Yeah, people love them here. It's the ultimate machine to carry a 250-pound human and a cell phone on a 40-mile commute. >.<

v10viperbox

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #25 on: August 03, 2015, 02:27:09 PM »
What gets me is that I see people with these trucks pulling a trailer to haul stuff because there bed is too small.  Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a truck in the first place?

Ford does not make the regular cab truck with a 8+ bed in anything but a stripper model right now. My F350 XL the only option it had was air conditioning and towing coolers. To get power window and even something better then the bench seat moved you up to a XLT and they were monstrously more expensive then a base XL with air. Something silly like 15-18K more after discounts you can get on the work trucks which are substantial.

So yeah I can see getting a trailer to pull after you move up to a crew cab with a 5.5 foot bed, does not make any sense but pickup trucks never do for 85% of the people who buy them to me anyway. Would you move 2-3K of mulch or manure in a Mercedes SUV that costs about the same.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2015, 05:26:14 PM »
It's the ultimate machine to carry a 250-pound human and a cell phone on a 40-mile commute. >.<
That explains it - obesity isn't a result of poor diet choices or fast-food advertising.
It's an attempt to make your pickup a rational choice of vehicle.

zephyr911

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2015, 08:19:25 AM »
It's the ultimate machine to carry a 250-pound human and a cell phone on a 40-mile commute. >.<
That explains it - obesity isn't a result of poor diet choices or fast-food advertising.
It's an attempt to make your pickup a rational choice of vehicle.

psinguine

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #28 on: August 07, 2015, 06:49:08 AM »
"A pickup truck is designed for work. But just because you haul doesn't mean you don't want all the luxury accommodations, or that you don't want to make a statement."

LMAO

A few people I know that actually use a pickup for work purposes do NOT want luxury accommodations or fancy interiors that they will mess up with their dirty work clothes. They would prefer easy to clean vinyl seats and little or no carpet.

Unfortunately, they are in the minority and not big enough of a demographic to be heard.

That pretty much sums it up. Working in the trades I find that there are two general groups of people, especially when it comes to their trucks.

On the one side you have the ones for whom the truck is a tool. They understand that if they have a 1-ton truck they damn well better have a reason. Interiors are strewn with blueprints and tools. The body is scratched and dented. The one time seat covers have worn through all the way to the padding inside the seat. What was once a colour has faded into a uniform greige throughout. They are rarely younger than 10 years old, a little tired now but still capable of real work. 

On the other end are the ones for whom the appearance of the truck is a reflection on their self worth. Anecdotally, I know one contractor who makes time to go to the car wash 5 days a week, every morning before she arrives at the site, because she feels more respectable with a shiny truck. I know another who had a bedliner installed but doesn't allow his crew to use it, as it could scratch or chip. It is not a surprise to me (although it is a definite surprise to them) that they find themselves losing money.

Personally I find myself firmly in the first category. I don't care about leather seats; my seats have those thick knitted covers on them that your grandfather would have put in his buick. The interior is a shell of vinyl, because why would I want to worry about cleaning carpet? The body had rust and the paint was a lost cause. It's amazing what you can fix with a cutting tool, some chunks of metal, a welder, and Rock Guard.

Thing is that those of us in Category 1 are the definite minority. Ford isn't marketing the brand new trucks to us. Hell, the newest Category 1 truck I know of personally is an '04.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #29 on: August 07, 2015, 09:19:34 AM »
Company here that makes mining versions of the old Toyota Landcruiser.
The seats are solid rubber on plywood, dashboard is waterproofed so you can hose it out, metal grills over lights and windows, extra grease points on everything.

Looks like something out of Mad Max, don't know how much they cost - but they still don't last long

BBub

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #30 on: August 07, 2015, 01:04:57 PM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

Remember, it was published in 1996. Back then, the fully loaded Grand Cherokee topped out at about $30,000, and the F-150 probably about $32,000. That would be about $45,000 today. That was the fully loaded of each, don't forget. You could also get a GC around $22k, and an F-150 around $16k.

Yeah exactly.  The big takeaway from that part of the book, IMO, is that the average millionaire owns a reliable, quality, mid-level vehicle as opposed to being chauffeured around in a rolls royce.

libertarian4321

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Re: Ford F-150
« Reply #31 on: August 13, 2015, 01:33:14 AM »
As a car guy it did amuse me when Millionaire Next Door mentioned most millionaires don't buy luxury cars, they drive F-150s and Grand Cherokees.  Given that those two models are generally $40-60k vehicles, I don't think there's any reason to look at it as more responsible than a BMW 3-series or MB E-Class.  Just a different way to spend the same money.

TMND was written in what, 1997?

Back then, trucks were just trucks.  Pretty basic vehicles.

Since that time, trucks have become ornate- some more decked out than a BMW.

I just went out last weekend, looked at a few brands of truck to replace my (really really Spartan) 2002 Silverado (bench seats, no leather anywhere, the only "tech" on it was simple cruise control).

Holy COW!  It was hard to find a truck for less than $30k, and most on the lot were $35k+.  Trucks selling for over $40k+ were very common.

Even the most basic full sized truck will run ~$25k, and there are darned few of those available on the lot.