"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.