Truck Shopping

[tdhanses]

I don’t think the market will be dropping anytime soon, just bough the better half a yukon, had to go used because it was impossible to get what we wanted new. Ford has 40,000 superduties sitting at Kentucky Speedway, they were not there in Aug and all showed up around Sep. Chip shortages again.

Personally I feel the old days of large inventories and rebates are over, one positive is trade values have sky rocketed, we traded in a 2015 Toyota Sienna with 72k on it, got $22k in trade, we also traded in a 2020 Toyota Sienna with 42k miles on it, got $38k, so we got $60k on what I felt was $50k worth of vehicles and we over paid by $5k on a 2022 with 3400 miles, feel like we got a smoking deal.

Great market if you have a decent trade and if you have to finance I saw there is 0% for 36 months back.

 

[Gone4Days]

The most i’ve ever spent on a vehicle is $19,000. But I am set up to retire comfortable at age 50. I am now 45.

 

[Frazier92]

I had a 2015 Ram Eco diesel that I traded to a dealership for way more than I had in it. In return I got a 2011 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 that took my payments down to $200 a month from $400. I get the appeal to having a full size truck but I wouldn't trade my truck for anything other than a 4 door Tacoma. Its the same old saying of buy one cry once with a Tacoma in my experience. Side note, I built a redneck version of a decked system for my Taco and it its a hunters dream for storage and camping with a bed topper.

 

[SDHNTR]

Former Ford guy here. They ain’t what they used to be…. Some empirical data here for you brand loyalists.

At Ford, Quality Is Now Problem 1

Ford used to tout the reliability of its vehicles in ads. After a string of recalls, the auto maker is trying to change how it finds problems.

www.wsj.com

 

[Mojave]

Typical Australian response here - get a Toyota Landcruiser!

We actually don't get Fj-79 FJ80's like you guys do.

We get the Tundra and Tacoma (High Lux).

 

[TradArcher]

HiLux was our fighting vehicles in Afghanistan.
Sturdy truck.

 

[Mojave]

Three f'd up things that are causing vehicle prices to stagnate.

1. My local auto auction in El Paso has hundreds of cars sitting on the sidelines. Other Auto Auctions are the same. Dealers are not buying vehicles at butt rape prices at auctions.

2. The China Chip fiasco.

3. There are hundreds of thousands of repos that banks are sitting on to try and recover their $$$$

 

[Wilderlife]

We actually don't get Fj-79 FJ80's like you guys do.

We get the Tundra and Tacoma (High Lux).

Yeh, interesting. I imagine our Landcruiser utes (truck or utility to you blokes?) doesn't have a big enough engine and isn't big enough in general for a lot of the style over there.

Mine is a 2003 model with a 4.3L 6cyl turbo diesel with about 445,000km on it and still going strong.

 

[FLATHEAD]

I have a '94 FJ80, dont think I'll ever get rid of it.

 

[wyosteve]

Not directly on point, but maybe relevant info. A former co-worker of mine sent me a text this morning saying his 2 year old Chevy 2500 with the 6.2 engine has been at the dealer for 3 months now waiting for a new engine. It seized up on him and no idea when they might be able to get a new motor. Didn't ask him how many miles, but it's under warranty thank goodness. He said there's some class action suits over the problem.

 

[Kevin Dill]

I just took delivery on a new pickup that I ordered back in late May. The truck I was driving was only 2 years old and was worth basically what I paid for it. The wait was fairly long but I got exactly what I wanted. The dealership gm thinks the industry is not going to flourish for years. The much lower output by manufacturers over the last 2 years is going to show up as fewer good used trade-ins in the next 5 years. People will not be trading (as much) as the economy forces them to keep and drive what they have vs paying higher prices with high interest rates. I personally think it will be tough sledding for buyers, and those who gamble on a future turnaround might find themselves in a corner with very limited and unattractive options.

I purposely didn't mention the brands of the trucks I own/owned because I don't think any brand has a provable quality advantage over the competition. I've lived long enough to see every single manufacturer put out some real junk. I would absolutely never lock in on a brand simply because someone argued for how good it is. Huge mistake.

 

[Mojave]

Yeh, interesting. I imagine our Landcruiser utes (truck or utility to you blokes?) doesn't have a big enough engine and isn't big enough in general for a lot of the style over there.

Mine is a 2003 model with a 4.3L 6cyl turbo diesel with about 445,000km on it and still going strong.

In the Western USA/Canada "utility" generally means sport utility vehicle (SUV), what Aussies call a "4 wheel drive" like a Landcruiser wagon or a Mazda CX-9.

Pickups are "pickups or trucks" here in the Western USA/Canada.

In the Southern USA/Texas they call every SUV or pickup thing a truck. Even little RAV4s.

Spent 3 years in Canberra at the Embassy when I was on active duty. Love Straya! 2 of my kids are native born Aussies, though they aren't citizens because I had a diplomatic passport.

I am a huge fan of Toyota all the SUV/trucks, but damned if they don't use way too much plastic that always breaks.

 

[Wilderlife]

The newer ones do, but the older ones are rock solid. The day I get rid of my Landcruiser is the day having another vehicle with five seats is an absolute necessity!

 

[elkguide]

One of my buddies is a mechanic and over the years he has worked for the big four brands and when I asked him which truck, he will buy next his response was priceless.

He said, "Check out which company has the color that matches your boat and buy that one. They all have problems so at least get one that matches!"

Deals are few and far between today because of all of the shortages. My last 4 trucks have all been new but if I were to be looking for a new ride today, I'd be looking at the used market.

 

[skeptic]

I purposely didn't mention the brands of the trucks I own/owned because I don't think any brand has a provable quality advantage over the competition. I've lived long enough to see every single manufacturer put out some real junk. I would absolutely never lock in on a brand simply because someone argued for how good it is. Huge mistake.

Good call. We have a fleet of Brand x pickups that have a wide variety of miles on them. Our newer ones that were built during the Covid debacle have been utter pieces of shit. We shell out good money for our employees to have nice vehicles because we drive so much, it is a giant gut punch to see how undependable they are.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Not directly on point, but maybe relevant info. A former co-worker of mine sent me a text this morning saying his 2 year old Chevy 2500 with the 6.2 engine has been at the dealer for 3 months now waiting for a new engine. It seized up on him and no idea when they might be able to get a new motor. Didn't ask him how many miles, but it's under warranty thank goodness. He said there's some class action suits over the problem.

Not surprised. They still havent figured out how to keep rain out of the turn signals......on 70K$ trucks.

 

[Yoder]

My truck pretty much rusted to pieces and wouldn't pass inspection. Instead of buying a new $40-50k truck, I bought chains and a trailer hitch for my car and a 5x8ft trailer. Car has been paid off for 3 years. My house will be paid off in 18 months or I could have a $1k a month truck payment. It's not worth it to me to be a slave to stuff.

 

[CJohnson]

I got a ‘22 F-250 this year. I was one of those people who swore they’d never buy a new vehicle, but due to some business changes I had to have a truck. I ordered it in late January and got it early May. I’m not really brand loyal, but the fords have a large cabin and it was relatively cheap (<$50k). In a perfect world, I would’ve picked up a used smaller truck with some mileage, but I was seeing 150’s with 100k+ miles going for the same price as a new 250 - so that’s what I did. I also make money with it every day, so take that for what it’s worth.

A big shout out to guy on here who helped me build it out on the ford website and kept it under $50k. Can’t remember your name, but I appreciate the advice!

 

[Mojave]

It is too bad Mazda doesn't iport their little truck a

The newer ones do, but the older ones are rock solid. The day I get rid of my Landcruiser is the day having another vehicle with five seats is an absolute necessity!

Is that red gum?

That load of fire wood probably weights 3000 pounds.

 

[Mojave]

Hi everybody, FNG here. Looking for a place to get feedback/opinions on getting a new truck.

Little backstory. Currently own a 2011 Ram 1500. Pretty basic truck but upgraded with a new entertainment system, little lift kit and some rims. It’s a decent truck and I’m really happy with it rn. However, the cam went out and is gonna cost some $$$ to fix. Been having some other smaller issues come up and I’m just getting tired of dealing with them. I’ve also been saving up for awhile now and have been thinking it’s time to get a new truck.

So, I’m dealing with the whole buying process right now and trying to find the right truck and am really trying to balance two different things atm.

1.) looking for the “right” truck and brand. I’m pretty bias towards dodge and idk if I’m ready to switch brands, but I have found some I like. Love the look and utility of the rebels, the gms AT4s and even the trail bosses. Not a huge fan of ford but might switch if it was the right look/price and definitely not a fan of the Toyotas. So, looking for some feedback/experience with the mentioned trucks.

(Side Note: live along the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana, so kinda looking for something that can handle the weather)

2.) do I wait for the market to crash/splurge a little and get a new one with all the warranties? Or do I stick with new-ish and low miles which are a little cheaper at the moment?

Hope this all makes sense! Any advice or feedback would really be appreciated. Getting a little overwhelmed with the whole thing as it will be my first vehicle purchase.

Thanks!!

Dude, call Dave Smith in Kellog and order a new Ram or a new Chevy without the mark up.

If you want a Ford google zero mark up Ford dealers and put money down on one. Probably have to drive 1000 miles to go get it.