New Pickup Trucks

[ea56]

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“New trucks are incredibly expensive! Expensive to purchase, insure, and pay taxes on. “

 

You said IT!

 

What happened to the days when a pickup truck was a UTILITARIAN vehicle, not a luxury vehicle, jam packed with technology completely unnecessary for any kind of utilitarian need?

 

And why do so many purchasers of trucks need 4X4?  Now if you live in snow country or have to travel unpaved roads regularly then I can see that a 4X4 truck would be a necessity but for the average urban dweller its overkill.

 

The majority of these overloaded beasts now cost more than we paid for our first home in ‘87 which was $55,950!

 

I’m sure glad I don’t need to keep up with the Jones’s in this day and age.

 

If we needed a truck we’d look for a used bare bones Toyota Tacoma from the late 70’s to about ‘92.  They are built to last.  Or maybe a used Chevy 1/2 ton no newer than the early 90’s.   Also, I’d NEVER buy any vehicle with a touch screen on the dash to control any functions like the radio, AC or heater.  What a dangerous distraction.

 

Eddie

 

[vacerator]

Greg,

I suppose pre owned prices are also jigher due to the pandemic and chip shortage.
However, depreciation never stops. I'd find a clean low mileage 18 to 36 month old truck. The large chunk of depreciation was already absorbed by the previous owner or lessee. Don't be afraid to low ball an offer either. remember, most of these are bought by dealers at auction. Their resale markup is high!

 

[2packs4sure]

Ford or Toyota

If I had to buy a new one it would either be a Ford Ranger, Ford F150 with the 5.0 V8,, or a Toyota Tacoma or Tundra.
I think those 4 can be counted on to be reliable.

 

[yogitunes]

sometimes you have to jump at time periods of when is the best time to buy a vehicle.....

remember when gas prices were hitting $4.00+ dollars a gallon?.....trade in for a Truck/SUV was pennies....yet any vehicle with a 4 cylinder was almost doubled in price to purchase....

same goes, this was the best time to buy a Truck/SUV with a V8....I bought it super cheap, it sat in the garage, and I drove my little 4cyl until the prices dropped....

from August to about Jan was the best time to buy a vehicle.....and still may be...

car dealers were beyond desperate for sales....and were marking down vehicles like you wouldn't believe....

have two buddies who bought brand new trucks for half of the normal asking price last Summer.....

I am not in the market for wanting a new Jeep, but the dealer has been emailing me offers for 2018/2019/2020 models.....they are down to $22,000.00 so far....if they hit under $20,000.00, I may have to jump at a new payment book....

 

[askolover]

Well I think I got lucky....some guy bought a new 2019 Nissan Frontier 4wd king cab with the SV package that includes heated CLOTH seats. Window sticker for the truck new was $31,995. He drove it for a year and decided he needed a bigger truck and traded it in for a BIG truck about a month ago. Trade-in value for this Frontier is $24,000. Dodge dealership where it was traded in had it marked down for $23,000. It only has 16,000 miles on it. So I bit the bullet and bought it. It is exactly what I was looking for...and it even still has a KEY! No push button start! It is the last of the 4.0L V6 engines with 5 speed automatic transmission...in 2020 Nissan put out a new 3.8L V6 and 9 speed transmission....I'd rather have the older one that's been out for a while and has been tried and tested. The new one is just still too new to judge reliability. It all fell into place...plus I got 2.9% on the loan and with my down payment I didn't finance that much. It has 261hp which is plenty. Still under Nissan factory warranty.  Built in Canton, Mississippi.

Some useless information...Nissan/Infiniti's corporate headquarters is 35 miles up the highway from where I live.

 

Martin, too bad you are so far away..I'd send you to our sales fellow.  We really liked the dealership and our sales guy was fantastic.  I will buy from him again when the time comes if they have what I'm looking for.  They have about 5 dealerships so more to choose from than just CDJR vehicles.

 

[bendix5]

Very nice. Enjoy your new truck. It will give you many years of great travels.

 

[wayupnorth]

My next door neighbor and their neighbor both have Frontier 4WD's and I think both are 2008 models. Both have well over 100K miles and had very few problems. The only issue both have is rust.

 

[vacerator]

Greg, Nice truck!

4 w.d.? Smyrna assembled too. I just hope the front wheel bearings are more durable than on the smaller S.U.V.'s, but that's not a Nissan flaw alone. It's a supplier flaw, and common to many makes.
I don't know if the 5 speed was made by Aisin or Z.F. The Aisins fail after about 80,000 miles. VW used them also. The 9 speed hopefully is a Z.F. unti like Chrysler uses. Either way a new trans is about $4 grand these days.

 

[askolover]

It was actually assembled in Canton, Mississippi.  As far as I can find, the trans is a JATCO (Japan automatic transmission company) product.  The engine was built in Decherd, Tennessee.  The Frontier is very popular around these parts.  I went to run some errands today and I lost count of how many I saw running around.

 

[vacerator]

Yes Greg, I saw

that as I did subsequent resaeach yesterday. Jatco and Aisin are now affiliated.
Many 1978, 79, and 80 Ford Granada's and Mercury Monarchs with 6 cylinders had Jatco 3 speed automatics. My buddy's mom's 78 failed at about 40,000 miles. The dealer supposedly overhauled it, but it never shifted the dame again. First and second gear were dragging out way too long. She didn't return it. The speed limit was only 55 back then. She never drove it over 59 m.p.h.
It was an ESS Monarch with cruise. Midnight blue with a chamoise landau top like the Cougar XR7's had. Ny buddy wanted her to get that, but his dad told his mom the smaller sedan was more practical for a family of 5, and better on gas.
Two years later and still under 60,000 miles she traded it on a diesel Rabbit.
They got the Merc because my buddy rolled her new VW van on senior skip day on an off ramp to a state park. She wanted him back in a car. They traded every 3 years.
Before that they had a '75 Impala.