$100K trucks: The new American status symbol

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Isaac Marchionna had always been a loyal SUV owner until he upgraded his Toyota 4Runner to a Ford F-150 Raptor, a massive truck with 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, three years ago

Marchionna, who lives in Oregon, originally bought the $72,000 pickup to go off-roading in the Baja California desert. He soon realized that the Raptor had all the creature comforts he sought in a daily driver.

"It's aggressive and can bomb through a desert ... but drives like a big car, handles very easily and is a very plush ride," he told ABC News. "Just a pleasant driving experience around town."

Trucks have definitely become the "it" vehicle in the U.S., according to Ivan Drury, a senior manager at Edmunds. They now come equipped with features that once made luxury vehicles stand out. Plus, towing capabilities and bed size have increased in the latest generations.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/dollar100k-trucks-the-new-american-status-symbol/ar-AAYlU0U

Just what everyone needs in the time of $5 gal. gasoline.

[Scrivener7]

1. It's not just a status symbol. For some, it's a symbol of, "You're going to talk

to me about climate change? You're going to tell me I can't do something? Look at this baby! Gets 7 miles to the gallon!"

It's screwing themselves in order to own the libs. Again.

[jimfields33]

2. If these also can be used to run the house during rolling blackouts,

especially in California where they happen constantly. Then it’s probably a very smart decision to own one. Always look at the positives.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

4. You're thinking of the F-150 Lightning

The F-150 Raptor is a different beast.

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/

https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/models/f150-raptor/

[jimfields33]

5. Ah. Got it.

It’s a shame this guy didn’t buy the other one. It would have been very helpful for him.

[roamer65]

3. Let's see what they think in 20 years.

[jimfields33]

6. I'm pretty sure they won't have the same vehicle.

Although, I run my into the ground, a lot of people replace their cars in 10-15 years.

[Coventina]

7. I don't want to hear anything about gas prices from these idiots. n/t

[Harvey Wineburger]

11. The article says that Mr. Marchionna bought his truck 3 years ago.

Gas prices have at least tripled since then.

I really don't think many saw that coming.

[Coventina]

12. You make the choice to buy a gas guzzler, you have no room to complain. n/t

[Harvey Wineburger]

18. Well, I complain about food prices going up.

I guess I should just shut up about it and quit eating then.

[Coventina]

19. Our food prices have been artificially low for decades.

Kept low, in large part, by the artificially low cost of oil (to transport) and artificially low cost of labor.

It's about time Americans learn about the real cost of things, our subsidies have been killing the planet.

[SharonClark]

31. You equate eating with choosing a gas-guzzling monster truck?

Only if you choose to eat filet mignon and gold dust on a daily basis.

BTW - Welcome to DU.

[llmart]

17. "I really don't think many saw that coming."

The ill-informed ones never "see that coming". Same ones who didn't see the housing market collapse or even worse, the ones who did experience the housing market crash and a decade later bought a 3,000 sq. ft. house with next to nothing down.

Where was he during the Dubya years when gas was $4.00 a gallon?

Never underestimate the stupidity of the American consumer.

[Coventina]

20. It's like they never saw the cost of gas fluctuate, or something.

[Harvey Wineburger]

26. I wouldn't argue about the stupidity of the average American consumer.

But that's also who votes when the time comes.

However, I've been driving since 1965, I certainly don't remember $4 gas until recently.

[gulliver]

8. The high gas prices caused by Republicans and the oil companies will work against that

I like good old F-150s in any flavor. My family had a basic one when I was a kid. I absolutely loved it. I got to drive it when I was sixteen, and I'm pretty sure I took it up to about ninety.

It's an American made vehicle, made by good union workers. I'm 100% Ok with it. I do not resent it in any way or for any reason, and I think that's the way everyone should be. (I am strongly pro-environment, for example, and I don't want to see environmentalism's name tarnished by futile resentments against popular vehicles.)

I do wish Republican politicians, who coddle profiteering oil companies, weren't creating high gas prices that could lead to reduced truck sales. A lot of people who like the F-150 won't be able to get one, thanks to Republican politicians. If Dems had their way, we'd be windfall-profit taxing the oil companies, even regulating them like utilities. In effect, that's what they are, utilities. Utilities don't get to gouge people. Vote out all Republicans in every election and gas prices will be low again.

[Auggie]

9. I'm curious if these are people of means or if they're mortgaging their future on a vehicle

Will a $100,000 truck appreciate the same way as, say, land?

[Harvey Wineburger]

15. Cars don't appreciate, they lose value.

Car depreciation is a vehicle’s drop in value over time. Depreciation varies by car model, make, upkeep and other factors, but new car depreciation can generally be as much as 20% (or even more) in the first year and reach around 40% after five years.

However,

Pickups and SUVs are usually in high demand as used cars, so they retain a higher value than other vehicles; on the other hand, luxury sedans tend to depreciate faster. High-demand cars like Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford Mustangs also hold their value longer.

So there's that.

https://www.lendingtree.com/auto/how-much-do-new-cars-depreciate/

[roamer65]

21. In normal times, yes.

But not now.

My 2017 Cruze is worth 2/3rds of its original sticker price.

[LuckyCharms]

10. I've owned 3 trucks since I've been able to drive.

2 full size, and 1 smaller Ford Ranger.

My first full size was a 1988 F-150 work truck. No bells or whistles, crank windows, vinyl floor that you could hose out. No carpeting at all. 5 speed standard stick shift. 6 cylinder, so it had decent gas mileage.

I loved that truck and used it for what I needed to use it for.

I now drive a small fuel efficient car.

I would love to buy a basic, stripped down work truck, but I don't even know if you can buy something like that these days.

I wouldn't pay $100k for a truck, even if I was a millionaire.

[Chainfire]

13. Nothing say "manly" like a King Ranch edition.

And if it is a F 450 with dual rear wheels, you are a redneck demigod. Of course everyone knows that these vehicles are woman magnets.

[Coventina]

22. Until a few years ago we had an F350 (that we rarely drove) with dual rear wheels.

Extended cab and bed.

That thing was a monster. Since it was red, we named it Clifford!



We only used it for camping and towing.
We finally got rid of it because we really didn't use it that much.

When we did use it, we certainly were not besieged by women!

[jmowreader]

28. Yes they are

And some guys LIKE women with four children who tune the radio to the country music station and glue the knob down.

[keithbvadu2]

14. And it gets great mile gassage.

[leftyladyfrommo]

16. We are Midwest where the bigger the better.

My neighbor loved vehicles. He bought a big truck without telling his wife. She said it set them back 12 years. And then they got divorced.

[Chainfire]

23. I guess I bottom out on the status scale...

My last three new vehicles have been Kia Rios.....But, I have money in the bank!

I get a lot of flack about my vehicle choice, but after 55 years of driving and owning all kinds of vehicles, I don't think that I have ever had better quality vehicle than the Kias, they just don't break.... I also own a Ford Explorer pickup, bought used, several years ago. It is 9 years old, about a hundred thousand miles and it is very close to becoming a junkyard dog...It has a blown head gasket and the estimate to fix it was $5,000.00. The mechanic recommended that I not fix it because it is about the age that all of the wiring harnesses fail; another two grand. I am considering turning it into a planter...

The truck still looks great, so I thought that I mint park it out buy the road, bed and cab full of petunias, with a sign that says, "Built Ford Tough."

[EX500rider]

24. Get a new mechanic

Labor for head gasket $850+-, parts 200+-

[Chainfire]

27. Not on a Ford Explorer Sports Trac.

The mechanic is an independent that was a Ford trained dealership mechanic for 20 years. He knows the vehicle and he knows why they were discontinued. I don't think that he is dishonest because he suggested that I not do the work! Bad head gasket or cracked head is apparently a replace engine thing with this vehicle.

[EX500rider]

29. I'd still get a second opinion

It's just a stretched Explorer with the standard 4.0L V6 unless you have V8 engine option, the 292 hp 4.6L 24-valve Modular V8 used in the F-150 pickups. Either way it just a standard head gasket replacement.

[EX500rider]

25. And wiring is good for more then 9 years, my 20yr old Ford Focus has no wiring issues

[sarcasmo]

30. Sticking with my mini-van.

[asiliveandbreathe]

32. Oh, after looking into (on-line)..the chevy ev hummer..starting at $106,000

I guess I will keep my '04 chevy Black Avalanche..less than 100,000 miles..had since new..I wouldn't trade for anything..

But, love the commercial..crabwalk..watch the tires at the end..

?t=2

[MineralMan]

33. When I came of driving age, in 1961, pickups

were work vehicles. They were also cheap to buy. They weren't fast. They weren't fancy. If you wanted a heater and a radio, those were extra and a lot of people didn't get those on their pickups.

You could buy a small one, like the Ford Falcon Ranchero or a lightweight 1/2-ton pickup. You could also buy a long-bed 3/4 or even 1-ton pickup, but you wouldn't unless you needed it for what you did as work.

I've owned maybe two dozen pickups during my adult life. All of them were work trucks. Most of them were small pickups, with 4 or 6-cylinder engines. They served me well. I owned so many, because I only needed them sometimes. When I needed one, I bought a used one. When I didn't need one, I sold the one I had. All were at least 15 years old when I bought them. Generally, I sold them for the same low price I paid for them. So, they really cost me nothing to own.

The era of the fancy, go-fast pickup came later. These days, what's hard to find is a basic work-a-day pickup truck. They're not cheap anymore. Since a lot of guys want something to boost their own self-esteem, they're big, powerful, fast, and fuel hogs. Nobody wants small pickups or lightweight pickups any longer. It's too bad, because a lot of people still need a truck to work from and cheap is good. But, you can't get those any more. They just don't make them. Not enough profit in them.