Will trucks ever become awesome again?

[u/cakeba]

I bought my first truck recently, a 2017 F-150 SCSB with the 5.0 and the 6 speed. 4x4. It has NOTHING. Manual windows, manual locks, I consider the A/C system to be the most luxurious aspect of the vehicle. I love it to death.

Is that era totally over and have I scored the last of its kind? Will we ever see boxy, simple, spacious trucks again? The free market is supposed to dictate what gets produced but between government regulations and what people are buying, it seems like every new truck is just amber running lights, plastic everything, complicated and expensive tech...

I feel a little bit hopeless about what the future holds for pickups, but I also think that if they made a real pickup for the pickup crowd, like literally brought back bricknoses and square bodies with nothing more than a modern power train (not too modern; a naturally aspirated V8 will do just fine) and modern suspension, they'd be knockouts with trades companies, simple people like myself, broke blue collar guys... How do we get them to put 4 wheel drive under metal boxes again without ipads for climate controls?

[u/CaptPotter47]

“The free market is supposed to dictate what gets produced but between government regulations and what people are buying, it seems like every new truck is just amber running lights, plastic everything, complicated and expensive tech...”

You are confusing me. You say that the free market should dictate what is available, and it should, but then complain that between government regulations and what people are buying, the free market isn’t dictating what’s available. What people are buying IS the free market dictating what’s available.

Yes, there are some government regulations, emissions, safety, etc that have to be included. But just because backup cameras are required doesn’t mean that the infotainment system needs to exist or that you even need a radio at all.

But the free market has spoken, people buy the packages with lane keep, with parking sensors, with adaptive cruise, with Apple CarPlay, with climate control, etc. the free market has shown that people want those features. That the majority of the market doesn’t want manual transmissions, they don’t want manual windows or locks. The market shows that the majority don’t want single cab.

You might not be the majority of the market, but what people are buying is dictating what’s available. That literally how the free market works.

[u/cakeba → u/CaptPotter47]

What people are buying IS the free market dictating what’s available.

I'm not disputing that. Obviously the people want SUV's with tiny beds and lots of amenities. But I'm certainly not alone in wanting the classic simple pickup to make a comeback, either. I know it's unlikely because those make less money for manufacturers AND they're less in demand. But read the title of the post: Is there any shot in hell that trucks could be the classic hunks of practical utility and durability that they once were, without all the fluff? Or am I going to have to buy a turbocharged ipad with wheels for my next vehicle?

[u/CaptPotter47 → u/cakeba]

It’s great if you and 3 other people want trucks from 1970. But the great thing is, you can still get that. There are plenty of old trucks on the market that you can rebuild to get what you want.

And you can still get a very basic truck with very few features.

Ram 1500 tradesman is $38k. With no dealer incentives.