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/CheezWong]

I miss cheap, small trucks, to be honest. I had a 96 S-10 that was a gutless turd compared to most things and had no special comforts or fearures beyond a cassette player and four-wheel drive, but she was my baby. Everything was so simple and easy to fix/maintain. I went from that to a loaded Envoy with heated leather seats and all that jazz. Was nice, but I couldn't help but wish I could have swapped the drivetrain into the S-10 and put discs on the back wheels. That little thing would have been a beast.

[u/CondeNast_yReddit → u/CheezWong]

Quick research shows the 1996 s10 msrp was $11,755 which I assume is the base model. Inflation calculator says that's around $23,636 in today's money. A new ford maverick msrp around $23,920.

[u/CheezWong → u/CondeNast_yReddit]

I bought it used for a couple grand. It wasn't new. I wouldn't drive a Maverick if it was given to me, though. They don't even come close to being a similar vehicle. AWD Mavs start at like $36k, anyway, and it's either a four cylinder turbo or a hybrid, neither of which are as easy to work on or as reliable as the ol' Vortec.

[u/CondeNast_yReddit → u/CheezWong]

A base s10 had none of that either. My point is that truck prices really haven't changed much. They're in the same category, the maverick has a better payload but the s10. Can tow 2x as much. I'm sure people with a late 70s pickup would have the same gripes about the 96 s10.

[u/CheezWong → u/CondeNast_yReddit]

That's utter nonsense. The entire premise of my original comment was simplicity and cheapness. For a price comparison, modern accoutrements withstanding, you could get a RAM 1500 for roughly $12-14k in '96. The base model RAM now starts at $45k, and that's for a Tradesman model with absolutely no extra features and is probably 2wd. With mark-ups, you can expect to pay around $100k+ for a top of the range model. That shit is ridiculous.

[u/CondeNast_yReddit → u/CheezWong]

The base model 2025 ram starts at 40k and the 2024 tradesman are going for as low as $34k currently. Also the current fullsize trucks are much more capable than 1996. A base model truck in 1996 was 2wd too. You're just throwing shit out there, base model trucks aren't 100k, maybe if you get a trx, platinum, raptor, Denali 2500. Trucks have way more features and higher level trims also more capable. You can still by basic trucks with basic features that aren't far off in price adjusted for Inflation to similar trucks of the past and you get things like AC, rearview camera, radio, cruise control as standard and not upgrades

[u/CheezWong → u/CondeNast_yReddit]

You sound like a salesman, not a consumer, and are still entirely missing the point of my initial comment, as well as glossing over a few details provided therein. I understand you enjoy your jacked up toy box, but it's not my thing. End of discussion.

[u/CondeNast_yReddit → u/CheezWong]

No you just refuse to realize your comments are just relative to the time you're currently in vs when you got the truck you like. Someone could make the same statements about missing cost and simplicity about the model t, also a small truck, which would cost around $25k in today's dollars... surprisingly close to how much a maverick would cost 🤔