Resale value

[mgsw530]

With all the manufacturers cutting production on trucks/suvs, do you think it will help resale value (or not)?

[TexBiker]

As long as there are big rebates on new trucks, resale value will continue to drop.

Low demand due to high fuel prices don't help, either.

Those are just a couple of the reasons I typically keep my vehicles 10yrs or more. I pay cash and drive them till they're worthless.

[StatCoder]

Yes it will help resale value compared to what it would be if they kept pumping out more new trucks, however, it won't keep resale values from going down. I have read articles that say that KBB, etc. doesn't really reflect the real decline in value of trucks.

Apparently, GM thinks it's a permanent shift in people's preferences. Some people think that the era of people buying trucks that they don't really need (myself included) is over for good.

[larrynewman]

I may be wrong here, but I think the "future" of trucks looks like this:

- People who don't really NEED a truck stop buying them.
- Smart manufacturers get back to basics (like trucks used to be many years ago).
- People buy the new basic, reduced-cost, trucks but use them only when they need to tow or haul, etc. and use their daily driver car for everything else.

This could mean one truck could last a man 20 years or more if only used when necessary.

I may be waaaay off base here, but the days of people like me who LOVE to drive trucks, but don't really NEED one as a daily driver are coming to an end.

If I had a farm/ranch, I would buy a base 5.7L Tundra, but also a 4-cylinder econo car for MPG and only drive the truck when I need to.

Just my .02. Hope I'm wrong about this, by the way.

[StatCoder]

Of course, the ultimate truck that nobody needs is the Hummer. It really doesn't have any particular utility that isn't done much better by something else. That's why GM is considering selling the entire line. Just a couple of years ago it was a star. At the same time, they are going to build smaller and smaller Hummers until it will not be any different from a Jeep.

I agree that the days of the commuter truck are probably over. The F150 went from first to fifth in popularity within the past year. Chances are that anybody who doesn't have anything in the bed of their truck most of the time probably doesn't need a truck. It's hard to imagine here in Texas.

[larrynewman]

StatCoder: You're 100% right about the Hummer.

As men, we're going to have to get out of the mindset that real men don't drive anything other than trucks. I don't need a truck for 95% of what I do, but I can sure see why a lot of people do legitimately need a truck for more than about 70% of their driving. I actually don't even own a truck anymore, and just borrow my son's truck (a small Ford Ranger) for picking up lumber, every now and then.

Maybe some day we'll get a hydrogen-powered truck that won't cost too much to drive and I can get one again. I simply have to keep putting my brain (and budget) ahead of my strong desire to drive a truck. Yeah...no fun. I look with envy at every dude driving a 2007-2008 Tundra...so enjoy!

I know what you mean about not seeing how Texans will ever give up trucks. It's similar here in Oklahoma.