Nice. I had a 1985 with the 302. That 351 HO was a hot motor for those times.

 

I too am shocked at the sticker price on new vehicles. However, comparing current prices against the "good ole days" is not always what it seems.

I did find this inflation calculator on the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to that calculator, the above mentioned $15K truck in 1987 would now cost over $31K. Factor how much more truck Ford offers these days and the costs aren't as high as they seem.

There's no way to opt out of the safety, comfort, capability, efficiency, and longevity of the modern vehicles.

 

How modern are we talkin? Comfort maybe, efficiency only in some instances, and longevity has yet to be seen. Safer? Who knows....

~95-05 was a great period for vehicles in general. The comfort/size craze just started, engines and emissions were simpler, the dreaded powerless engine days were over, overall size/weight wasn't to the unnecessary extreme it is today, don't have added nonsense like 9 airbags and A pillars that obstruct vision.....

Nothing in the new technology of engines is earth shattering. Direct injection for gassers is pretty much the only thing new stuff has over the old, besides that gimme a vehicle built in the time frame above and I'll have a vehicle to my liking for half the price. Or, for a gasser, I'll swap a new Lt1 in and run laps around a new truck, with better efficiency...still 20k less. The best vehicles are built after they leave the showroom floor....

 

The real sad thing is, these trucks probably have the lowest technology in them even if you are shelling out over $70,000 on it. They contract other companies (lowest bidders) to build parts within their specs as long as they meet the lowest requirements. I can live without a touch screen radio (that'll barely last 5 years and will cost a fortune to update). Heated steering wheel while nice up here in the frozen north is not a necessity and is an un-needed expense once it goes out.

Engine repair/new engine is probably north of $7500. The new 10 speed coming out in about 16 months from now will be expensive once out of warranty to replace/rebuild. For the amount of money these trucks are worth you could by a middle of the line to near top of the line BMW or Mercedes-Benz and still have roughly the same costs in repairs in them.

That was the nice thing of the old vehicles of the early 1990s and before, the average shade tree mechanic to do just about everything on it and not have to worry about much of anything. No computers to tune/calibrate. ODB-I was pretty easy for the most part.

As much as I like the new trucks, I probably would never buy one even if I won the lottery. Cost of repairs out of warranty will suck and I like to keep it as long as possible doing the basic maintenance and knowing my luck I'd get that one that would need a lot of work done after warranty is up (even going with the extended).

 

All I know is people tend to justify whatever situation they are in. If they can't afford anything more than 15 years old then all you hear about is blah blah blah why that is the best thing to do. It's not. What you value and do is situational.

 

The local dealer has a few XL's in stock now and I drove over to take a look.

I must say I'm not as impressed with them in person as I was with the pictures...

The SuperCab bed looks strangely disproportiante to the cab, and the SuperCrew is also kind of bizarre looking. Its like the bed should have been about 6" taller.

Am I the only one who thinks that?

 

How much more truck? A 1987 truck will do 99% of what a 2015 will do. Now if speed limits go up to 100mph, you would have an argument. What does a truck do? It transports a humans and goods. Now if there was a contest to deliver 10 bales of hay and 2 people 500 miles who would win? There is ZERO advantage with the newest technology.

 

Engine tolerances are tighter and they last a lot longer. One factor that may throw a wrench in that deal is how integrated all the sensors and computer controls are. I'm not sure some of this newer stuff will be repairable for any length of time as a practical matter.

 

Especially fuel economy wise...its a crap shoot. They would end up being close to about the same. Unloaded the EcoBoost or even newer V8 would get better than the 15mpg the old '87 would get and get it on a more consistent basis. But the '87 has a whole lot less crap to go wrong and would be cheaper overall repair. Newer trucks can tow a lot more than what the average person needs it for.

The way trucks are getting nowadays is where super duty trucks were back in 1999, roughly the same towing capacity. The Excursion was at its peak 9000lbs for towing while the new F150 is nearing 12K? Nowadays you can get a 1/2 with a Gooseneck or 5th wheel and DOT won't really react to it. Where as you do it with the '87 you'll probably get pulled over with it.

Cost of an engine overhaul now would cover the cost of a drive train overhaul on an older truck and still have money left over.

 

as cool as the "old days" are for any years of truck......and that year/years will vary with different guys.....it's a bit much to say the old stuff is superior in anyway

 

Ford used to advertise cost of repairs... Costs per mile. Hardly anybody looks at stuff like that anymore.

Truck buyers, I suspect, were a more frugal lot than car buyers. Things like rear bumpers, arm rests and passenger sun visors - things people take for granted - were extra cost options back then. My 64 has no four way flashers, no windshield washers, and single speed wipers.

Now today it's like cable TV, here's what you get - whether you want it or not. Yes modern trucks are "better" in every way, but, the overall cost, and cost of repair is getting out of line, in my opinion. This isn't so much the fault of Ford but it is an issue. If they were able to sell a no frills bare bones truck people would buy it, and they would be cheap to buy and operate.

 

My 1987 F-150 was the biggest POS that I've ever owned, these were not good years for Ford or the F-series. I can give you a laundry list of things that had to be fixed or replaced on my '87 starting with a new engine at 101K miles. Plus, OBII didn't come out until sometime later which by nature means that the dealer network can't work on them and you can hardly find a scan tool to diagnose a sensor failure.

Ford does build a bare bones truck, it's called an F-150 XL. Yes, all the sensors, emissions and safety crap are there because it's a government mandate but all else is bare pickins. And guess what, these are the last trucks to be sold to the consumers. Mainly contractors are looking for these trucks as a less expensive entry level vehicle.

 

Your guys' arguments just prove you drive junk. All you talk about is cost to repair things, replacing and rebuilding engines, rebuilding transmissions, failing sensors, and whatever else falls apart on 30 year old vehicles. Meanwhile, we're talking about what wheels to order with our trucks.

While you espouse how to save a penny, I focus on how to make a dollar so I can have things like a new truck. Get a clue, dude....

 

No, not at all. If you want to throw money away that's your business, I guess. Anyway, spark plugs launching out of the heads is recent, as are the GEM problems with leaky windshields.You are bringing up a good point though.

Trucks are really for work. A lot of the features included today are cosmetic or fancy luxury car features. Nice to have, not really necessary and add to the cost. Trucks have become a kind of fashion statement, many a 4x4 will never see anything off highway, etc.

 

[QUOTE=Tedster9;15058317]Ford used to advertise cost of repairs... Costs per mile. Hardly anybody looks at stuff like that anymore.

Truck buyers, I suspect, were a more frugal lot than car buyers. Things like rear bumpers, arm rests and passenger sun visors - things people take for granted - were extra cost options back then. My 64 has no four way flashers, no windshield washers, and single speed wipers.


I agree in 94 we paid extra to have a rear bumper. Truck was on the lot without one. I think most of them had one on but I'm pretty confident it was an upcharge either way. Bench seat, vinyl floors no cruise control or air. I realize they make bare bones now but back then the fancy trucks were still only single cab. I think our 94 xl rear wheel drive stickered under $14,000. We could have had a sweet 95 4wd xlt for under $19,000.