Don't you honestly think the Big Pickup days are Over???

[hammersley]

I really believe that the fuel $$ has finally put the nail in the coffin of the Big Pickup and Gas Hog vehicles for Most Americans! I know there are a lot of folks that will pay whatever the $$$$ - BUT I think for most families and folks who aren't wealthy - they will vote with their pocketbook and choose NOT to spend such a huge amount for a vehicle and Travel Trailer - that will kill them to use it on the weekends I Know for myself a New Travel Trailer will not happen for me - I refuse to pay that cost... . even though I can afford it - I won't do it! This summer we were going to go travel about 3500 miles with a TT - when I look at fuel being at least $4+/gallon this summer - there is NO WAY I WILL PAY over $1400 for FUEL!!!! And trust me guys - I'm not alone!!!!



Honestly looking at this market segment - I think developing another new big pickup is sort'a like buuilding a new Buggy Whip today some need them - but not many!



I wouldn't want to work for any Travel Trailer Companies or that part of the industry... . and BTW - just for fun I went to an RV show this weekend - the salesman were really upbeat - imagine that... . BUT the place was pretty much empty!!!

 

[TAbbott]

I think you may have a point when it comes to the recreational or discretionary aspect of things. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately when it comes to manufacturers of larger pickups, when one has a bigger job to do, it takes a bigger truck to do it.



There are obviously places where a smaller truck would work just as well or perhaps better, but there are equally as many where they wouldn't work at all.



Take your situation, for instance. Rather than travel 3500 miles towing, you could easily shorten that trip to say 1500 miles round trip or 750 one way and even if fuel costs doubled, you'd still spend less on fuel than you would have before. Now maybe that wouldn't let you visit the grand kids 1750 miles away, but what if you had them meet you in the middle? The kids could bring the minivan and meet you at a National park somewhere and you could have a great time. You'd just have to make adjustments, which is what I suppose most folks will do when faced with higher fuel costs.



I can tell you from personal experience that it's much worse when you don't have the option of downsizing your equipment or shortening your trips, as is the case for long haul truckers, whose fuel costs alone (not to mention tires and other items that oil prices impact) have risen by at least 10 cents per mile in the last 2 months and show no sign of abating --- and there are too many who will take the loads at a loss for anyone to be able to get the rates up in the midst of a depressed freight market.



Those are the people who are really hurting here, those for whom the increases are not discretionary, but a necessary part of their day to day business from which no escape is possible. Many will not survive into the new year with licensing coming due, insurance renewals, etc. etc.

 

[duckcarvr]

last year when fuel went up i thought i would be able to pick up a newer RV cheap because i thought that would drive people to get rid of them or their trucks. this did not happen infact they had a record year and trucks held their value. I complained to my brother in law about the fuel prices and he said it isnt really that bad. If you are going 3500 miles and your going to use 350 gallon at $3. 00,thats $1050. 00. At $4. 00 agallon its only $350. 00 more. I would not let that amount ruin your trip. Our concern is where will it kevel out. I probaly will take more but smaller trips. robert

 

[GHarman]

Not only the fuel cost. Add in there the HP and Torque race with no options. I have said it before and I will say it again. I am perfectly happy with my Cummins with only 155Horses and 400ftlb torque. That could be fine tuned for fuel mileage. A full sized pickup truck with the capability of 25 MPG is not impossible. Just not pulling a 5th wheel trailer. GregH

 

[klenger]

The fist segment to go will be the "I want a big diesel truck to drive to work" crowd that could just as easily get by with a 35 MPG Honda Civic.



The next segment will be the recreational users like myself. As long as I have a 5th wheel, I will need a truck to pull it with, and since both will be paid off next year, my expense of ownership will be actually quite low, even with high fuel costs.



The final segment, which will not go away, are those who use the truck as a source of income. Eventually, they will have to adjust their cost of service to compensate for the higher cost of fuel.



I've seen this cycle so many times over my lifetime that I'm not all that concerned. As soon as the 1st group I mentioned above changes their lifestyle, the demand for fuel will relax a bit. For me, I'm going camping next week and plan to have fun.

 

[RGardner]

The american agriculture segmant can't adjust their cost of service to compensate for the rising cost of fuel, fertilizer, etc. This will be a record year for farm gross income but it may well be a record year for total expenses as well. The net income for the year may well be down.

 

[GPangrle]

I personally have been driving pickups since the 50's and need a truck that will hold a sheet of plywood. I don't need 300 hp and each new truck gets less mpg. I think my next vehicle will be a sprinter. They have a gvw of 8800# same as my cummins , but with a 3 litre engine. I don't tow so I think this is my last diesel pickup unless someone comes up with a solution to better solution. I would be happy with a B4 with good mileage.

 

[JHerr]

I guess that I am ahead of the curve on both the personal and business front. Several years ago, I got tired of $1. 75 diesel fuel a diesel Ram as a commuter vehicle. I bought an old beater Rabbit diesel for my work commuting. The Rabbit paid for itself in fuel savings the first year. My fuel mileage and humility are through the roof!



At work, we replaced a thirsty pig of an Expedition with a Sprinter van in 2005. We dramatically improved fuel economy, people hauling abilities, as well as utility. That Sprinter is a great driving vehicle!



We are refusing to wait until 2010 for a 1/2-ton diesel pickup. These upcoming 1/2-ton diesel pickups will likely have 300-hp, an engine compartment full of emissions doo-dads, and unknown fuel mileage. Instead, we are constructing a 4BT-powered '72 F250. We are trying to build that elusive 25 mpg pickup that we can't buy. Why can't Detroit build a fuel miser diesel pickup with limited horsepower geared for commercial/fleet use?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

The fist segment to go will be the "I want a big diesel truck to drive to work" crowd that could just as easily get by with a 35 MPG Honda Civic.



The next segment will be the recreational users like myself. As long as I have a 5th wheel, I will need a truck to pull it with, and since both will be paid off next year, my expense of ownership will be actually quite low, even with high fuel costs.



The final segment, which will not go away, are those who use the truck as a source of income. Eventually, they will have to adjust their cost of service to compensate for the higher cost of fuel.



I've seen this cycle so many times over my lifetime that I'm not all that concerned. As soon as the 1st group I mentioned above changes their lifestyle, the demand for fuel will relax a bit. For me, I'm going camping next week and plan to have fun.

Yup, that pretty well nails it!



Only thing I would add, is the potential new pickup owners who formerly used larger rigs, often hauling smaller loads that would easily be handled by a pickup with better efficiency, economy and versatility - for them, the switch to or addition of a pickup to their business is a natural...

 

[Pavemen]

Why can't Detroit build a fuel miser diesel pickup with limited horsepower geared for commercial/fleet use?

Simple economics, the market is not asking for these types of vehicles, or at least not asking loud enough to induce change.

As for me, last year I went from a 11mpg gas guzzler (which I still have) to a 19mpg 3500 CTD. While fuel costs are up, the overall costs per mile is cheaper than the gasser. If that changes I switch back to the gasser or find a 4th vehicle for commuting.

 

[Grizzly]

We Americans are in love with our big diesel trucks and RV's. I don't believe much will change. Most of us will keep driving our big diesel trucks and pay the price. Oh sure, we may make shorter vacation/camping trips for a while and in a few years it's back to normal. Some of us can remember the cost of gasoline in 1973, 35 cents gal. In 1974 it went up to 50 cents. I heard the same thing back then, that they were going to quit driving those big Pontiac and Oldsmobile. In a short time we all adjusted to it and it was back to normal. Same thing with smokers (I don't smoke). How many have quit because the price went sky high?

 

[TAbbott]

People keep talking about the horsepower wars and some mention the fact that they'd be happy with less power and more fuel economy.



In large part, the answer as to why the power keeps going up is emissions. The manufacturers are allowed so many grams or milligrams of various kinds of pollutants per horsepower hour. It's easier to meet the standards if the engine is rated to put out more power.



The maufacturers already have the engine blocks and component parts that have the capacity for reliably making more and more power, so they do. Sure, lots of people want more power all the time, but there is a large segment that would accept the lower rated units if they could get them and get better mpg's at the same time.



The reason for lower fuel mileage is also emissions. It's not because the engines make more power that they are inherently unable to generate the previous fuel economy --- that's not the way a diesel works. A gasser yes, a diesel no. Until you start using the available power and the timing retards farther and farther in order to keep the cylinder pressures at acceptable levels, the achievable efficiencies are very similar. If you only used 150 hp max out of a 350 hp engine set up like the older 150 hp engines, you'd likely achieve very similar fuel efficiencies.



It is the quest for more efficiency that is driving newer, smaller engines that make the same kind of power as the older, larger ones. It's also easier to manage the pollutants in smaller displacement engines.

 

[DBentley]

My truck is used every day for work hauling stuff so for me the price of fuel is bad but its just another expense added to my jobs.

I think the 1/2 ton diesel trucks will come to late and will be a failure with diesel costing more than gas now

 

[rbattelle]

The fist segment to go will be the "I want a big diesel truck to drive to work" crowd that could just as easily get by with a 35 MPG Honda Civic.

Ironically, that's exactly what I've done. I love my truck, but now I drive my wife's old Civic to work most days. I just use the truck when I need to haul things.



It saddens me to see such a beautiful machine go unused, but I simply can't afford these fuel costs and my other hobbies. Something had to give.



I suspect many others are making similar choices now (or will be soon). Heck, even the price of gasoline has me driving the gassers for maximum fuel economy and reducing the number of trips I take.



Ryan

 

[AStrand]

My truck is used every day for work hauling stuff so for me the price of fuel is bad but its just another expense added to my jobs.

I think the 1/2 ton diesel trucks will come to late and will be a failure with diesel costing more than gas now

Before I bought my 2500 this past summer this what I was looking for to happen. A diesel 1/2 ton. I upgraded my camper last winter and found out that the suspention of my 1500 just wasn't enough for this camper. I needed to upgrade and thought if I am going to do it then I might as well go for a diesel. I'm glad I did because the Cummins is a world of difference from the Hemi I had (7 mpg) towing. Beside the power it has almost doubled my economy towing (12-13 mpg).

The last couple of years I just have'nt taken the long trips I used to. If fuel prices stay this rediculisly high then I will be doing the same.

 

[mgoncalves]

My fuel bill runs from $800- $1000 a month. I raised our minimum fee $15, everyone understands it comes from the price of fuel, and we get very few complaints about it. In the end, it is the people at the bottom of the economic food chain that are paying the price.

 

[CDonaldson]

I've been through this high-priced fuel stuff before, it will come down some, but not as much as everyone will hope it will.



I travel some during the summers, so I'm out with the normal tourist crowd. This past summer it was like having the raods to yourself with regard to both a lack of semi-trucks and travelers. I traveled on I-40 over to the OK Corral and then I-35 up to Minnesota. In years past there were tons of vehicles, almost too many. This year it was a fraction.



I have a Miata that I use to run about and play, so the fuel prices have not affected me like many others. I average only 700-800 miles per month on my truck, some months less. I am getting close to 20 mpg, so it isn't quite as bad as my old Ford gasser at about half that in mpg's.



I saw a piece on the news this evening that discused the different income groups and rated their fuel costs in percentage based on income. The lowest income people in the state of NM are paying out 10-11% of their income for fuels. The higher/highest income people are less than 2% of their income for fuels. That says it all, the poor guy on the bottom is just getting poorer, an they are the ones that really need it to be 2%.



CD

 

[Bluebird]

Humility...

I drive my '72 Beetle daily, pretty much a cosmetic beater, mechanically sound, (it'll cost me $575. 00 next engine I rebuild), 21-28mpg. My Ram with loads weekdays, weekends, average 21, up to 24mpgs. Had a Ranger before my Ram, only got 24mpg on great days, gutless 4-banger:-laf. My Girls drive Asian cars mid-twenties mpgs. Keep hearing that the diesel cars are suppose to flood the market '08-'09, we'll see. I'd like an old diesel Rabbit Karman Convertable... for my next commuter.



Patrick.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

In the end, it is the people at the bottom of the economic food chain that are paying the price.

I saw a piece on the news this evening that discused the different income groups and rated their fuel costs in percentage based on income. The lowest income people in the state of NM are paying out 10-11% of their income for fuels. The higher/highest income people are less than 2% of their income for fuels. That says it all, the poor guy on the bottom is just getting poorer, an they are the ones that really need it to be 2%.

YUP - I was figuring to do a poll here to see what various guys figure they were paying percentage-wise for fuel out of their income - looks like it's already been done, and the results are right in line with what I anticipated.



Makes it lots easier to see why those rich liberals are so unconcerned about rising fuel costs, and are happy to see us paying European prices - THEY are pretty well isolated and insulated from the realities the rest of us ordinary peons face daily...





Besides, the fewer there are of us on the roads and in the air, the less THEIR travels are impeded...

 

[AKaiser]

The liberals always say they're in favor of "progressive" taxation (the more you make, the higher your marginal tax rates) but face it, fixed costs like fuel, food, etc, are anything but progressive. They're regressive by nature: the more money you make, the lower a percentage of your earnings they take away.



The way I figured it, once this rig is paid for, my utilization costs will go down trememdously. I'm paying almost $600/mo for the vehicle, which I should be able to pay off completely while on deployment next year (I owe about $26K). My average fuel bill is 1/3 to 1/2 of that, depending on how much extraneous travel I undertake. Add in about $80/mo for insurance. Once it's paid off, my monthly outlays for the vehicle drop almost 75%. That's about $7000 per year. Yes, it's mostly just a day driver, but I expect it to last a good long time.