Automakers wonder why their trucks aren’t selling??..it’s obvious

I don’t need a full sized pickup truck either -I’m fine with a midsize one.
However,I have specifications for my vehicles. One of those is that it has a manual transmission. The Maverick and Ranger aren’t available with it,which leaves the Toyota Tacoma or the Jeep Gladiator (both are out of my budget in the new truck market). Used truck wise however I can get the Tacoma or the Nissan Frontier.

Remember what I said about getting back to the basics??
2016 Toyota Tacoma 4WD Access Cab I4 MT SR (Natl)
Nothing fancy,aside from the rear view camera and electronic 4WD system. 4 cylinder,5-speed manual and plenty of life left in it.
K.I.S.S.

 

Oh God I hope I didn't imply aluminum frames would be good. I just meant what good is a clean body on a crappy steel frame that will rot.

Engineering have to take over where steel stops. The big 3 clearly just can't or won't engineer their products better.

"Good" steel means nothing around here if it is thin gauge and improperly coated. My own eyes under the Ford tell me they STILL don't get how to make a tough salt belt truck or how to button them up underneath.....or how to COMPETE with BETTER products.

Like I said up there....I take no joy in saying this stuff.....but it is what it is.

 

Another thing I noticed on several Fords I looked at.......if you are old enough to have had a lot of vehicles in your life then you will know that once your factory exhaust goes (rots, breaks at a weld, breaks internally, cat stops working and throws a code) then you are stuck with muffler shops that use alumacoated garbage that will last 2-3 years AT MOST. SUPER hard to find a shop that bends and welds stainless. They seem to not even exist! All of the 3 year old Fords I looked at had exhaust systems the looked like a 12 year old Toyota exhaust system. These are real numbers from me looking at 30 trucks in the last 2 months,

That steel matters too! But clearly not to some manufacturers .

 

It’s not just the materials used to manufacture a vehicle but also how rustproofing/corrosion prevention methods are used to protect said vehicle.

Take Audi for example. Anyone who has dealt with their vehicles (like yours truly) knows that they charge a pretty penny for their vehicles. Part of that goes into their corrosion prevention,in particular the zinc bath that the vehicle bodies are dipped into before they sprayed with multiple layers of primer and paint. Also,Audi uses galvanized steel in vehicle construction. Every nook and cranny of those vehicles are coated to make sure no air bubbles can pop up.

And of course,taking care of the vehicle itself helps. Washing the vehicle is part of maintenance but a lot of people take it for granted.

 

The Beloved Toyota Camry V6 Engine Is Dead
Expect people to make a run on these when word gets out!!

 

Actually if the big wigs were not so greedy the amount the union workers ask for is not an issue.

 

Unfortunately the Titan was “late to the party” as far as entering the full size pickup truck market goes. Plus it was never offered with additional gas V8 engine options,the only other option was the Cummins V8 diesel, that flopped big time-it wasn’t that more economical,plus it was plagued with reliability issues. Most Titan owners love their trucks though.

 

My Titan had a quarter million on it and ran perfectly when I sold it.*

* Big mistake, I'm getting another truck once I pay this car off!

 

Even a year ago used truck prices in the used market were getting insane!
1984 Ford F-150 Bullnose Sells for $51K, and We're Off the Map Now