Tow vehicle shopping woes

[mjeds]

used vehicle rates have been sky high since 2021 due to a shortage of vehicles (or so they claim), hell I had a 2017 Camry XLE Hybrid with 34,000 miles on it that I paid $28,000 for brand new in 2017 and I sold it 10-2022 for $23,000 to carmax, they resold it for $26,000, in 2019 the best offer I got for it with 20,000 miles on it was $15,400.

interest rates are sky high as well, looking at 8% or higher on a used vehicle right now, just like home loan rates are 6% or higher.

Now is not the time to buy anything. Credit cards are 25% plus as well for most people. The Fed keeps raising rates and the middle class is falling further and further into debt.

My divorce cost me my home, court forced me to sell and divide, so now I'm living in my Travel Trailer, because I will not even think about purchasing another home with rates this high.

Rents are ridiculous now as well. My mortgage in L.A. for a 2000 sq ft 3bd 2 bath home was $2,400 at 1.75% I can't even find a 1 bd 1 bath apartment in this area for that.

and I make a good 6 figure income. I could easily buy another home, but no way at these rates.

for me, it is time to just hunker down and wait it out.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

You're not alone in the hunker down and wait it out camp. I couldn't imagine having to finance a vehicle right now. Whomever shows up to fix this colossal mess in '24 has really got their work cut out for them.

 

[widdershins]

In the meantime, keep your eyes open... check dealer inventory. Years ago I wandered on to a Ram 1500 that came from the factory with everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. It was part of a commercial deal for x vehicles that turned into x-1, because it was the base trim the dealer made me a really nice offer (below MSRP)...

Patience may pay off, or I just got damned lucky ;-).

 

[Bigblockyeti]

Sounds like you just got darn lucky but timing and "years ago" probably helped quite a bit. What I'm looking for is far more truck and far less Gulfstream G5 option list, those lines seem to have been blurred more than a little over the past ~1.5 decade. From a shareholders standpoint these $5 options that are sold for $1500 are awesome but when some little thing that's needed to make a truck perform better as a truck mandates another $23 worth of stuff sold at $5600, the manufacturers have clearly lost site. I see more tax payer funded bailouts due to shortsightedness coming in 3 - 2 - 1

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Sounds like you just got darn lucky but timing and "years ago" probably helped quite a bit. What I'm looking for is far more truck and far less Gulfstream G5 option list, those lines seem to have been blurred more than a little over the past ~1.5 decade. From a shareholders standpoint these $5 options that are sold for $1500 are awesome but when some little thing that's needed to make a truck perform better as a truck mandates another $23 worth of stuff sold at $5600, the manufacturers have clearly lost site. I see more tax payer funded bailouts due to shortsightedness coming in 3 - 2 - 1

You and more than half the world, we just try keeping it to ourselves here.

 

[widdershins]

What.. you no want 40" TV screen in your truck????? Too bad.. we don't sell the base model anymore, only models with mandatory packages...

sounds like the RV industry..

 

[Fueco]

What.. you no want 40" TV screen in your truck????? Too bad.. we don't sell the base model anymore, only models with mandatory packages...

sounds like the RV industry..

Yep. That’s why our Suburban has a sunroof. A sunroof that will have a Yakima Skybox over it as soon as I can get it installed (I’m picking up the roof crossbars tomorrow).

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I can get what I want, like the chassis cab I mentioned earlier, I just have to finish it myself.

 

[Breeze44]

We have a 2004 F150 XLT 5.4 6.5' bed extended cab, which pulled our camper okay, but we had almost no payload capacity left over. So, we looked fora new truck, found a 2022 F250 STX 7.3 crew cab. Truck came with snowplow/camper prep and Pro backup. The thing that sold me was the payload capacity which is 3187lb. Also has the upfitter switches with 397-amp alternator(s). 59k MSRP. I love the truck even though it's not an XLT. Has heated mirrors and a few other bells and whistles. I just couldn't see paying over 65k to 75k just to have all the fancy stuff. It basically is a upgraded work truck. I couldn't be happier.