Whoa, Nellie! Avg monthly payment > $700.

[MadMan4BamaNATL]

The CEO of GM is on the record as saying that the only factor that enters into (at least GM's) vehicle pricing is "what people are willing to pay." If people convince themselves that they need the latest and greatest and they are willing to take out a 6 year loan to buy it....prices will go up. The people selling the cars and making the loans absolutely don't care about the remainder of your financial situation if they are satisfied there is a decent chance you will make the payments you've signed up for.

Like I said above, they will never stop thinking of ways to separate you from your money. Regardless of what a person who makes $70K should be able to afford, every person has to stop and consider the big picture if they want to avoid the dynamics that keep people broke.

There's truth in your point here for sure, so I won't discount what you're saying. There honestly are a lot of factors at play here. Maybe it's the manufacturer's relentless advertising that has brainwashed everyone into wanting better, maybe it's cable TV, or maybe the interwebz? Social pressure is real also, as is the aspirational aspect of being an American. Trust that I've chased my fair share of rainbows and gone down rabbit holes.

If the normal guy with normal money feels consistently left behind and overrun, please don't think he's just going to eat it and say "ohh well, guess I'm the Unforgiven....) No, he's going to wallow for a bit, then plot on ways to either make things happen, or get even. That's the option that both you, me, and everyone else should be concerned with.

Personally, if making a way for that mythical normal guy to just get to drive a better truck puts his head in a better place; for the love of all, please let that man have his truck! Hell, I'd even throw in a bottle of Angel's Envy or Widow Jane for good measure!

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[Sherminiator]

You're also intentionally making a circular argument, which is something done only for the purpose of argument. When I say, "nicely equipped", I"m speaking in general terms on purpose; it's in the perspective of the reader. However, there is a "normal" Ford has tried to make that level as dynamic as possible with the Bronco, but there still is one; it's called Mid. You may not agree with what or where "Mid" is, but Ford has done it for you.

I remember when a base F-150 was around $19K or so. Sure it was bare, but it was ok. Add $5-$7K in options and you'd have a nice truck. Now, as you've pointed to, $30K is that same bare bones truck from maybe 20 years ago. Incomes haven't increased with that level of inflation, so this is the problem that I've pointed out along with the problems this new reality has created.

The big issue your ignoring is that using Your Mid and Lux argument is bullshit also. I'll use this example-

Parents bought a 2013 Escape Titanium (top end model) when it first came out. My wife and I got a new 2017 Escape SEL a few years later, which would be considered a mid range Escape. The list on the 2013 was $32K vs 28K for the SEL. But Here is the kicker-the SEL had full leather seats vs partial, AWD vs FWD (my dad just wanted FWD), and dual power seats that the TI didn't have (not sure if it was an option or not) and some other stuff that would cause considerable price difference. Not to mention Escape pricing has been a shitshow for years because of example like this.

Arguing this point when it come to a Bronco-I went through this with going between an Outer Banks and Big Bend...the extra costs of what Lux package that you could get on a the OB vs Big Bend wasn't worth it (to me) because in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a huge improvement or something I couldn't live without, for the vehicle I needed/wanted. Plus things like a leather interior offered me an option of going with a bespoke route with Katzin to make my Bronco different.

The costs of vehicles have gone up due to tech and safety but price points have remained fairly steady. Looking at $14K 1993 F-150 and comparing it to a 2022 F-150 even base vs base is impossible because the current model has so much more safety and tech to it.

Ford readded the Ranger to the lineup to help with pricing issues that people might have concerns with and just recently added the Maverick to fill in what was the Ranger price range 20 years ago or so.

That is the whole point-you don't need a F-150 most of the time, the vast majority of people can get a Maverick, because it will meet 90% of their needs and be a nice drive when its being used as transportation to get to point A to point B.