Buying a Car or Truck Sucks Right Now!

WhiteHawk

Club Member
Is it just me? It sure seems like it generally sucks for everyone. Maybe I am just being a boomer again. I don't know!

First one, I ordered a new Camaro six weeks ago. Not a word since I put it in, appears they are handing out allocations to dealers like they are Faberge Eggs. GM announces yesterday that the Camaro is going out of production next January because of poor sales. That's funny, then why isn't my order being built yet? Seems like there is demand they are just ignoring it. And don't get me started that the Challenger gets 1000 hp, and the Camaro gets a sticker package teased...

Second. Wife has a Lincoln Nautilus lease that ends in a month. Nice truck. Go back to the dealer, we can't find our sales guy so we leave a message. Sales guy literally won't return our call - it's been a month! Call a different sales guy, nothing. Go up to Suburban Ford where we leased an Edge a couple years ago, he tells me that you have to order anything you want to lease, that he has no inventory. Nothing on the lot. Their website says they have 100 Explorers in inventory, but he says we can't get an Explorer unless we order it. He also says that the $1000 incentive only applies to orders which I am pretty sure is a lie. It is probably true if you count that every car on their lot has a $1000 bullshit fabric protection package on it. Needless to say, we are going to order an Explorer on Saturday. I told her I want the A-pillar spotlights...

Third, my truck lease ends in May. To replace it with the same truck I have, the price would almost double and you have to order if you want a V8. WTF? Oh, we can get a a 4 cylinder truck with a heated bench seat for $450 a month. Pass. But they are shutting Fort Wayne for two weeks to keep inventory down, so no chance of getting anything any cheaper. So I start looking at used stuff, and it is just as ridiculous. Literally anything with decent option content under $20k is a rust bucket or has 150k+ miles. The market has gone insane. I looked at a 2WD Colorado V8 but the guy wouldn't budge at $17k. I thought he was crazy, but the truck sold in a week. So the only plan here is to extend my current lease since the wife needs something to drive until her Explorer is built (hopefully she doesn't get the tires slashed parking in the lot at Dearborn Truck). So this can just gets kicked six months down the road.

So yea, buying vehicles sucks right now. Unless you are a lotto winner I guess...

-Geoff
 
It certainly does. I want to off my WK1 for something more fuel efficient, but the problem is even for a 15 year old Impala, people want stupid money for a rust bucket. My WK is pretty damn clean, all things considering.

So, I threw it up on Marketplace for a price I'd be happy with. It it sells, great, if not, I'll just keep it.

We do need something newer....old man has a '21 Ram 1500 Longhorn2 lease that I may buy out next summer. He used it only to tow a travel trailer for summer trips. I don't think it's ever seen salt, it just sits outside all winter. He's way under on miles. I think his buyout is just shy of $32k. I can't really turn that down, considering what new and clapped out used trucks are costing right now.

It sucks right now.
 
It certainly does. I want to off my WK1 for something more fuel efficient, but the problem is even for a 15 year old Impala, people want stupid money for a rust bucket. My WK is pretty damn clean, all things considering.

So, I threw it up on Marketplace for a price I'd be happy with. It it sells, great, if not, I'll just keep it.

We do need something newer....old man has a '21 Ram 1500 Longhorn2 lease that I may buy out next summer. He used it only to tow a travel trailer for summer trips. I don't think it's ever seen salt, it just sits outside all winter. He's way under on miles. I think his buyout is just shy of $32k. I can't really turn that down, considering what new and clapped out used trucks are costing right now.

It sucks right now.

The buy on my truck is $34.5k plus tax. It's nice but not a forever truck. I was hoping to get something under $20k. Now I am hoping to get something for under $27k. It's crazy.

-Geoff
 
correct me if Im wrong... does 91Trunk still sell cars


shameless plug ... a friend of mine is at Lincoln of Troy .. Rich Wolf ...He also is affiliated with Mission Ford in Dearborn 734-812-1125 he's always bragging he can deliver
 
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They didn't directly say it yesterday, but one would have to assume that Camaro just doesn't fit GM's near term EV portfolio plan. EV's cost $$$$. Buyers are going to expect Caddy level trim for that $$$$. Until GM's EV plans include releasing a cheaper/value performance EV... not sure there is a place for Camaro. Buyers loaded with cash and want perf would buy the Corvette EV. Like Tesla, GM is starting their EV journey with higher end ($$$$) offerings.

Same with all of the upcoming layoffs. They didn't say it directly, but I'm sure that will be mostly focused on engineering & manufacturing ICE employees... making room in the workforce for EV SMEs. Yes, a bit from all teams will be taken, but I'd expect the bulk hitting ICE jobs.
 
I just priced out leases for my sister for base 1500 pickups. Almost 600 a month for 3 year lease. Priced the ram and the Silverado. Insane.
 
I just priced out leases for my sister for base 1500 pickups. Almost 600 a month for 3 year lease. Priced the ram and the Silverado. Insane.

The best Silverado employee price is $440 for a 2FL which is a base crew cab truck with heated seats and heated steering wheel. I do the math on a three year lease - 440 x 12 x 3 - and get almost $16k for a three year lease. So if I lease twice it is $32k. I am thinking I can spend $10k less and get six years from something used. I am a cheap mother fucker, though, so maybe that is not for everyone. I am only putting 5000 miles a year on my truck since Covid, even going back to the office, so I don't need big miles. Maybe I'll just get some snow tires for the Camaro...

-Geoff
 
thats why I bought out my lease. The cost of the same truck was like 8k more and almost double the lease payment
 
thats why I bought out my lease. The cost of the same truck was like 8k more and almost double the lease payment

I’m buying her expiring lease. 2020 Silverado 6.2l RST. She wants another but can’t afford it. I’ve finally talked her into something smaller for a couple year lease.
 
I am only putting 5000 miles a year on my truck since Covid, even going back to the office, so I don't need big miles.
-Geoff
That's one of the reasons I purchased my '21 Yukon and you may want to figure into your calculations. I used to be a 20k mile/year driver. Post-Covid, I'm 4-5k/year. Most low mileage leases are 10-12k/year, std lease is 15k/year. Buying the vehicle gives me flexibility in driving consumption, and the car is worth more whenever I go to sell it if/when it has less miles. With how dynamic remote work situations are for some of us, it's hard to forecast miles. Unused miles is like buring cash.
 
I really love my GMT800's and am heavily tempted to seek out a nice southern 4x4 SUV. I don't care about mileage, I just want the chassis and body to be rust-free. I've also had my eye on GM 2000-2010 V6 sedans (like 3.5L/3.9L Impala, etc).

GM made about eleventy billion of those vehicles, you trip over parts at the junkyard, and I can pretty easily maintain those as they are relatively simple. IMO, they are also just modern enough to have the amenities I want.

I realize I work for an OE, but I am not getting on his hampster wheel of insane costs. The reality is I live in the rust belt on a dirt road with 3 messy ankle biters. I beat the piss out of my vehicles. I feel much better beating the piss out of a $10k vehicle than I do a $60k vehicle. Rust will take my current 800's before mechanical failure does.
 
Nice Larry! I have been looking at 2014 and 2015 Silverado's in the low $20k range. I found a GMC with 206k miles for $16,500 that looks tempting too. In GR I found a "Texas Edition" Silverado, which means it at least started it's life in Texas. Gotta watch some of these 10 year old trucks for rust too.

-Geoff
 
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You really want an exercise in futility, try buying a used 3/4 ton anything!

I've been hunting for months, I have come close, but like a lot of you guys
I have to simply pay more if I expect to get something ....... a lot more.
 
I found a GMC with 206k miles for $16,500 that looks tempting too.

Isn't that insane though? I know these things can last a long time, but $16,500 for a used truck with over two hundred thousand miles on it?

Maybe this is just me getting old and out of touch with pricing. I remember my old man being surprised when I bought my first car, a very ratty '86 Firebird V6, for $1400 back in 1996. He was surprised it was worth that.
 
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