"Editor's Desk: The $10,000 Pickup" from our July/August Issue sparked a lot of responses from our readers. Here are three very different views we’d like to share:
Dear Truck Trend,
I have a 2004 Mazda B2300. I bought it new, but the list price was $16,310 with dealer prep/handling fees. The 2WD pickup came with a five-speed manual and air-conditioning ($800), and I thought the price for the vehicle was $5000 too high. GM, Ford, and Chrysler should look back at the Ford Model A. Build a vehicle--a new car or light truck--that costs less than $10,000. A four-cylinder diesel at 2.8 liters could be an option, with a six-speed manual or six-speed auto--a Model A for the 21st century.
Paul D'Ascenz
Golden, Colorado
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Dear Truck Trend,
Your logic regarding the price differential between a compact and full-size truck is faulty. Just because the truck is smaller doesn't mean it takes any less time to build it. The compact truck has essentially the same number of parts in it--they're just slightly smaller. The manpower and machinery requirements are really no different, only the amount of raw materials, and the raw materials are the least expensive part of the manufacturing process. However, the idea of $10K truck is a great one!
Bill Hill
Prescott, Arizona
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Dear Truck Trend,
You're dead on about small trucks being overpriced. I've been shopping for trucks for the last few months and I'm wondering how a Tacoma with the top
engine package and a few other options can top out at $34,500 and still not be had with heated side mirrors or power seats. And the interior hasn't changed much from 1996 when I had a 4Runner.
EWB
Via the Internet
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Dear Readers,
In 2009, there were actually two sub-$10,000 vehicles on the market--the Hyundai Accent and the Nissan Versa--both available as stripped-down models that didn't offer creature comforts, but were affordable transportation, so we know it is possible to sell a new vehicle for $10,000. We were simply suggesting the idea that cutting the price in a segment that isn't doing well, on trucks that don't cost all that much to produce, could be a way to get people back into dealerships--even if that means selling the trucks at a loss.
--Truck Trend
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