in texas, I seem to be seeing.....

It might be the low prices. I haven't confirmed it but I heard that a dodge dealer near here is running their full size pickups 50% off. G

 

Do they smoke a lot in Texas?

 

Those new SUV/truck buyers probably don't realize that it is possible to carry several bales of hay in the Prius...

 

Yea, but the question is would someone want to? ...particularly in a new, factory fresh Prius?

 

or on a regular basis.

I also see new trucks and SUVs out and about. Then again, when you can buy a 2008 Titan Crew Cab for $13,000 off of MSRP, how could people resist. I mean that $13,000 is a lot of gas....:fear:

 

The question is whether the truck manufacturers will take this as a sign that they need to make more of them. I don't think so with that kind of discounting! They have to do something with the big SUVs and trucks they all made, so they can make room for new, smaller cars!

 

We see it here, too... of course, we are also seeing a lot more Prius in our area!

I think it's the lure of marketing... rebates, incentives, and a whole lotta bullshit.

 

I've seen a few new silly urban vehicles out n about but nothing unusual

 

What I don't understand if the pricing overall. I had one guy brag to me that the talked the dealer down from$45,000 to about $32,000 for some huge 4x4. The whole time, I 'm thinking, the truck is really worth only $32,000 and GM has been making a total killing on these things. He complained that he didn't buy Toyota because they don't discount their prices. I think Toyota doesn't deeply discount because their price is close to fair. What do u guys think?

Oh, and why do they drive those things at 90mph on these crappy two lane highways. The whole time, I'm thinking "there goes another gallon"

 

US car makers love the love of big vehicles. It only costs them a few thousand dollars to make a big car over a small one. Labour costs are similar it is only the materials and what was the price of steel aluminium and oil per ton last time you checked? You see an extra ton of metal and plastic doesn't add up to much. The discounted UVs (there is nothing sporty about them) would still be sold at a profit, all be it a smaller one.

 

I've been seeing the same thing here in NC

 

Surely not surprising, when the purchase price is low enough even Hummers can create the sales bonanza.....

Same to the Hybrid sales, if fuel price is high enough even Prius can trade like Gold.

 

Most cars are marked up huge, and fullsize trucks are the worst. I remember back in '98 (when diesel was still $.99/gallon here) I priced out a '99 Ford F350 Crew Cab dually. It was loaded with every option from dual alternators, to leather, to an electric sliding rear window. The sticker at the time was $48k. I negotiated that price down to $33k. I ended up not buying it and bought a Dodge, but the fact is there's tons of money made in these vehicles.... the reason I mentioned the $.99 diesel was because these trucks were much easier to sell back then with cheap fuel and they *still* could be haggled down on price. I could only imagine now.

I'm sure a monster truck like this is much cheaper to build than a Prius. It's body on frame technology which is cheaper than uni-body. In addition there no fancy aluminum, everything is steel down to the stamped steel control arms. Front and rear diffs are of designs that are 100 years old. For example, you can take a 1975 dana 60 axle, sand blast it, and compare it to a '08 from a 1 ton truck and have it be identical. This technology is relatively cheap since it's been around forever.

 

Trucks do serve a valuable purpose if you need one. And at 50% off, it's definitely time to buy.

If I owned a farm or needed to haul lots of stuff regularly I'd want one. I certainly wouldn't want to haul hay around in my prius, or drive my prius all over in the mud and dirt.

 

50% off? I'd bet money it's just the old tactic of comparing the amount of money paid out over the term of the lease against the sticker price.

 

It also has a lot to do with the 0% APR - free money (tank of gas not included). I see it a lot in my neck of the woods also. Had a friend just purchase a new Chevy Silverado with payments ~$320 over 72 months.

 

Anyone can just walk up to a Dodge dealer these days and walk out with a new loaded 4 door Ram 1500 for $18500. Even with the ultra poor fuel economy that's a really hard deal for some people to turn down.

 

Here in New Braunfels, Texas, pickups are common but it seems I'm seeing more and more Prius each day. I've been on the wait list since May 29th.