They keep raising the prices as our dollar becomes weaker and weaker.
I remember that my Dad's 1978 Ford Fairmont was retail $5,250 new - with inline 6, AT, no power windows, and limited options (am radio as my Dad wanted to install one of his own from Radio Shack.) He did not like A/C because the last car it was not reliable. . . I have no idea what he actually paid - probably under retail asking price, but he did not discuss such things with me. .
My new 95 Windstar with only a few options (front A/C was not a option back then, it came on every van) I had rear A/C, larger fuel tank, and a few other things. Base model line, no leather, ect. It was around $21,000 retail, but I got about $3,000 knocked off by the A-Plan price.
My 2007 Edge was also a base line, but all wheel drive, and around $27,000 retail, discounted about $3,500 with the A-plan. Very few options on it too.
$44,000 would be a well equipped F-150 with perhaps 4 doors, 4 wheel drive, and the Ecoboost engine. Does this mean that dollar does not buy what it did back in 2007 or 1995? Certainly!
And everyone knows that the 'incentive' is built into the price somehow. Ford is not going to 'lose' money selling more trucks with a $4,000+ rebate, it is still building them for less than the retail price - incentives, advertizing costs, ect. It just makes selling them easier when the dealership can say "Buy before the 15th and we can provide you with a $1,500 incentive to buy now!"
Hopefully it will increase sales! With the Colorado taking up a bunch of sales, GM is actually selling more 1/4, 1/2 - 1 ton trucks than Ford is doing this year. The Ranger at one time used to sell something like 300,000 a year. Ford was hoping that all those potential "Ranger" buyers would start buying the 3.7" and 3.5L EB F-150 with 20 MPG and more room inside, for only a few more dollars a month than the Ranger sold for.
Perhaps Ford is all wrong, and GM will get a huge share of the compact pickup market? To bad if that happens. But Ford can tool up a small pickup factory in a few years and bring back a Ranger size vehicle. Just that the Marketing types at Ford are saying "Why would I want this small pickup for $400 a month when for $450 I can get the F-150 that I really want to be driving?" Problem is those marketing types are not the ones making the tough decisions and looking at Colorado sized pickups for small loads, and buying smaller trucks to save that $50 a month and $50 a month in gas and $25 a month in insurance!
Good luck in your truck search!
Fred.
