Vinyl Seats

RV daytrader wrote:
wow...I'm really surprised of the posts LIKING vinyl seats!...too cold in the winter, burn your skin off in the summer!!...but as they say, diff strokes for diff folks!

X2!
That is why there is Scotch Guard!

If you live an area that gets cold like below zero often I wouldn't.

The last car I had EONS ago had the standard ole vinyl seats. One day I opened the door and put my knee on the drivers seat to reach for something on the passenger side and it cracked right then and there.

Albiet most of us don't usually drive a lot when the temps are that cold but I experienced the damage to the seats first hand. :(

Depends on how long you intend to keep the vehicle also. Cloth and leather don't crack, vinyl always will over time.

wow...I'm really surprised of the posts LIKING vinyl seats!...too cold in the winter, burn your skin off in the summer!!...but as they say, diff strokes for diff folks!

Vinyl seats, rubber floor mats. Now that's a pickup. That's how they all used to be. You had to buy a Cadillac to get half the options that all cars have these days. I think you will love it.

I'm with Southpaw... I haven't seen a new truck with vinyl seats in years. My 2008 F250 has cloth seats, and after 7 years and 70,000 miles they still look great. This isn't the "velour" fuzzy type cloth, but surprisingly heavy duty material that really holds up.

If you do get vinyl, I really don't think you'll have any issues with longevity or cracking. By the time the seats start looking bad, the rest of the truck will be showing its' age.

Normally I really don't like seat covers, but a friend of mine who has yellow labs got seat covers for his Chevy 2500. He looked around a bit before buying, and got high quality covers that don't seem to bunch up and slide around. I don't know what brand he got, but they seem to work great. He also carefully followed directions on installing them.

Also, as to option packages, definitely get the "towing package". Usually it comes with pre-wired trailer plug at the bumper, a factory hitch installed, larger tow mirrors (heated and power sliding mirrors may seem like an unnecessary option, but they are really nice to have!), larger cooling for the engine and transmission, a built in brake controller, maybe a few other things. The tow package option is worth it!

Don't automatically assume you won't be getting a higher optioned truck. Many times the "option packages" that are offered make the fancy trucks hardly more expensive than the stripped down trucks. You'll also find that a lot of the options end up being darn nice to have after awhile.

I just noticed you are thinking of a crewcab with an 8 foot bed... you do realize those are about as long as the Titanic, right? My crewcab "shortbed" F250 is pretty long, and I have found the bed to work just fine for the large majority of what I need it for.

Have fun looking, and good luck dealing with the car salesmen!

I was leary of the vinyl seats and floor when I bought my ram but no joke, I will never own another truck with cloth anything. So easy to clean when the kids drop something. Nothing to hold smells, or dirt. Plus my wife says they are more comfortable than my Ford was with leather seats. You won't regret it especially if you are a clean freak like me

I think that the tradesman is the only Ram without carpet. I went for an express. Windows locks air. Manual seats, no expensive navigation, 17" wheels as compared to the 20" ghetto fabulous on the higher model!

Outside of the barebones work-trucks, vinyl seats and floors are going to be very hard to find unless you special order it.

That said, GM (and I believe the the other big 3) use a leather covered vinyl seat in their higher end trim models.

ls1mike wrote:
I have them in my 02 Chevy. Have been really good. Easy to clean and thus far no cracking or tearing. I would get them again. I have been looking lately and was trying to find a truck low on options with vinyl. It is hard to do.

Where are you at in the Hudson Valley? I grew up in Catskill.

Well actually I work in Kingston and I am camping in accord now so pretty darn close!

I have them in my 02 Chevy. Have been really good. Easy to clean and thus far no cracking or tearing. I would get them again. I have been looking lately and was trying to find a truck low on options with vinyl. It is hard to do.

Where are you at in the Hudson Valley? I grew up in Catskill.