Since when did mainstream vehicles become so damn expensive? (F150, luxury car, vehicle)
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After looking at new vehicles with my dad this weekend, I noticed something...mainstream automakers are:
1) Really stepping up to the plate and delivering Grade A products
2) Damn...their vehicles are getting PRICEY!
Ford getting $45K+ for a new, fully-loaded Taurus SHO.
Chrysler getting $46K+ for a new, loaded 300C.
Nissan charging $40K+ for a loaded Maxima.
When does one start differentiating between a luxury brand and a mainstream brand when automakers are charging prices that were once the territory of only the luxury nameplates?
I priced out a Taurus SHO and loaded it up for $45K then went to the Lincoln website and loaded up the MKS (Taurus sibling) and I reached over $58K ! Does the Lincoln name have the prestige to sustain a $58K Taurus? I can't really see many differences between the two in terms of features or design to command the difference in price and I don't believe Lincoln has the prestige of a true luxury nameplate to command those type of prices for a rebadged Ford.
When does entry-level luxury vehicle become a full luxury vehicle? I think the line between entry level and true luxury is becoming more and more blurred. Is a $46K Chrysler 300C a "true luxury vehicle" or entry level? What about a $35K Cadillac CTS? What about a Cadillac CTS-V that costs $70K? Does price determine what category a vehicle competes in or does price not matter anymore? Are a $45K Taurus and a $45K Mercedes C300 in the same league?
What brands are considered a luxury brand anymore? Is Lincoln a luxury brand because it charges astronomical prices for basically rebadged Fords? Would Infiniti and Acura be considered luxury brands?
I guess after shopping for vehicles this weekend, I was a bit shocked at what automakers are charging nowadays. There used to be a hierarchy of vehicle classes back when I was growing up such as:
Ford (basic)
Mercury (intermediate)
Lincoln (luxury)
OR
Chevrolet (basic)
Buick (intermediate)
Cadillac (luxury)
Nowadays that is all changing with brand elimination and consolidation.
Since when did mainstream vehicles become so damn expensive?
Since US Automakers decided to make every option available now become standard equipment.
Just try to buy a Ford or Chevy with standard trans, no cruise control, roll up windows, A/C delete, standard radio or none at all. PS and PB probably should be standard.
Here is the standard equipment for a 2010 Torus, I am sure some might consider all these items necessary but some surely are just not basic equipment.
Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
Front bucket seats
Adjustable front head restraints
Center front armrest
Fixed rear head restraints
Center rear armrests
Full cloth headliner
Carpet floor trim
Carpeted front & rear floor mats
Locking glove box
Dome light w/fade
Front & rear reading lights
Full floor console
Mini overhead console with storage
Front and rear cupholders
Covered dashboard storage
2 seatback storage pockets
Dual door bins
Rear door bins
Carpeted cargo floor trim
Carpet trunk lid/rear cargo door trim
Cargo light
Underseat ducts
Radio steering wheel controls
MP3 decoder
Window grid antenna
Cruise control with steering wheel controls
Power with 2 stage unlock door locks
Keyfob (all doors) remote keyless entry
Power trunk/hatch/door release
Rear child safety door locks
3 12V DC power outlets
Driver foot rest
Retained accessory power
Tachometer
Engine temperature gauge
Systems monitor
Trip computer
Trip odometer
Telescopic tilt steering wheel
Power front windows
Power rear windows
Light tinted windows
Variable intermittent front windshield wipers
Sun visor strip
Rear defroster
well For the american brands/companies Ford and General Motors to be specific, cadillac is considered world class right now, theyve done wonders with it and you get what you pay for so i guess you can expect those to be astronomically high. Chevrolet Ranked i beleive 5th in best quality and reliability right under Ford who was number 4, however they were only beaten out by luxury brands for Example, It was Porsche, Lexus and either mercedez, BMW or Audi. either way for a Mainstream brand to rank up there with 3 top luxury brands is amazing, i guess ppl have to pay for quality now. ill bet you 2-3 years down the line, Lincoln will be up there with Cadillac in price and recognized as world class. Ford said the phased out Mercury to focus on the Ford brand and make lincoln world class I cant wait to see Lincoln in a few years, not the pricetag of course.
Since US Automakers decided to make every option available now become standard equipment.
Just try to buy a Ford or Chevy with standard trans, no cruise control, roll up windows, A/C delete, standard radio or none at all. PS and PB probably should be standard.
Here is the standard equipment for a 2010 Torus, I am sure some might consider all these items necessary but some surely are just not basic equipment.
Agreed 100%!
Options seem to have a trickle-down effect with luxury amenities starting out on the flagship sedans of luxury automakers and slowly working their way down to mainstream brands. I really question this tactic especially if an automaker wants to preserve the perceived luxury of a brand, why offer all luxury options on the mainstream vehicles? Some people DO pay simply for the emblem on the grille but I'd say more are interested in the value of their purchase.
Chevrolet seems to be behind Ford and Chrysler with offering true luxury amenities on their vehicles but I imagine it's just a matter of time.
Quote:
ill bet you 2-3 years down the line, Lincoln will be up there with Cadillac in price and recognized as world class. Ford said the phased out Mercury to focus on the Ford brand and make lincoln world class I cant wait to see Lincoln in a few years, not the pricetag of course.
I'm still a bit curious as to what Lincoln considers itself. Cadillac has made strides in quality and I would definitely put it up with Mercedes and Lexus AFTER it replaces the DTS and STS with a true flagship sedan! I'm just wondering who in the hell would pay $58K for a rebadged Ford Taurus??
Cadillac May replace the STS however the DTS is like their town car its a pillow gliding sedan and it still sells so i doubt theyll cut that one. the CTS however whether its base, 4, V or any other trims is the new cadillac defining car atm and it delivers.
Lincoln, Is fords luxury brand, anything you see in the ford will be standard in the lincoln, lincolns also have luxury drivetrains and higher end interior which is what your charged for i beleive. seeing some lincoln concepts for a few years down the road theyll be worth every penny then. My mother for example looked and got the MKX instead of the Edge it was just a more luxurious car all around. in terms of reliability lincoln ranked above quite a few brands.
Cadillac May replace the STS however the DTS is like their town car its a pillow gliding sedan and it still sells so i doubt theyll cut that one. the CTS however whether its base, 4, V or any other trims is the new cadillac defining car atm and it delivers.
Lincoln, Is fords luxury brand, anything you see in the ford will be standard in the lincoln, lincolns also have luxury drivetrains and higher end interior which is what your charged for i beleive. seeing some lincoln concepts for a few years down the road theyll be worth every penny then. My mother for example looked and got the MKX instead of the Edge it was just a more luxurious car all around. in terms of reliability lincoln ranked above quite a few brands.
Haven't you heard? They ARE cutting the DTS and STS, in fact I think this is the last year for both before Cadillac comes out with their new flagship XTS sedan.
Lincoln has luxury drivetrains? I have NEVER heard that before...
well For the american brands/companies Ford and General Motors to be specific, cadillac is considered world class right now, theyve done wonders with it and you get what you pay for so i guess you can expect those to be astronomically high. Chevrolet Ranked i beleive 5th in best quality and reliability right under Ford who was number 4, however they were only beaten out by luxury brands for Example, It was Porsche, Lexus and either mercedez, BMW or Audi. either way for a Mainstream brand to rank up there with 3 top luxury brands is amazing, i guess ppl have to pay for quality now. ill bet you 2-3 years down the line, Lincoln will be up there with Cadillac in price and recognized as world class. Ford said the phased out Mercury to focus on the Ford brand and make lincoln world class I cant wait to see Lincoln in a few years, not the pricetag of course.
Whose rankings are you looking at? Chevrolet ranked 5th? I don't believe it.
Cadillac is near world class with one vehicle - the CTS. There is nothing world class about the STS or DTS. The Escalade is a world class bling mobile.
Lincoln is at least five years away from being considered comparable to Lexus, Infiniti or the Germans. Lincoln has nothing in the powertrain department distinctive from Ford's best.
As for the OP's original post - the Taurus SHO isn't the mainstream model. I agree it is expensive, but it I believe it isn't really selling for MSRP. The regular Taurus models, such as a SEL, are much less expensive. A nicely equipped Taurus SEL costs in the $30K range.
Whose rankings are you looking at? Chevrolet ranked 5th? I don't believe it.
Cadillac is near world class with one vehicle - the CTS. There is nothing world class about the STS or DTS. The Escalade is a world class bling mobile.
Lincoln is at least five years away from being considered comparable to Lexus, Infiniti or the Germans. Lincoln has nothing in the powertrain department distinctive from Ford's best.
As for the OP's original post - the Taurus SHO isn't the mainstream model. I agree it is expensive, but it I believe it isn't really selling for MSRP. The regular Taurus models, such as a SEL, are much less expensive. A nicely equipped Taurus SEL costs in the $30K range.
I looked at an independant list which placed chevy behind ford 5th then i looked at JD power and associates and you were right Chevrolet was 14 while Ford was 5, idk how accurate the first list is so ill stick with JD power but this list is from july of 2010. so the rankings may of changed and yea they said ford wouldnt be a top brand for atleast 5 years in 2008 when we were looking at the taurus's or 500s whichever you prefer didnt take them five years by any stretch theyre top notch in 3 so well see, if Ford devotes effort to Lincoln itll probably happen much sooner then five years perhaps 3. BTW the rumors that GM and Cadillac will stop STS and DTS production since 2007, Before my dad bought his f150 platinum he looked at an escalade truck and at the dealers he asked about the DTS, and I quote "There has been rumors of GM stopping the DTS for years now however the Model still sells and I dont beleive theyll stop the DTS." so again i dont see them stopping it, idk about the STS and your wrong about the escalade If you read its reviews its still considered the "status symbol" of this generation by most auto reviewers, its not just a bling bling side show.
After looking at new vehicles with my dad this weekend, I noticed something...mainstream automakers are:
1) Really stepping up to the plate and delivering Grade A products
2) Damn...their vehicles are getting PRICEY!
Well, grade A products cost more. No one wants a basic stripper car. No real reason to make them, either, when they compete with used cars and CPO stuff at that point. If you can only afford a stripper basic car, then you can probably afford a much more optioned up used car. And if really saving money is your goal, then cheap used cars are there. SImply no reason to buy a new stripper cheap car for most peopel.
That being said, you also have to factor in inflation. Compare the average wage in, say, 1972 with the average new car price. Now do the same with new cars now. And then factor in all the advantages and advancements the new car has, as well.
As an example, a new Ferrari in 1972 was about $25k. That translates with inflation to about $150k today. But that Ferrari was actually not all that well built, nor did it have much mor ethan the V12 engine to differntiate it from other cars of it's era.
Another example, the 1972 Torino a midsize car, well equipped for the day, was about $4500. That's about $25k today. Coincidentally about where the base Taurus comes in at, and that base Taurus is BETTER equipped and better built than that Torino was, works better in more areas (fuel mileage, emissions, performance, braking, handling), will last longer, and has better fit and finish than pure luxury cars back in 1972. So if you want cars of the same size category and price compared to inflation, you CAN find them.
The last car that sold for under $2,000 was the Ford Fairlane, I think in 1968. That same year, I went to Europe with a copy of Frommer's "Europe on $5 a day", and it was actually possible (I did it) to travel anywhere in Europe paying $5 a day for hotel and 3 meals.
Today, you can buy a new car (much, much better than a '68 Ford Fairlane) for less than 5 times that $2,000 (Huyndai Accent, $9,985 list). But the minimum cost for European travel is at least ten times as much as my $5 a day. So, in those 40 years, the cost of buying a new car has increased only half as much as overseas travel.
In 1968, the average price in the USA for a 3-bedroom house was $10,000.
So I disagree with you that the cost of cars has risen all that much, compared to other things.
Last edited by jtur88; 03-01-2011 at 09:58 AM..
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Since when did mainstream vehicles become so damn expensive?
