Why are Full size trucks so damn expensive

[SICKQK]

Auto market is screwy right now......but full size pickups are historically heavily discounted. Not saying they aren't expensive but a 10k or more mark down from list is/was not unusual. (except on a Raptor)

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[slowmachine]

I've owned a few base-trim vehicles, and gotten good service from most of them. Since retiring, though, I seem to gravitate toward the higher (and more expensive) trim levels. Three significant factors drive this movement to more expensive cars.

First, there are very few car seats available today that allow me to drive for several hours without significant back pain. I buy models with adjustable lumbar support for the driver, at a minimum, but strongly prefer it for the front seat passenger too.

Second, people's eyesight diminishes with age. None of us are immune to it. I've read that an average person who is 60 years old needs five times more light to see the same detail as an average person at the age of 30. I buy bright headlights.

Third, I am no longer willing to pay for, maintain, or store, two vehicles (used for different purposes) when I can replace them both with a single vehicle that meets all of my needs. Enter the luxury pickup. I haul trash and building materials in the pickup bed. I tow an inexpensive landscape trailer for things that are too large and/or heavy for the pickup bed. The higher-trim features ensure that I can drive all day with minimal back pain and good nighttime visibility. My Lariat Ranger serves both purposes, allowing me to do everything with a single vehicle.

I don't understand how some people rationalize denigrating others over their purchasing choices. I don't understand how some people apparently believe that the reason that they cannot afford a more expensive vehicle is that I, and others like me, have "stolen" money from the economy that is, somehow, rightfully theirs. I'm not poor, but I have had to borrow rent money to avoid being evicted from an apartment. I'm not wealthy, but I have saved enough (starting from zero dollars, no inheritance) to live a mostly worry-free lifestyle in retirement. I am frugal, not an exploitative thief.