At the same time as new electric pick-ups hit the US market, the prices of larger diesel and gasoline-engined models haven’t kept rising on the second-hand market.
As American manufacturers electrify their most iconic pick-ups, the second-hand pick-up bubble continues to grow and you can already see cases of some compact sports cars turning insane.
More expensive than current versions
The fact that the Ford F-150 has been the best-selling car in the United States for 40 consecutive years makes it clear what drivers’ tastes are in the land of the stars and stripes.
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Pick-ups are widespread in this market and the truth is that they haven’t needed to evolve much over the years to be successful. It’s enough that they’re big and have a huge engine to be successful, as the aforementioned Ford F-150 and its rivals, the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500, have historically demonstrated. Suffice it to know that all three occupied the top 3 respectively for sales in the United States.
However, after several decades without much development, the pick-up sector is going through a revolution. It all started with the Ford F-150 Lightning, a 100% electric variant of the F-150 that was introduced in 2019.
Then came the Chevrolet Silverado EV, then came the Rivian R1T, and a few weeks ago the RAM 1500 REV was introduced to confirm that the war in electric pick-ups is on. What’s more, the pick-up version of the GMC Hummer EV has also made its debut in this league. And the Tesla Cybertruck has yet to arrive, though it’s taking longer than expected and Volkswagen may be leading the way with its Scout brand.
Bearing in mind that we’re talking about a country of huge gasoline V8s with big Cummins diesel engines and truck engine displacements, it’s curious that major US manufacturers are transitioning their flagship models to 100% electric vehicles. Are.
Also, keep in mind that a customer looking for a truly American pick-up has nothing to do with buying a Tesla, a Toyota Prius, or a partially or fully electrified car.
And partly it is understandable because there these pickups are used not only as the main car, but also to work. In Spain we do the same with the Citroën Berlingo or the Renault Kangoo, but we already know that they are completely different markets.
Be that as it may, these recent electric pick-ups are widespread, as the Ford F-150 Lightning demonstrated when it went on sale, garnering 44,000 reservations in 48 hours, even The police also confiscated it. Its starting price at the time was less than 40,000 euros, helped by the same 563 CV; Its price has increased manifold since then, but it is still successful.
Still, the US market is huge and many customers don’t want or can’t afford an electric pick-up, so the Lifecycle model remains the preferred choice for thousands of drivers. Some of them go further and have an addiction to versions from years ago, when there were no restrictions and the 7.3-litre V8 engine was the most popular choice.
This Dodge RAM 2500 sold for $76,000.
This has proliferated American pickups of a certain age in the second-hand market, but the same thing is happening in other segments: Some cases get out of hand and have truly insane prices.
The first examples of sky-high prices were seen on the used pick-up market a few months ago and there are more and more cases. Bring A Trailer sells a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500HD for $76,000 in 2022, when the current RAM 2500 starts at $44,205 and goes up to $72,395 for its top-of-the-line version.
This 2002 RAM 2500, powered by a Cummins 5.9-liter turbodiesel six-cylinder engine, had just 69 miles on the odometer, but it’s hard to justify the price it sold for.
Someone just bought this 2004 Ford F-450 for $55,500.
Still on Bring a Trailer, a 2004 Ford F-450 Chassis Cab just sold for $55,500. There is nothing special about it over the 13 miles (20 km) it has covered over the years. If you prefer a 2007 Dodge RAM 3500, one with 888 miles (1,429 km) sold for $46,000 last year.
Another example is the 1997 Ford F-350 that was recently announced by Gateway Car Connection on their social media. In this case, we’re talking about the 1997 model with the 7.3-litre Power Stroke V8 engine that Ford used at the time.
It’s also short on miles, only 2,536 km (1,576 mi), but costs $84,800. For just over $86,000, Bring A Trailer is selling a 2002 Dodge Viper GTS with 885 miles on it.
In Spain, those 84,600 Euros are equivalent to 76,800 Euros at the current exchange rate and for that amount you can splurge on a Porsche 718 Cayman (from 74,126 Euros) or a Porsche 718 Boxster (from 76,434 Euros). The new Ford Ranger Raptor is even cheaper, available from 73,200 euros with a diesel engine and 76,400 euros with a gasoline engine with a six-cylinder and 292 hp.
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If bought new, the current Ford F-350 starts at $41,960 and sports a 6.2-liter V8 engine, which isn’t much to envy over the engine of the model from nearly 30 years ago.
