So the UAW is demanding a 46% pay increase for it’s workers from GM, Ford and Stellantis (Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep/Ram) over the course of the next few years. Obviously this will dramatically increase new vehicle prices. I can’t imagine how this can keep up much longer before it all comes crashing down. What do you think will be the breaking point for inflation?

UAW wage hike

What do you mean “will be”? I don’t see how anyone is making it right now.

Yep. Striking is the in thing right now.

They should have let the big car companies fail a long time ago.

Add it to the list.

Joe is the last, sputtering hope of the true-blue union cult. 'Guess they're deciding to go for broke. They had a huge part to play in why we now have so much manufacturing in China. What a bunch of idiots.

Toyota and Nissan looking pretty good

Recession will break the back of inflation. Sadly that is what it will take. I am looking at options to earn interest on my Merrill accounts.

Until you need a bigger pickup they are.

This is about unions, not the GVWR of a light-duty truck you need.

More will be built outside of the US. Good job unions

Yes, but if they made the bigger trucks, I can help but imagine what their market share would be. I think it would scare the crap out of the three that make them.

I don't know know about Nissan, but we're just a part of Toyota's world-wide market share. They're a monster.

They should tell the union to kick rocks. Moat union workers I know can't afford to miss a paycheck.

Truck prices are ridiculously expensive now.

Was going to trade in next year so went thru the order bank. Same truck I paid $72k in 21' for is now $84k. the $72k truck I paid $54k for the exact same truck in 17'. So in 6 years time, the same exact truck has gone up $32k.


Something is going to have to give somewhere. Either "affordable" trucks like the Ford Maverick are going to become more common place as will Midsize trucks like the Ranger or Colorado, they will stretch vehicle payments out to 10 years or base model trims are going to become much more popular.


I've been around much of the world and the United States and Canada are the only two countries I know of that drive full size vehicles like we do. The rest of the world is rolling around in Land Cruisers, HiLux's and Ford Rangers.


Truck has 110k on it as of today and I'll run it another couple of years before I decide what to do with it...it will have over 200k miles on it at that point.

I see more robots manufacturing cars in the near future.

And they won't get their attitude "adjusted" if they happen to work harder than another robot.

I’ve been watching how it’s made dream cars on discovery plus. It’s fascinating to me how much cars are built by robots now. I know a lot of the shows cover exotic cars that are built by hand, but a lot of them like the Camaro are built probably 90% with robots.

I think we're going to see a shift back to people working on their own stuff more than they have relatively recently. I was raised to not pay someone else to do something that I can do for myself, so I've always been a "DIY guy". But I'm now getting more calls from friends when they get stuck while working on their own stuff. People I would have never expected to even own a basic socket set.

Manufacturers sure aren't making it any easier to work on your own stuff, their goal is planned obsolescence to keep every one of us paying a perpetual payment. But if you do research and buy correctly then options still remain in that regard.

I recently purchased a Gen5 Camaro SS. While a few different makes/models would have met my wants for a "modern muscle car", the Gen5 Camaro won because it is a model that may not be built with the intent to suit DIY repairs, but it's not an overly complicated design like so many cars now days are and I can work on it myself.

If/when we go into a true recession/depression, so many people are going to be royally screwed by the soft lifestyle that's become so prevalent in the last few generations.

In S Africa I really enjoyed riding around in a Mahindra. Didn't even know they made trucks before the trip.

The problem is people are still buying them. 2nd quarter of 2022 Ford sold 158,644 F series trucks. Recently, 2nd quarter of 2023 they sold 212,516. Almost a 34% increase in truck sales year over year.

People are still going to need new trucks. Companies still need fleet vehicles and write offs. Its not just consumers buying those trucks, a lot of it is commercial vehicles.

Its a Brave New World.