Car tariffs

[Koolau]

Good luck with that.

Yes. Let's all wish for good luck.

 

[JoeWras]

For those needed a new car now, helping prove the theory at this time hurts.

 

[TheWizard]

My truck's 15 years old, so I'm probably ready for a new truck now...
View attachment 54856
But I do not really want rear doors or an automatic transmission. Despite this, I considered a hybrid Maverick, but their ordering window was so limited the first two years, and then they made the non-hybrid the base model, and what was originally a $20K truck turned into a $26K truck. Plus it had 4 doors and an automatic. So we got the Trax as our road-trip vehicle.

But I still haul around a snowblower in the winter months and a lawnmower in the summer months so I like having a truck. It would just be nice if a manufacturer offered a reasonably affordable 1-2-3 truck (One row of seats, two doors, and three pedals) just like in the good old days.

You could get most of what you want in a base model F-150, the XL work truck. But only with an automatic, which is more durable, no clutch wear...

 

[TheWizard]

The ONLY pickup left that can be bought with a manual is a 5-foot box, 4-door Toyota Tacoma. You can't even get a Jeep Gladiator with a manual any more.

The only SUVs with a manual are the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco.

Sad, but manuals really are essentially dead now. I hate CVTs.

The 10-speed auto in Ford F-150's is not a CVT...

 

[HFWR]

You could get most of what you want in a base model F-150, the XL work truck. But only with an automatic, which is more durable, no clutch wear...

I bought a Chevy “work truck” in ‘92, when finances weren’t so great. Rubber floor, sackcloth seats, no radio, woefully underpowered six banger. Drove in for eight years and 110,000 miles.

 

[Fermion]

Our 2017 F150 with 4 cylinder turbo (300hp) is still doing fine at 62,000 miles but it only gets 20mpg on the highway and about 14mpg towing our 17 foot sailboat/trailer (maybe 3000 pounds total). The Maverick with its 4000 pound tow package probably could do this and gets 37mpg on the highway (but I doubt it would do much better than the 14mpg while towing...)

 

[TheWizard]

Our 2017 F150 with 4 cylinder turbo (300hp) is still doing fine at 62,000 miles but it only gets 20mpg on the highway and about 14mpg towing our 17 foot sailboat/trailer (maybe 3000 pounds total). The Maverick with its 4000 pound tow package probably could do this and gets 37mpg on the highway (but I doubt it would do much better than the 14mpg while towing...)

My 2016 F-150 Lariat SuperCab with 3.5 litre V6 also gets 20 mpg avg. I haven't towed with it yet.

I factory ordered it ten years ago and have almost 100k miles on in now. Low miles since I drive the current Mustang for routine trips that don't require hauling stuff.

My plan is to order a new upscale F-150, perhaps the King Ranch trim, at some point, to replace the '16 Lariat. But there's no rush. I can wait until 2029 if necessary for tariffs to normalize...

 

[Fermion]

My 2016 F-150 Lariat SuperCab with 3.5 litre V6 also gets 20 mpg avg. I haven't towed with it yet.

The 3.5L V6 is a good one too. We got a Diamondback tonneau for our 2017 and that is probably the best accessory I have ever purchased for a truck. It supports 1600 pounds, solid aluminum (you can walk on it with no flex), locks securely, and has 12 tie down points. Highly recommend. I guess if we ever do get a Maverick I would need to see if they make a tiny one for that 4.5 foot bed.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

You could get most of what you want in a base model F-150, the XL work truck. But only with an automatic, which is more durable, no clutch wear...

So far all of my manual transmission vehicles have gone over 250,000 miles on the original clutch. My first truck made it over 300,000 miles before I had to replace the clutch. Not long after I replaced it, the frame rusted in half.
I have had a few automatic transmissions fail well before 200,000 miles. I've also heard bad things lately about Ford's 10-speed auto. I'll stick to 3 pedals in my trucks. I just prefer driving manuals anyway.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

My plan is to order a new upscale F-150, perhaps the King Ranch trim, at some point, to replace the '16 Lariat. But there's no rush. I can wait until 2029 if necessary for tariffs to normalize...

Unless these tariffs are short lived, they may be permanent. If manufacturing moves back to the US, prices will be higher for US built cars since labor rates are higher, and we have pesky environmental rules.

Once US companies make the big investments to built in the US and build at a higher cost, it would be catastrophic to them to then remove the tariffs as they wouldn't be price competitive.

 

[HFWR]

There are several semiconductor plants in the works in the US, largely due to the Chips Act. But moving from offshore would take years to buy property and buildout. I’m skeptical that this will have the advertised result, and the complex supplier chain is another variable.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Our 2017 F150 with 4 cylinder turbo (300hp) is still doing fine at 62,000 miles but it only gets 20mpg on the highway and about 14mpg towing our 17 foot sailboat/trailer (maybe 3000 pounds total). The Maverick with its 4000 pound tow package probably could do this and gets 37mpg on the highway (but I doubt it would do much better than the 14mpg while towing...)

There was no 4 cylinder turbo in 2017 for the F150.

There was a 2.7L 6 cylinder eco-boost (turbo), 325 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque.
There was a 3.5L 6 cylinder eco-boost (turbo), 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque.
There was a 3.5L 6 cylinder high output eco-boost (turbo), 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque. (On the Raptor).
There was a 5.0L 8 cylinder NA, 385 horsepower and 387 lb-ft of torque.
There was a 3.5L 6 cylinder NA, 282 horsepower and 253 lb-ft of torque. (This was the base engine on the XL.)

I have a 2015 w/115K miles on it (3.5L eco-boost) and it has gotten close to 20 MPG overall - including towing a 20' trailer w/tractor, being filled with wood, multiple long trips pulling u-hauls, and having studded snows on it every winter.

Having said this, I have (had as I just sold the Maverick) both. If I were pulling a 17' sailboat/trailer at 3k, I would much rather have the F150 doing it rather than the 2.5L Maverick Hybrid.

ETA: The Maverick's non-hybrid engine is the 2.0L Turbo. Perhaps you were thinking of that? I also have that engine in a 21 Bronco Sport Badlands. It is quite peppy on that little thing.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Just a point of (maybe) clarification: Car and car part imports that are USMCA compliant are not subject to the tariffs announced today.

 

[Fermion]

There was no 4 cylinder turbo in 2017 for the F150.

There was a 2.7L 6 cylinder eco-boost (turbo), 325 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque.

Yes, 6 cylinder. For some reason I brain farted. 325 hp instead of 300 hp too. Getting old sucks. I am almost 55 and can't remember what engine I have...sigh.

How to get 20mpg while towing a trailer? I would not think the 3.5L turbo was that much better than the 2.7L on efficiency?

 

[TrvlBug]

Got a call from our car salesman today...our 2025 Lexus ES350 Luxury trim is on the rail and will be at the dealership sometime this week or at the latest, mid-next week. Glad we go the 'order in' prior to the tariffs.

Now the big decision is lease or buy outright...decision is the same as the one for 'should I take SS now or wait'

 

[MichealKnight]

We are moving to Florida and will be driving our old minivan down loaded with our things and will purchase a new car once there and probably sell the minivan. This will happen before the summer ends. All was well until the tariffs. I know there is some uncertainty on whether they will really stick, but assuming they push up new car prices, and all politics aside, I would like to avoid them. I am speaking to one dealership there about buying a car and having them hold it on their lot until we get there. They would start it every few weeks and drive it around the lot (the way they do with all their unsold cars on the lot) but otherwise not use it (no joyriding or demo). Would need some level of insurance coverage on it but that should be it for interim costs. We would be paying cash. Any thoughts on this? Anyone else moving up a car purchase? For those who know car dealership workings, is there anyway to put a car on hold with a large deposit or through an installment sale of some sort to not actually purchase it until the summer but still avoid the tariffs, since they would be holding the specific car for us? From what I read tariffs would not apply to cars already here on dealer lots. Another option is to buy the car up here now and ship it down when we are movi

Additional MarkUps on the non tariff'ed units? Who knows, will they be lauded for "higher gross margins" like other larger businesses? It's not end of quarter so will be interesting to see if the non tariffed ones go quick, or are given additional markup. Also not close to EOY build out so not like they need to fire sale . The small LAD gambling position I bought a few days ago is up 7% or so.... but I guess tonight that all might be out the window

 

[HFWR]

Yes, 6 cylinder. For some reason I brain farted. 325 hp instead of 300 hp too. Getting old sucks. I am almost 55 and can't remember what engine I have...sigh.

How to get 20mpg while towing a trailer? I would not think the 3.5L turbo was that much better than the 2.7L on efficiency?

CRS

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

Yes, 6 cylinder. For some reason I brain farted. 325 hp instead of 300 hp too. Getting old sucks. I am almost 55 and can't remember what engine I have...sigh.

How to get 20mpg while towing a trailer? I would not think the 3.5L turbo was that much better than the 2.7L on efficiency?

Our new (2024) Trax with the 1.2L turbo is not recommended to tow anything at all.
But the 2024 Trailblazer with the same engine is rated to tow 1000 lbs.
And the 2024 Buick Envista, which shares the same platform and drivetrain as the Trax is rated to tow 1500 lbs. Go figure.

 

[copyright1997reloaded]

Yes, 6 cylinder. For some reason I brain farted. 325 hp instead of 300 hp too. Getting old sucks. I am almost 55 and can't remember what engine I have...sigh.

How to get 20mpg while towing a trailer? I would not think the 3.5L turbo was that much better than the 2.7L on efficiency?

It's not.

The thing is, it is eco or boost...but you have to choose (not both at the same time). My close to 20 MPG life-to-date includes some trailering, some snow tires, some wood. But mostly not, and mostly I don't drive in "sport mode". When I pulled my 20' trailer with a L series Kubota, it would be about 12-14 MPG. When I pulled a more-than-fully-loaded u-haul, it would be about 13 MPG. (Side note: That is when getting premium fuel seems to help MPG by 2-3 MPG.)

For a while, I had a boost gauge hooked up just to see how often and how much boost it wood do. It taught me that getting on it was expensive (in terms of MPG), and that keeping it in the low 70's on the road was also important in terms of keeping the boost down.

Tires also matter. The OEM tires were better than the Cooper Discoverer AT's I currently have on it. The Coopers are great, but they have cost me a couple MPG's.

 

[Koolau]

So far all of my manual transmission vehicles have gone over 250,000 miles on the original clutch. My first truck made it over 300,000 miles before I had to replace the clutch. Not long after I replaced it, the frame rusted in half.
I have had a few automatic transmissions fail well before 200,000 miles. I've also heard bad things lately about Ford's 10-speed auto. I'll stick to 3 pedals in my trucks. I just prefer driving manuals anyway.

Right on clutches. I've never replaced a clutch. I've had to rebuild a lot of auto-transmissions. Used properly, a clutch should last the useful life of the car. YMMV

 

[Texas Proud]

Our new (2024) Trax with the 1.2L turbo is not recommended to tow anything at all.
But the 2024 Trailblazer with the same engine is rated to tow 1000 lbs.
And the 2024 Buick Envista, which shares the same platform and drivetrain as the Trax is rated to tow 1500 lbs. Go figure.

It is not always the engine.... but the vehicle... I bet that Envista had a longer wheelbase than the other two... and maybe more weight...

 

[Koolau]

It's not.

The thing is, it is eco or boost...but you have to choose (not both at the same time). My close to 20 MPG life-to-date includes some trailering, some snow tires, some wood. But mostly not, and mostly I don't drive in "sport mode". When I pulled my 20' trailer with a L series Kubota, it would be about 12-14 MPG. When I pulled a more-than-fully-loaded u-haul, it would be about 13 MPG. (Side note: That is when getting premium fuel seems to help MPG by 2-3 MPG.)

For a while, I had a boost gauge hooked up just to see how often and how much boost it wood do. It taught me that getting on it was expensive (in terms of MPG), and that keeping it in the low 70's on the road was also important in terms of keeping the boost down.

Tires also matter. The OEM tires were better than the Cooper Discoverer AT's I currently have on it. The Coopers are great, but they have cost me a couple MPG's.

The more boost, the richer the engine must run. I've always thought the whole turbo craze was verging on a scam. It's true that used exactly correctly, a turbo engine can beat the mpg of a larger naturally aspirated engine. If nothing else, it lightens the car. But, most people don't have any idea how to make a boosted engine achieve its best mileage. They just get in and drive - just like they always have. To achieve the best mileage, each turbo car should come with a boost gage and real time (instantaneous) fuel mileage gage so that one can learn what leads to the best fuel mileage.

The first car I had with a real time fuel mileage gage (non-turbo car) quickly allowed me to improve fuel mileage over 10% on a tank to tank comparison. No big changes, but I quickly learned "tricks" that improved mileage. I still get over 30 mpg on the highway in my 2000 Buick at 70+ mph.

 

[youbet]

I bought a Chevy “work truck” in ‘92, when finances weren’t so great. Rubber floor, sackcloth seats, no radio, woefully underpowered six banger. Drove in for eight years and 110,000 miles.

I'm still driving a 1999 F150 XL. Standard cab / short bed. Yep, rubber floor, crank windows, manual mirrors, five speed manual with a big ole shifter coming up from the floor, V8 that's still churning along at 167k miles. I do have one bit of luxury in it though, an AM/FM radio with cassette player!

It lived a soft life for about a decade but for the past fifteen years it's been towing a camper.

 

[HFWR]

I'm still driving a 1999 F150 XL. Standard cab / short bed. Yep, rubber floor, crank windows, manual mirrors, five speed manual with a big ole shifter coming up from the floor, V8 that's still churning along at 167k miles. I do have one bit of luxury in it though, an AM/FM radio with cassette player!

It lived a soft life for about a decade but for the past fifteen years it's been towing a camper.

Mine was upscale, with an automatic transmission. And of course I had to have music, so I installed a AM/FM/CASSETTE unit.

 

[ncbill]

Unless these tariffs are short lived, they may be permanent. If manufacturing moves back to the US, prices will be higher for US built cars since labor rates are higher, and we have pesky environmental rules.

Once US companies make the big investments to built in the US and build at a higher cost, it would be catastrophic to them to then remove the tariffs as they wouldn't be price competitive.

Absolutely...sadly.

The USA still has the 25% "chicken tax" from the 1960s imposed on imported pick-up trucks.