2018 Tahoe Custom

[kevm14]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuaBAF1l3qQ

Based on the LS trim but even cheaper. No third row. More storage. Apparently the marketing says it is aimed at getting a 5 passenger full frame SUV into a family who wants to tow and haul stuff but doesn't have 75 children. Reasonable.

What is affordable? $45k MSRP for a 2WD. But hang on. This is relevant:

45,000, 2wd, just about spit out my lunch. No thanks

"most affordable"

Yeah we dont have the same definition of affordable.

45k for a base model is crazy.

But wait, we talked about this very recently:

Take the sticker price and subtract at least $8,000. That's how much these things will be selling for.
http://www.bomninchevroletwestkendall.c ... 974579393

Can't say why they are still playing MSRP games on the trucks, but I think all of the big 3 are doing it...for whatever reason.

$45k today was $28k in 1995.

And if that $45k is really more like $37k, then that was only $23k in 1995. Quite reasonable.

[bill25]

I think a major factor of affordability that isn't taken into account when only the inflation of money is looked at is salary pace.

So sure if salaries tracked inflation, 37K might be reasonable. Most sites say salaries have been fairly stagnant at least since 1999, so that gives affordability increases with inflation for 4 years then flat... meaning if this were to be affordable it would actually need to be closer to that 23K number so somewhere around 27 to 30K. Sure this may not be practical for car companies, but whether a company can actually make something affordable is another discussion.

[kevm14]

The economic solution to that seems to be leases and loans. But the mere existence of this new trim is a sign that they think they will get more sales with a lower base price.

[kevm14]

Apparently GM already did something similar with the Silverado. I don't recall reading about this.

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news ... ustom.html

$33,820 starting price for a well-equipped double-cab V-8
2015-02-12

Based on the popular double-cab Silverado LS, the Custom package adds 20-inch aluminum wheels, chrome bumpers, a body-colored top cap above the front bumper, and chrome mirror caps and door handles. It also features four full doors for easier access to the front and rear seats, a 40/20/40 cloth front seat, tilt steering wheel, cruise control, power windows and door locks, and Chevy MyLink with 4G LTE WiFi.

Most Silverado Custom customers are expected to choose the available 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8, with 355 horsepower and the best fuel economy of any V-8 pickup, up to 23 mpg EPA estimated highway. Silverado Custom also will be available with the 4.3L EcoTec3 V-6, with the most torque of any standard V-6.

When equipped with the available 5.3L EcoTec3 V-8 and color-keyed carpeting, both expected to be popular choices, a 2WD Silverado Custom starts at $33,820. A similarly equipped 4x4 starts at $37,800. Dealers can order Silverado Customs starting this month.

Makes me wonder if getting one under $30k was possible. There would be fewer discounts on the cheaper trim I'd think but still it doesn't have very far to go to get below $30k. The 4WD, probably not.

It is also worth pointing out that they did not strip these cars of all features and options to get these prices. Which may go back to a point I have made before that a lot of that stuff doesn't cost the manufacturer that much extra to make, so stripping it out does not turn a $40k vehicle into a $30k one.