Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Biggfoot44
Well-Known Member
With this Ranger talked about here , I stumbled into specifically , but for several years had gradually building itch to get back to my roots of 2wd P/U after mumble years of 4x4 SUVs , and still having one as primary , plus Mrs Biggfoot's .
I had intended for basic open bed , like my chronological #'s 1,2, and 4 P/U s . But Mrs Biggfoot and Littlefoot44 keep talking about getting me a Cap , apparently having memories of #3 , so equipped
So after some other business in town ( inside joke ) , I stopped into the major regional sell of such things to bring myself up to date .
For background , back in the day , I used to sell and install caps , so I have a baseline of their value/ cost . I know rose colored memories could be out of date , but even I can use the U.S. Government Inflation Calculator to know that between 1982 and 2020 inflation was 168% .
So back in early '80s , basic aluminum caps varied depending on the exact windows , and front slider or not . Prices were mostly $179- $199 , and you'd have to deliberately try to get it up to $219 ( plus $20-ish for installation) . Meanwhile Leer fiberglass was $400- somthing . We were certainly competitive in our pricing , but these Weren't loss leaders , cap were a significant part of the business , and made a decent profit at those prices .
Meanwhile , in 2020
Aluminum has all but disappeared , except for specific work truck rigs , and is More Expensive than Fiberglass !! And the prices are INSANE ! Alum frames and .019 sheet metal , and fiberglass molds are mature manufacturing technologies . Should have followed inflation , in not decreased in production costs with modern semi- automated welding .
But Nooo. Least expensive of anything starts at $1,700 . average around $2.5K . Are the mfg and sellers insane ? Are the buyers insane ?
I had intended for basic open bed , like my chronological #'s 1,2, and 4 P/U s . But Mrs Biggfoot and Littlefoot44 keep talking about getting me a Cap , apparently having memories of #3 , so equipped
So after some other business in town ( inside joke ) , I stopped into the major regional sell of such things to bring myself up to date .
For background , back in the day , I used to sell and install caps , so I have a baseline of their value/ cost . I know rose colored memories could be out of date , but even I can use the U.S. Government Inflation Calculator to know that between 1982 and 2020 inflation was 168% .
So back in early '80s , basic aluminum caps varied depending on the exact windows , and front slider or not . Prices were mostly $179- $199 , and you'd have to deliberately try to get it up to $219 ( plus $20-ish for installation) . Meanwhile Leer fiberglass was $400- somthing . We were certainly competitive in our pricing , but these Weren't loss leaders , cap were a significant part of the business , and made a decent profit at those prices .
Meanwhile , in 2020
Aluminum has all but disappeared , except for specific work truck rigs , and is More Expensive than Fiberglass !! And the prices are INSANE ! Alum frames and .019 sheet metal , and fiberglass molds are mature manufacturing technologies . Should have followed inflation , in not decreased in production costs with modern semi- automated welding .
But Nooo. Least expensive of anything starts at $1,700 . average around $2.5K . Are the mfg and sellers insane ? Are the buyers insane ?
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