Number one selling vehicle of 2008... not a hybrid

[adventureduo]

Not a smart car, not a hybrid.... it's still the Ford F-150.

Suprised me with the gas prices this year.

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/782/the-years-bestand-worst-selling-cars

[Moody]

There is a great book called "The Millionaire Next Door" that I read a few years back. Many of the hundreds of millionaires they interviewed stated that they own and daily drive the Ford F-150. Surprising in the sense that you would expect the #1 car millionaires drive to be something like a Mercedes, BMW, or the like.

I suppose that is why they are millionaires...

[Willman]

There is a great book called "The Millionaire Next Door" that I read a few years back. Many of the hundreds of millionaires they interviewed stated that they own and daily drive the Ford F-150. Surprising in the sense that you would expect the #1 car millionaires drive to be something like a Mercedes, BMW, or the like.

I suppose that is why they are millionaires...

Their cheap!!!...That's why!

:bigbossHL:

[Superu]

An interesting review of the book mentioned. (http://johntreed.com/MillionaireNextDoor.html)

Stanley and Danko identified seven common denominators of real millionaires:

They live well below their means.
They pursue wealth very efficiently.
They have little interest in social status.
They got no financial help from their parents.
Their adult children pay their own way.
They identify profitable markets.
They choose occupations wisely.

[ChuckB]

Thats's too funny! My father-in-law drives an f150 and isn't doing too bad. Now it all makes sense.

[haven]

The F150 is the best-selling vehicle in 2008, but its sales are
way down from previous years. In 2006, Ford sold almost
800,000 F150s. In 2007, they sold almost 700,000. In
the full 12 months of 2008, Ford might sell 550,000 F150s.
That's a 27% decline from 2007.

Actually, Ford did better than expected because its redesigned
F150 is getting favorable reviews.

Camry is the best-selling car for 2008. Its sales were down, too,
but only about 10%:
2006: 448,000 2007: 473,000 2008: maybe 430,000 in 12 months

Accord shows a similar pattern, down about 6%
2006: 354,000 2007: 392,000 2008: maybe 370,000 in 12 months


Here's the top ten in 2008, according to the Forbes article:

Forbes.com 12/3/08
The Year's Best- And Worst-Selling Cars
in the First 11 months of 2008

Ford F-Series 473,933 vehicles

Chevrolet Silverado 431,725

Toyota Camry 411,342

Honda Civic 352,248

Honda Accord 350,638

Toyota Corolla/Matrix 328,878

Nissan Altima 252,357

Chevrolet Impala 244,692

Dodge Ram 229,222

Ford Focus 184,152

[Fat_Man]

In reality, GM has the top selling truck, when you consider that the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra are essentially the same vehicle. The most recent version is about as different as they have been in some time, but the differences are only cosmetic.

Total sales figures for the two combined is 587,289. I would assume this is the case most years.

Top 10 Pickups Sales Figures
Year-to-Date (YTD) November 2008

#1. Ford F-Series
473,933 -25.4% YTD
November 2008: 37,911
November 2007: 46,568

#2. Chevrolet Silverado
431,725 -23.5% YTD
November 2008: 29,534
November 2007: 38,122

#3. Dodge Ram
229,222 -30.0% YTD
November 2008: 15,538
November 2007: 24,488

#4. GMC Sierra
155,564 -17.5% YTD
November 2008: 10,497
November 2007: 13,840

#5. Toyota Tacoma
135,962 -15.3% YTD
November 2008: 8,648
November 2007: 11,985

#6. Toyota Tundra
128,058 -28.0% YTD
November 2008: 6,607
November 2007: 14,988

#7. Ford Ranger
62,017 -7.6% YTD
November 2008: 3,311
November 2007: 4,938

#8. Chevrolet Colorado
49,899 -29.0% YTD
November 2008: 2,503
November 2007: 5,428

#9. Nissan Frontier
43,595 -27.0% YTD
November 2008: 1,171
November 2007: 3,993

#10. Honda Ridgeline
32,186 -18.2% YTD
November 2008: 1,857
November 2007: 2,238

[chet]

just goes to show why GM is a bunch of idiots. if they combined the brands they would take top honors and some well needed PR.

[cjmitchell5]

I wonder how the list would look if you took away vehicles bought as fleet/business use.

[SWDesertTaco]

I wonder how the list would look if you took away vehicles bought as fleet/business use.

My thoughts exactly. Considering that both the F-150, Silverados, and Dodge 3/4 tons are generally the number one vehicle sold in fleet purchases.

One thing I used to really like about Toyota was the fact they didn't have many models sold as fleet. Not as common anymore..but still less common than the big 3 fleet sales.

[R_Lefebvre]

An interesting review of the book mentioned. (http://johntreed.com/MillionaireNextDoor.html)

Stanley and Danko identified seven common denominators of real millionaires:

They live well below their means.
They pursue wealth very efficiently.
They have little interest in social status.
They got no financial help from their parents.
Their adult children pay their own way.
They identify profitable markets.
They choose occupations wisely.


Wow, that does sound like my parents to a T. They are/were millionaires. Lost a bunch of their retirement savings this year, but it'll come back. They decided not to retire yet.

The fanciest car they ever bought was a Oldmobile Aurora. A V6 no less. And it was a leftover from the previous year so they got a deal, and used points from their GM card.

In fact, he doesn't drive the Olds in the winter so it stays nice, and right now is winter beatering a 96 Grand Am.

On the one hand, I admire his restraint and frugality. On the other hand, if his health failed him tomorrow, he wouldn't have done a lot of living. I strive to find a balance.

[805gregg]

My thoughts exactly. Considering that both the F-150, Silverados, and Dodge 3/4 tons are generally the number one vehicle sold in fleet purchases.

One thing I used to really like about Toyota was the fact they didn't have many models sold as fleet. Not as common anymore..but still less common than the big 3 fleet sales.

The people making those fleet buys need reliable trucks. It's going to take Toyota a while considering they still put drum brakes on their Tocama. I had a 1993 Dodge Dakota that had discs in the rear. Thats 16 years. I like good brakes on a work vehicle, this just (1) very noticeable flaw.

[peekay]

The people making those fleet buys need reliable trucks. It's going to take Toyota a while considering they still put drum brakes on their Tocama. I had a 1993 Dodge Dakota that had discs in the rear. Thats 16 years. I like good brakes on a work vehicle, this just (1) very noticeable flaw.

If you were blindfolded and drove 10 vehicles back to back, some with drum brakes, some without, I guarantee you won't be able to guess which is which. My '01 had 130k miles and there was still 50% lining left on the drums. I agree that all else equal, discs are prefable to drums. But it's a very small part of a truck. Things like the tranny and engine are a lot more important.

[CoastalDefender]

On the one hand, I admire his restraint and frugality. On the other hand, if his health failed him tomorrow, he wouldn't have done a lot of living. I strive to find a balance.

That's the key right there. Straddle the fulcrum.

I wonder at times what it's all worth (the money).