tazmanken

Why do auto manufacturers when you want to build a truck have to make it so hard and a lot more money for you to add things that you want without having to add a whole package and things you dont want, A few weeks ago I bought a new F150 while very happy with the truck I didnt get a few things I wanted,LED headlights,leather bucket seats,the dealer had trucks that had these things but in more expensive models,anyway I went on Fords site to see if what I wanted could be built and how much more it would be over what I paid for the truck I got,I have a XLT 2.7 ECO so I started the build with that,nope had to step up to the Lariat and add the 3.5 ECO and the 502A package and found out it would have been about 3,000 more then what I spent,but how dumb is it that you cant get the Quad Beam LED Headlights with the 2.7 ECO,you have to go to the 3.5 ECO,what does the engine have to do with lighting? I feel you should be able to add or remove things you want or dont want without adding or removing a whole package.Wouldn't it be cheaper for Ford to just put the led head and tail lights in all models? and only have to manufacture one set of headlights and one set of tail lights,Im not sure but I think I have seen 3 or 4 different tail light sets on the new F 150's,they use the same wire harness in all models so wy not put the same lights in all models.I had my tail lights out and the wires for the sensors are already back there.This is just my opinion.

Martian

Simple. Because people will pay for it.

The number of people who will do it outnumber those who won't, in terms of profit margin. It's usually cheaper to buy it without whatever and then put it in yourself (most of the time).

chickenwire

It's a bit more complicated than that, but there's a lot of truth in the "people will pay for it" angle.

New technologies cost more due to the research and development and tool up costs. The "nice things" that aren't necessary are generally sold in higher end vehicles because people will indeed pay more. Those higher prices pay for the development costs. Once they're paid off and/or matured, those "nice things" then filter down to lower and "entry" level vehicles.

To allow every possible combination to be offered "a la carte" would be a logistical and financial nightmare. Say there were 14 different things you could chose "this or that" from. Interior color, sound system, gauge cluster, headlamps, navigation system, etc. That is a total of 16,384 different vehicle offerings. To get all of those options to the line and sequenced with the exact vehicle being built would be an incredible feat. It also would likely go wrong several times a day so if it were detected, that vehicle would have to be taken aside and reworked. If not detected, it would result in a pissed off customer that didn't get what he ordered once it finally showed up.

To improve work flow, efficiency, and accuracy, the "packages" are scheduled in groups. There are sequencing areas that put the correct options and accessories in order to be delivered to the assembly line at the correct time for the correct vehicle to be built. Much easier to produce several hundred XLT's, then several hundred Lariats, etc than to try and mix and match all of the components and accessories back and forth.

chickenwire

As for the tailights already having the wiring necessary in place - same concept. Economies of scale make it cheaper to by several million wiring harnesses with all the options available instead of twenty different harnesses that would have to be managed and scheduled to match the options on a particular vehicle build. You just plug in what's need on the truck being built and leave the other plugs unused.

tazmanken

I understand how it works just wish you could pick at least a few more of the items you would want. With the trucks my dealer had in stock I could not see paying another 7,000 bucks just so I could have LED head lights and leather buckets seats along with a bunch of other stuff I would never use or want,but I have bought enough new vehicles to know how it works,just seems to be getting worse as technology advances.My sales person didnt even know what package you had to go with to get the LED head lights he even asked almost everyone he worked with and they didnt know.I figured it out after we signed the papers for the truck we did get what package I would have had to go with,it just seemed strange you build a Lariat with the 2.7 eco and the 502A package does not even show up but put the 3.5 eco in it and the 502A package shows up,really dont understand that at all.I had to tell my salesmen how to get those headlights and he thanked me because he had another customer wanting them and he couldn't figure out how to get them without going with the platinum.

All Hat No Cattle

LOL, you have the right idea, but you did not go far enough.

There are actually about 10 MILLION combinations available now.

Here is an article about how Ford cut back the BILLIONS of combinations on the 2008 F-150 to the 10 million in 2009.

http://www.autonews.com/article/2008...r-combinations

Not quite the same as "hold the pickles, hold the lettuce" is it?

Martian

I always order my vehicles without lettuce.

harrison14allen

That has always annoyed me. Can't possibly enjoy leather seats without a power sliding rear window... that's how they get more $$

Ricktwuhk

The reality is that most people will pay for a package to get what they want VERSUS not buying the truck. Therefore, Ford makes more profit.

I'm always amazed by things like "I'd pay $2,000 to get Sync 3 over Sync 2" or "$4,000 for Navigation is clearly worth it to me".

Even those of us (me) that laugh at these people buy a model that gives them options that have no interest in to get options that they want. It's human nature. I make a list of must-haves and then see what I'm going to get forced to buy to get them, and sometimes make them nice-to-haves.

Our 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid had 1 trim level.

Used to a lot worse in the days when Japanese cars came over with 1 or 2 models (hi and low).

chickenwire

Oh, I KNOW there are millions - that's why I just used the example of 14 options.