Are ATVs/UTVs overpriced?

[TYM 474 Owner]

Price a utilitarian sxs/UTV, it'll be $20k or more. Priced a ClubCar Carryall 1500, it was $20k. Nothing fancy, a work machine. Same thing, a John Deere Gator was $23k. One of the fast, trail-riding machines that have less utility but more speed and off-road capabilities, it'll be $30k and more. This sure seems like a lot of money. But the market has evolved for both types such that there is a LOT of competition, many choices. Do you think these machines are crazy overpriced or 'worth' what they cost. Do you think that there is enough competition that the market has them priced fairly for the quality of the machine, they are built robustly, or do you think all the manufacturers are just greedy and making way too much money? It bugs me to get 'ripped off' but OTOH, am curious if market dynamics always keep prices in check... or not so? Can greed ever manifest itself in a competitive market? Collusion would be hard to accomplish with SO many manufacturers.

I could start a similar thread about pickup trucks. Problem is, seems to me, they are way too dang big these days and there's too much 'stuff' on them. Perhaps they are very well made, lol. I guess I got my money's worth out of my 2008 Nissan Titan, have 250k miles, still going.

Absolutely they are overpriced. Pickups as well. Consumers and lenders are half the problem. No side by side should cost 20k period and no full size truck should ever approach 100k.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

No side by side should cost 20k period and no full size truck should ever approach 100k.

Should they be sold at a loss?

 

[ArlyA]

Whoever says whatever product is overpriced, please built some quality ones for the same or less $. We'll take two!

 

[TYM 474 Owner]

Should they be sold at a loss?

Who would be taking the loss? The manufacturer or the dealer?

 

[Torvy]

Not many ATV's with dump beds. And not all UTV's have dump beds. People use them for many purposes, including transportation and off road. So, a Jeep is a viable option.

I'm talking about working vehicles, not playthings. Almost all UTVs have a dump bed. ATV has a whole different purpose and is much cheaper. The cheapest Wrangler within 150 miles is over $15k and is 10 years and over 125k miles on it.

Brand new Honda ATV has under $5k MSRP.

So no, for most people, a Jeep is not a better deal than a ATV or UTV (just for different reasons). For what it's worth, my UTV was thousands less than the used Wrangler.

If it works for you, that's awesome.

 

[TYM 474 Owner]

Whoever says whatever product is overpriced, please built some quality ones for the same or less $. We'll take two!

How about build some trucks that the average person can afford that don't have all the fancy bells and whistles. Just saw a TFL video

and the bare bones trucks are approaching 50k! An average consumer loan for 49K at 6% APR for 60 months is almost 1k a month before tax/tag/title and insurance for a bare bones truck. Lets call it 1k a month. But I suppose 50k for an entry level truck is ok.

 

[Eagle1]

The only reason we can't get a basic truck reasonable are the mandates. Toyota can build it and sell it everywhere else.
Everything To Know About Toyota's $10,000 Pickup Truck - SlashGear

 

[Torvy]

Who would be taking the loss? The manufacturer or the dealer?

Manufacturers of durable goods are not going to price them at a loss. If people stop buying things, the prices will come down. At the same time, manufacturers will reduce production of those things that don't optimize profit.

Dealers may sell at a loss because inventory is expensive...but they will also not restock with low profit margin supply.

Unfortunately, the 'market' for trucks is not what those of us who have farm/work trucks actually need. They are outfitted for the professional who gets a T boost from driving a truck or who uses them 1-3 times a year as a 'truck' and commutes the rest of the time with it. There are more of them than us. They have more money than most of us. Mfgs have limited facilities to produce. As corporations, they have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits for the shareholders. That means they are unlikely to make many 'basic' versions of trucks.

Don't blame the mfgs, blame the urban guys driving big trucks just to replace T.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Everything is overpriced in my opinion.

 

[Eagle1]

Everything is overpriced in my opinion.

Just the currency is worth less.....

 

[shooterdon]

I'm talking about working vehicles, not playthings. Almost all UTVs have a dump bed. ATV has a whole different purpose and is much cheaper. The cheapest Wrangler within 150 miles is over $15k and is 10 years and over 125k miles on it.

Brand new Honda ATV has under $5k MSRP.

So no, for most people, a Jeep is not a better deal than a ATV or UTV (just for different reasons). For what it's worth, my UTV was thousands less than the used Wrangler.

If it works for you, that's awesome.

For over 95% of the riding we do a Jeep is far better than a SxS. A Jeep with 125k miles will last another 75k miles. I doubt a SxS will last half as long. A used $15k Jeep has a cab, windshield, wipers, air, heat and carries four. Add that to a SxS (if you even can) and you fork over another $6-15K. Plus, I can use the Jeep on the roads and highways.

Like I posted earlier...met a guy who spent $40k on a Can-Am Defender and I think he is a fool. He needs to trailer it to go on the ORV trails and logging roads that I can drive to with a Jeep.

I do not miss the Ranger and RZR we sold 6 years ago. It gets old eating dust when riding in a group.

 

[Torvy]

For over 95% of the riding we do a Jeep is far better than a SxS. A Jeep with 125k miles will last another 75k miles. I doubt a SxS will last half as long. A used $15k Jeep has a cab, windshield, wipers, air, heat and carries four. Add that to a SxS (if you even can) and you fork over another $6-15K. Plus, I can use the Jeep on the roads and highways.

Like I posted earlier...met a guy who spent $40k on a Can-Am Defender and I think he is a fool. He needs to trailer it to go on the ORV trails and logging roads that I can drive to with a Jeep.

I do not miss the Ranger and RZR we sold 6 years ago. It gets old eating dust when riding in a group.

Riding and working are two entirely different needs. I'm only talking about work tools. The only 'fun' with our SxS is driving the short distance to the neighbors whenever they have a shindig.

 

[ArlyA]

We were upset with the price increase when we ordered our 2022 6x6. But we still needed a tool to get the job done. Today we could get the same thing for $3000 less, but we needed the machine back then. Some people loose sleep fretting over $$ but when you are gone, the $$$ stays.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Who would be taking the loss? The manufacturer or the dealer?

Whoever wants to go out of business first.

Only the government can operate at a loss and still stay afloat.

 

[shooterdon]

Riding and working are two entirely different needs. I'm only talking about work tools. The only 'fun' with our SxS is driving the short distance to the neighbors whenever they have a shindig.

My "work" SxS is a Mule SX that cost $8100 new and is bullet proof. Came with a three year warranty.

Anyway, didn't you get an EV SxS? Hisun??? Around $13k? Someone here got one and I looked at them when we were looking at getting something better than the Mule. But they have the same top speed and the range was short. Killed the idea for us.

It was going to cost me another $12k to get a faster Mule and that was more than I want to spend for something with a 20 mph faster top speed to ride trails, logging roads and back roads 20 times a year.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I better be #1 and not #2.

 

[Rockbadchild]

Interesting read .. it surely doesn't take much to get some exited that for sure ....

Over price yes, some are ''cheaper'' but are cheaply made, some are made better but then more expensive... But just about anything in life can be priceless in certain situation at a certain time.... the notion of inflation is hard to get wrap around because the salary is not keeping up, so yes everything is overprice... in 1995 a honda trx300 was $5000 (that was a hell of a machine for the time I still own one and I love it to this day and I used it more than my can-am XT 1000 that will over heat if I don't wash the radiator every second ride) what is $5000 worth today?? 10k ... so today quads are not out of hands price wise but they have 850cc or 1000cc in them and are sold for what 14 to 20k yeah it's a lot of money for a bunch of plastic you will loose behind the first trip but not out of hands if the salary would keep up with inflation but it is not the case. So again if you take that per account I say yes.

 

[livemusic]

Whoever says whatever product is overpriced, please built some quality ones for the same or less $. We'll take two!

My cousin used to have an apropos saying anytime one of us would complain about the cost of something... "Yeah, but did you ever try to BUILD one?" (Whatever the item was, he did have a point!)

 

[hodge]

I'm talking about working vehicles, not playthings. Almost all UTVs have a dump bed. ATV has a whole different purpose and is much cheaper. The cheapest Wrangler within 150 miles is over $15k and is 10 years and over 125k miles on it.

Brand new Honda ATV has under $5k MSRP.

So no, for most people, a Jeep is not a better deal than a ATV or UTV (just for different reasons). For what it's worth, my UTV was thousands less than the used Wrangler.

If it works for you, that's awesome.

It does work for me.

 

[Torvy]

My "work" SxS is a Mule SX that cost $8100 new and is bullet proof. Came with a three year warranty.

Anyway, didn't you get an EV SxS? Hisun??? Around $13k? Someone here got one and I looked at them when we were looking at getting something better than the Mule. But they have the same top speed and the range was short. Killed the idea for us.

It was going to cost me another $12k to get a faster Mule and that was more than I want to spend for something with a 20 mph faster top speed to ride trails, logging roads and back roads 20 times a year.

Yes. The range is a non-issue for us. Never used more than 20% of the battery in one day. 45 miles on a charge is plenty for a work unit. I get it not working on a trail unit.

The only other EV ones cost 2X ours.