The average transaction price for a full-size pickup was over $50,000 last year, according to Kelly Blue Book, and even midsize trucks were selling for $35,000.
Bargain shoppers can still find a deal, however, if they’re willing to live with a good old fashioned basic truck.
Here are the cheapest currently on sale:
Midsize: Nissan Frontier
(NIssan)
$20,385
Fundamentally unchanged since 2004, the Nissan Frontier is the lowest-priced pickup if you check the right options boxes.
That is to say, if you don’t check any of them.
A two-wheel-drive King Cab comes with a five-speed manual transmission, a 152 hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and an AM/FM stereo with four speakers and Bluetooth for you high tech folks. You’ll want to get it while it’s cheap, though, because later this year the Frontier is dropping the four-cylinder in favor of a new standard V6 and a fully redesigned truck is finally on the way in 2021.
Full-size light duty: Ram 1500 Classic
(Ram)
$29,340
When Ram introduced an all-new 1500 pickup for 2019, it decided to keep building the old version as a discount option called the Classic. It’s available in a variety of configurations that start at $29,340 for a two-door Tradesman work truck powered by a V6 engine that can be upgraded to a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 395 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque for $1,495, which makes it the cheapest V8-powered vehicle of any kind you can buy today.
Full-size heavy duty: Ford F-Series Super Duty
(Ford)
$35,300
The regular cab F-250 offers an 8-foot bed and 6.2-liter V8 rated at 385 hp 6.2-liter V8 430 lb-ft for $35,300, which is a far cry from the top of the line F-450 Limited that can be optioned up to close to $100,000.
