For Those Lamenting "Rising Truck Prices"

[jasonkosi]

Considering these photos were likely taken long before I was born, something about them warms my cold, dead heart. A single cab pickup with a dog in the back, in that sepia tone, just seems like heaven to me.

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[Kodiak]

Make that 3 old guys, I’m 70 as well and I still love my 21 Platinum. Just returned from our twice yearly trip down south with the truck and I still want to just get in and drive!

Make that a 4. While I am not as "geezery" as the 3 of you, I am just months away from Medicare! I think that qualifies for geezer status! (I have bad knees too)

I do not have to drive like I did when I commuted to work for 35K - 40K miles a year, or when I moved down to VA and only had to commute about 20K miles a year, but everytime I drive this truck, it is a dream compared to the others I have had. Running the house and my business when I lose power 5 to 6 times a year is the game changer.

Shocked that no PB V2 has been announced. Unless they are just holding out for some shadow release.

Ram 1500 REV (old Ramcharger) should only be months away and I really hope and pray that it is a total homerun for RAM. It may show others (Ford) that a PHEV or EREV is a viable option to pursue.

 

[JCsTruck]

Here is what Grok says and I think you’ll see why it fees like so many people are being squeezed and have less disposable income then ever before.

Here are the most accurate and widely accepted ways to compare the cost of living from 40 years ago (1985) to today (2025), along with direct links to graphs and calculators.

### 1. Best Single Metric: CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) – Official U.S. Inflation Measure
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) CPI-U is the gold standard for measuring how much more (or less) it costs to maintain the same standard of living over time.

| Year | CPI-U (1982–1984 = 100) | What $1 in 1985 buys today | What $1 today would have bought in 1985 |
|------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1985 | 107.6 | — | — |
| 2025 (Oct) | ~317.7 (estimated from latest data) | $1 in 1985 = $3.25 today | $1 today = $0.31 in 1985 |

→ Overall cost of living is roughly **3.25× higher** in 2025 than in 1985.

**Direct interactive graph from BLS**
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?cu (select “U.S. city average, All items” → 1978–present)
Or the famous BLS CPI inflation calculator:
https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
(Enter $100 in January 1985 → it shows ~$325 in 2025)

### 2. More Nuanced “Real-Life” Cost-of-Living Comparisons
The headline CPI has been criticized because housing, healthcare, and education have risen much faster than the overall basket. Here are better breakdowns:

| Category (1985 → 2025) | Approximate increase | Notes & Sources |
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Overall CPI-U | 3.25× | BLS official |
| Shelter (rent + owner’s equivalent) | ~5.0× | BLS CPI shelter index |
| College tuition & fees | ~9–12× | College Board / NCES |
| Medical care | ~6.5× | BLS medical care CPI |
| New vehicles | ~2.2× | Much slower than CPI (quality-adjusted) |
| Food at home | ~2.8× | BLS food index |
| Gasoline (regular, national avg) | ~3.0× (very volatile) | EIA data |
| Median new home price | ~7× | Census Bureau / FRED (not CPI-adjusted) |
| Average hourly earnings (private) | ~3.6× | Wages have slightly outpaced CPI overall |

### 3. Best Visual Graphs That Show the True Divergence
These charts show how dramatically certain necessities have outpaced general inflation:

1. **AEI’s famous “Cost of Living vs. Wages vs. Specific Items” chart** (updated regularly)
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/new-chart-update-the-cost-of-thriving-index-vs-cpi-and-wages/
Shows that while TVs, appliances, and toys have gotten cheaper relative to wages, childcare, housing, healthcare, and college have become vastly more expensive.

2. **Chapman University’s “The Big Things vs. CPI” chart**
https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/economic-research/cost-of-living.aspx
Compares CPI to actual median home prices, college tuition, etc.

3. **Visual Capitalist – “40 Years of U.S. Prices”**
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-40-years-of-price-changes-in-the-u-s/
Clean interactive version of major categories since 1984.

4. **FRED (St. Louis Fed) – Median Sales Price of Houses vs. CPI**
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1q1O
Shows homes up ~7× while CPI up ~3.2×.

### Bottom Line
- If you use the official government metric (CPI-U): **Cost of living is about 3.25 times higher** today than in 1985.
- If you weight the things people actually spend the most on today (housing, healthcare, education, childcare): **The real felt increase is closer to 4–6×** for a middle-class lifestyle.

So the most accurate single number is **3.25×**, but the most honest answer for most families is “it feels more like 4–5× because the big-ticket items rose much faster.” The graphs linked above illustrate that gap clearly.

 

[Davexxxx]

Considering these photos were likely taken long before I was born, something about them warms my cold, dead heart. A single cab pickup with a dog in the back, in that sepia tone, just seems like heaven to me.

Would have been sometime in the mid to late 80s, is as close as I can guess. The sepia is from age, even though they've been kept in a photo folder and that in a drawer, almost all that time. The real colors, were much more vibrant.

The dog was a good one. Pretty much a one of one type, as for intelligence, loved to go and traveled well.

 

[Davexxxx]

Make that a 4. While I am not as "geezery" as the 3 of you, I am just months away from Medicare! I think that qualifies for geezer status! (I have bad knees too)

I do not have to drive like I did when I commuted to work for 35K - 40K miles a year, or when I moved down to VA and only had to commute about 20K miles a year, but everytime I drive this truck, it is a dream compared to the others I have had. Running the house and my business when I lose power 5 to 6 times a year is the game changer.

Shocked that no PB V2 has been announced. Unless they are just holding out for some shadow release.

Ram 1500 REV (old Ramcharger) should only be months away and I really hope and pray that it is a total homerun for RAM. It may show others (Ford) that a PHEV or EREV is a viable option to pursue.

Well if we're making a list, may as well add me. Late 60s and so far, the truck has been at a different level, than anything I've ever owned. Not just the creature comforts, or the ride, or the quiet but more or less twice the power, with roughly a 50% gain in MPGs, the increased towing capacity and the utility of PPOB, makes it alone in its class.

 

[Nassau]

I love a good classic as much as any guy. But the reason “easy to fix” is nostalgically remembered is because they ALWAYS NEEDED FIXING. Ignition systems wore out. Steering gears wore out. Suspension parts wore out. Bodies rusted out. Yeah the motors lasted a long time, as long as you could pay for the oil they burned until they lost so much compression from rings and valves that they wouldn’t run right. And the 8mpg fuel burn on something with 250hp was great. And if you got in an accident, you generally were pretty damaged yourself, assuming you lived.

The new trucks are better in every way. Hell, I’d even take a new Ram over an old Fseries if it had to be a daily driver. I still love to see an early 70s restored 3/4 ton though.

 

[My 2ND Ford]

@My 2ND Ford that Blazer description might be the greatest review for a vehicle I've ever read

And a real man would daily a '69 Jaaaaag, just sayin

I did daily my Jag in the summer, but like all British cars it marked its spot with oil, and it wasn't always just drips, sometimes it would puke out a decent puddle when you least expected it. When you started it you ran your gaze across the gauges, oil pressure check, fuel check, Charging nope, Open the bonnet, reach down and smack the charging relay, alternator hums check. Of course it has questionable Lucas electrics, Lucas isn't called the Prince of Darkness for nothing. Do you know why the English drink warm beer, Lucas makes their refrigerators.
Bad electrics, slipping clutch, dodgy brakes, God I loved that car!

 

[Old Hat]

Here is what Grok says and I think you’ll see why it fees like so many people are being squeezed and have less disposable income then ever before.

Here are the most accurate and widely accepted ways to compare the cost of living from 40 years ago (1985) to today (2025), along with direct links to graphs and calculators.

### 1. Best Single Metric: CPI-U (Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers) – Official U.S. Inflation Measure
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) CPI-U is the gold standard for measuring how much more (or less) it costs to maintain the same standard of living over time.

| Year | CPI-U (1982–1984 = 100) | What $1 in 1985 buys today | What $1 today would have bought in 1985 |
|------|--------------------------|-----------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1985 | 107.6 | — | — |
| 2025 (Oct) | ~317.7 (estimated from latest data) | $1 in 1985 = $3.25 today | $1 today = $0.31 in 1985 |

→ Overall cost of living is roughly **3.25× higher** in 2025 than in 1985.

**Direct interactive graph from BLS**
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?cu (select “U.S. city average, All items” → 1978–present)
Or the famous BLS CPI inflation calculator:
https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm
(Enter $100 in January 1985 → it shows ~$325 in 2025)

### 2. More Nuanced “Real-Life” Cost-of-Living Comparisons
The headline CPI has been criticized because housing, healthcare, and education have risen much faster than the overall basket. Here are better breakdowns:

| Category (1985 → 2025) | Approximate increase | Notes & Sources |
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| Overall CPI-U | 3.25× | BLS official |
| Shelter (rent + owner’s equivalent) | ~5.0× | BLS CPI shelter index |
| College tuition & fees | ~9–12× | College Board / NCES |
| Medical care | ~6.5× | BLS medical care CPI |
| New vehicles | ~2.2× | Much slower than CPI (quality-adjusted) |
| Food at home | ~2.8× | BLS food index |
| Gasoline (regular, national avg) | ~3.0× (very volatile) | EIA data |
| Median new home price | ~7× | Census Bureau / FRED (not CPI-adjusted) |
| Average hourly earnings (private) | ~3.6× | Wages have slightly outpaced CPI overall |

### 3. Best Visual Graphs That Show the True Divergence
These charts show how dramatically certain necessities have outpaced general inflation:

1. **AEI’s famous “Cost of Living vs. Wages vs. Specific Items” chart** (updated regularly)
https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/new-chart-update-the-cost-of-thriving-index-vs-cpi-and-wages/
Shows that while TVs, appliances, and toys have gotten cheaper relative to wages, childcare, housing, healthcare, and college have become vastly more expensive.

2. **Chapman University’s “The Big Things vs. CPI” chart**
https://www.chapman.edu/research/institutes-and-centers/economic-research/cost-of-living.aspx
Compares CPI to actual median home prices, college tuition, etc.

3. **Visual Capitalist – “40 Years of U.S. Prices”**
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-40-years-of-price-changes-in-the-u-s/
Clean interactive version of major categories since 1984.

4. **FRED (St. Louis Fed) – Median Sales Price of Houses vs. CPI**
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1q1O
Shows homes up ~7× while CPI up ~3.2×.

### Bottom Line
- If you use the official government metric (CPI-U): **Cost of living is about 3.25 times higher** today than in 1985.
- If you weight the things people actually spend the most on today (housing, healthcare, education, childcare): **The real felt increase is closer to 4–6×** for a middle-class lifestyle.

So the most accurate single number is **3.25×**, but the most honest answer for most families is “it feels more like 4–5× because the big-ticket items rose much faster.” The graphs linked above illustrate that gap clearly.

Thanks for posting this.

Interest on our first home mortgage was 12.5% in 1983. Today in your "Bad economy" it's half that. As I'm sure you are aware, interest is the largest part of your monthly payments for many years and can substantially limit what one can afford.

I like to think that the biggest factor in any times is personal responsibility. We always did well not because we made more than average, but because we spent less than average. Too many people don't do that. Instead they spend all they make, or worse, more than all they make, piling up debt and paying interest on it. Is it any surprise that these folks quickly feel squeezed in almost any situation?

Waiting, hoping, voting, praying, griping for more favorable conditions is not the answer. Being more responsible with ones finances is. It would be valuable to society if states mandated this be taught in schools.

 

[Davexxxx]

Thanks for posting this.

Interest on our first home mortgage was 12.5% in 1983. Today in your "Bad economy" it's half that. As I'm sure you are aware, interest is the largest part of your monthly payments for many years and can substantially limit what one can afford.

I like to think that the biggest factor in any times is personal responsibility. We always did well not because we made more than average, but because we spent less than average. Too many people don't do that. Instead they spend all they make, or worse, more than all they make, piling up debt and paying interest on it. Is it any surprise that these folks quickly feel squeezed in almost any situation?

Waiting, hoping, voting, praying, griping for more favorable conditions is not the answer. Being more responsible with ones finances is. It would be valuable to society if states mandated this be taught in schools.

Ah yes, 1983. 12.25% for us, on 3 yr. balloon.

For the younger guys, that meant at the end of each 3 yrs. the bank could change interest rates, or even call the loan.

And with the damage to the job markets, from 79 on, we all basically had a financial gun to our heads. Fortunately in MO, prepayment penalties aren't allowed, so we socked everything we could into that loan, ultimately paying it off in 15 yrs. What a breath of relief that was. Life changing.

 

[JCsTruck]

With my mortgage my interest rate thankfully is ~ 3%. My taxes and insurance are now more than my principal + interest. Basically taxes and insurance are more than 50% of my monthly payment and by the time I pay off the loan my taxes and insurance will be so much that it probably will feel like I still dont own my home. Worst part is the property ‘taxes are supposed to pay for public schools yet the schools are so bad now I had to pay over $250,000 in private school tuitions split between two kids, so basically I get double taxed.

 

[ridesdirt]

Thread is sidetracked pretty far now, but to bring it back a little I'll add that I recently traded a 2013 King Ranch in on a new to me 2022 King Ranch, pretty major upgrade! I feel like I am driving a high end Mercedes... it is a wicked nice truck! BUT... I still love driving my 2002 F350 SRW 7.3, it rides like a horse drawn wagon and sounds like a dump truck, but it is a beast! I love that truck!

I remember those 1980s mortgage rates. A house payment was more than apartment rent back then, that gap has narrowed a lot since then.

 

[Dakar09]

With my mortgage my interest rate thankfully is ~ 3%. My taxes and insurance are now more than my principal + interest. Basically taxes and insurance are more than 50% of my monthly payment and by the time I pay off the loan my taxes and insurance will be so much that it probably will feel like I still dont own my home. Worst part is the property ‘taxes are supposed to pay for public schools yet the schools are so bad now I had to pay over $250,000 in private school tuitions split between two kids, so basically I get double taxed.

I'm in the same boat. Thankfully a low mortgage rate from many years ago, but living in MA (like you) our taxes keep inflating my monthly payments while providing less and less services in our State and town. But I digress...

Were we talking about trucks?

 

[Pelican]

Thanks for posting this.

Interest on our first home mortgage was 12.5% in 1983. Today in your "Bad economy" it's half that. As I'm sure you are aware, interest is the largest part of your monthly payments for many years and can substantially limit what one can afford.

I like to think that the biggest factor in any times is personal responsibility. We always did well not because we made more than average, but because we spent less than average. Too many people don't do that. Instead they spend all they make, or worse, more than all they make, piling up debt and paying interest on it. Is it any surprise that these folks quickly feel squeezed in almost any situation?

Waiting, hoping, voting, praying, griping for more favorable conditions is not the answer. Being more responsible with ones finances is. It would be valuable to society if states mandated this be taught in schools.

Great post filled with words to live by. You sound like someone who lives by two of my all time favorite books... "The Millionaire Next Door" and "Rich Dad Poor Dad". These books should be required reading for high school students and they should be required to write a paper about them and be tested. I've learned over my 48 years, it's not always about how much you make, but how much you keep. Slow and steady and being consistent does win the race.

 

[Davexxxx]

Great post filled with words to live by. You sound like someone who lives by two of my all time favorite books... "The Millionaire Next Door" and "Rich Dad Poor Dad". These books should be required reading for high school students and they should be required to write a paper about them and be tested. I've learned over my 48 years, it's not always about how much you make, but how much you keep. Slow and steady and being consistent does win the race.

I agree that financial literacy should be taught in HS. I haven't read either of your books but read all of Peter Lynch's and every word Warren Buffett ever wrote. When the B shares opened up, in 96, we bought some and still have, most of them. Have been a student of economies and markets and market participant, since 83, often making a whole extra annual income. It gave us a life we wouldn't otherwise have.

 

[JCsTruck]

I'm in the same boat. Thankfully a low mortgage rate from many years ago, but living in MA (like you) our taxes keep inflating my monthly payments while providing less and less services in our State and town. But I digress...

Were we talking about trucks?

Off topic I guess but then all of this affects our ability to afford a nice truck which is the American way.

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