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If you fall on hard times, it also often doesn't make a hell of a lot of financial sense to sell your vehicle. Doubly so if you do use it to make money. Even if

If you fall on hard times, it also often doesn't make a hell of a lot of financial sense to sell your vehicle. Doubly so if you do use it to make money. Even if you can get something cheaper, that "something cheaper" might be less reliable, which can lead to losing work—transportation unreliability is a very common element of poverty stories, frequently messing up opportunities or causing major set-backs. And it's not like you're going to get that entire $80k (new) back by selling a used truck. Requiring or expecting that people burn through all their material resources before getting help isn't how you get people out of poverty. Such requirements are a part of America's "poverty trap" and also cause misery in the disability system.

1123581321 4y ago
General point taken but you can absolutely get out of that situation without losing reliability. You can get a good condition, perfectly reliable Maverick or cargo van for a fraction of that. Maybe $30k at the most, and most contractors will still have the utility they need. And right now, you won't lose much on a private buyer sale of a bigger or more heavily optioned truck.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  A lot of those cargo vans are being bought to turn into van-life vans. Sure you could get an E-350 used for around $20k but you’d be competing with Mary, the trust fund YouTuber that wants to play “adventuring”. I spent a solid year looking for a good cargo van to turn into something other than a van-life van (more a mobile hacking station… but that’s besides the point). The reality is, one’s transportation here in America is one’s livelihood in many situations.
  - 1123581321 4y ago
    Indeed, although the reverse is also occurring as passenger vans are being bought for cargo conversion. It's concentrated in certain some makes/models/years just as vanlife demand is heavily concentrated elsewhere. It's probably easier to buy a good small pickup than a big van right now, especially if trading a bigger pickup + accepting cash which would be great for someone in financial trouble.

1123581321 4y ago

General point taken but you can absolutely get out of that situation without losing reliability. You can get a good condition, perfectly reliable Maverick or cargo van for a fraction of that. Maybe $30k at the most, and most contractors will still have the utility they need. And right now, you won't lose much on a private buyer sale of a bigger or more heavily optioned truck.

gabereiser 4y ago
A lot of those cargo vans are being bought to turn into van-life vans. Sure you could get an E-350 used for around $20k but you’d be competing with Mary, the trust fund YouTuber that wants to play “adventuring”. I spent a solid year looking for a good cargo van to turn into something other than a van-life van (more a mobile hacking station… but that’s besides the point). The reality is, one’s transportation here in America is one’s livelihood in many situations.
- 1123581321 4y ago
  Indeed, although the reverse is also occurring as passenger vans are being bought for cargo conversion. It's concentrated in certain some makes/models/years just as vanlife demand is heavily concentrated elsewhere. It's probably easier to buy a good small pickup than a big van right now, especially if trading a bigger pickup + accepting cash which would be great for someone in financial trouble.