Supply And Demand

[unit731]

OK, so there is a post here about manual standard transmission and/or lack thereof.

 

What about vinyl seats? Granted, you people that live in very hot climates may not like vinyl seats or leather for that matter.

 

In the olden days there were only two choices across the line. Vinyl seats and cloth seats. Leather was never in a truck in those days.

 

Vinyl is so much more practical for people that have kids spilling McChocolate drinks, sticky candy and those with pets. Just wipe and clean.

 

So they stop offering vinyl seats on all but the base model or the Work Truck Package. And the manufacturers can claim that there is no demand. Not everyone looks at a work truck. The other option packages are limited in the work truck. So some of those that want vinyl seats settle for cloth. And as a result, fewer people get vinyl seats. Then the marketing department can claim that vinyl seats are not in demand. If there is no demand then don't offer vinyl seats in other models. Or, if one wants the smoothness of vinyl, offer expensive leather and make more profit.

 

I think it is a shame that manual transmission is not offered AND I think it is a shame that vinyl seats are not offered on more models.

 

Me. I would have spent more money on a new truck if vinyl seats were offered on other upscale truck models.

[ballon78]

Thats what leather seats are for!!! Leather cleans up just as well, believe me i have a 3 year old boy!!!!

[ChrisNJ]

Blame the government. They took away our big family sedans and wagons, so the public moved to trucks and SUV's. As the public moved to these vehicles they then wanted all the nice stuff, and here we are.

There was really only 2 big Suv's 10-15 years ago, the Burb and Bronco. About then the Caprice, the wagons from Buick and Olds, Fords Vic and wagons all started going away.

I went to trucks in the 90's because they were pretty much the only big RWD vehicle around, right after the Caprice died.

[unit731]

Thats what leather seats are for!!! Leather cleans up just as well, believe me i have a 3 year old boy!!!!

 

 

True. But leather is usually on higher end models and a tad expensive for some of us negative equity types. Not offered in combination with vinyl carpet. Another Catch 22.

[NathanL]

I'm an all manual kind of guy. I even order my trucks carpet delete if I have a chance. I like manual shift transfer cases, manual windows/locks are fine with me etc...

 

But I want a cloth seat. When you've been working all day outside and it's 105 you don't want to sit on a vinyl seat. If you get cloth then you can cover them with something like a wet okule seat cover (that's what I do) they look good and are waterproof. You can spill a drink on them and they run right off since they are made out of neoprene - the same stuff waders are made out of.

 

There are only 2 options I need when I buy a truck - besides 4wd etc...cloth seats and cruise control. The rest they can keep.

[Bostonsfavson]

The "leather" is so cheap on most vehicles it may as well be vinyl!

[pm26]

Leather does not even come close in durability when compared to good quality vinyl. I have two older Mercedes cars, 83 and 85 and both have MB-Tex uphostery, which is very heavy duty perforated vinyl, which looks just like leather, but is infinitely more durable. In fact, the seats in both cars are still in perfect shape. Those same cars were also offered with real leather seats, and leather is all parched and cracked on most of them after 20 some years.

 

And guess what: Mercedes still offers their MB-Tex patented vinyl even in new vehciles today. There must be a good reason for that.

 

Same with my 67 Ford T bird - still has perfect original vinyl seats. Try to find one with leather seats in this condition.

[pm26]

There was really only 2 big Suv's 10-15 years ago, the Burb and Bronco.

 

You forgot the full size Chevy Blazer and Dodge Ramcharger. And those things used to be cheap. A new 1978 Blazer 4X4 with a 350 4 barrel, 3 speed auto, vinyl seats, and radio could be bought for about $ 6,500. And as late as 1989, a new Ramcharger 4X4 with A/C, power windows, and cruise, and 318 V8 could still be bought for about $ 11,500.

 

Both of these vehicles were gas guzzlers though. The Blazer was good for about 8 MPG and Ramcharger for about 10. But they were great trucks, and quite capable of going places where no 2WD vehicle could. I presonally had a blast with a 1978 Blazer (not my own) going up steep hills in mud so deep that when I stopped, the vehicle would not roll backwards in neutral. But it would climb the hill through the mud. It was an incredible off road truck with its short wheelbase, high ground clearance, and a torquey 350 motor.

[redvett]

Hope your ready for lot smaller vehicles in the future. The Fed's have or will soon make 35 mpg a law and the big trucks are going to get smaller along with cars.

 

Blame the government. They took away our big family sedans and wagons, so the public moved to trucks and SUV's. As the public moved to these vehicles they then wanted all the nice stuff, and here we are.

There was really only 2 big Suv's 10-15 years ago, the Burb and Bronco. About then the Caprice, the wagons from Buick and Olds, Fords Vic and wagons all started going away.

I went to trucks in the 90's because they were pretty much the only big RWD vehicle around, right after the Caprice died.

[Rocco715]

The "leather" is so cheap on most vehicles it may as well be vinyl!

 

 

The reason it feels so cheap is that they use dairy cow for the seats. I learned that from the head engineer for leer that designs GM's seats

[pm26]

The quality of GM leather seats is nothing to write home about. My neighbor's '04 Sierra SLT Z71 came with leather seats. He bought it new and about 6 months later the seats were already deeply cracked and splitting. l

[GeoHawk]

The quality of GM leather seats is nothing to write home about. My neighbor's '04 Sierra SLT Z71 came with leather seats. He bought it new and about 6 months later the seats were already deeply cracked and splitting. l

I've been pretty happy with the durability of the leather in my last 3 Silverados. I did have to replace a piece of leather on the bottom cushion side bolster of my '03 after it ended up ripping due to me sliding across it to get in and out of the truck. The leather in my '07 seem to be even a little better than the previous 2. Now the leather we had in our Odyssey was total junk. The dye started rubbing off the driver seat within 2 years and made it look like total crap. "Normal wear and tear" said Honda.

 

BMW does offer something called "Leatherette" as standard on their Mini's and the lower end BMW's with cloth as a no-cost option. Real leather costs $$$.

 

I wouldn't mind a good quality vinyl as a no-cost alternative to cloth rather than pay the rediculous prices most automakers want for leather. I just don't like cloth.

[pm26]

I guess what happens is that some batches of leather seat covers used by upholstery shops to supply seats for various manufacturers are inferior, regardless of who uses them. This is why some have rotten luck with leather, some do not. Regardless of make or model. I only have one car with leather seats and I used sheepskins on the front seats, as I do not care for leather. Too slippery, and everything I place on top of the rear seat always flies off of it when I brake hard.

[mini1]

Most of GM's factory 'leather' seats are ultra cheap vinyl, so you can still get vinyl! You just don't know it. They just renamed vinyl.

[dreman]

I can't stand vinyl or leather. They're both too hot and sticky on a hot summer day. Give me cloth any day.

 

I once walked up to the Jaguar booth at a car show and asked them if you could get a Jaguar with cloth seats. They both looked at me like I might do something criminal at any moment, and coldly replied "no".