There were no "nice" Chevy's or Fords in 1970, not by today's standards. Today's trucks are expected to run 200 to 300K essentially without any serious repairs whatsoever. They have 9 airbags, ABS, built in GPS, and use less than 1/3rd the fuel. They need oil changes every 10 to 15K, a quarter or less of the cars of the 70's. Nobody even knows what "rolling the bearings" means anymore. Ask 10 truck owners when their U-joints were last replaced? Tires last three times as long, and cars come with a audio system that beats any non professional system anywhere in the 70', let alone the AM radio in cars of that era.
You can't even compare today's trucks with those in the 70', because today's 4 door, 4wd cowboy cadilacs with 10 speed transmissions and 350 HP did not exist then. A truck, might have a little room behind the bench seat, maybe even radial tires and a 3 speed transmission. And it got 7 MPG. 5 if it was 4wd.
That said, 50K for a half ton pickup is nutso.
And you didn't even factor in emissions. That mandate added $10,000 to a class 8 truck.
