Thinking about a new truck. What to buy?

I feel your pain Bill. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what my next rig will be. Finding a used low mileage gas 1 ton 4X4 is next to impossible. When I do find one they're asking close to the price of a new truck. Either that or it's in a state where they put salt on the roads because some kind of white stuff falls out of the sky in the winter! Whats up with that? It sort of looks like I'll be going with a new truck and a used camper. My reasoning on the 1 ton is they are only $800 or $900 more than a ¾ ton and I can get that back on the resale plus I would have another 1000 lbs pay load. No more over weight trucks for me. Also as I've gotten older I find I'm putting more " stuff " in the truck. As we all know " stuff " is the curse of ½ ton camper trucks.
I really like the Chevy Silverado. It rides nice and has the cab configuration I want. But it has that radius tailgate which means I have to find another GM compatible camper or bring a saw with me to cut the Chevy notch. Yeah, good luck with that. Hey, I know I'll just buy a Ford. They are almost $5K less, what can go wrong? Well, my neighbor has a Ford with the diesel engine and its been giving him fits. It seems that in order to access the engine the shop has to remove the cab. Really? I mean seriously, if Ford wanted a stumble bum to design their trucks they could have hired me for a lot less then an automotive engineer. Now I don't know if this is the same with the gas trucks, I'll have to check into that. And Ram doesn't make the cab configuration I want. AURG! Maybe I'll just buy a van and get some plywood and 2X3s and make my own camper. Hope this helps.

Mike
 
Unless you get lucky on a used one, new is / will be cheaper. Dealer had a used 2015 2500hd 12,000 miles minor wear. Because of the rebates on a new one, the new is only $900 more than the used. That would be a no brainer. Still looking at $47K which is only $1K more than a 1/2 ton with a 6 foot bed. Might list my Tundra at a make be sell it to you price. Not many 2005's with 57,000 miles out there. Or may just wait a until the 2016 come out next year an get a close out.
 
Test drove a new ram 2014 4x4 2500 cummins Laramie today. $10,000 off sticker without any negotiations. I like diesels and and I am ok with the overall higher costs. Nice truck and the price puts it close to lots of other vehicle options we are looking at. I want to replace our 2014 sprinter sportsmobile with something safer and 4x4. We had a 2011 tundra dc 4x4 that was a series of recall and warrenty headaches, so we wouldn't shop new Toyota again. I had a 2000 tundra that was bulletproof, the 2011 was the polar opposite.
I didn't drive the ford or GM trucks. Lots of good deals end of year on domestics.
A 3500 duality wouldn't work well for us a Daily driver, and the wife thinks they are ugly, so I didn't even look.
 
You really can't go wrong with any of them. We went through the whole "buying a new 3500 2015 deal" and I finally got so frustrated with the automobile buying process I said forget it and am going to stick a flatbed, air bags and a flatbed camper on the back of my 2012 Ram 2500. (with only 12,000 one owner miles!)

I will say of all the brands (and if you can live with a crew cab instead of extended only) the 2014 and up Ram 1 ton really impressed me. Much strong frame and their optional 6.2 liter Hemi is nice. (Especially since you can order a two alternator option from the factory with 380 amp output.)

The Chevy has the weakest gas engine of all three. I'm just saying...

Steve
 
Bill, since you are not in a hurry, you might want to wait a bit (any day now!) and test drive one of the new F150's. If they still offer the payload package (8400 lbs, I believe) and if it is available in the crew cab that you desire, sounds like a great package.

Scott
 
I might wait a year to make the truck change. Grand kids are 5 and 3 and might start camping with us some of the time. Having a hard time wrapping my head around $45K+ for a truck even if I can afford it. The Tundra still working great at 57,000 miles so I have at least another 100K before I really need a new truck. I will send Ron a PM if I decide to sell it.
 
FWIW taking a full size up to Ophir, NV is not a good idea. I know this now. Lots and lots of pin-striping, some of it quite deep, even after unrestrained incremental use of the camp axe. Going west much past the town-site or coming in from the west down from the pass just isn't going to happen.

I'm probably a curmudgeon. I see all of that tech as stuff that I don't want or need and as failure modes that I don't want to deal with when they do fail. Anything past a good, quiet ride with A/C is lost on me.
 
ntsqd said:
FWIW taking a full size up to Ophir, NV is not a good idea. I know this now. Lots and lots of pin-striping, some of it quite deep, even after unrestrained incremental use of the camp axe. Going west much past the town-site or coming in from the west down from the pass just isn't going to happen.

I'm probably a curmudgeon. I see all of that tech as stuff that I don't want or need and as failure modes that I don't want to deal with when they do fail. Anything past a good, quiet ride with A/C is lost on me.

FWIW taking a full size up to Ophir, NV is not a good idea. I know this now. Lots and lots of pin-striping, some of it quite deep, even after unrestrained incremental use of the camp axe. Going west much past the town-site or coming in from the west down from the pass just isn't going to happen.

I'm probably a curmudgeon. I see all of that tech as stuff that I don't want or need and as failure modes that I don't want to deal with when they do fail. Anything past a good, quiet ride with A/C is lost on me.
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Yep lots of great drives where the width and extra length of the full size is just not going to work. Lots of Desert trips work for the full size rigs but just as many places do not. As I said make sure you consider the types of places you like to visit and get the right size rig. Nothing worse than not going to places you want to go because your rig is just WAY too big. That includes stopping in a busy winery with the wife to do some wine tasting or small down town area thats packed with people and tiny micro parking spots ;-)

One thing is for sure my next truck will have a locking rear diff. I have learned the value of having that. Brings the stress level way down when dealing with the one bad spot on an otherwise pretty nice road.
 
Yes Bill, you have many good miles to come on your Tundra. My 2002ac Tundra just turned 180,000 and she is still running like new. The first generation Tundra's seem flawless. Don't know about the newer ones, but you sure see a lot of them on the road. Maybe someday Toyota will beef up their Tundra payload. That said, I too will be in the new truck market next year and I'm leaning toward Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel.

Mika
 
ntsqd said:
FWIW taking a full size up to Ophir, NV is not a good idea. I know this now. Lots and lots of pin-striping, some of it quite deep, even after unrestrained incremental use of the camp axe. Going west much past the town-site or coming in from the west down from the pass just isn't going to happen.

I'm probably a curmudgeon. I see all of that tech as stuff that I don't want or need and as failure modes that I don't want to deal with when they do fail. Anything past a good, quiet ride with A/C is lost on me.
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Yes most of the "new" stuff is lost on some of us,who just want a dependable truck to get us there and back.
Frank
 
Casa Escarlata Robles Too said:
Yes most of the "new" stuff is lost on some of us,who just want a dependable truck to get us there and back.
Frank
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HA so that post World Series GM regional rep who said our new Colorado has ummm "Tech stuff" probably didn't gain any interest from you. LOL - same here
I laugh at GM's bragging about their Wifi Hot spot anyone with a modern smart phone has their own WIFI hot spot device in their pocket not sure why any Automaker would brag about offering something that someone has had in their pocket possibly for years already. LOL
 
CALIcamperdad said:
HA so that post World Series GM regional rep who said our new Colorado has ummm "Tech stuff" probably didn't gain any interest from you. LOL - same here
I laugh at GM's bragging about their Wifi Hot spot anyone with a modern smart phone has their own WIFI hot spot device in their pocket not sure why any Automaker would brag about offering something that someone has had in their pocket possibly for years already. LOL
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We are programed that if there isn't something "new" for the next years auto than why buy a new one. It's all about the gimmicks IMO
Someone didn't tell the VW people about that style of marketing.
They seemed to sell a bunch of those beetles.

I am not even in the market for a new ride. I love my 02 Tundra for so many reasons most the same as other members likes.
But interesting to see how the new 150 Ford with the aluminum body goes over.
They say it's #700 lighter. Wow that's most of the weight of our pop ups.
Frank
 
I must be the exception. Not only do I want a truck to dependably get me there and back, but I want some genuine comfort while getting there and back. That tech stuff is beginning to grow on me, too. Backup camera, you bet! Navigation, absolutely! Voice activated phone, really nice. SeriusXM, pretty cool. Heated and air conditioned seats, mmmmm. These cowboy Cadillacs ain't what they used to be.
 
Wandering Sagebrush said:
I must be the exception. Not only do I want a truck to dependably get me there and back, but I want some genuine comfort while getting there and back. That tech stuff is beginning to grow on me, too. Backup camera, you bet! Navigation, absolutely! Voice activated phone, really nice. SeriusXM, pretty cool. Heated and air conditioned seats, mmmmm. These cowboy Cadillacs ain't what they used to be.
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x2 I like the idea of older model vehicles but like a appreciate the technology in newer vehicles. I also think they're more reliable.
 
Wandering Sagebrush said:
I must be the exception. Not only do I want a truck to dependably get me there and back, but I want some genuine comfort while getting there and back. That tech stuff is beginning to grow on me, too. Backup camera, you bet! Navigation, absolutely! Voice activated phone, really nice. SeriusXM, pretty cool. Heated and air conditioned seats, mmmmm. These cowboy Cadillacs ain't what they used to be.
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The ride quality for sure with the new trucks are big steps forward along with the tech aids like stability control and all that stuff. NAV units are the bane of Auto Companies #1 thing complained about and the first thing to be outdated and a piece of junk long before the vehicle is tired. For the adventurous types here it makes more sense to have a center console area that stores a tablet and supports the ability to have a bracket that supports the use of a tablet being mounted so the driver can hear and see it. Especially with all of the trail mapping capability and on the fly route updates provided by others who just went through the area days before etc. None of which a built in unit can do. Even on the pavement in major areas my wife and I use various traffic mapping and routing apps on our smart phones. While in LA this summer WAZE re routed me 6 times in 10 minutes to avoid three accidents that created a massive traffic mess, our destination time only increased by 3 minutes!!! Though it took two of us to keep track of the route changes and directions to avoid missing a turn or exit etc. A built in unit would have had us sitting stopped for hours. That and at one point WAZE says debri in fast lane 1/4 mile ahead, just as I got over the car in front of me in the fast lane goes screeching to a stop and there is a huge bumper laying across the lane!!! Like I said nothing beats the local traffic mapping apps for areas your in and there isn't a single built in NAV unit that can do this or even get updated on a regular basis regarding maps.

Back up camera best units I've seen especially for truck types is the review camera screen embeded in the corner of the review mirror! SWEET set up and keeps your eyes up and out of the dash where they need to be especially with truck stuff backing through tight spots watching fenders and checking the back etc.
 
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