Thinking about getting a truck. I figure I'm going to get one eventually, so why wait and spend the money on bullshit in the interim?
Did some more thinking:
For longevity and fuel mileage, a diesel. I like what I've read and heard about the Cummins, so that narrowed it down to a Dodge Ram(and I'm normally a GMChevy guy).
I would be satisfied with 3/4 ton, that rules out the 3500, so Dodge Ram 2500. I'd be fine with a single rear end 3500, but those are rarer than hens teeth.
Dodge Ram 2500, something with about 100,000 miles on it, so that makes it about 3rdgen.
4x4? Must have, deal breaker if it's 2wd.
Cannot be regular cab. Will never own another one, unless it's a 1972 GMC K25 long bed...
Manual transmission. I can drive a stick. I like driving a stick. I have problems multi-tasking(cellphone/eating/talking to passenger/etc) and tend to concentrate on the road(it's a rather relaxing kind of concentration), so the 'but I can't eat a hamburger and drive a stick' really doesn't phase me. I'm not saying an automatic is an automatic (pun not originally intended) deal breaker, but it's close.
Long bed. This is one of those things: At some point, I'll need a long bed for "X" reason, motorcycle hauling or whatever, and I will piss myself off to no end if I get a shorter box... HOWEVER: I was talking to a co-worker last night: He says that a long bed's only real purpose is hauling a fifth wheel. He says that a long bed will suck down fuel mileage because of the increased weight of the long bed configuration. Since I was sober, I did not win the argument, but ended it with saying that I might need to haul a fifth wheel at some point.
Here's the points I attempted to make: We're talking something that gets 20mpg average. What's 1 mpg? My Jeep gets 14city/19hwy regardless of weight, so 16ish average. What's 15ish average? So what's 19mpg average for a Cummins? Then he brings up the 'fact' that "diesel is expensive"! This is offset by the fact that the equivalent gasoline truck would get what 10mpg, maybe 12mpg? So the price of gas is, say, $2.60 and the price of diesel is $3.00:
Diesel:
2,000 miles trip at $3.00 a gallon at 20mpg = $300.00
2,000 miles trip at $3.00 a gallon at 19mpg = $316.00
Gasoline:
2,000 miles trip at $3.00 a gallon at 11mpg = $545.00
2,000 miles trip at $3.00 a gallon at 10mpg = $600.00
If diesel, and I make 10 trips per year, then it costs me $160.00 per year for a long bed. I have exactly zero issues with that. So what was this guy smoking? I say bullshit
To recap:
Dodge Ram 2500
Cummins
4x4
Quad Cab
3rd gen(<150,000miles)
Long bed
Test drivable.
Lastly, budget: about $17,000.00. That's all I've allotted for transportation. What say the hive? I'm moving to California, have the ability to drive to the San Antonio/DFW/Houston area for a extended weekend, and currently live in Mississippi. In general, the northeastern area of CONUS is too far, and I have family in California and Washington.
I want something I can fix without hesitation, because it will last another 100,000 - 200,000 miles.
Then I started listening to this:


 

 


 

First time I've done this, but I think it is warranted: CSB.