A New Truck for the New Year

Happy New Year, everyone!! Well, here it is, the new truck I've been telling you about. She's a 2013 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 pickup. The color is Pearl Blue, which is essentially Navy Blue with metal flake. The new ride is powered by the Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel and has a payload of 4,300 lbs. And, yes, those are 18 inch tires on her.

I was pretty happy with the deal I got at the dealership. The icing on the cake for me was the lifetime warranty on the engine and drive-train. Superstition Springs Dodge, where I bought the vehicle, is the only MOPAR dealership in the state of Arizona that offers this warranty.

Next up is getting her outfitted with a set of Torklift Tie Downs, so I can haul the truck camper. Unfortunately, the old set of tie downs I bought for the Ford F-250 won't fit this truck. I will be selling this old set for $350.00. If you are interested, send me an email.

Also, when I picked her up I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bed was already wired with a 7 pin RV trailer outlet. This feature comes standard with the 5th Wheel/Gooseneck option, something I didn't know when I ordered this truck. I'll need to lengthen my camper's electrical umbilical as the outlet is further back in the truck bed, but that should only take a couple hours. And in case you're wondering, no, that isn't my 5th Wheel in the background. It belongs to my brother and sister in law.

Time for an Upgrade

It's time for an upgrade. Yep, this long-time Ford guy is considering a Dodge Ram. This time I have my sights set on a 4x4, one-ton, SRW. Why a Dodge? Because I can simply get more truck for the money by going with one rather than a Ford. For the same price, I can get a 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel and many other features and options not found in my Ford F-250. Now, Ford's 6.2L gasser is a fine engine, it's been great for us on our trips, but I sure miss having a diesel and the Cummins is a proven workhorse. A 4x4 diesel means we can boondock far off the beaten path and tackle steep grades getting there.

Why buy now? Because buying at the end of the year means I can get some serious discounts and rebates totaling $10,000. Not only that but the dealerships are motivated to move their old 2013 stock before the end of the month and the end of the year. It's also a good time to trade-in my 2011 Ford F-250. It only has 17,000 miles and there's still one year left on the original manufacturer warranty. In addition, what I owe on it is close to what it's worth, so I won't be losing much money on a trade-in. So you can see it's a great time for us to shop for a new truck.

Stay tuned for pics of the new ride. I'm looking forward to it and hope to take it out on the road in January after I get it set up to haul a truck camper. I'll need to outfit it with a set of Torklift Tie Downs. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use the same set of tie downs that were on my F-250.