First, all I've ever owned are Dodge trucks going back to 1979 when my dad bought a brand new Power Wagon 150 for $6900 IIRC; loved that truck and towed my race cars everywhere with it. I still have a 1982 Dodge D350 4 door (had it for 20 years), 360 4spd one ton, 4:10 gear with 100k on the odometer. Sad to see it sit (body in great shape), and even thought about restoring it, but have been contemplating on moving up to the modern era.
We also have a 2003 Dodge Durango and 2006 Quad Cab Dakota.
Ok, here's the deal. I've been reading threads on whether to go for the Cummins or Hemi. A guy at work has had 3 Cummins diesels in the last 10 years or so. He loves them, but must love perpetually sending out a big payment each month for life.
There is no argument from me that the Cummins is at the top of the heap for Dodge trucks. However, my old one ton with that little 360 would haul anything I threw at it, and it didn't matter if it was loaded with 70 bales of hay, big camper with a boat behind, or empty, the darn thing would get 12 mpg (10 when it got older), and never squatted. Sure the engine was screamin' at 60 mph, but when towing heavy I never liked going fast even in my young care free days. Yes, I understand there's no comparison between the Cummins and 360, just sayin'.
My Power Wagon 150 (RIP) my dad passed to me was a work horse for a 1/2 ton even from way back then in 1979.
These days, the power these newer designed engines are producing is phenomenal, and they actually are detuned at the factory. My company does dyno testing for Cummins and build assembly and test lines for the Big 3. We also did the R&D on the new Cummins diesel V8 slated to be available next year.
I digress.
What's my beef? I haven't had a truck payment.....ever! However, now that our daughter is big into horse shows, our transportation options have changed, so next year we'll be needing our own rig and will be doing a lot of traveling, and we're seriously considering getting a nice new or used Dodge. Now that I've been hit with the sticker shock (can buy a Mercedes for the prices of the decked out Big Horn diesel, wow), and my BP has lowered, we need to make a decision.
Side note: I considered restoring the old D350 beast, drop a crate motor in, throw on a paint job, but it has no AC and as everyone knows, back then, trucks were TRUCKS.
We haven't decided on what type of trailer (GN or bumper), as that will determine whether we want to have GN horse trailer with living quarters ($$$) or rough it. The other option is to use a popup camper on the pickup and tow a lighter weight aluminum trailer. Gross weight estimate would probably be around 5000-6000.
Today at the Dodge dealer, they had a 2012 3500 Cummins 4 door ST long bed with 13k miles, like new condition for $40,000. They also had a 2008 2500 Cummins with 110k, excellent condition, beautiful black (my fav color) and more bells/whistles for $28,000. Sound about right?
OTOH, I can get a brand new 1500 with 5.7 Hemi for under $33000 (when Fall markdowns come) which includes the tow package and 3.73 (?) gear.
Here's my concern about the 1500 Hemi; I don't like squatting trucks and question whether the 1/2 tons can handle a 2-3k miles/year of traveling during the next 4 years loaded down. I'm probably wrong, but coils just don't seem to have the capacity of leaf suspension, but am willing to be educated otherwise.
Bottom line: I don't mind paying extra for the diesel IF the ROI is worth it in fuel mileage savings. Does the diesel get that much better mpg over a 1500 or 2500 with the Hemi? We can handle a new 1500/2500 (great deals coming this winter), but $50-60k+ for a new diesel? Whew, the payments would be over $600 even with a sizable down payment.
We want to purchase before interest rates start climbing, meaning by end of the year.
Thanks for your consideration.
We also have a 2003 Dodge Durango and 2006 Quad Cab Dakota.
Ok, here's the deal. I've been reading threads on whether to go for the Cummins or Hemi. A guy at work has had 3 Cummins diesels in the last 10 years or so. He loves them, but must love perpetually sending out a big payment each month for life.
There is no argument from me that the Cummins is at the top of the heap for Dodge trucks. However, my old one ton with that little 360 would haul anything I threw at it, and it didn't matter if it was loaded with 70 bales of hay, big camper with a boat behind, or empty, the darn thing would get 12 mpg (10 when it got older), and never squatted. Sure the engine was screamin' at 60 mph, but when towing heavy I never liked going fast even in my young care free days. Yes, I understand there's no comparison between the Cummins and 360, just sayin'.
My Power Wagon 150 (RIP) my dad passed to me was a work horse for a 1/2 ton even from way back then in 1979.
These days, the power these newer designed engines are producing is phenomenal, and they actually are detuned at the factory. My company does dyno testing for Cummins and build assembly and test lines for the Big 3. We also did the R&D on the new Cummins diesel V8 slated to be available next year.
I digress.
What's my beef? I haven't had a truck payment.....ever! However, now that our daughter is big into horse shows, our transportation options have changed, so next year we'll be needing our own rig and will be doing a lot of traveling, and we're seriously considering getting a nice new or used Dodge. Now that I've been hit with the sticker shock (can buy a Mercedes for the prices of the decked out Big Horn diesel, wow), and my BP has lowered, we need to make a decision.
Side note: I considered restoring the old D350 beast, drop a crate motor in, throw on a paint job, but it has no AC and as everyone knows, back then, trucks were TRUCKS.
We haven't decided on what type of trailer (GN or bumper), as that will determine whether we want to have GN horse trailer with living quarters ($$$) or rough it. The other option is to use a popup camper on the pickup and tow a lighter weight aluminum trailer. Gross weight estimate would probably be around 5000-6000.
Today at the Dodge dealer, they had a 2012 3500 Cummins 4 door ST long bed with 13k miles, like new condition for $40,000. They also had a 2008 2500 Cummins with 110k, excellent condition, beautiful black (my fav color) and more bells/whistles for $28,000. Sound about right?
OTOH, I can get a brand new 1500 with 5.7 Hemi for under $33000 (when Fall markdowns come) which includes the tow package and 3.73 (?) gear.
Here's my concern about the 1500 Hemi; I don't like squatting trucks and question whether the 1/2 tons can handle a 2-3k miles/year of traveling during the next 4 years loaded down. I'm probably wrong, but coils just don't seem to have the capacity of leaf suspension, but am willing to be educated otherwise.
Bottom line: I don't mind paying extra for the diesel IF the ROI is worth it in fuel mileage savings. Does the diesel get that much better mpg over a 1500 or 2500 with the Hemi? We can handle a new 1500/2500 (great deals coming this winter), but $50-60k+ for a new diesel? Whew, the payments would be over $600 even with a sizable down payment.
We want to purchase before interest rates start climbing, meaning by end of the year.
Thanks for your consideration.
