Sucks to be poor - Rant

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Lysergic

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Dec 31, 2021
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Location
Houston, TX
Ram Year
2012 Tradesman 4x4
Engine
4.7L V8
I recently wanted to add a third vehicle to the two trucks we currently own, 2012 Ram and a 2014 F150. Both 4WD. Paid 21K cash for the Ram in 2012, new off the lot. Dealer couldn't move it - has crank windows. :) The F150 is the 5.0L Coyote, crew cab, XL trim but has all the towing and off-road goodies. 30K out the door new in 2014.

I damn near fell over when I started pricing new AND used trucks a few months ago...4WD is a must where I live, so that is a requirement. The third vehicle was going to be for the wife. Never in a million years would I have considered this, but we ended up with a very nice 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness Edition. Very well equipped. 35K, no haggling unfortunately.. I think those days are done. The Subie is a bit cramped for my taste, but the wife loves it. And now I have a choice of trucks to drive.

Inflation sucks, but at some point you just have to grin and bear it..
 

rosco11

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Apr 22, 2016
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Ram Year
1998 1500 4x4
Engine
5.2
So I really love the new '23 2500 Rebel. Kinda like a diesel Laramie with new sheet metal up front and a slightly taller suspension. Oh yea...It comes with a $23K price differential over the diesel Tradesman. $23K is about 2/3 the price of another small pickup, like a Nissan....I guess I'm too cheap/poor to be a Rebel guy...I'll have to stick to my lane.
When you are young, it is all about image and the latest and greatist. When you get a little older and money means something, you grow smarter.

Take 35k out of your bank account and throw it away. That is about how much a new truck is going to depreciate in the first 4 years. 50 percent. The cost of the latets and greatist, about 10k a year.

Buy a 4 year old vehicle with less than 80k miles on it. One with a clean car fax, well maintained inside and out and no visible damage. Mostly important...one with ZERO aftermarket mods of any kind other than maybe wheels. Not hard to find. You will spend 1/2 as much for transportation and can still have one with all of the bells and whistles. Vehicles without mods are usually just driven for their intended purpose and not abused.

You are only going to have a vehicle for about 4 years on average. No matter if you spend 40k or 100k on it. You can easily get 200k miles out of a well mainteined vehicle these days. In the end, it is x dollars a month to drive.
 

Tunaman

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Location
Edgewater, FL
Ram Year
2018
Engine
5.7
I'm kicking myself for not finding a way to buy that lightly used '22 TRX w/ only 5K miles on a local lot. They were only asking $86K. Relatively speaking that was a hell of a deal. I drooled over that pristine machine for a couple of weeks and couldn't figure out a way to afford it before somebody bought it.
Good news buddy...if you even tried to figure a way to buy that you're a LOT better off than me!!
 

Tunaman

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Edgewater, FL
Ram Year
2018
Engine
5.7
When you are young, it is all about image and the latest and greatist. When you get a little older and money means something, you grow smarter.

Take 35k out of your bank account and throw it away. That is about how much a new truck is going to depreciate in the first 4 years. 50 percent. The cost of the latets and greatist, about 10k a year.

Buy a 4 year old vehicle with less than 80k miles on it. One with a clean car fax, well maintained inside and out and no visible damage. Mostly important...one with ZERO aftermarket mods of any kind other than maybe wheels. Not hard to find. You will spend 1/2 as much for transportation and can still have one with all of the bells and whistles. Vehicles without mods are usually just driven for their intended purpose and not abused.

You are only going to have a vehicle for about 4 years on average. No matter if you spend 40k or 100k on it. You can easily get 200k miles out of a well mainteined vehicle these days. In the end, it is x dollars a month to drive.
But whoever looked at ANY vehicle as an investment??
 

Docwagon1776

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Midwest
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2012, 2021
Engine
5.7, 6.4
When you are young, it is all about image and the latest and greatist. When you get a little older and money means something, you grow smarter.

Take 35k out of your bank account and throw it away. That is about how much a new truck is going to depreciate in the first 4 years. 50 percent. The cost of the latets and greatist, about 10k a year.

Buy a 4 year old vehicle with less than 80k miles on it. One with a clean car fax, well maintained inside and out and no visible damage. Mostly important...one with ZERO aftermarket mods of any kind other than maybe wheels. Not hard to find. You will spend 1/2 as much for transportation and can still have one with all of the bells and whistles. Vehicles without mods are usually just driven for their intended purpose and not abused.

You are only going to have a vehicle for about 4 years on average. No matter if you spend 40k or 100k on it. You can easily get 200k miles out of a well mainteined vehicle these days. In the end, it is x dollars a month to drive.

Or stop flipping vehicles every 4 years. Buy what you want, drive it 10-12 years, save your "payment" every month to pay cash for the next one. Depreciation over a decade is pocket change, paying acquisition costs 3 times is more of a burden.

Interest isn't free any longer. Time to pay cash or don't pay.
 

haleme

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Location
VA
Ram Year
2018
Engine
6.4
But whoever looked at ANY vehicle as an investment??
While I generally agree with this statement, classic cars are a whole other category and treating it like another commodities market has become a thing.

I found two indexes that track vehicle values for investment purposes. Interesting stuff.
HAGI
K500

But, if this is one of your investment strategies, balking like we are at the price of trucks is not high on your list of cares.
 

nascar72

Member
Joined
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Posts
38
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19
Location
Canada
Ram Year
2008
Engine
Hemi 5.7
So I really love the new '23 2500 Rebel. Kinda like a diesel Laramie with new sheet metal up front and a slightly taller suspension. Oh yea...It comes with a $23K price differential over the diesel Tradesman. $23K is about 2/3 the price of another small pickup, like a Nissan....I guess I'm too cheap/poor to be a Rebel guy...I'll have to stick to my lane.
Do like I do wich is wait 10-15 years and look them up used with low miles and lower price tag. I bought my '08 2500 SLT gasser with only 110k km (70k miles) in 2021 at 14k$ and I'll just keep it and run it to the ground lol.
 

tron67j

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Maryland
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2018
Engine
6.4 Hemi
I prefer to buy brand new, but always a Tradesman then I add what I want. I keep my trucks at least 12 years, last one about 19 years. I think it is better to take care of vehicle from brand new and spread depreciation over life of vehicle than to potentially buy someone else's problem and drop bucks into a decade old truck. Current truck is 5 model years old with 13k miles, should last me another 10 years at least and bought it just before the crazy, in late 2019 at almost $20k under MSRP. No way I will buy a new truck any time soon.

But, for me mostly I just can't see buying a truck for just running around for the 70, 80, grand unless one can pay cash in total or has at least 60% equity in it. Manufacturer makes tens of thousands of dollars profit, and then banks make incredible amounts of interest. What a waste of money.
 

GTyankee

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El Cajon Calif. 92021
Ram Year
2016
Engine
3.0 ecodiesel
Since i retired back in 2003, i went into business for myself, no partners or employees.
I was in the RED in credit card debt

I bought a used 1999 Chevy 1500 in 2003, i outfitted it with Orange rotating lights & a sign, i also had to buy traffic cones, Stop/Slow Paddles, commercial First Aid Kit, etc.
Then i flew to Utah to take Certification for running a Pilot Car Service.

I made enough money to buy a new 2009 Dodge Ram, paid cash & sold the 1999 Chevy.
Made enough with that Ram to order the 2016 Ram & paid cash.

Then i had to stop working, medical reasons, i have not worked since February 2020.

I am going to have an operation in June & then i hope to start my business back up.
I still have enough of a bank account to buy the fanciest Ram, but i may buy some dental implants instead.

Its a hell of a choice, buy a new Ram or new Teeth
Talk about inflation

In my business, i often drive 1,000 miles in week
I get paid by the mile
 
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Cableman

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Location
Longisland
Ram Year
16
Engine
5.7 hemi
Recently looked at a 23' rebel level 2, 77k! My 16 with 33k miles they would offer 26k and 2k tax credit, no way i want an 800 plus a month payment.
A month ago they had a few 22 left over limited 's, one diesel. 20% off which was nice but all had chrome and not the colors i would like.
 

ppine

Forester
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337
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Location
Nevada
Ram Year
2022
Engine
6.7 liter diesel
But whoever looked at ANY vehicle as an investment??
I have. Especially older, collectable vehicles. But new trucks cost so much it makes sense to figure out which one has the best return. The answer is diesel trucks.
 

97RedRam

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Military
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Location
Brentwood, Tennessee
Ram Year
1997
Engine
360
I still have my 97 standard cab 4x4 with 55,000 miles. I am retired but even with a good pension I canot afford a new Ram. Besides I personnaly do not like the looks of a 4 door truck. It is a SUV with a bed.
 

nascar72

Member
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Posts
38
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Location
Canada
Ram Year
2008
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Or stop flipping vehicles every 4 years. Buy what you want, drive it 10-12 years, save your "payment" every month to pay cash for the next one. Depreciation over a decade is pocket change, paying acquisition costs 3 times is more of a burden.

Interest isn't free any longer. Time to pay cash or don't pay.
That's exactly what I did. I bought my '08 2500 two years ago very clean inside and out, body fully intact, rust treated every year since day one with 70k miles for 14k$. So far still loving the truck very much.
 

Zac1

Member
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Mar 12, 2021
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95
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63
Location
Mapleton, Utah
Ram Year
2022
Engine
5.7L ETorque
Not inflation. Price vehicle start going up just before pandemic, hidden inflation of 3%. It is greediness.
 

Jane S

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185
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Location
Arizona
Ram Year
2023
Engine
5.7
Since i retired back in 2003, i went into business for myself, no partners or employees.
I was in the RED in credit card debt

I bought a used 1999 Chevy 1500 in 2003, i outfitted it with Orange rotating lights & a sign, i also had to buy traffic cones, Stop/Slow Paddles, commercial First Aid Kit, etc.
Then i flew to Utah to take Certification for running a Pilot Car Service.

I made enough money to buy a new 2009 Dodge Ram, paid cash & sold the 1999 Chevy.
Made enough with that Ram to order the 2016 Ram & paid cash.

Then i had to stop working, medical reasons, i have not worked since February 2020.

I am going to have an operation in June & then i hope to start my business back up.
I still have enough of a bank account to buy the fanciest Ram, but i may buy some dental implants instead.

Its a hell of a choice, buy a new Ram or new Teeth
Talk about inflation

In my business, i often drive 1,000 miles in week
I get paid by the mile
but i may buy some dental implants instead.

If you can - go to Mexico - across from Yuma, Az and save a fortune. I just did it. I have a RV so no real cost except for gas for me.
 

06 Dodge

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Forest Grove, Oregon
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2022
Engine
6.7L CTD
but i may buy some dental implants instead.

If you can - go to Mexico - across from Yuma, Az and save a fortune. I just did it. I have a RV so no real cost except for gas for me.
Err no had family that did this, the fool in MX screwed up the work they did and would up with a mouth infection...
 
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