I Gotta Ask...

[18CrewDually]

Well after reading 80 posts, I just gotta know if I'm up to standards enough with the way I use my truck at times.

Am I doing it right? Last week I drove through a puddle. Hope that counts for the neglect standard.
Man I hope you guys accept me as the truck owner I am.




Just look at the neglect. Thankfully it had rained. Hope it lasts like my '05 did, 200k mi./13yrs. It's just a truck.
Luckily she does clean up pretty good.

 

[jallured]

I have owned many vehicles in a variety of shapes and sizes over the past 5+ decades and at my age I find it far more comfortable to enter and exit a truck and have so for the past 20 years or so.
My Ram is hands down the most comfortable truck I’ve owned and I’ve tried all flavors over the years. I also love the flexibility of being able to haul large items and cargo that doesn’t fit in a car. Talk about “old school”, I still enjoy helping my kids move and take out a trailer to camp from time to time. I guess you could say I’m a truck guy for life.

 

[CVORider59]

Absolutely!
2012 2500 4x4 Cummins. Bought for use as my tower for a 30 foot Toy Hauler. 108 k miles with its share of scratches and dents. Just now truly broken in and has all deleted and mods. I was offered 35k for it and said no way! A new one without all that I’ve done is nearly 90 grand! They’ve got to be kidding! I will probably keep it for another twelve years!

 

[jimmyfjk]

I know I'm old school, but who besides me bought their truck to use as an actual truck? You know, for hauling heavy stuff in the bed and towing a lot of weight behind them. That is the only reason for buying a truck, to haul and tow crap, IMO of course. And it's not just RAM. I see so many people paying large bucks for Chevys and Fords, then buying all these pretty bells and whistles - light bars, trim kits, etc. - and raising and lowering and tricking out their trucks, and yet they never take them off the asphalt. Then they take them through the car wash every week and wax them every month. If people want a show vehicle, they could spend a lot less and buy a Mustang or Charger.

I picked up my truck at the end of March. Since then I have swept out the inside about 3 times because I like to keep the interior relatively clean, and I took an actual wet rag to the outside once in May because the pollen was building up to the point I couldn't see out the windshield. Other than that, I haven't touched it cosmetically. I did add some real nice camo seat covers to it because the gray vinyl was boring, and I bought some Husky floor mats because it's easier than mopping off the rubber flooring. And I've dented the bed when I dropped a battery in there, and chipped some paint off the tailgate when I hit it with a 2x4. It's a truck, that's why I bought it.

i am with you except, if you dont wash it occasionally and put some wax on it the paint will show the harmful affects of not doing this. I wash mine about once ever other month.

 

[AthensMarine]

I know I'm old school, but who besides me bought their truck to use as an actual truck? You know, for hauling heavy stuff in the bed and towing a lot of weight behind them. That is the only reason for buying a truck, to haul and tow crap, IMO of course. And it's not just RAM. I see so many people paying large bucks for Chevys and Fords, then buying all these pretty bells and whistles - light bars, trim kits, etc. - and raising and lowering and tricking out their trucks, and yet they never take them off the asphalt. Then they take them through the car wash every week and wax them every month. If people want a show vehicle, they could spend a lot less and buy a Mustang or Charger.

I picked up my truck at the end of March. Since then I have swept out the inside about 3 times because I like to keep the interior relatively clean, and I took an actual wet rag to the outside once in May because the pollen was building up to the point I couldn't see out the windshield. Other than that, I haven't touched it cosmetically. I did add some real nice camo seat covers to it because the gray vinyl was boring, and I bought some Husky floor mats because it's easier than mopping off the rubber flooring. And I've dented the bed when I dropped a battery in there, and chipped some paint off the tailgate when I hit it with a 2x4. It's a truck, that's why I bought it.

I gotta ask that why does anyone care why somebody else buys a truck? Could be for a host of reasons… Their own personal reasons. Maybe they just like the way it looks? Maybe they want to put their groceries in the back? I can’t imagine what difference it would make to my life while someone buys anything.

 

[Marshall]

I wash mine every time it needs it
I did get a chip on the front bumper, maybe some one backed into it at the store, have to get a paint pen
This is the only mark on it since I bought it new in 2014
Yes, it’s was a work truck up to 2 yrs ago when heart went south
I have not waxed it for yrs, but it is always in the garage . Should do it, but? It would bring top $ , but this is the last one.
I have knew people that don’t wash dirty trucks in this country, and they rust out , though not near as bad as Ont, or the ne states
Many yrs ago I bought a nice low milage 77 Datsun 1/4 ton for a tool , dog truck, to keep the good one good
Great little truck, the people kept that washed and waxed all the time, but floors where gone, common for them
I don’t think l could remember how many trucks I have had

 

[CanuckRam1313]

In 33+ years of driving and this being something like my 23rd to 25th vehicle in that timeline, this is my first truck.

Big for me on my truck purchase is my angel, my daughter! Having a crew cab affords me and her the ability to go anywhere, she has lots of space inside (and so does Dad...sometimes..lol) to stretch and get about.

Our truck keeps us safe and higher up, and with the 4X4 is allows us the opportunity to go off road, which we do from time to time. We also go camping and the space is great to have. Plus, next spring/summer we get our puppy, a cane corso, and having this truck will be a necessity then...lol.

My truck is my daily, and in my career as a project manager I travel all over Ontario and Quebec, and sometimes out of province, too for generator jobs. Sometimes I put a 1,000lb unit in the back, and other times I tow units around.

Having a truck is proving to be a great investment in peace of mind for me and my daughter, and having a HEMI is a bonus as we get to Zoooom, Zoooom frequently, and lay down some rubber from time to time, too (my daughter loves her big blue truck )

So, asked, and answered!

 

[sam darakjy]

I know I'm old school, but who besides me bought their truck to use as an actual truck? You know, for hauling heavy stuff in the bed and towing a lot of weight behind them. That is the only reason for buying a truck, to haul and tow crap, IMO of course. And it's not just RAM. I see so many people paying large bucks for Chevys and Fords, then buying all these pretty bells and whistles - light bars, trim kits, etc. - and raising and lowering and tricking out their trucks, and yet they never take them off the asphalt. Then they take them through the car wash every week and wax them every month. If people want a show vehicle, they could spend a lot less and buy a Mustang or Charger.

I picked up my truck at the end of March. Since then I have swept out the inside about 3 times because I like to keep the interior relatively clean, and I took an actual wet rag to the outside once in May because the pollen was building up to the point I couldn't see out the windshield. Other than that, I haven't touched it cosmetically. I did add some real nice camo seat covers to it because the gray vinyl was boring, and I bought some Husky floor mats because it's easier than mopping off the rubber flooring. And I've dented the bed when I dropped a battery in there, and chipped some paint off the tailgate when I hit it with a 2x4. It's a truck, that's why I bought it.

Everyone has different reasons for purchasing anything at different times in their lives. I bought my first truck and never towed or hauled anything except three kids. I lived at the beach with 4x4 access so a truck fit my needs. Another truck I purchased was for the same thing and it also drove better than any car I had on the highway for long trips. The last two truck purchases were HD 3/4 tons to haul truck campers.

 

[2Tallguy]

I know I'm old school, but who besides me bought their truck to use as an actual truck? You know, for hauling heavy stuff in the bed and towing a lot of weight behind them. That is the only reason for buying a truck, to haul and tow crap, IMO of course. And it's not just RAM. I see so many people paying large bucks for Chevys and Fords, then buying all these pretty bells and whistles - light bars, trim kits, etc. - and raising and lowering and tricking out their trucks, and yet they never take them off the asphalt. Then they take them through the car wash every week and wax them every month. If people want a show vehicle, they could spend a lot less and buy a Mustang or Charger.

I picked up my truck at the end of March. Since then I have swept out the inside about 3 times because I like to keep the interior relatively clean, and I took an actual wet rag to the outside once in May because the pollen was building up to the point I couldn't see out the windshield. Other than that, I haven't touched it cosmetically. I did add some real nice camo seat covers to it because the gray vinyl was boring, and I bought some Husky floor mats because it's easier than mopping off the rubber flooring. And I've dented the bed when I dropped a battery in there, and chipped some paint off the tailgate when I hit it with a 2x4. It's a truck, that's why I bought it.

My 2007 Cummins was ordered in '06. I've carried a 2200# popup on it since new. I'm aging out now @ 73 and the camper's sold. I've been offered a silly amount of mney for it but I'll keep it another year and enjoy driving a truck with a shell on it. I don't know what's next probably a Honda CRV. Our Honda Pilot's got 240K on it and purrs.

 

[3CUMMINS]

RE:Old school
I am old and well out of school.
I am female,retires, just slightly over 5 feet and own a 2019 6.7 HD Dually. It is a Big Horn rather than the Limited I wanted and had the opportunity to buy but I bought it because my husband who might able to use it, is a techno boob. He can almost handle what this truck has for options. A man's got to know his limitations.
It is my truck but my son and my husband haul tractors and parts thereof, to and from our "farm" and my son's shop. It has hauled trucks and parts of trucks for my son's friends and himself. It has hauled firewood for my son and logs to the bandsaw mill.
My son is in the process of rebuilding my old 2004 2500 4WD 5.9/6.0 for himself. No comment on his rebuild. Looks like a regular quad cab but not in performance. 'Nuff said.
Except for the 08 Ranger 4WD standard that I drive in town and during the winter, I use the BFT. The BFT is put away for the winter. It has seen no snow.
Trucks can be used as both a work vehicle and as a regular family driver - which is how you get the most from this mode of transportation if you are speaking of value.
Who cares that someone wants to trick out their truck?
This is reminds me of the debate of chocolate vs vanilla. It is all a matter of personal taste.
And I like my BFT however it gets used.

 

[Justthebutler]

It's 2023, trucks can identify as whatever they want lmao

Trucks are an investment just like any other vehicle, I wouldn't buy a truck to really abuse it, I would rent one for a few days.

That being said, my truck tows a travel trailer, does dirty work and still looks great in the driveway.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I gotta ask that why does anyone care why somebody else buys a truck? Could be for a host of reasons… Their own personal reasons. Maybe they just like the way it looks? Maybe they want to put their groceries in the back? I can’t imagine what difference it would make to my life while someone buys anything.

Apparently, you missed the "IMO" part of my original post.

 

[20IndyRam]

I agree to a certain extent...

The truck is a tool. like all tools, it should be taken care of. My air tools, welders, body tools, and wrench's are all over 40 years old. I treat them properly and they have served me well. No reason to treat the truck differently. It's a much larger investment.

I do use the truck to haul on occasion. Boats, travel trailers, car haulers, snow mobiles, jet ski's. Not of these are my toy's. I do enjoy helping friends and family when the opportunity arises.

I can't stand stickers on the body. 1 week after buying the truck new I de-badged it. No more 4x4 or off-road decals to make it harder to keep clean. I know what I ordered. I don't need to show it off to anyone.

Did I buy it as a work truck - Hell no! I'm retired and needed a trip vehicle to replace my 2006 Chrysler 300. The Ram Eco-Diesel gets better mileage than the 300 and is far more comfortable. The one thing this truck does not do is short trips. I still have the 300 for in town. The rule for the truck is nothing under 30 miles round trip (unless I need to tow/haul something). The Eco does not like short distances. I understand that I'm fortunate that I don't have to use this truck as my daily driver. Many people are not as fortunate. While I acknowledge this, I do not apologize for it. I worked to get to this point in life.

We've logged 50K miles (during Covid) traveling the US and Canada with this vehicle. We've managed to accumulate scratches on the truck, skid plates and wheels from all over this great country. All while having a really great time.

As I said, It's a tool. But it's a really fun, comfortable tool.

 

[Silver21Ram]

I gotta ask that why does anyone care why somebody else buys a truck? Could be for a host of reasons… Their own personal reasons. Maybe they just like the way it looks? Maybe they want to put their groceries in the back? I can’t imagine what difference it would make to my life while someone buys anything.

I agree.
Mine is the one you see first when you pull into Walmart and is parked the furthest distance from the front doors.
I've had 3 Rams in 20 years and never a door ding.
They all got washed every week year round.
My current Ram had a sticker of 53K .... how can you not take care of something like that?

 

[znrh]

Where I live on 2 acres I have to have a truck. With downed tree limbs, carting off my trash a couple of times a week, or going for a drive. Like others have said, we all have different needs. Mine isn't a 4x4 and I'm not taking it off-road but it's the nicest or one of the nicest trash haulers out there and I too love the bells and whistles. I'm 69 and I've bought a bunch of Rams but I plan for this 22 Bighorn Night edition to be my last purchase and I am one of those folks that keep it shining

 

[Tulecreeper]

I agree to a certain extent...

The truck is a tool. like all tools, it should be taken care of. My air tools, welders, body tools, and wrench's are all over 40 years old. I treat them properly and they have served me well. No reason to treat the truck differently. It's a much larger investment.

I do use the truck to haul on occasion. Boats, travel trailers, car haulers, snow mobiles, jet ski's. Not of these are my toy's. I do enjoy helping friends and family when the opportunity arises.

I can't stand stickers on the body. 1 week after buying the truck new I de-badged it. No more 4x4 or off-road decals to make it harder to keep clean. I know what I ordered. I don't need to show it off to anyone.

Did I buy it as a work truck - Hell no! I'm retired and needed a trip vehicle to replace my 2006 Chrysler 300. The Ram Eco-Diesel gets better mileage than the 300 and is far more comfortable. The one thing this truck does not do is short trips. I still have the 300 for in town. The rule for the truck is nothing under 30 miles round trip (unless I need to tow/haul something). The Eco does not like short distances. I understand that I'm fortunate that I don't have to use this truck as my daily driver. Many people are not as fortunate. While I acknowledge this, I do not apologize for it. I worked to get to this point in life.

We've logged 50K miles (during Covid) traveling the US and Canada with this vehicle. We've managed to accumulate scratches on the truck, skid plates and wheels from all over this great country. All while having a really great time.

As I said, It's a tool. But it's a really fun, comfortable tool.

View attachment 524826

Nice rig. What year and model is your TT?

 

[John Schmidt]

I know I'm old school, but who besides me bought their truck to use as an actual truck? You know, for hauling heavy stuff in the bed and towing a lot of weight behind them. That is the only reason for buying a truck, to haul and tow crap, IMO of course. And it's not just RAM. I see so many people paying large bucks for Chevys and Fords, then buying all these pretty bells and whistles - light bars, trim kits, etc. - and raising and lowering and tricking out their trucks, and yet they never take them off the asphalt. Then they take them through the car wash every week and wax them every month. If people want a show vehicle, they could spend a lot less and buy a Mustang or Charger.

I picked up my truck at the end of March. Since then I have swept out the inside about 3 times because I like to keep the interior relatively clean, and I took an actual wet rag to the outside once in May because the pollen was building up to the point I couldn't see out the windshield. Other than that, I haven't touched it cosmetically. I did add some real nice camo seat covers to it because the gray vinyl was boring, and I bought some Husky floor mats because it's easier than mopping off the rubber flooring. And I've dented the bed when I dropped a battery in there, and chipped some paint off the tailgate when I hit it with a 2x4. It's a truck, that's why I bought it.

I bought mine simply to have a nice, large, comfortable, and safe way to travel between Wisconsin and Florida - twice per year. I did pick up a ping pong table once and carried it in the truck bed, and once or twice I put a couple of bikes in the back, but that's kind of it for any heavy lifting! I put 3,000 to 4,000 miles on it per year. I took it for a ride this morning, well, just cause I like to drive it once every 7-10 days and it needs the dust blown off it occasionally. Haven't had to add much to it other than slightly larger tires, running boards, better sounding muffler and better tinted windows - it was really pretty nice looking at delivery. I do put Redline w/Fram XG2 in it just before each trip - yes at like 2k miles or so .... I saved and lived pretty frugally for YEARS so I could do this (have a nice truck and baby it) at retirement. Thanks.
John

 

[Sidh]

I love it when someone thinks they know how a truck should and shouldn't be used.

My question to you is why do you care? I'm not sure what you would consider old school, but I turned 60 this year. I had no problem with the wife buying a $75k truck to drive to work and back because that's what she chooses to drive. But hey, I'm driving an Audi to work now so there's that LOL. My point is use your truck however you want and let others do their own thing. You might live longer not worrying about things you can't change.

Since I'm not a NYer, I bought my truck to haul crap, carried all my stuff X-country ~3 times on PCS moves (and I mean Atlantic to Pacific), and in between....hauled rocks, dirt, mulch, hay, corn, feed etc becasue I've lved on farms or cattle ranches...so yeah I agree, drive what you want but if your wife drives your truck to look cool, I probably have dash cam video of me passing her and flipping her off...with your badass stickers on it!

 

[Fnjoey]

I bought mine mainly for getting to work in the snow. I use it for other stuff around the house, but that was the main reason.. it is 90% a pavement princess.

 

[Jim113]

I bought a truck many years ago to tow my boat .. SUV's didn't cut it ... I sold my last boat 6 years ago and since owning a truck all this time it's a no brainer ... It's my daily driver and I have a box to haul when needed ... I have most of the bells and whistles and when we go on a trip it's comfortable, roomy and has the power to pass ... I always said when I retired I was going to buy a Cadillac, but I settled for the Cadillac of pickups ...