Buy A New Truck - The 50% Off Sale Has Arrived!

[Tallinthesaddle]

50% off sale On New trucks I have been watching the dealer lots and researching rebates since November for a new truck, end of year 2008 model. The last used truck I purchased ended up being more work than fun. I decided that if the day came that the rebates were right and the discount was also available, then I just might take the leap. Especially if a 50% off sale came about. That is, 50% off the sticker price. I worked on a guy at the Ford used car lot in February on a 2007 Dodge every way possible. I finally told the sales manager, I'll just come back in a few months when you have a 50% off sale and buy then. He just laughed at me and said that won't happen. Remember, I just need basic transportation in a truck, regular cab, V-6, auto, and air. I really like the vinyl floor mats and roll up windows.
Guess I'm too much from the 70's. Anyway, all I have heard from the big three were buy now we will make your payments with very little rebates offered. You could have made a better deal in September. However, things changed today at Dodge and with their rebates. At:

http://www.greenville-chrysler.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

2008 Ram 1500 Regular Cab V-6, short bed, auto - Sticker price $24,455 less discount and rebates makes a sales price of $11,550. A Farm Bureau rebate knocks off another $500. Now that is getting there. Especially since a vehicle is a depreciating asset. There are alot of used car dealers selling a used truck just like this today for more than that. This really hurts the poor guy who is upside down and bought a few months back, but helps the guy who has been looking. The question is, could it go even lower?

[flb_78]

I would not get a V6 in a full size truck. A buddy of mine has a Dakota with the V6 and it gets horrible gas mileage for the lack of power it has. We're talking around 15-17 MPG. Another fella I worked with bought a 1500 with the 3.8L V6 and he was getting only 17-19MPG with no power. The V8's do the same mileage and have decent mileage.

I wouldn't call a full size V6 truck with no options a great buy at 12grand, It's priced about where it should be in a normal market about 6-7 years ago right when trucks started to boom. I remember looking at a reg cab Dakota with a 5.2L and 5 speed and could of had it for less then 13grand OTD.

[HighVelocity]

Chrysler is making a deal with Fiat. Fiat gets 20% and Chrysler get to sell their tiny crumby cars. There goes the bailout money. Chrysler is doomed. 50% off wouldn't get me on a Chrysler dealers lot.

Fix
it
again
Tony

http://www.freep.com/article/20090506/B ... +with+Fiat" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[FlynJay]

I would not get a V6 in a full size truck. A buddy of mine has a Dakota with the V6 and it gets horrible gas mileage for the lack of power it has. We're talking around 15-17 MPG. Another fella I worked with bought a 1500 with the 3.8L V6 and he was getting only 17-19MPG with no power. The V8's do the same mileage and have decent mileage.

I wouldn't call a full size V6 truck with no options a great buy at 12grand, It's priced about where it should be in a normal market about 6-7 years ago right when trucks started to boom. I remember looking at a reg cab Dakota with a 5.2L and 5 speed and could of had it for less then 13grand OTD.

Don't buy a V6 full size truck, you will regret it. The gas mileage is the same as the bigger V8 but you don't get any of the power benefits. Basically you will end up running the engine at 80-100% all the time which kills your mileage and makes it wear out quicker.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Keep in mind that Chrysler Corp. does not have one vehicle that's recommended
in Consumer Reports. Mercedes Benz, the logical German company, could not
make any money with the company and sold it to Cerberus Capital Management.
Cerberus is one of these buy-it-and-flip-it type of companies. They aren't car guys,
they are financial opportunists. They definitely made a bad move buying Chrysler.

From my experience Mopars love the repair shops too much.

Although 50% off sounds great, buy a Ford, Chevy, or GMC if you want to
drive something that you won't have to fix all the time. Some Chevy Silverados
get 15 MPG city and 20-21 HWY with a V8.

Roam around the Ford websites and watch their video series called
"The Truth about Trucks." They detail what Fords are made of and
compare many of their structural systems, etc. against Chevy, Dodge,
Toyota, and Nissan.

[Purplehood]

I have an 08 Charger SRT8 and a 09 Challenger SRT8 and haven't had a lick of problems with either. I love MOPAR.

[tboesche]

I am a Ford die hard myself. BUT< I did buy my wife an 06 Charger in Aug. 06. She loves it and we have had no problems with it of any sort.

[rokclimbertx]

I also just got a great deal at greenville dodge 2 months ago... 08 quad cab sxt for almost half off...

as far as the v6 goes, i get GREAT mileage... averaging 17-20 on the highway (75 mile round trip to work)... only time it's dipped below 17 has been the past couple weeks with the extreme wind... keep your foot out of it and keep to about 65 max and your mileage will be good...

[HighVelocity]

I also just got a great deal at greenville dodge 2 months ago... 08 quad cab sxt for almost half off...

as far as the v6 goes, i get GREAT mileage... averaging 17-20 on the highway (75 mile round trip to work)... only time it's dipped below 17 has been the past couple weeks with the extreme wind... keep your foot out of it and keep to about 65 max and your mileage will be good...

I get the same mileage out of my 04 Ford SuperCrew with 5.4ltr V8 and towing gears.

[jimlongley]

I wouldn't take another Ford if they came out and gave it to me and paid the first year's gas and insurance. If I won one in a contest I would sell it right away before it had a chance to spread its disease to the rest of my vehicles, and I don't even enter contests to win Fords.

After all of the problems we went through trying to get my wife's Ford fixed, and it never was, this former Ford/Mercury fan will ALWAYS buy something else.

Fix
Or
Repair
Daily

Found
On the
Road
Dead

[surprise_i'm_armed]

2 more for Ford's:

Failed On Race Day

For Old Retired Doctors.

MAZDA = Must Always Zoom Down Asphalt

FIAT = Fix It Again Tomorrow
Fix It Again Tony

[particle]

For what it's worth, my father has a mid-90's Chevy full-size, extended cab with the 4.3L V6. It has over 260,000 miles, and only recently had drivetrain issues. I believe he got over 20mpg on the highway. That being said, I'd also highly avoid anything less than the largest available engine in ANY vehicle - big or small, but that's just me.

[Bunkins]

I bought a 97 Dodge Ram 1/2 ton 4X4 with a 318 new.. That truck from day 1 got 10 MPG.. I modified it pretty heavily, and oddly I'm getting 16 now, and about 14 pulling a 8K LBS gooseneck I love that truck though, it's one tough 1/2 ton ( well, it's actually no longer a 1/2 ton ).. I've done everything from offroading it, to heavy hauling ( it stayed hooked to a trailer for 4 yrs straight ), you name it this truck has done it, and for the abuse I've put it through it's by far the toughest truck I've ever owned.. It does eat U joints though, but being lifted I expect that.. 200K miles and I've done no major work to speak of. I'm actually planning on a Cummins swap here in a few yrs, reg cab short bed truck with a Cummins, oh yeah! I wouldnt hesitate to buy another Dodge, but I have no use for a 1/2 ton anymore.. I really have no use for a 1 ton anymore, I need something bigger ( I wear out suspensions, by around 50K miles I'm having to replace leaf springs, I run extra springs now, plus air bags, it's not that I overload them, it's that I tow so much ), so this is why I haven't bought another Dodge..

I picked up a 07 F-450 back in September, this thing is huge. 4 door, 3 ft extended on to the frame with a service bed ( bought it to use as a service truck ).. Has 4.30 rearend gears, it weights in around 14K if not more, and it gets 20 MPG if you keep it under 70 MPH.. I've got a 00 F-250 that gets 14 on a good day ( although it used to get 18 back when it was younger ), hook any trailer up to it and you get at least 11 out of it. It's heavily modified, it would pull the world if you could fit it on a trailer, so I dont complain. My dad has a 05 F-350 that gets 16 if it's lucky, and it's been in the dealership more times than I can remember ( I LOVE towing it to the dealership in my 'lil ol 1/2 ton Dodge time after time after time , I go out of my way to make sure I tow it in with the Dodge ).. I wont sell my Dodge, or my F-250, but I will never buy anything but a F-450 or above from here on out... We wont talk about Chevy's

But yeah, I agree, dont buy a full size truck with a V6. If it's a Dodge, dont even get the 4.7, you will regret it. I drove a reg cab 1/2 ton with a 4.7 and a 6 speed a few yrs back, and you couldnt even use 6th gear in this thing, it was pathetic. I've drove both ( V6 and the 4.7 ), and they struggle. Those trucks are just to heavy, it's not that those engines dont have the power, it's that they dont have the power where it's needed ( down low ).. The Hemi is the same way, but it does have more power where it's needed than the others..

All of these sales dealerships always has, sadly none of it ever applies to me. Diesel trucks never get discounted.

[gregthehand]

All you guys with your truck. My little Volvo car is tougher than all of them! I went ahead and put a picture on here for you!

Volvo Sugga!

Really though I have had them all. Chevy, GMC, Ford, Dodge (Cummins Turbo Diesel), Toyota, and even a Suzuki. I can say the most trouble free has been the Toyota and I still drive it from time to time in it's original state (1984 with 284k miles). Honestly the ones I have had the most trouble out of have been the Dodges. I bought an auto and the trans crapped out under 40,000 miles. The dealership fixed it and then I traded in for a standard. That one the fuel system was crap (as it was on all Dodge Diesels) and it cost me bunches of money to fix. Also my dash started cracking with under 90k miles on it. Sold it to my brother and he uses it at the ranch. In all honesty I don't think any of the companies make a really good tough as nails truck anymore. But that's why they are now having to sell them at 50% off....

[Bunkins]

Yeah, dont buy a Dodge with a auto tranny, unless you like rebuilding them ( mine is a 5 speed ). Although the 4th gen's dont have tranny problems. The Cummins did have problems with lift pumps, a FASS pump takes care of that, takes the stress off it. But then you get to Ford's, the 6.0's have injector problems ( just like the D-max ), head gasket problems, and if you idle for prolonged periods the variable vane turbo tends to carbon up and needs to be cleaned quite often. The had EGR problems too, which is normally mis diagnosed as being blown head gaskets. The 6.4's have lots of problems too, the most common is the EGR cooler, they like to leak, which dumps antifreeze into the crankcase, because factory gauges stink so bad you dont know you fried a engine until it's to late. Every newer diesel running a ton of emissions equipment has EGR and head gasket problems ( International, Volvo, Cat, just to name a few )... I could go on and on about that, I've experienced most of it myself... 2 words, 7.3 Powerstroke.. One tough engine that doesnt quit..


Toyota does make good stuff, I'll admit it. If I was to buy a 1/2 ton it would be a Tundra..I've drove a few and they are nice trucks.. As for cars, couldnt tell ya. The only car I own I drive a 1/4 mile at a time, and it's horribly unreliable, and it's a huge money pit