Anybody have a pickup truck?

[JoshSloane]

Bought my 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Diesel Mega Cab (duely) new.

Have only put fuel, oil and tires into it in 100,000 miles and the recommended transmission fluid change at 60/70 k? Nothing else, not even brakes.

I don't baby it. I work it hard. It constantly has a load of 1000-1500 lbs in it. And occasional runs a load of 3000-3500 lbs.

Occasionally pulls a 14,000 LB trailer from Texas to California without knowing it's back there, even up the mountains while passing everybody.

Probably more than what you need, but that son, is a truck! Tells ya what a Dodge is capable of.

Hey Reinz that a guy! I knew I liked you...

I am a truck fanatic, and always have been. I just bought a 2015 Ram 1500 quad cab in black.

Right now my mods include a Line-x spray in bed-liner, Bilstein 5100 series ride height adjustable leveling shocks set at 2.1, Smittybilt bull-bar, Flowmaster S40 muffler, stock pipes with resonators removed, Diablo tuner. Next month I am having a 6" Zone suspension lift installed, and will be putting on 35s.

In my opinion Dodge gives you the best bang for your buck with 'entry level' trim packages. I bought the express trim, which was one level up from the super basic tradesman model. IMO entry level f150s look like work trucks, and aren't very esthetically pleasing. So far this truck has been tough as nails. I hunt/backpack/camp almost year round, and the five trips that this truck has been on so far, it outperformed my friends f150 by far. I have the Hemi 5.7L V8 and this thing just roars, even without a flowmaster. I am getting around 19 mpg on this guy surprisingly. If there is only one modification that you do, a spray in bed liner is crucial. There are many other options available, but none IMO that perform as well as Linex.

I have owned Fords in the past, and having now switched to Dodge, I feel like the Ram edges out the F150 all day. To me the new f150s look like an SUV with an attached bed, not a true truck. For some reason Ford insists on painting the name of the trim package all over the side of the truck, and to me it looks cheesy. I don't think people a block away need to be able to see that you have the 'Raptor' edition.

I believe I was able to haggle a ton on this truck. Check out Truecar.com and you can see what others in your area are paying for the exact same truck. It's a good starting point for negotiations. I got mine at about 2k below the truecar.com "good price" quote. Don't be afraid to stand up and walk out. Usually you will find the salesman running after you in the parking lot.

For reliability I will say that it has been top notch 'so far.' I am pretty intimately linked into the Ram community in Denver, and the new generation of Rams is getting pretty stellar remarks. I've pushed it hard in offroad, snow, sleet, mud and heavy rain. So far has cranked through it all with no issues.

As far as new owner 'friendly,' trucks can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. If you aren't really into mods or add-ons, you will do just fine with a stock truck throughout the entirety of its life. However, if you like truck toys, sky is the limit. There are literally hundreds of mods that you can do to make it how you want it. Personally I think that Rams look the absolute best when modded out.

My line of thinking is to buy a low level trim, and then add on what you want. Usually you will save a ton of money. For instance, Ram now has a 'Blacked out' package that hikes the price a good 2.5k. You can achieve these mods on your own for much less. All truck companies do this, and it is usually gimmicky crap on the inside that you forget about in six months. Take the back up cameras that are routinely installed for example. I don't trust this item, and cant see why its so hard to turn around and see what is behind you.

I agree with others on here telling you to not buy more truck than you need. Rarely does anyone who doesn't work in a farming/ranching/construction community need anything bigger than a V8 half-ton truck. If you can afford it go to town, but you really don't need it. A V8 can haul just about anything.

I know that Toyota has a nice reputation, but I would personally NEVER buy a foreign truck. Pickups are an American institution, and I believe in them. I have owned only Ford, Jeep and Rams in my life, and would never trade any of them for something foreign.

Other than that have fun! You are going to find that driving a pickup is unlike any other automobile you have ever had. Once you get one, you will never go back.