Need a New Truck - Need Advice

[Devlin]

Well after many years of whining and bitching I have finally convinced my better half to allow me to re-claim my manhood and buy a new truck. Side Note: -- It only took 7 years, but hey who's counting.

Now the scary part talking to the walking leeches that are car salesmen. What I'm after is a 2004 Dodge Ram SLT Quad Cab 4X2. I'm going to lease it and buy the truck outright at the end of the lease. I'm also looking at the equivalent truck from Chevy, but the price's on the Dodge are quite good right now.

What I want to avoid is all the bullshit fees and what not that the dealers charge. For example Freight & PDI why the hell should I pay them to deliver the vehicle to the dealership and then have some kid PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) it for $1100.00.

Looking for some advice on dealing with these people. Anything you guys can provide is appreciatted.

Thanks

 

[Rigginrat]

Just my opinion from a truck guy myself, perhaps try to find a truck where someone failed on a lease and had the truck returned, or purchase a year or two old truck.  You would save a wack of cash and still have warranty and an excellent vehicle.  These trucks are made everyday and there are soooo many out there for sale.

Anyways, thats my two cents for what its worth.

Cheers

(ps. Chevy kicks ass)

 

[bossi]

Personally, I hate the thought of buying a new truck or car and then watching it depreciate the minute I drive it off the dealership lot ...
Thus, I prefer to let somebody else eat the depreciation, and I buy used vehicles.
My mechanic scouts them out for me at the dealers auction, in order to avoid lemons.

Sometimes it's possible to scoop up a leased vehicle (chuckle), the advantage being that it's only had one driver (as opposed to former rental cars ... but having said that, I once bought a car that had belonged to a rental car company manager - one driver, and they simply turfed it when it met their "house" maximum mileage).

My best bargains were a '74 or '75 Ford pickup for $750, and my present Suburban for $3,000
(like I said - why waste money on depreciation or loan interest ... unless you've got money to burn ... in which case, you might as well buy a Suburban and watch the gas gauge oscillate ... chuckle ... and, if your 140L gas tank is full, your truck will actually APPRECIATE in price when gas every time the price of gas goes up!)

But, when my "6/49 Retirement Package" kicks in ... I like the looks of the Chevy SSR pickup
(to go along with my Chevy Suburban ... size DOES matter) boys and their toys

 

[childs56]

well i have just bought my first new truck last december, dodge 2003 3/4 ton 4x4 reg cab diesel.although the gas engines are nice. go for the diesel if you have the money and plan on keeping the truck more then a couple of years. As for Chevy, Ford or Dodge service from all three is about the same as is performance mpg, (if you are going for a half ton then hands down to the F150 it is by far the best 1/2 ton out their) make sure you do alot of homework as in how the dealer treats its customers after they bought their trucks, check to make sure the warranty is what it says it is, that the truck is what you want, if you can take one over night and drive the piss out of it find out what you like and dislike about it and try to have it solved before you buy the truck that would be good. things such as how good are the headlights, actual fuel milage, wind noises with windows up or down, seat comfort, how easy is it to change the tire, how well do the windshield wipers work, and stuff like that. I am not trying to insult you or anyone else's intelligence but the above mentioned seem to be the things most people wish they had checked outbefore they bought their trucks. in closing here make sure the dealer you buy it from is going to do a good job servicing it for you,and fix your warrenty issues without giving you a head ache in the process, good luck and hope to see some pics when you buy your truck

 

[Jarnhamar]

Mazda 4X4s are great.

Their not too big but in my opinion those people driving those huge SUVs around the city, well i have better things to spend money on.

I crashed my mazda 4x4 doing 160 kph into a corner (dont ask) and 5 of us walked away. Wicked trucks.

 

[tabernac]

One thing to remember when purchasing form a dealership, the prices can always be lowered (new or used). Example:
The starting price for my mom's 02 Explorer(7 pass. XLT) was 35k. Without the 13k trade in it was 31k.

 

[jutes85]

From personel experience I'd try and stay away from American automobiles, cars or trucks. My father bought a 2003 Dodge Ram 4x4 last two years ago and it was nothing but problems, either it be the power train or little things. Eventually he sold it and opted for a 2004 Nissan titan, it was like night and day. So far after 50,000kms no problems whatso ever, expect for the usual oil changes and tun-ups. If you can afford it, go with Nissan or Toyota, besides, they have higher re-sale values down the road.

 

[childs56]

it doesnt matter what truck you  buy you will have good ones and bad ones,domestic or imports remember make a list of what you want your truck for, how much you will use it for each application and how long you want to own it. if you want to tow a big camper buy a big truck if its just to do garbage runs then a small import or domestic will do.  the most important factor is how much money you have to spend, the second next is new, slighty new or used, warrenty versus do it your self, makee sure if you buy a truck with a warrenty that you have them define what the warrenty covers exactly, and get a  signed list from them. the next thing is find out if they actually follow thrue with their warrenty work. seems right now a few of the companys are treating warrenty customers like second class citizens.  good luck and honestly i would buy domestic cause it supports our economy more directly,

 

[commando_wolf63]

My last vehicle was a Dodge Aries SE got it in 86 had it until new years eve 2002 it had 300,000kms on the original motor. My son "killed" it :'(    (when he borrowed it to go to work and didnt put oil in it( like I told him) as he was in a hurry to get to work. When I get up enough $$$ I've been thinking of getting a Ford Ranger 4x4 with two jumpseats in the back of the cab it'd be great for the area I live as I can throw my camping gear in the back and take my daughters camping. My Ranger will be big enough to suit my purposes yet too small to be of much use when I have friends who are wanting to move >

 

[Crazy_Eyes]

You dont necessarily need to buy from a dealership, there's lots of private deals around, you can get a real good truck for a real good price....but there's lots of potential you could pick up a lemon to...personally I'm looking at a Ford Ranger or a Dodge Dakota

 

[Maxflinch]

Best advice...go slow with the purchase...shop around.
They want you to execute a deal here and now and will not 'deal' without some sort of commitment from you on the spot...do not offer that commitment, just ask your questions. If they are pushy just walk. Be sure you are buying what you want to keep for good as it is tough to unload a mistake without serious pain inflicted by the leaches. Lease only if the rates are cheap ie. 1-3%...also trying to get out of a manufacturers lease is like Russian roulette. Consider that the easier cash flow of a lease vs. finance might indicate that you should by a cheaper truck using cheap financing instead. Dealers/manufacturers use leasing to sell a more expensive product that would not necessarily move if sold as a cash or finance transaction. It is competitive out there and you as the buyer are in complete control if you choose to be. A lease at a cheap rate is quite often sold at full retail as an excuse to get 'the rate'. Don't fall for this shite. A 1% lease then yields 7-8% for the dealer...read the fine print. Dealers can and will sell for less. Invoice plus $100 is fair as they receive back-end money from the manufacturer based on volume and csi standards. Tell them you will give them unreal csi reports as a customer.(customer satisfaction index) Profit is 6-12% so back off the retail accordingly. Freight and PDI is paid by the dealer to the manufacturer as charged altough sometimes at a wholesale rate with a slight increase for retail. This as to be paid somehow. Do not pay $ 400 lease admin fees etc... These are extra gross income fees for the dealer. Do not buy extended warranty,rust-proofing,dealer extras, accessories,life insurance blah blah blah...these are business office rape tactics. Check your bank finance rates before you sign anything.
Go between Dodge dealers and make them work for it. Ask if they have any benefits for service members...if not they should.
E-mail me questions...no problem. I have had dozens of trucks and traded over a hundred million dollars in cars and I used to wear green, so I would be happy to help.
Sorry for the rambling response, just wanted to add what came to mind.
Cheers.

 

[Coyote43D]

My last vehicle was a Dodge Aries SE got it in 86 had it until new years eve 2002 it had 300,000kms on the original motor. My son "killed" it :'(     (when he borrowed it to go to work and didnt put oil in it( like I told him) as he was in a hurry to get to work. When I get up enough $$$ I've been thinking of getting a Ford Ranger 4x4 with two jumpseats in the back of the cab it'd be great for the area I live as I can throw my camping gear in the back and take my daughters camping. My Ranger will be big enough to suit my purposes yet too small to be of much use when I have friends who are wanting to move >

Don't count on that, you'd be surprised what you can fit in the back of a Ranger. I speak from experience

 

[Scott]

"Ranger's are about the only thing that Ford hasn't fu*Ked up" That's the advice I got from my father. I own a 2001 Ranger and though I like it I wish I had a 4WD and an extended cab. Right now I am looking at the new Chev Colorado. Inline 5, 220 odd hp and over 175 in the inline 4. More power and better on fuel than a 350. I can get myself into one, inline 5, extended cab, Z71 pkg, deluxe cloth interior, for under 30K. Tempted.....................

 

[childs56]

ah the ford ranger is an awesome truck.i owned an 88 ranger 4x4 2.9 ltr with 320 000km I once went to the dump with a load of shingles i ihad 200lbs shy of a ton in the back of it. yes it drove just fine i couldnt beleive it. any ways if you have a family i would not recommend to buy a small truck if you want to use it to drive them around.  you need to let us know what you finally bought

 

[The_Falcon]

While I don't know much about buying vehicles, lease/buy etc., I did find the info I got from this site very useful, when it comes to whether or not you vehicle is a piece of junk.  Things like secret warranties, defects, recalls etc. check it out buy the books. It may save you buckets of money in the long run.

http://www.lemonaidcars.com/