NEW (To Me) TRUCK

[Grizzly Adam]

Well, I finally divorced my newest truck (I'm a polygamist; I have three ... ) ... it was more like an annulment, really. We'd never been intimate; it just wasn't meant to be from the start. We simply weren't a match.

Some of you may remember that back during the days of $4.00 gas, I bought my first small truck ... a 2003 Toyota Tacoma ... and proceeded to squeeze myself into it daily. I said at the time (August 2008) that it was an experiment, and that I'd drive it until the New Year and decide whether I could live with it.

Well, I'd had enough long before that. Don't get me wrong ... that Toy was perfectly reliable ... it ran like a top and gave you the impression that it would willingly go anywhere. But it was so MISERABLY SMALL and SHORT ON STORAGE SPACE.

I am, as they say around here, a "big ol' boy" ... and until that Toyota experiment, I'd always driven "big ol' trucks".

Boys (and Vix), I just wasn't made to be in a Tacoma. $4.00 gas made me do it, but gas isn't $4.00 now, and I worked out a new fuel reimbursement deal with my employers.

So ... I traded in the Toyota.

And I did something else:

I switched brands!

I came upon a VERY GOOD DEAL, test drove it (for 200 miles!), loved everything about it, and brought it home tonight.

It's a:

2004 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT 4X4 Off-Road

Just like this one, super-super-clean, inside and out ... unscathed bed, liner and tonneau cover:



It's immaculate ... and very comfortable ... and you wouldn't believe the price I got on it!

It's truly a buyer's market for large trucks!

Don't disinherit me, Ray!

I guess it'll be:

RAM TOUGH

... from now on! LOL

Hey ... I still have my old GMC!

Here's a question for y'all:

How many of you drive manual-transmission trucks?

The reason I'm asking is that my new one is a 5-speed ... and I've already had a lot of people say things like:

"What! It's a STICK-SHIFT?!"

"You gotta be kidding!"

"Why would you want to drive a manual?"

"I wouldn't want a manual!"

"I don't know how to drive a stick!"

Matter of fact, I bought it off of a local independent dealer who I know well, and he said he didn't think his dad would buy it because it was a standard-shift and he didn't think they could find anyone interested in one!

Say it ain't so! I've driven over 600,000 miles in standard-shift pickup trucks!

Who else drives one?

[Fergie10]

my father has one but it is a Mazda B300 just like a little ford ranger so its not full size

[hockeyfodder]

"Just like this one, super-super-clean, inside and out ... unscathed bed, liner and tonneau cover:"

I'm willing to bet once the season opens for whitetail the superclean unscathed bed might end up with a little blood in it. LOL

[Real McCoy]

Grizz

I have a 96 Ford F150 5-speed standard. Bet you are right that not many now days know what a standard is, much less how to drive one. That is what I learned to drive with. Still remember the bucking and dying until I learned how to let the clutch out.

[ecoaster]

Nice trucks. Just pray yours didn't come off the line on Monday or Friday.

[mikej]

mine is auto but i would have another standard in a heartbeat if my wife would just learn to drive one

[FredBear]

I have a camero that's a 5 speed, but my truck is auto. I would say the stick can be a pain sometimes in a daily driver. It also has some pros to it. TO EACH THEIR OWN! Enjoy the new ride.

[one shot scott]

I love to row through the gears, windows wide open on a hot sunny day. Nothing feels better than a manual transmission. My '68 chev short, wide 4x4 is a 4 spd. My much loved (and much missed ) 66 chevelle ss was a 4 spd. Had to sell her when I started having kids. Just thinking of her now brings a tear to my eye
Enjoy the stick shift, real men row (they just cant drink coffee and row)

disclaimer: this message was not intended to offend auto transmission owners. LOL

[arakun]

Congratulations, and my next will be "new to me". Purchased new, my 86 Ford standard 4 speed with lock out hubs; great for work and off road. Like me, still works a little. No air, no speedometer, no fuel gauge--but no payments. My 96 Dodge 2500 automatic is on its third transmission at 133K miles and I do very little heavy hauling. I have heard of many disappointed owners and should have stayed with the standard. Cousin runs an 03 1500 Dodge auto with comparable usage and has never had transmission trouble. Also, I think I would miss the ability to sleep in the cab of the smaller trucks.

[Grizzly Adam]

... but no payments.

Yeah ... I don't do payments, either. I know some folks have no choice, but thankfully, we've been able to avoid that for a long time. My personal rule for vehicle purchases is five years old / 50,000 miles ... that way someone else pays for the depreciation!

If you follow the 5 / 50 rule and buy really clean vehicles, it's incredible to consider the amount of money you save over new ... all while driving machines that perform like new! And in today's world, 50,000 miles is just getting started.

[saxman]

Congrats on the new truck Grizz

[fuzzy]

...

[VixChix]

Congrats on the new set of wheels, Griz!

All the trucks I'd ever driven were 4WD and std, until my husband came along with his truck. We're a bit reversed - I like standards while he has no use for them.

[Pydpiper]

Enjoy the new ride!

[dsr]

Back in '56 I leared to drive on a "38 Buick straight 8 floor shift.I've driven many manuals since then just to mention a few '86 ford Tempo,'93 Chev cube van,'85Ford half ton,'77 Nova,'83 Suzuki,'89 Toyota,'57 Ford,'59 Chev with a 392(?) Chrysler and a 5 speedThere were others that don't pop immediately to mind. I enjoy the manual trans but if you're doing a lot of stop and go they can be a pain. I drove one as a taxi for a few weeks one summer--I sure appreciated an automatic when they assigned me one.For my own vehicle I wouldn't hesitate an blink of the eye for a manual truck or car. Since only a few of us know how to drive them you would probably get a decent buy on a used one. Congatulations on the NEW truck.