Bought a Truck

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I bought our new truck a few weeks ago. It is a slightly used 2018 Ram 3500 with the high-output Cummins diesel with Aisin transmission. I decided on the 3.73 gears vs. 3.42 or 4.10 but would have been willing to settle on the 4.10 gears.  This truck came with the optional auto leveling system so it will be interesting to see how that works. It has all our must-haves and nearly all our other wish list items.

The color is a dark metallic grey which is hard to see if in the wrong light. Not that color was all that important.  I had found three trucks within a reasonable driving distance and sure was happy when a truck an hour away came out on top during negotiations.  I really found it easy to do business online with emails and photos at all three locations.  I decided to trade in a family car. All things considered, we came out at 23.1% under original MSRP on the deal. Ended up getting it from a high-end horse trailer dealership that also builds custom interiors of big trucks. The prior owner decided he wanted a larger horse trailer and truck.

I’ve got three items to have the local dealership fix under warranty which include trim items and two of the tire pressure sensors are not working.  Other than that the truck is in perfect shape.

I decided not to wait for the new 2019 version that will not make it to the dealerships for maybe another couple months. Our budget would not have allowed for a new Laramie trim package which we bought as a used truck.  And personally I think Ram is going to raise the price considerably on the 2019 heavy duty trucks if their release of the new 2019 1500s are an indication.

Above is a screen clip from the Ram truck website. The 2018 1500’s are priced $4,500 MSRP lower than the 2019’s. That’s why I’m guessing the new heavy duty 2500 and 3500 will have a substantial increase as well.

If you are waiting for the 2019 Ram heavy duty pricing and options you will have to wait until the end of the month 2/19. I’ve read dealerships have the details but are not to talk about it until then.

31 thoughts on “Bought a Truck”

  1. Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing you guys hitting the road soon. We’ve been living in our RV since last February and on the road since June. We love it but we did have to figure out how to pace ourselves so we didn’t get burned out trying to do everything 🙂

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      • If you are deciding on domicile states, it really boils down to 3. Texas, Florida, and the state we decided on, South Dakota. We set up our domicile first and then registered our truck and 5th wheel there and saved thousands on the sales tax.

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      • We have been thinking a lot about what direction we should start off at. We are looking at Florida but leaning hard towards Texas. I’ve been asking folks if it would be reasonable to setup the mail service a couple months early, then visit family and get to our domicile state in December to establish residency? Or is it best just to go to the domicile state first?

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  2. Absolutely beautiful, Mark. Good job! As far as the color, you should have enough contrast between the upper and lower body to offer decent visibility. Our burgundy over tan, for some reason, blends into the surrounding landscape. I’ve had a number of people pull out in front of me with startled looks on their faces. Just watch out for the other guy.

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  4. I LOVE THIS TRUCK! It’s beautiful on the outside and on the inside. It is more luxurious than the Lincoln and more comfortable for me.

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  6. Congrats… You’ve taken the plunge. Daytime running lights help other motorists know your on the road and leaving your headlights on permanently raises the bar even higher that you are sharing the road space. Thrilled to bit’s for you both.

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    • Thank you… Hay, off topic but I’ve been in touch with the Kansas RV Center regarding a Vilano. I noticed they had not restocked their inventory. They were actually moving away from it as sales did not pick up until the shorter 320GK came out. They say people are starting to see the extra value in the price as well. However, they are not restocking the Beacon at this time as it is in competition with the DRV Mobile Suite they sell. The guy who responded says they think the Beacon is slightly over priced. I told him check the comments on customer service from the factory and consider the value of after sale support. Knowing you guys have a Grand Design I’m sure you can appreciate that.

      Mark

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    • Hope to see you guys someday in Springfield Missouri or elsewhere! I’ve been looking at RV spots near there as we could spend time with family while in the area.

      Nice video on the tire change by the way. Roll with the punches for sure. Glad you found a spot to pull over.

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  11. Really nice truck, congrats. Sounds like SCORE!

    We might pull the trigger on one this weekend too. Not a Laramie, but what we are looking for equipment wise. Nothing else around here within driving distance either.

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    • Friend got the Bighorn trim. Fantastic truck and very comfortable when I sat in it. After months of playing around on Auto Trader I could hardly find one with options we wanted until for some reason I got lucky and found three. I jumped on the opportunity as a reader recommended, after I passed over one, to not do that again even if it meant buying a little early. That was excellent advise.

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  15. Hi! Really have enjoyed all the info you have provided. We are still 4 and 1/2 years away from going full time. It has been very interesting reading your blog because it seems we have alot in common. We are looking at the same RV, but the one a little bit longer, same truck, you have the exact thinking we do about everything from finances to research etc. We are definitely over thinkers and we do a lot of research on everything. I want to ask you, I cannot tell from the pictures if your truck is a long or short bed? We would like to be able to get by with a short bed.
    Thanks,
    Susan and Mark

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