Truck purchase....I survived!!!

Hey,

Posted earlier about factory ordering a truck. Sent out numerous requests to dealers and only got two numbers back....the rest simply said, "bring us your quote and we'll meet it or beat it." Sorry fella's, if you're not gonna bother neither will I.

Anyway, got a glossy mailout from Chrysler with "No charge Cummins" emblazened on it. Got me thinking. Was originally thinking 6.4L Hemi, but then this comes along.
Went to a dealer who told me that the promotion was only valid on New 2014's, and after his search there was only one in the Province. Fair enough.

Found a 2014 3500 SLT with the 6.7L and only about 2000 Km's on it, so I thought why not go have a look.
Took it for a drive and was suitably impressed. As it sat, it was about the same cost as a new '15 Hemi from the factory.
Tried to work a deal, but was bombarded with the "what sort of payment are you looking for?" Wasn't going to play that one, so promptly excused myself.

Found a '13 with only about 5K on it, and when I asked the salesman what the price was (no sticker anywhere on it) we had to go inside :R In my mind I knew it was about a $54K truck as it sat, but was floored when the sales manager came over with his sheet that had $85K on it as the original new price, slashed down to the$69K used price, then the 'discount' applied for me so it sat at $57K. Before he could start his schtick I held up my hand and said, "that truck was NEVER worth $85K, and I can bet you I could build a brand new 2015 for less than your used price, so considering your truck is 2 years old, if you want to apply your discount to the lowest price on your sheet for me, then we might have something to talk about." Pretty much stunned him and stopped him in his tracks. Took the opportunity to excuse myself again. I'm a pretty easygoing guy, and it took every ounce of strength to call him on it, but I wasn't about to be ripped off.....chocked it up as a bad apple in the business.

Here's the dilemma:
Slightly used Cummins for about the same cost as a new Hemi.

Should be a no-brainer, right? "Go diesel all the way!!"

Here's our situation:
Truck is going to be the first purchase.
A year or so down the road when DW's schedule cools down a bit....trailer, most likely bumper-pull.

The gasser will most likely be capable of anything we want, but would the Cummins be a better idea longevity-wise.....this will most likely be our forever truck.
Maintenance wise, I do all my own fluid changes, but the Cummins needs more oil and requires more filter care....2 fuel filters every 10K or so.
MPG wise, looks like the Cummins would be slightly ahead of the Hemi.
We live on the coast, so don't have many worries about cold starts/heat in the cabin.

I've only towed with gassers, so I know what to expect....the TFL 6.4L Gauntlet run looks very familiar to me :) The 6.7L Gauntlet run looks amazing!!

Been flopping from one decision to the other, so hoping some clarity might come.

Cheers,

Mike.
BTW, have financing with our bank in place, so we will be hitting up the dealers with a cash offer..."all in, down the road" when we find the right truck :)

Tow Vehicles

p220sigman
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
It is doubtful you would be disappointed with the diesel. I've never heard anyone complain about having too much power or towing ability.

The biggest thing people lose track of when doing a car deal is that it is a business deal. The car sales people will try to make it personal and get you "invested" in it. Just stick to your guns. Personally, I only negotiate an out-the-door price. In the long run, at least the way I look at it, that is what you will pay regardless of what fees they want to charge, etc. I always have financing arranged before hand, but still give the dealer the opportunity to beat it with the same terms.

While many forget, you have the power in this deal. It is your money and there are many other places you can go to spend it.
spoon059
Explorer II
Apr 07, 2015
I would be curious why they have a used 2014 Cummins with such low miles. Was it a problem truck? Its not as easy a decision as some would have you believe.

If the 2015 can be had NEW with the options, colors and full warranty that the OP wants, its the better truck.

However, if the 2014 is in good shape, they will offer a standard warranty (not 90 days) and the features are in line with what OP wants, its not a bad truck.

I can't believe the dealers aren't more willing to work with you. Sales must be good. When I bought my Tundra, I went through the same process. I sent out several emails and got multiple quotes (and a couple we will match or beat). I knew what I wanted, I knew what I wanted to spend and I knew what my monthly payments would be. First time I stepped foot in the dealership was to purchase the truck. Spent an hour doing paperwork and I was on my way.
GBuilders
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Mike,
I was in your shoes some time back when I was looking at new trucks and after tent camping for years we wanted to go to an RV but we where thinking pop up or smaller bumper pull. So I bought a 2500HD Chevy with a 6.0 gas and liked the truck. Well a few months later we started looking at RV's and ended up buying a 32' 5th wheel. Everyone said the truck would pull it and it did but not very well. Fuel cost was so bad and hills where like 20-30 mph at the top. We wanted to go out of Texas to Colorado and at that point I told my wife we need a diesel. I took the 2500HD with a gas engine with about 40k miles to my Chevy dealer and I realized that HD trucks with gas engines are worthless so I looked at Dodge and they gave me the most and bought my 1st diesel. Don't get stuck with a HD gas unless you are keeping it for a long time. Towing with diesel is a real pleasures and I won't go back as long as I have my 5th wheel.
Good Luck
fla-gypsy
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
The 6.4L Hemi would easily meet your needs and be cheaper initially with lower overall maintenance cost, you did say it was your "forever" truck. Many folks pull large RV's with a gasoline engine just fine. All HD gas trucks are not "worthless" or "gutless" or any of the other silly things that are said. It's your money so buy what makes you happy.
Mike_E_
Explorer II
Apr 07, 2015
"I would be curious why they have a used 2014 Cummins with such low miles. Was it a problem truck? Its not as easy a decision as some would have you believe."

I thought the same thing.
Turns out that Ram near the end of December called up dealers and said that if they had "X"amount of 2014's still on their lots they would have to register "X" many....in other words, make it look like they were "sold" so the end of year numbers looked better.
An incentive from Ram was given to the dealers for doing so, and as a result there are the "discounted" trucks sitting on every lot around here.
ramgunner
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Buying a vehicle is not generally a pleasant experience.

The goal of the sales guy is to find out what you like and don't like, and then show you what he has that you will fall in love with based on what he knows. He wants to know what you want as a payment - but that's only to pass on to the closer. He wants you to fall in love with the vehicle - you have to have it.

Once you are in love with a vehicle, he gives you to the closer.

They assume that everyone lies about the payment and look to push that number higher. It's all about the monthly payment to them. If you love it, you'll pay whatever it takes - that's the assumption.

If you already have your financing lined up (eliminating the monthly payment game) and are looking for a set of features but not falling in love with the vehicle on the lot, you have taken away their best elements. They get out of their game and it becomes a matter of "what can we sell it for". The sales manager and financial folks deal with that. so the sales guy and closer are mostly out of it.

Keeping these things in mind can help.
crcr
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
Since you ask, I say, get a diesel.

Now that I have one, I would never buy a gasser truck for towing. As some have said, that also will give you headroom in towing ability should you want to trade up to a larger / heavier RV, and from my own experience and others on this forum, that usually is just what happens. Then you won't have to trade your gasser truck for a diesel at great expense.

Also, resale is always better for a used diesel than a used gasser HD truck.
GBuilders
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
fla-gypsy wrote:
The 6.4L Hemi would easily meet your needs and be cheaper initially with lower overall maintenance cost, you did say it was your "forever" truck. Many folks pull large RV's with a gasoline engine just fine. All HD gas trucks are not "worthless" or "gutless" or any of the other silly things that are said. It's your money so buy what makes you happy.

I said when your trying to trade an HD gasser in they have little to no value at trade-in or resale. I never said the truck was worthless or gutless, if you don't think you will ever need a diesel then stay with gas and save the extra cost.
IdaD
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
It's been covered a lot previously, but the cost of diesel versus gas is a wash in the scheme of things. You pay more up front but you get all if not more back when you sell it. Or if you do payments you are going to pay a little more a month but again you'll get the difference back when you sell or trade. Operating costs are a little lower with the diesel but the difference is pretty minimal in light of the total cost of ownership that goes along with an HD truck.

I guess the only scenario where I see gas making more sense is if you're really stretching yourself on the purchase price on the front end, which would make the gas up front cost more palatable. Although there's probably a good argument to be made that if you're stretching yourself to the degree that you can't cover the $6500 extra for the CTD vs 6.4 Hemi, you probably ought to be looking at used vehicles anyway.

As far as price negotiations go, just keep it simple. Work dealers off one another on quotes up front, and when you go into the dealership your only points of discussion should be purchase price, financing (having already talked to your own credit union as a backup), any fees/costs they want to tack on and trade value (if applicable). Do not under any circumstances discuss monthly payments because it's way too easy for the dealer to hide the ball if you go down that road.
campigloo
Explorer
Apr 07, 2015
I haven't had the maintenance nightmares on either of my two diesels. Had to put a glow plug in my 7.3. I did have a problem with O2 sensors sooting up and triggering a check engine light but I FINALLY figured out running it hard on the highway for 50 or so miles would cure that. There are filters to replace, yes, but have you priced having spark plugs and coil packs replaced? Very common to see diesels with 300,000 miles and still going strong.

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Truck purchase....I survived!!!

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