Replacing Tow vehicle, clueless :P

[k8et1120]

Looking to replace our pickup truck - Currently we have a 1995 Dodge RAM 2500 long bed with the 7 liter v-10 gas engine. Our RV is a 2001 Alumascape 33SKT (by Holiday Rambler) fifth wheel trailer.

Reasons to upgrade it are mostly to have the ability to take our 4 year old son in a car seat, which up to now we've only used my car and have to swap. So we are looking for an extended cab with a backseat that has room for a forward facing car seat.

I have the specs on the trailer and it says Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 13,000 (pounds?? doesn't say). What other info from the specs do we need to look at trucks?

Do we need an extended bed or was that just a preference of the previous owner? (We bought them together).

Any suggestions on trucks to look at? Looking to buy used.

Thanks for any help you can provide! Neither of us know much about cars so we just need a starting point and enough to know that a seller isn't lying to make the sale 😛

[mkirsch]

The problem with any of the "big block" gas offerings aside from fuel consumption when not towing, is AGE. The newest 8.1L GM is 10 years old now (2007 "Classic" models only), and the V10 only lasted a couple years past that IIRC.

While you're looking for something around 8-10 years old given your price range, I would not discount most small blocks for a potential tow vehicle.

ANY small block made in the last 10 years will have as much or more power than your 1995 Dodge, and will pull your trailer at least as well as the Dodge does now.

The GM 6.0L is arguably the best of the three available at that time. IIRC Ford had the 5.4L and Dodge had a 5.7L. I would personally stay away from the Ford because sooner or later it's going to spit a plug on you, and the power output of the Dodge wasn't that great.

Regardless of whether you listen to what I said about the engines, look for a truck with 4.10 axle ratio for best towing performance.

[k8et1120]

That's why I said we have 3-5 times the budget, but really our current truck has been worth every penny and then some. Biggest issue has been the radio volume knob (it's low or loud lol)

[Grit_dog]

Yes you're crazy if you think you'll find anything worth driving for $3k. But $15k should find you a decent sub 100kmi HD gas pickup. They're out there but the used truck market is hot for several reasons which doesn't equate to good deals.
Yes, I'd look outside the rust belt in lower cost of living areas for a used truck.

[k8et1120]

I know our last truck was a steal, we paid $3 for it 5 years ago - factoring in that it was bundled with the trailer, it was from an area with lower prices than where I am (and less rust!), is it really that crazy to expect to find something similar that's 5 years newer for 3-5 times the price? Or should we just fly my husband out to Nevada to buy another and drive across the country back lol.

[rhagfo]

Well I will go against the grain and say start looking for a late 2nd Gen or early 3rd Gen Ram Cummins. You could possably find a 2003 crew cab in the $15K range that would tow your 5er, carry your family, and get diecent fuel economy for a commute of 5 or more miles.

[SouthpawHD]

Gotta love some of the recommendations... Unfortunately in the OP's stated budget, not likely to find a diesel truck for a family in that price range ($10-15k), at least not one that won't come with a bunch of needed repairs.

[Grit_dog]

Exactly what he said ^^.
Especially on finding one new enough to have a 6 speed trans.
Ext cab vs crew is preference. Can get more truck for the $ out of an ext cab.
In your budget, Fords have the smallest ext cab followed by GM then the ram quad cab.
That's a pretty big trailer so deeper gears like 4.10s are preferred for towing.
Going with a gasser truck, the brand is less important than condition and miles for your budget. They're all more or less good trucks.

[IdaD]

If you're not towing often or out west I think a gas truck would work, and you can definitely get more for your money with a used gas truck because they depreciate a lot faster. Another way to save is to target less popular configurations such as a super cab versus a crew cab. I wouldn't worry about the 2500/3500 distinction since they're generally the same truck outside of a lighter rear spring pack, and that can be addressed with bags or timbrens - no reason to limit your options. Just make sure the tires are up to snuff with what you're wanting to haul. If you can find a six speed over a four speed transmission within your budget that would help the gas engine out a lot.

[k8et1120]

Thanks. There's no good answer lol..... I'd rather replace my car with something with 4WD for winter and let him use my current car, but then we'll have to make the effort to take the truck out so it doesn't deteriorate.


The two main reasons for making any change are something that's better in snow (with the kid) and two vehicles that the kid can go in, so one of us can drop off and the other pick him up. My husband used to mostly work in the city and only drive to train station but now he has a longer driving commute.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

You're in a bad spot and here's why IMHO.

I would suggest a V10 or a 8 liter GM. The problem with that is you're going to use this for a daily driver and I would not want to use a gas guzzling truck for a daily driver.

Next I would suggest a diesel. The problem with that is finding a good one for 10 to 15 grand. Not going to happen IMHO. A good one at least. Oh sure, you can find a 6.0 or a 6.4 diesel for that money but unless you like to be on the side of the road I would stay away from those. Last time I checked my 10 YO GM LBZ diesel was worth 25K.

Sure, you can find a truck like mine for 15 grand if it has 250K + on the clock. But I would not suggest something with that many miles on it to tow and be a DD.

Next I would suggest a small block. But I would NOT tow a 13K trailer with a small block!

The really good deals are out there but they are few and far between. You have to wait a long time for a great deal and that is hard to do.

Anyway, good luck and I hope something comes along where you can do this.

[k8et1120]

LIKE2BUILD - thanks, we honestly don't tow often. The current one is gas, and only issue we had was the first trip (cross country, bought it in NV) when we were on 80 in Wyoming. Looked flat but man was it struggling 😛 (actually did fine going up to Mount Rushmore while towing, but that was slow because of the curves!)

And I'm the mom, so yeah, I looked at the difference between cab options and definitely crew cab at a minimum.

[LIKE2BUILD]

k8et1120 wrote:
We probably will go gas not diesel, since we don't tow that often and it will be used as an almost daily vehicle as well. I'm expecting to spend 10-15k

That changes things a lot. The small block gas V8 offerings from GM, Ford, or Dodge (RAM) will work A LOT to pull that camper. Diesel really is your best option.

HOWEVER, if you insist on gas and want a new truck you should be looking at either a Ford with the 6.8L V10 or a Chevy/GMC with the 8.1L V8. Both of these engines would be powerful enough for your trailer. Also, on the GM going with the 8.1L gets you the Allison transmission which is very good. These packages are hard to find because most manufacturers sold many more diesels than large displacement gas engines, but if you look long enough one will pop up.

I used to tow a 32' travel trailer with a Chevy Crew Cab that had the 6.0L V8. The truck was reliable and always got me there, but man, when I got into hills that engine screamed like a banshee. You go up enough hills and it just about made your head rattle.

KJ

[LIKE2BUILD]

k8et1120 wrote:
Looking to replace a 1995 Dodge RAM 2500 long bed....Reasons to upgrade it are mostly to have the ability to take our 4 year old son in a car seat

RV is a 2001 Alumascape 33SKT ...Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 13,000

Do we need an extended bed or was that just a preference of the previous owner? (We bought them together).

Any suggestions on trucks to look at? Looking to buy used.

At that trailer weight you need to be looking at 2500 series trucks.

I would encourage you to look at crew cab trucks. Extended cab is okay, but kids legs get long quick and can run out of room. Also, what if the kid gets antsy on a long drive and mom needs to set back there with him? She's not very comfy as she rides in the back seat on that run.

We've done the car seat in an extended cab thing and it just doesn't work all that great. The only way the forward facing seat would fit was in the middle so the kids legs could rest between the two front seats.

A long bed truck is nice towing a 5th wheel, but a short bed with slider hitch works fine too.

KJ

[2012Coleman]

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