Help. I need to buy a truck

Hi Guys,

I need some advise on buying a truck. I presently own a Subaru Forrestor. It only has 62k miles on it, but the check engine light keeps coming on. And I'm getting sick of sinking money into a car I don't want. I want a truck. A mid size crew cab truck. Like a Dodge Dakota. I have a wife and 2yr old twin boys. I'm always hauling crap in my car. You know how it goes. I'm not looking at a truck as a way to fill my male ego. I genuinally need one.

I only drive around 3200 miles a year. So gas prices aren't that important. It may cost me an additional $100 a year in gas. I'm hoping to make a great deal for myself in a down truck market. Isn't everybody dumping their big cars for smaller ones? Shouldn't car dealers have trucks sitting on their lots begging people to take them?

Is it better to sell my car sometime at the end of the summer and then walk in on black Friday with a wad a cash to buy a truck? Or should I trade in my car? Please tell me all of your secrets! Thank you.

Leo

This is a good place to start, they show invoice prices.

http://www.edmunds.com/truck/index.html

I have a truck I need to get rid of.
I don't need two of them.
Not a prize but its ok.

01 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab.

It even comes with the door rust free of charge!

I would be carefull buying a truck for the sole purpose of hauling the kids around. I bought a 2001 extended cab Dodge diesel a few years back and hauled the kids around in it. Well, they quickly outgrew the back seats and it became really cramped in a hurry back there. So, I had to trade up and get the quad cab Dodge diesel with 4 full doors. Now there is plenty of room. Be sure and take the kids for the test drive and factor in how long you are going to keep the truck and how much room you will need in a year or two.

I bought both of my Dodges at http://www.balsleyautosales.com Yes, they are "R"title but I could really care less. He fixes them right and stakes his business on fixing them right. I have never had on minutes trouble with either truck I have bought off of him. I got a $40,000 Quad cab 6speed diesel 2005 model with 8,000 miles on it for $24,000 ! It looked spanking new and even smelled new . If he doesn't have the exact truck you are looking for, he will find it for you...

For hauling kids nothing beats a minivan. Front wheel drive, 26 mpg, hauls 7 people and their stuff easy. It's a mommy mobile for sure but very practical. A pickup is a bad choice for a family hauler unless you get a crew cab, but then the "pickup" portion isn't very big. A Suburban or Tahoe can do the job of both but you'll pay at the pump.

check engine light is no big deal......you know it will come on and stay on if say you leave the gas cap loose.......62k isnt even broken in to me.......my favorite ride in my fleet has 201,000 miles and it is 22 yrs old......i wouldnt hesitate to drive it anywhere on a moments notice.......if you want a truck to haul coal in, dont buy a new truck, buy and old truck in half decent shape for cheap.....i see deals on craigslist all the time......just picked up a 65 f100 for 700 bucks for my buddy in the service overseas.......he wont let me haul coal in it tho lol

I have had a lot of trucks over my 40 year of driveing. I agree with the general opinion here that a good truck for work (coal hauling for example) is not a great truck for the family, and vice versa. I also agree strongly with ktm that a salvage or R title truck can be a great buy. I also agree with lincoln that an older truck can be an excellent work truck for a low price. If you don't do any of your own repairs, have a salvage truck checked thouroghly by a good mechanic who knows body/frame repair or a good bodyman with mechanical knowledge.

I bought my '94 Toyota truck two years ago wrecked and filthy at auction 2 years ago. It had only 52,000 miles on it. I paid $600. for it and fixed it myself (I do fame and major collision work for a used car dealer specializing in late model salvage vehicles). I repainted it with some cheap single stage paint, but still don't have to worry about scratching it up. It has been providing excellent service.

If you drive your truck only about 3,200 miles a year and are not made of $$, I certainly wouldn't buy new. If you want to haul your own coal etc. I would recommend a full size truck with an 8' bed and a 6cyl. engine for gas milage (you realy don't need lots of horsepower to haul wheight). Also you will pay less, have less maintenance and get better gas milage with a 2 wheel drive truck. Good luck.

You shouldn't have any trouble selling your Saburu. Check engine light could also be an oxygen sensor.

My secret to buying a used vehicle from a dealer: Find the one you want. Write a check, put the check on the counter. Tell him "I'm going to lunch, when I get back I'll either pick up the vehicle or my check".

My secret for buying a new vehicle: " I just put a deposit on one of these at a dealer in (pick city 100 miles away). If you can beat his price by $1,000 I'm not ashamed to ask for my deposit back." If he asks what you agreed to pay: "I'm not playing that game, you give me your best price & we'll see if we do business".
I've only bought one new car in my life.... I accidently did exactly that..... saved $600! (and bout it from the dealer where I had the deposit) I spent 6 hours at the first dealer, 10 minutes at the second one.

if buying at a dealer and financing I strongly recommend getting your financing through capitol one online or your local bank. You can then negotiate like a cash buyer like Freddy says and there is no b.s. add ons with the dealer financing.

Another tip: When you want to negotiate the price, send the bride home.

I paid $200 extra, rather than walk away from a deal, because of a pouting face.