The big three messed up the trade in values with their employee sale angle.

I know of a 96 Ram 3500 with 160K kilometers or 100K miles on it with a ton of extras including a raised roof bed cap that sold for 13K canuck.

I can buy a new 06 Ram with more options cheaper then my 04 was.

The exchange rate is not as big of a spread as it once was.

Scotty

 

NADA list my truck as 15 trade in, 18 retail.
good thing since I just had to spend 3 grand for a LP and IP.
I haven't noticed any diesels gathering dust on the lots around here either, but there are a couple of big 8s and 10s on trade in lots for the long term.

 

First, most Dealerships do not use KBB, NADA, Edmunds, etc. They pick up the phone and call the local auction/wholesaler or they use their "internet" auction.com that is available only to dealers.

Anything with a diesel or a v-8 gas burner, trade-ion or resale is in the crapper thanks to the Big Three with their employee pricing scheme. Yesterday, reg unleaded at Wally World was $2.66 and Diesel was $3.09...why would I buy a diesel?

I have an 05 Chevy 1500 Z71 Crew Cab, MSRP $35k, that I bought in the spring time. Even with Frt Brush Guard, Bug Shield, Vent Visors, Custom Mud Flaps, Nerf Bars, Spray-in Bedliner, Soft Tonneau Cover, BFT AT 2857017's....Today, trade-in is 20-21K!

I went to the MEGACAB debut last night and was really dissappointed. They want 44k for an SLT! They do not have the rear-fold flat underseat storage area and they also did away with the frt seat under armrest storage area. But, they do have behind the rear seat storage areas. The side seat thingy you pull to get the rear seats to lay down is really flimsy and will probably break within 1k miles or so.

 

Prices are still too high on used rigs within 250 miles of Dallas to justify anything but a new purchase. There is nothing even close to what edmunds and kbb says they are worth. I've searched truck trader, cars.com, and a bunch of dealer lots.

 

Well, mine in 03 was listed at around $40,000 and it was the end of the year. With the discounts they were offering even back then I got mine out the door tax, title and tags for $35,000.

I knew a guy here who was looking at the new 2500 hemis and those list around $30-35 and they were down to around $20,000 trying to get him to buy but this was before the big 3 deal was up. That's why I said what I said...

 

[Anything with a diesel or a v-8 gas burner, trade-ion or resale is in the crapper thanks to the Big Three with their employee pricing scheme. Yesterday, reg unleaded at Wally World was $2.66 and Diesel was $3.09...why would I buy a diesel?

I see in your sig it shows you have an HO Cummins but I will answer the question anyway.
Sometime diesel is hight than 87 but in my area more than not it is cheaper but that is not the entire reason.
I get 17 mpg on my diesel, with a hemi I would be lucky to get 15. 2 mpg more than makes up for the little difference in fuel price.
Take into account that I plan to keep this truck a very long time, maintenance is way less. Now you might be saying hey more oil, fuel filter that a gasser doesn't have. Ok, I get my oil free, filter for $10.00 and while the fuel filter is expensive it is only in my case I change every 15k.
Everything being equal fuel, mpg, maintenance and this engine lasting 3 times as long as a gasser at only 5k more with more tq than a hemi I went with the diesel.
Plus all these reasons aside I just wanted one

 

I read in a "Truck Trend " truck comparison that they recommend mid-grade fuel for the Hemi which adds a little to the operating costs.

 

Sparky,

I don't own the 2500 anymore, I sold it and dropped to the 1500 Chevy. And yes, it gets 18-19mpg highway. Oil & filter get changed when the OLM comes on, right around 7500-8000miles, same as the Cummins. And, I use Mobil 1 7500 oil under $3 at Wally World. So, besides having to replace the spark plugs at 100k miles, only air filter maintenance, less oil, gas vs diesel cost, everything is cheaper than the diesel. If I towed something heavy everyday, then the diesel might be worth it. And, I'm sure the engine will last 200k easy. But, then again, I don't keep vehicles past about 60k miles...

 

I used to have a Z-71, my best MPG on it was the same as my worst MPG in my Dodge, 16MPG. I assume that you have the 5.3, I have heard that they got good mileage. mine had the 5.7. Since you don't keep them long and don't haul much. What the heck. I keep vehicles until they become unreliable or have a major malfunction that will cost more than they are worth to repair. I've gotten anywhere from 150,000 - 360,000 miles out of most of my vehicles. Here in the Land of Lincoln gas is usually cheaper than diesel. But I finally decided that I wanted a 4X4 that people didn't need a badge on the fender to let people know it was one. I wanted real axles on it. Dana's are definateley the best there are. I don't haul all the time, but I do routinely haul around 2900 lbs in the bed. I have had as much as 4600 in there. I also like being able to look truckers in the eye from a stock vehicle. I do envy you, your larger back seat if yours is the ext. cab. I figure it is your money, so get what you want. That's what I did. Besides if we all drove the same kind of truck, it would be pretty boring. Also if Dodge was the only truck, they wouldn't have to keep trying to make improvements. Well, I'm getting way off topic here. I believe that the programs are hurting resale on used trucks, but I also think that used trucks close to the Gulf will be getting higher in demand. There where a lot of them destroyed in the last few months.

 

Yes, the Z-71 has the 5.3 V8 and rated at 19mpg highway. It's a crew cab with four full doors. Of course, you give up bed space...No 6ft bed. And, the 5.3 is the only motor it comes with too..

I miss the 2500 sometimes, the ride height, the overhead console with mpg, hours, etc. But, don't miss the .20-.30 cent extra a gallon fuel costs.

We'll, I"m off to the Richland Creek WMA for Texas Public Archery Deer hunt this Monday thru Friday. Three of us staying in a camper south of Corsicana. Should be a real hoot of a time.

FOR THOSE IN TEXAS! BEWARE! VEHICLES FROM LOUISANA ARE SHOWING UP ON DEALER LOTS IN AUSTIN! If you're going to buy a used vehicle, make sure you run the VIN thru CARFACTS or your insurance company before you buy!

 

I got offered $13000 by a dealer for my truck last night. That was an outright purchase offer, not trade in. I figure if he's willing to pony up 13k, I could advertise it for 15-16 and have a good chance at selling it.

 

earlier this year paid 12,500 for my 99... mods arent worth much at all either.

i do find the content of these posts funny.

the way they are worded sounds like someone is BUYING a vehicle, to save money. Which is, impossible.. but ok?

 

Here in PA, the big diesel trucks aren't that common, so they sell for close to NADA and don't sit very long. I just sold my 99 3500 for $16k, funny how everone says how many miles a diesel is good for then when they see 230k on the odometer, oh my thats a lot of miles! I could have sold it very easy if it had low miles. My truck my have 230k on it but is in better shape than most with under 100k.
I sold my DTT equiped auto truck, not the one in my sig.

NJoverkill:
I also sold my Kaufman trailer, the guy is starting his own car hauling co. here in central PA. I hooked him up with the diesel websites and showed him the paper you are working on so he gets all set up correctly.

 

Well, maybe not "save money" but I sold my truck for $15500 last night and bought a 99 2500 gasser for $5000 last week. So I got $10500 in my pocket and still have a usable truck to show for it. Not my ideal situation, I would have prefered to keep my CTD, but at the time it was the right decision. Money should loosen up in a few years and prices on the 3rd gens will come down. I'll get me another one.

As Rick said, diesels in Pa are not as common as they are in the SW states. Esp 5 speeds. I had mine advertised for 3 days and the 2nd guy who came to look at it, bought it for my asking price.

Thanks to all for their opinions and comments. I learned alot from you guys on this board. I won't be leaving, but I probably won't be posting as much in the near future.

Steve.