Posted by Ken on Thursday, February 05, 2004 at 8:04PM :
In Reply to: MoparNorm & Others posted by Matt Wilson on Thursday, February 05, 2004 at 2:01PM :
Heres something that most people on this forum won't want to hear.
Linda and I decided last year we needed a newer vehicle to pull our camper on a trip to the west coast.
A new diesel at $35K+ was not within our budget.
We looked at a 2000 Dodge/Cummins for $27K with 75000 miles that we spotted at a local Chevy Dealers lot.
The salesman told us that if we wanted something to tow with we could be driving a new Chevy with the 496 for less money.
I told him no, I wanted a Cummins. My Dad was in the trucking business and always ran Cummins diesels with great success.
(First truck I ever drove was a 59 White with a 220 Cummins)
Our family has always favored Dodge but I have always tried to keep an open mind and looked for the best deal regardless of brand.
My son has a new Dodge Hemi and just loves it.
After several weeks of looking and not finding a used Dodge I took a serious look at the Chevy 496 big block (Vortec 8100).
400 ft-Lb at 1500 RPM 455 ft-lb at 3200 RPM
We didn't need anything fancy. Basic Extended cab 2500 HD truck at $31,000. list.
Dealer took 10 percent off list price plus $2500 cash back rebate.
We added towing package and posi rear end as only options. 6 speed manual tranny.
The list price cost adder for the engine is only $850.00
Anything we buy over $10.00 (food, gas, Walmart, etc) we charge on our GM Mastercard and pay it off each month.
That earns you 5 percent of everything you charge.
Ended up writing a check for just over $22,000 for a new vehicle.
Gross combined towing capacity is 22,000 Lbs.
Gas mileage is 15-16 not towing, 12-13 when towing.
So far am extremely happy with the purchase. Can't imagine needing any more power than this has.
Just my 2 cents.
Ken
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