now or wait on '05?
From : montanajeeper
Q: i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. .
Replies:
From : montanajeeper
i see it is an auto. mine is a srw 3500 with the 48re. so far that tranny has been great. oops sorry i missed this message the first time through. the service manager stated that he has yet to see a single 48re in for a repair. thats not to say there wont be any but he claimed there were significant improvements. for the most part the tranny issue doesnt really concern me anyway. any serious towing will be done with my ford. not because the dodge wont do it but the ford is set up a little better for towing 4.10 gears chipped etc.. i bought the dodge to haul the kids around in style more than anything else. if i need to tow with it i will but now the ford can be my dedicated work horse and the dodge will get a free ride for awhile. - is it an 04 or a 04.5 oops. its the 04.5 with the 600 cummins. . 222 285886 dm0mc.143360$a24.94217@attbis03 http//7slotgrille.com/forum/topic.asptopicid=205 after the employee friends and family discount i ended up getting the crew cab 3500 4x4 for $33283.14. congrats nate!! good luck with it. how is it equipped roy .
From : mac davis
on thu 22 jul 2004 180548 gmt roy roy@home.net wrote were looking at diesels now and i gotta say though it hurts that the ford is right up there with the ram especially in cab comfort and size.. i gotta agree with ya bro they are comfortable as hell. the lightning is one of the more comfortable trucks ive owned. but the cummins has it all over the ford offering imho. roy mac thats exactly where were at unless we happen to find a f-250 super crew cap with a cummins engine and an allison tranny.. *g* i think my dodge loyalty aside that its going to come down to comfort handling and the deal.. i really like the look of the ford 250/350... the 150 look like a damn house slipper.. my buddy has a 2001 f-250 and the back seat is as big as any car ive had it years... rides nice gets great fuel economy and pulls the hell out of his 12000 pound trailer... but its a ford..*sigh* i think the late model rams are bugly but the cummins has the reputation of pulling hard and running forever if the tranny doesnt go out.. mac .
From : roy
on thu 22 jul 2004 180548 gmt roy roy@home.net wrote were looking at diesels now and i gotta say though it hurts that the ford is right up there with the ram especially in cab comfort and size.. i gotta agree with ya bro they are comfortable as hell. the lightning is one of the more comfortable trucks ive owned. but the cummins has it all over the ford offering imho. roy mac thats exactly where were at unless we happen to find a f-250 super crew cap with a cummins engine and an allison tranny.. *g* i think my dodge loyalty aside that its going to come down to comfort handling and the deal.. i really like the look of the ford 250/350... the 150 look like a damn house slipper.. my buddy has a 2001 f-250 and the back seat is as big as any car ive had it years... rides nice gets great fuel economy and pulls the hell out of his 12000 pound trailer... but its a ford..*sigh* i think the late model rams are bugly but the cummins has the reputation of pulling hard and running forever if the tranny doesnt go out.. mac guess it comes down to how much towing you are going to do. also how long you plan to keep the truck. like nate said the ford die
From : mac davis
on fri 23 jul 2004 205103 gmt roy roy@home.net wrote guess it comes down to how much towing you are going to do. also how long you plan to keep the truck. like nate said the ford diesel can be a pia. have to figure that when you come out the door in the morning and you look at a truck that ya think is bugly ya wont be happy no matter what engine is under the hood. roy pretty much all the ram does now is tow the trailer on weekends and sit around in case i need to run an errand or something since i work at home.. it may become the wifes commute truck though since the mpg would be better than the dakota and her commute is 90% freeway.. i usually dont care what something looks like as long as it starts stops and gets its job done.... i guess my problem with the new styling of the ram is that we like the styling of the 99 ram and 01 dakota that we have now so much... were not even looking at anything until we have the bucks so were still 3 to 6 months away from ordering one but i think its going to get down to driving both and going from there... mac .
From : steve w
you would think that but it would be wrong. the transmission and engine in the sprinter is the worst pos on the market. i drove one for a year on average it went in the shop for work once a month. almost always engine/trans related. i had thought about buying one converted into a coach but after running that one ill pass. i have talked to a few fed ex drivers who run them and they have the same opinion. they are junk. noisy ill handling and even with good tires they sucked in snow. -- steve williams i dont think freightliner would run it in their panel vans/tractor rigs for 4 or more years if it was a bad setup. could be a transitional issue i.e. using dodge accessories instead of the possibly more costly ones used in the freightliners. tm tm wrote i will be waiting until they put the diesel that is in the sprinter in the ram before i buy one. why so you can sit on the side of the road broken down like 2/3rds of the sprinters ive seen on or near the road the econoline is a total heap of shit but its worlds better than the sprinter on reliability from what i hear from folks t
From : jacob suter
them in their motorpool and just my own eyes they tend to find their way to the shoulders of i-45 entirely too often. i see a lot more econojunkers and a whole lot less of them on the shoulder of the road. if you want a toy diesel skip the truck and buy yourself a jetta tdi... youll be far more pleased with yourself in the end. js -----= posted via feeds.com uncensored usenet =----- http//www.feeds.com - the #1 group service in the world! -----== over 100000 groups - 19 different servers! =----- . 222 285848 rqilc.995$7e2.746@fe41.usenetserver.com steve w. wrote you would think that but it would be wrong. the transmission and engine in the sprinter is the worst pos on the market. i drove one for a year on average it went in the shop for work once a month. almost always engine/trans related. i had thought about buying one converted into a coach but after running that one ill pass. i have talked to a few fed ex drivers who run them and they have the same opinion. they are junk. noisy ill handling and even with good tires they sucked in snow. thats the rumor from the fedex guy here. he drives an econojunk. he manages to get the packages here on time every time. js .
From : roy
i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. nate what transmission with all the open road out there id be jumping at the ho with the 6 speed. roy .
From : miles
montanajeeper wrote fwiw the sticker is almost $45000. the sales sticker on the windshield has it and two dozen others just like it priced at $35999 and ill get it for $35000 out the door since montana has no sales tax. i was thinking about going down and looking at the 04s. through work i can buy an 04 dodge at $1000 + 1% below invoice minus any rebates. there is currently a $2500 rebate and a $1000 loyalty rebate. that means i should be able to buy one at $4500 below invoice plus another 1% off. .
From : mac davis
on 22 jul 2004 012539 gmt montanajeeper@aol.com montanajeeper wrote i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. pretty truck nate... is it really a crew cab or a quad with real doors were looking at diesels now and i gotta say though it hurts that the ford is right up there with the ram especially in cab comfort and size.. mac .
From : theguy
on thu 22 jul 2004 120823 gmt roy roy@home.net wrote i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. i see it is an auto. mine is a srw 3500 with the 48re. so far that tranny has been great. reading tdr not a lot of complaints about it and it is definately stronger than the 47re. dte perfermance diesel trannys in washington wrote an article about the 48re; the guy said it was a great tranny but he felt that the thrust washer was too weak and would cause problems in the long run. havent heard of any of them going bad however. for towing it is significantly stronger than the 47re was. is it an 04 or a 04.5 mine is a ho with 305hp/555 torque. the new 600 in the 04.5 and up is the 325/600. a good engine but has been much more problematic so far than the 305/555 ho. talked to several people with the 600 that wish they had gotten the 04 instead of the 04.5. .
From : montanajeeper
subject re now or wait on 05 from roy roy@home.net nate what transmission auto. if i never shift another gear in my life i wont miss it any. .
From : montanajeeper
subject re now or wait on 05 from mac davis is it really a crew cab or a quad with real doors its not as big as the 96 f350 crew cab 4x4 long bed powerstroke diesel ford i recent bought http//www.imageark.net/0001/3rpkiu.jpg a dedicated work truck but the current dodge crew cab is plenty big for me and my kids. .
From : montanajeeper
subject re now or wait on 05 from mgg mike@pacbell.net i think its hard to get a heck of a deal in july for an 04. fwiw the sticker is almost $45000. the sales sticker on the windshield has it and two dozen others just like it priced at $35999 and ill get it for $35000 out the door since montana has no sales tax. .
From : tm
i will be waiting until they put the diesel that is in the sprinter in the ram before i buy one. jmho tm i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. .
From : tm
i dont think freightliner would run it in their panel vans/tractor rigs for 4 or more years if it was a bad setup. could be a transitional issue i.e. using dodge accessories instead of the possibly more costly ones used in the freightliners. tm tm wrote i will be waiting until they put the diesel that is in the sprinter in the ram before i buy one. why so you can sit on the side of the road broken down like 2/3rds of the sprinters ive seen on or near the road the econoline is a total heap of shit but its worlds better than the sprinter on reliability from what i hear from folks that work with them in their motorpool and just my own eyes they tend to find their way to the shoulders of i-45 entirely too often. i see a lot more econojunkers and a whole lot less of them on the shoulder of the road. if you want a toy diesel skip the truck and buy yourself a jetta tdi... youll be far more pleased with yourself in the end. js .
From : bob
montanajeeper wrote i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. price is a big issue. unless youre getting one heck of a deal i would wait for the 05. if you buy an 04 now in 2 months it will be a year old. if near future trade in value is important to you wait. if you drive your trucks 100k+ miles before trading that wont matter. ive talked to a couple salesman i trust. and they tell me pretty much the same thing. no real changes in the ram this year. -- ..bob 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged! 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1983 gmc jimmy - mountain beater 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1966 ffr cobra - ongoing project .
From : bob
tm wrote i will be waiting until they put the diesel that is in the sprinter in the ram before i buy one. ide like to see that engine with a 6 speed manual in a dakota. maybe then id consider a new truck. -- ..bob 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged! 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1983 gmc jimmy - mountain beater 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1966 ffr cobra - ongoing project .
From : jacob suter
tm wrote i will be waiting until they put the diesel that is in the sprinter in the ram before i buy one. why so you can sit on the side of the road broken down like 2/3rds of the sprinters ive seen on or near the road the econoline is a total heap of shit but its worlds better than the sprinter on reliability from what i hear from folks that work with them in their motorpool and just my own eyes they tend to find their way to the shoulders of i-45 entirely too often. i see a lot more econojunkers and a whole lot less of them on the shoulder of the road. if you want a toy diesel skip the truck and buy yourself a jetta tdi... youll be far more pleased with yourself in the end. js .
From : tom lawrence
i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 cant comment on the price issue but i do know that theres nothing of substance changing for 05. there might be some more engine tweaks coming in 05.5 but thats not until january and still subject to change. hey nate - is it me or did you move your house from nc to mt as well looks like the same place except for the porch... .
From : mgg
i think its hard to get a heck of a deal in july for an 04. in december maybe. i bought my 03 2500 4x4 full size bed with *everything* except leather and a cd changer a hemi not diesel for $31500 *out the door*.that was in december 03 the dealer wanted it off the lot. it pays to wait. thats almost 6 grand less than the ram i bought in 95 which was similarly equipped. ill have this truck for at least 150k miles like my last so the short year doesnt bother me. --mike montanajeeper wrote i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. price is a big issue. unless youre getting one heck of a deal i would wait for the 05. if you buy an 04 now in 2 months it will be a year old. if near future trade in value is important to you wait. if you drive your trucks 100k+ miles before trading that wont matter. ive talked to a couple salesman i trust. and they tell me pretty much the same thing. no real changes in the ram this year. -- .bob 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged! 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1983 gmc jimmy - mountain beater 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1966 ffr cobra - ongoing project .
From : montanajeeper
subject re now or wait on 05 from tom lawrence i do know that theres nothing of substance changing for 05. cool exactly what i wanted to know thanks. is it me or did you move your house from nc to mt as well heh....no. similar colors but thats all. this is just a rental anyway. we decided that before we build we should spend one winter here first just to make sure everyone isnt miserable in butt high snow. - .
From : roy
on 22 jul 2004 012539 gmt montanajeeper@aol.com montanajeeper wrote i picked this up today for an overnight test drive. http//tinyurl.com/4r6rw i really like the truck but my original plan was to wait and pick up an 05. my dealer claims no changes for 05 other than an additiona $900 price tag. any truth to that any reason i should wait on an 05 thanks. pretty truck nate... is it really a crew cab or a quad with real doors were looking at diesels now and i gotta say though it hurts that the ford is right up there with the ram especially in cab comfort and size.. i gotta agree with ya bro they are comfortable as hell. the lightning is one of the more comfortable trucks ive owned. but the cummins has it all over the ford offering imho. roy mac .
From : montanajeeper
subject re now or wait on 05 from mac davis the ford is right up there with the ram especially in cab comfort certainly....but ford is having a lot of troubles with the 6.0. the 7.3 powerstroke in my 96 ford is a great engine but the 6.0 is having to many issues for my comfort. the cummins is not only bulletproof but its established itself with proven durability and the engine just gets better and better. .