New Truck
As more than a few people know at this point, I made the plunge last week and got a new, new to me at least, truck. I was planning on looking at particular one that a used dealership had on the lot a few days before. I had dealt with the dealership before with good success so was happy about that. When I stopped it, the one I was particularly interested in was sold. They did have one that I liked even a bit more for about the same price. Decided to mention it in a blog as I do not think there is even a picture of the Oldsmobile Alero, much less a mention in the two years I had it in a blog.
After some looking at it a bit and getting a few details on it, I decided to talk to them about it. I was going to have to finance some part of it, but I was going to come out okay on my car, which was starting to get a bit of wear on it. I really liked that little car, but high mileage and knowing it needed new suspension, struts and shocks on all four corners, was not far off on four tires (or at least three), and still needed brakes redone on the back. I am definitely going to miss the gas mileage that I got on it though.
The new truck is a 2000 model Dodge Ram. It has the 5.9 liter magnum V-8, though I still prefer to call it a 360 myself. That means it is a full sized truck, though it is only a 1500 model. It does have four-wheel drive, an extended cab with a full bench seat in the back, along with rear opening half doors. The bed is only a six and half feet in length, but that is longer then the one I had been looking at. All in all, it is in pretty good shape, low in miles, and only typical wear on the body in my opinion. Matter of fact, take one spot where the clear coat is flaky off and it is fairly pristine. It is already set up with a nice towing package and some lighting systems for the trailer, though I am not sure if it will control brakes. It is rated to tow up to right at 7,000 pounds, which works for a two-horse trailer with two horses and some gear for a good long event fairly well.
I drove it fairly extensively this weekend and it is a pretty darn sweet ride. It was really smooth on the roughest of interstate road, including the several miles of construction. Parking in tight spot on the side of a hill in wet ground was nice and gave a good excuse to use the four-wheel drive, which worked nicely. I got pretty good gas mileage too, hitting close to fifteen or so on the highway and probably twelve in traffic.
One thing that is a bit of a problem is there is a slight transmission fluid leak. I was not able to isolate the issue to one specific spot, but in general it is in the rubber lines where the fluid goes to its own cooler in front of the radiator or the ones that run it through part of the radiator. It is covered under the warranty. Oh yeah, I got a warranty on it, which is a first for me, but something that I think was a good option given my recent experience with trucks. Here is the thing though, probably just a quick fix, maybe even just removing a clamp, trimming it back, and putting it back in place. However to get warranty service I have to drop it off and leave it, giving them a day to work on it.
A very near future plan for the truck include a soft Tonneau cover for the bed. This will allow stuff to be put in there and left if need to and still be out of the weather. It will also generally improve gas mileage by not getting the extra air drag on the tailgate. I am also thinking a cold air intake system is a good option. Those tend to increase gas mileage and incredibly enough at the same time add a few more horsepower to the total system. I will keep all informed of how things go with those.
