# Uh Ohhh...



## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

Is it a BAD sign when I am pricing out and comparing Dodge Ram Quad cabs/Laramie/Hemi/Cummins...








The fever might be coming around again...


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Oh boy, here we go again, spring fever and NTF









Mike


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Uhhhh, yeap, that's a bad sgn......


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

Remember, the first step to recovery is admitting you have the problem.

Unfortunatly, the second step is buying a new truck.









Hope this helps,

Reverie


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

Yep --

Just yesterday bought a new 2005 Chev Silverado SuperCrew with tow package and 3.73 rear end to pull the new 23RS we are buying next week..

atually here in Texas they have so many rebates going on that the MSRP list price on the truck was 31,307 and got it out the door before TTL for 20,995 -- had 11000 in rebates -- so actually i could not afford to not buy the truck -- haha


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Yeah, right, that helps Reverie









Good luck with your new truck Ghosty

Mike


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

rennerbee if you are going to stick with the Dodge line you may want to hold off for a while, supposedly they are working on a true Quad Cab unit as the current Quads isn't as big as what Ford/Chevy have out. I know with kids that can be important as they grow.

Good luck working through the fever!


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

Honestly not trying to start a MAKE war here but if you compare Dodge Quad Cab to a Chev SuperCrew or Ford CrewCab the Dodge comes up extremly short.

Where I work I have the fortunate oppurtunity to have been able to drive 2005 Chev/Dodge/Fords and dollar for dollar the Chev is the best bang for the buck. For pure power and towing the Ford is a little better then Chevy and especially Dodge.

For rebates yes the Dodge right now has 11000 in rebates (at least here in Texas).. and Chevy has 9000 and Ford a mere 4500.

But the most important thing to look at is the towing capabilities. With the Chevy with a 3.73 I get 8300. The Ford would have given me 8700 but the Dodge was at 6800.

Right now all three truck makers are saying they ar 27% to 38% down in sales from anticipated sales and thus all the rebates -- but now is the time to buy since all three have greatly slowed down the truck inventory and soon the supply will be back at demand and thus -- all these rebates will be gone soon...

just my .02 ....


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

HHMMM, well the DH does like the Silverados...


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

This is a timely thread. After a whole lot of thought and dozens of reweighs, I have come to the conclusion that my F-250 just isn't going to hack it -- at least, not for the type of rv'ing we want to do. Believe it or not, DW agrees. I believe RLW was saying that he was just barley getting by with a gvwr of 9200 and I'm sure that is true. The gvwr on my F-250 is 8800 and it simply isn't enough. With my hitch, my 4x4 and 7.3L diesel (both adding a lot of weight), both tanks full (38 gallons), and 2 passengers, I am only 100 pounds short of maxing out when I hook up the 28F RL-S. And that's when the 5 is dry! Add anything else (mostly beer) to the 5 and I go over. I can take some weight off the pin by adding 45 gallons of fresh water, but having to constantly worry about the weight issue and having restrictions, just takes a lot of fun out of the adventure. Soooo, I have been studying the weight issue a lot.

First, it's all very confusing and I get a little bit of new info each day. This is kind of the long and short of what I think I know so far and you need to keep in mind that I know very little. It appears to me that the gvwr of a given rig is driven as much by the epa as it is the manufacturer. There seem to be certain classes that the manufacturer wants to be in with various models in order to balance out epa regulations. Maybe someone can varify or correct me on that theory. Also, it appears that the gvwr has been steadily going up across the board. My '97 F-250 has a gvwr of 8,800 and I think the competition (Dodge and Chevy) for this same age, single axle vehicle had almost the exact gvwr.

In 2001 or 2002, the gvwr for single axle 3/4 and 1 ton's went up to about 9700. Again, this appears to be true across the board. For Dodge and Chevy it is still true (I think -- correct me if wrong). But Ford raised the ante in '05 and their single axle F-350 has a gvwr of 11,400 and a rear gawr of 6830. I called y-guy and he confirmed that his door panel sticker (the only thing you can really rely on) does have the gvwr of 11,400. Dodge may have matched this. 11,400 gvwr is a serious amount of weight and seems to be the new standard for '05.

Another thing that muddles this discussion is that very little information concerning gvwr is available on the net, but, then again, maybe I have been searching in all the wrong places. You can find current info on '05's (msn.com seems to be the most comprehensive), but if you want to go back in time to an '04 or '03, then most of the info is anecdotale and only available from owner comments on the various forums. I haven't seen anything on the net that has yearly comparisons for previous years.

And here's something that really baffles me. I called a local dealer yesterday who had an '02 F-350 diesel for sale. I asked him to check the gvwr -- not the book, but to actually look at the door panel sticker (always look at the door panel since that's what the cops will be looking at) and tell me what the gvwr was. He called back a few minutes later and told me it was 8,800. WHAT! Please verify. A few minutes later he called back again, yeap, 8,800. The same as what's on my '97 F-250 and this rig was an F-350! This is just a good example of things not being what you might expect. Very confusing, very frustrating, and so much for my "rising gvwr" theory.

And another baffling thing. My weight issue has been weighing heavy on my mind for a long time (no pun intended) and I've talked to a lot of friends and other rv'ers about it. Believe it or not, most of those people had the attitude of "most rv'ers are overweight -- don't worry about it -- you'll never be weighed, just hook up and have fun". For a long time DW had that attitude as well. But when I asked two cop friends that question they said "don't even think about pulling outside your weight limits". Why is it that so many rv'ers seem to be willing to take the risk of having an accident when overweight? Don't they realize that they would then be open for a really big law suit? Or, maybe, I am just too paranoid.


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

VDUB,
Serious issue and one that is valid for all of us. Did I see a GVWR, GAWR, GCWR primer referenced somewhere a while back - I searched but couldn't find it. Searching for one on the web is nearly impossible (millions of hits and nothing that comes close).

You post got me thinking; enough so I went out and had another look at the sticker on my door to make sure the numbers I kept in my head matched the sticker not the dealers 'quote'. They did. However, I'm thinking a trip to the scales is in order.

BBB


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## jnk36jnk (Mar 9, 2004)

The thought of going to some sort of diesel TV has been lurking in the back of my head all winter, then yesterday when filling up the Expedition, at the local station, and at $2.05 gallon, I happened to notice diesel was at $2.47.







Now I know mileage and power will increase a bunch, switching from gas to diesel, but $2.47/gallon has gotta hurt and who knows what it will be come summer. So guess I'll stick to the gas pot for another year.


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Vern oh Vern --- I think it is time to spray again







Fever is hitting the forum again. I think the last this bug hit it cost the members at least a few new TV









I agree with Ghosty - Chev or GMC would be my vote --- I guess that makes $.04.

Good luck with your choice









Thor


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

A cure for the FEVER....


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

You guys in OR are lucky. Diesel here in Pullman is $2.66 -- ouch. My brother is a farmer and just had the tank at the farm filled up the other day. 1500 gallons at $2.60.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Right now Diesel is high for a couple of reasons in the NW, and around the country. We are switching from Winter to Summer blend, and the state of CA has some tough diesel demands which forces, OR, WA and ID and probably NV & AZ to get the CA blend which increases costs. Some have been petitioning Arny in CA to drop the tough rules and to avoid adopting the new ones coming in a couple years. That change would help to drop fuel prices. Keeps up like this and the idea of switching to fry oil just might make more sense. We need to get on the bio-diesel bandwagon big time.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Diesel should drop a bit in price during the summer, as gasoline will increase in price. The winter mix on the diesel, as well as the demand for #2 heating oil contribute to the higher prices. Not to brag, but right now in CT, 87 oct. gasoline is $1.95, and diesel is $2.18. I would not be surprised to see those numbers switched come June or July.

As far as the NTF that is going around, after spending 28 hours in the Avalanche with my kids, my wife is ready for a suburban with a third row seat to keep them separated. I think I want the diesel TV myself though, and until GM starts putting the Duramax in the 'burb, I'll be looking at Crew Cab Silverado's, or maybe I can find an Excursion on clearance.

Tim


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

vdub said:


> And here's something that really baffles me.Â I called a local dealer yesterday who had an '02 F-350 diesel for sale.Â I asked him to check the gvwr -- not the book, but to actually look at the door panel sticker (always look at the door panel since that's what the cops will be looking at) and tell me what the gvwr was.Â He called back a few minutes later and told me it was 8,800.Â WHAT!Â Please verify.Â A few minutes later he called back again, yeap, 8,800.Â The same as what's on my '97 F-250 and this rig was an F-350!Â This is just a good example of things not being what you might expect.Â Very confusing, very frustrating, and so much for my "rising gvwr" theory.
> [snapback]25294[/snapback]​


This dosen't sound right my 03 1500HD 6.0L gas has a gvwr of 8600 and #7900 tow capacity how can a f350 diesel only have gvwr of 8800









Jim


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

That will enough out of you Tim, get ahold of yourself man!!!!

Mike


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Well, I won't have any more weight worries. Bought an '05 Dodge 4x4 3500 HD SLT, 6.0L diesel, auto, quad cab, shortbox, and 3.73 gears. GVWR is 9900. GCWR is 21000. He gave me $13k for my F-250 and I gave him another $20k cash. And the dealer is paying to have the hitch and brake controller switched. Not sure if it was the best deal in town, but it seemed respectable, so I bought it.

I really hate to see my F-250 go to someone else, but maybe it will find a good home. The new rig lacks running boards, but I figure a trip thru the jcwhitney website will turn up something to fix that problem.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Nice vdub, enjoy your new truck, certainly no more weight worries for you!!!

Mike


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

vdub,

Wow! Sounds like a great truck! Enjoy!

Mark


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

I would first like to start off by saying, I am not any type of automotive guru!!

I did have the opportunity, prior to buying my Dodge this past October, to drive a Ford, Chevy, GMC, Nissan and of course the Dodge. Well once I decided to go diesel that eliminated the Nissan, however I must say, that thing is a friggin' rocket, it was probably the most fun to drive of them all!!(Jolly, you can stop reading now!







)

The earlier thread by Ghosty did not state whether we are talking gas or diesel powered vehicles, and since I was driving the diesels that's my perspective for this. Again, I'm not the most knowledgeable guy in the world about all the engine specs, gear ratios, etc., however I know what I like and can research the rest.

After driving all of the trucks and to be honest, finding very nice features in them all, I decided on the Dodge for a couple of reasons. One, NO ONE that I spoke to had a bad thing to say about the Cummins Turbo Diesel engine, that by the way has enough torque to pull my house(not really, but I'm trying to build up drama!!) Two the interior was nice, and seemed more comfortable according to MY kids and wife than the Ford or Chevy. I must admit that my wife was not crazy about the Ford interior. In my opinion the exterior of the Ford and Dodge are superior to the Chevy with the Dodge being #1 and the Ford #2.

I know that the big knock on the Dodge is the transmission, which is warranteed by the factory until 70,000 and I can further that warranty through my lender for little $$ if I feel it necessary.

The bottom line is find the one you like and feel most comfortable with. Out of the Big 3, I liked the appearance, motor and finish of the Dodge best (really would enjoy that integrated brake system that the Ford has though!)! All models have good and bad and it really is up to you to decide which ones will you base your decision on.

Good luck and happy shopping!!

Jason


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

WAY TO GO VDUB!!!









Welcome to the Outbackers.com, Dodge family!!!









I outfitted my truck with a running board called a Tech Tube. They took about 30 minutes to install with the help of a friend and look nice.







(I need to update my signature photo because my truck looks much different now with the boards, shell and other accessories!)

What color Ram did you get, does it match the Outback?

Jason


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

vdub said:


> Well, I won't have any more weight worries. Bought an '05 Dodge 4x4 3500 HD SLT, 6.0L diesel, auto, quad cab, shortbox, and 3.73 gears. GVWR is 9900. GCWR is 21000. He gave me $13k for my F-250 and I gave him another $20k cash. And the dealer is paying to have the hitch and brake controller switched. Not sure if it was the best deal in town, but it seemed respectable, so I bought it.
> 
> I really hate to see my F-250 go to someone else, but maybe it will find a good home. The new rig lacks running boards, but I figure a trip thru the jcwhitney website will turn up something to fix that problem.
> [snapback]25611[/snapback]​


Heee Yaaa, Git-R-Done VDUB!!
Is this the dually? Now al you need to add is the Banks Six-pack and speed loader, exaust and turbo upgrades and an exaust brake and your in business.
Congradulations.
Regards, Glenn


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Well, thanks guys! I just called pullrite to get the installation instructions for the new rig. Looks like my "universal" rails are not so universal and I have to buy the super rails. $712 -- ouch! Just ordered them from bigdiscountrv -- no tax and free shipping. Next on the list will be those tech tube running boards (thanks, Jason) and maybe some bed rail protectors. This rig has to last a long, long time!


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

Congrats V-

Nice sounding rig......

Of all the diesels I love the Cummings the most.

Now if Nissan would just put their TD in a Titan









Jared


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Hey, Jason! Where did you get the tech tubes? I can't find them on the internet. Thanks, vw


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## our2girls (Jan 26, 2005)

Congratulations on that Big Bad Dodge









As you can see by my sig....I'm partial to Chrysler products ( I have never owned any other make than a Chrysler product!)

...My Dad spent 36 years in Chrysler Engineering, I guess he brain washed me pretty good!

Mike


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Hey Mike, GM is offering $4000 cash back on Suburban's until 3/31. I feel that fever coming on!

Tim


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Tim,

Hmmmmm............spend 30k+ to save 4? I don't know









Mike


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

That's what I like about you Mike, always the voice of reason.......must resist the NTF, cause I spec'd one out at the Chevy web page, and it was more like 51K. I figured if I was going to spend that much money anyway, I'd load it up so's I was comfortable for the 10 years or so it would take to pay off...


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Mike must have been thinking USED!









Mark


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Well, that was a 2500 series, LT trim, entertainment pack for the kids, power ext. camper mirrors, but I didn't add the 8.1L vortec. If you through that one in, your looking at 52K+ MSRP, minus the 4000 cash back, plus any dealer incentives, and GM card dollars, I could probably get it for about 45K out the door. Hmmm, I don't seem to have that laying around right now, so I think I will drive the Av for a little longer.

Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Congrats V! NTF gets everyone sooner or later!

Jared....I hear rumor of NISSAN DIESEL's coming down the line soon. Maybe by the time I get NTF again, they'll be pounding the pavement!

For now, price of gas sux, but the price of diesel is ridiculous!


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Tim,

That 2500 is similar to the one I picked up last fall exept I didn't get the entertainment package or the camping mirrors. Did get the LT and the 8/1 L. vortec. POWER!

Mine was used (03) but only had 13K miles on it. Only paid half of the figure you're talking about.

Some of us can afford new. I can't, but extremely happy with used.









Mark


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

NDJollyMon said:


> Jared....I hear rumor of NISSAN DIESEL's coming down the line soon. Maybe by the time I get NTF again, they'll be pounding the pavement!
> 
> [snapback]25882[/snapback]​


Maybe sooner rather than later:









Press Release: Nissan Diesel Motors Inc.

"Nissan Diesel will establish a new joint venture company with Nissan Motors to design and develop light-duty trucks. Under this arrangement, Nissan Diesel can avoid a heavy investment in development costs. "In the long run, our management burden will be lightened by Nissanâ€™s participation in this venture. Furthermore, we can learn from Nissan Motors, particularly their advanced techniques for procurement and inventory management. This, we hope, will contribute to the strengthening of our industrial foundation. The agreement with Nissan Motors is an important stepping stone for our companyâ€™s growth and development"


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Tim,

Hmmmmmmmmmm.............spend 52k to save 4? Idon't know
















Mike


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