An automobile for rural life.....

[TerryinMD]

DaRube,

I bought a Ram 1500 1/2 ton 4wd Extended Cab two years ago. It is the vehicle of choice in our family for all weekend activites. I have yet to tow anything so I can't comment on that. However, a neighbor of mine bought a the 2500 extended and he pulls a 24 ft camping trailer with no problem. He took it on a trip to Taledega this past summer and averaged 15 mile to the gal cruising at 70 mph. That's pretty darn good.

Another thing to consider is to join your local Farm Bureau. It will snatch you a $500 rebate on most new Dodge vehicles. Missed using it on my Ram, but just bought a Dodge Stratus and used it against that purchase. Payed for half the taxes!! Another option is to go through Sams Club. That's what we did and it saved us about $4k off of the sticker price.

In fact, I saw 3 Ram 2500's Turbodiesels this weekend at the Dodge dealer in Martinsburg. They are located on Queen St between Rt 45 and Quality Farm and Fleet. Check them out.

Good luck.

Terry

P.S. - I had to get a new car after having to dump tons of money into a 91 Mecury Topaz with 180k+ miles. Still running, but not a car for 100 mile round trip commuting.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by TerryinMD on 10/25/01 08:39 AM (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Bird]

It seems like we don't see a lot of Subarus in my part of the country, but sure did see a lot of them in Alaska. And my sister-in-law in Virginia sure is fond of her Outback wagon. I've never driven one of the newer ones, but from what I've seen and heard from owners, I'd sure give it serious consideration.

Bird

 

[fishman]

DaRube,
You ask about features on vehicles that others particularly like or looked for, so here goes.

One feature I especially like about my Chevy Z-71 is the Autotrac four wheel drive. It's push button and gives you two choices: Full time 4 wheel like a truck, or part-time 4 wheel, where the 4 wheel drive only engages when needed. The benefits of this system is real 4 wheel (high & low) when you need it, or part-time 4-wheel, where you can run on pavement with intermittent snow patches without fear of harming your drive train. I use my autotrac all of the time whenever I <font color=blue>think</font color=blue> I might need 4 wheel, and don't have to worry about a thing. It's also much easier for novice truck users to put it in 4-wheel. Well worth the additional $500 price tag, in my opinion, even though at first I was skeptical.

It's tough to beat a truck or SUV for towing. I have towed with cars and minivans, but in my opinion most should be reserved for trailers weighing less than 2000 lbs, even though they may be rated higher (I may catch some flak for this/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif).

As far as resources, I would look at http://www.edmunds.com for general information and up-to-date rebate and incentive info. Find the dealer invoice cost and add 3% to get your target price. Any incentives should be over and above this price. So in the current market, I would expect to pay less for the vehicle than dealer invoice. Don't forget the *-#%^ advertising and paperwork fees, which could add as much as $800 to the cost of the vehicle.

Another way that I saved some money on my truck was obtaining a GM credit card. 5% of every purchase goes in your "account" to be used as a rebate over and above any other incentives on GM vehicles. I found it to work exactly as advertised, but it does limit your vehicle selection to GM products.

 

[njrqs]

Yes Mike that is a snorkel.

It is so I can do silly things like this !!!

<font color=blue>Neil from OZ.</font color=blue>

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>so I can do silly things</font color=blue>

Yep, I'd say that describes it pretty well./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[MikePA]

Way kewl! /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

 

[RobertN]

Is there any Aussie made trucks? Holden and Ford make various Utes, but do any of the manufacturers build full blown pickup trucks in Australia?

I'd like to get an 71-71 Ford GT with 351 Cleveland, 4spd imported here to the States. They look cool, and from what I understand, really run! Just that money thing gets in the way /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

RobertN in Shingle Springs Calif

 

[njrqs]

Robert Robert Robert

You just happen to be talking to a Ford fanatic from way back !! No, we don't make "pickups", just the utes you refer to. We import all other utes, and have only just started bringing in the Ford F series again to sell in the mainstream market. A few people are now bringing in Chevs and the like because of the lack of an Aussie pickup. I have the dual cab hilux (4cyl diesel) because there are no 6 cyl larger dual cabs here.

Re the GT. An original GT is worth a fair bit. Probably around $10000 Aus for a good one. 1971 would be an XY. I was an XA man - 1972-1973 etc. A 1971 GTHO is priceless - Up to $100,000. Many GT copies around for a lot less.

I had an XA ute - GT copy with the 351. 4 speed, 9" LSD etc.

No photos as this was well before my digital camera (read family) days !

Just wire me $5000 US and I'll go find one for you !!

Let me know if you need more specific details as I have some books lying around I think.

PS - Currently drive a 2000 Ford Falcon - Not a muscle car, but the 4litre 6 cyl really goes. Photo attached.

Cheers

<font color=blue>Neil from OZ.</font color=blue>

 

[DennisY]

Here's my "2 cents worth" I think that the 4x4 extended cab pickups are about the most versitile vehicles available today. The back seat is small for adults but you can get by in a pinch for a relatively short ride. There is plenty of room for kids. That plus good towing capability (pick out the right engine/tranny/rear axle combination) gets you close to a "do anything" machine. Their downside is fair to poor fuel economy and a rather steep price tag.

 

[Bird]

2000 Ford Falcon? I've forgotten which year the "Falcon" name disappeared in the US. It's hard to tell size from a picture, but is that anything like the US Focus (which replaced the Escort)?

Bird