Not sure around were every one else lives , but here in Southern Oregon 3/4 tons are actually cheaper than 1/2 tons , ( Used Trucks ) .
Although we have a '84 F250 4 x 4 , It is in need of alot of TLC , ( new clutch , new rear seal , new wiper motor , new heater fan , etc... ) . Now I could of and will do all that , But being home weekends and usually needing the p/u at the same time , kind hard to do both . So several months back we shopped around looking at 1/2 tons with the quad cab type arrangement , ( 4 doors ) . With decent miles , ( below 40,000 ) , the averages were around $19,000 to $20,000 . But everything was shortbed
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Got a call from a salesman that they had some more used trucks coming in at the ford dealer , So that afternoon I got home , drove down , test drove a 2006 3/4 ton Dodge Ram quad cab 4 wheel drive with under 36,000 miles , auto , air and A LONGBED , then when in and bought it for $18,000 .
What I said at the top though , they also had 2 F150's , 1 Chevy 1/2 ton and 1 Dodge 1/2 ton . all 2006's , all shortbeds with similar quad / extra cab set ups , similar miles but those started at $19,000 .
My reason for a longbed , If I buy a sheet of plywood or a bunch of 2 x 4 's , I want them in the bed with the tailgate closed , not hanging out .
MPG , with the bigger Hemi during this past Elk season , I average 16.5 making 80 mile round trips from my house to my brothers to the mountains and back .
The only down side is my wife even likes to drive it were she hates driving the Ford . The Ford I kept , no trade in value and it is a beast for hauling . Many a time I have hauled mega loads of sand / gravel cement mix , crushed shale or 3/4 minus and left the rock pit grossing 10,000+ . With the progressive overloads and the super duty rearend , ( 1 ton version ) , it looks good going down the road , handles good , and as long as you watch your driving , ( weight does not usually break axles , shock does , i.e. Don't hit speed bumps or rail road tracks doing 60 mph !! :confused2
, it still is going strong .
Fred H.
