People do not pay list prices for domestic trucks in 2008.

Looking at the ads in the Detroit paper today, just about all the big trucks are going for (employee prices) 20-33% off their list prices. As the list goes up, the discount goes up as well. How about a brand new $57.2k Hummer for $39,950? A new 2008 Dodge Ram Quad Cab SLT 4x4, list price $35,350, for $22,494? New $27.4k Dakota Crew Cab 4x4 for $18.5k?

So a 6 grand list price kicker will cost maybe $3-4 grand in the real world.

(ps to bf250--tell me again about how good resale is on trucks...given new ones at 30%+ off?)

George

 

ok, nice but until you show me those facts, it is speculation as too how much the price is. i went off the dodge site.

and as for resale of trucks, i have bought and sold plenty, i know what the resale is and i will say again, i sold my 2006 for more than i even paid for it. or you think i still have all those trucks listed on my sig? i wish i did!

 

bf250,
I made that statement about the Cummins in the Power Wagon selling well because in the past few years it has been proven through sales numbers that diesel is preferred among heavy pickup buyers. So as nice as the Power Wagon is with the Hemi, it would be even better to most people with a Cummins in it, regardless of whether they use it as a pavement queen or off road warrior. All I am implying is that I believe it would sell well with above average off-road capabilities and a diesel motor. You can say it's the same truck as the Ram 2500, but under the skin, it really isn't. Plus, to get all of the extras the Power Wagon has over the Ram 2500, I still think it'd be cheaper to buy the truck already equipped, especially since it's not likely you'll be paying sticker for it.

 

Will you be putting a camper on the truck? Dodges can't handle as large of a camper because of the shorter wheel base, throws off the COG.

My dad has an 08 F350 CC shortbox, his buddy has an 07 Dodge 3500 with the cummins, small extended cab, short box. They both went out and bought campers together and are picking them up this weekend, my dads is either a full foot or half a foot longer, to some this won't be a big deal but the half foot to a foot in length makes the difference between a seperate bathroom and shower to a combined bathroom and shower. For some that is a big deal and is something you need to look into between the 2 trucks.

 

No camper on the truck. My camper gets pulled. Thanks for the info, though.

After much consideration, I have decided (with my wife's help) to wait another year or two before buying a new truck. I will still consider the Power Wagon as an option, if it is still available then. Of course, the first truck I drive will be the Ford and all others will be compared accordingly! Thanks for all the input, more is always welcome...

 

the dodge has just fine of a wheel base.

i heard this before from someone here about shortbed vs long bed superduty for towing. it was all fine until i pointed out that an extended cab shortbed has a longer wheel base than a regular cab long bed. never got a response back from the guy. his argument was that the short bed was worthless for towing because of the short wheel base.

 

While I dont find short boxes "worthless" they are a pain in the *** to pull a gooseneck with because your turning radius is so much smaller. I do however think they look better.

 

I was just saying that the wheel base is shorter then the Fords, it can't handle as big of a camper lengthwise, also they have a shorter short box then the Fords which doesn't help either.

 

The wheel base is only shorter compared to a given cab/bed configuration.

 

Yes, both my dads truck and his friends truck are crew cab short beds, dodge having the shorter bed and cab, not sure if the bed is shorter in front of the wheels or behind though

 

According to the 2008 Ram brochure in my hand, the "electronic disconnecting front sway bar gives the Ram an additional 9 inches of articulation"
The picture shows it having a disconnect on the straight part just inside of the mount, not disconnecting end links.
www.dodge.com/ram/powerwagon

 

As of 2006, Dodge offered the Quad cab and Mega cab. The quad cab is roughly 3 inches longer than the prior quad cab (98-02). To achieve that, Dodge took 3 inches off the total bed length, and added it to the cab, without making the truck any longer (roughly). The newer Quad cabs are indeed larger than the Ford Super cab, and the Mega cab is between 12 and 15 inches longer than a Ford crew cab (I forget). The short beds on the Fords are only 3 inches longer than the Dodge short beds. Dodge originally designed this quad cab in such a way to accomodate needs for extended cab and crew cab buyers. They didn't want to make both a crew and quad cab. For some it works, and for others it just hasn't cut the mustard. Because the quad cab has four full opening doors, many, if not most people either consider it or mistake it for a crew cab, which is false. In the end, Chrysler listened to customers, and created the Mega cab, which ironically, will be gone by 2009. Dodge will be shifting to a standard crew cab like the others in order to make room for an 8 foot bed. Seems like many folks didn't like the added length of the Mega, and wanted a real crew cab with an 8 foot bed.

 

Here is the brochure page The electronic sway bar is the top right picture.

 

Better check your figures, Dodge short bed is 74 inches, Ford short bed is 82 inches. Also my dads friend is likely trading his truck in for a dually now and getting a different camper since his short bed 1 ton didn't handle very nice with the camper and was also over weight

 

Well I finally went down and drove a Power Wagon. It was a pretty nice truck. The front seats were roomy, the dash was laid out nice and it had plenty of power. It had a 6-speed manual and it was way easy to break the tires loose. Empty, it runs awesome, probably mostly due to the 4.56 gears. I do still worry about towing power though. Everything I hear and/or have seen says that the Hemi runs great until you throw a load behind it. I know that it runs better empty than my V10, but I suspect that the V10 will still tow better (gearing being otherwise matched).

I liked the truck, but a few things made me decide not to buy it. First and foremost, it was a $45,000 truck. Ouch! I owe $16,000 on mine. I can put another $10-$15 grand into it and get it very close to being as capable as that Dodge. Second, the rear seating room is not enough. It is bigger than a Supercab, but definitely smaller than a crew cab. Too much smaller for me. Third was the engine.

Decision made... I will pimp my Ford once it's paid for in a few years!