Buy new or rebuild?

DeanOlson

Member
My 2006 Dodge 2500 Mega cab with 5.9 Cummins has about 150,000 miles on it now. I had the trans rebuilt at
110k. I've maintained it by the book since I bought it new. It's running fine now with no issues. It's used mostly as
personal transportation and occasionally haul my old tractors on a 25' gooseneck. I can get a fair amount of trade
in or sell it outright with these miles. It seems that by the time they have 175-200k resale value drops off
significantly.

Should I keep it till it fails and rebuild? or sell it and get a new one?

Thanks in advance for your opinions.
 
Gosh, so many things for you to consider, Dean. For once, is it payed for? Would you buy outright or have note on the replacement? What's the difference in insurance premiums, mileage it will get. What does consumer report say about the 2006 and current model year; your significant other? What other debts do you have, at what rates? How secure is your job? What discounts/incentives does the new truck come with? Will you trade it in or sell it privately? How does that affect your new truck purchase price? What big maintenance issues will come up in the next 50K miles: brakes, tires, injectors, shocks, etc...? How many miles per year do you drive? Since you use it "mostly as personal transportation" can you get another car/small truck to do just that and hence only use the truck for big hauls, like your tractor? Therefore possibly keeping it longer compared to using it on a daily bases...? Can you work on the 06 and do the same things also on the 11/12 model if it were to come up down the road?? What will the parts availability be if you were to need used/rebuilt/new parts for either one? Price difference of them new vs. old? You don't say that you can depreciate it off your taxes, so that may not be an issue for you then. How significant is the price drop between now and one with 175-200K miles? What depreciation, loss in value would most likely occur for the new one in that same time period? Is body rust an issue in your part of the country?What amount of peer pressure is on you to upgrade/ or keep the old one? Will it keep the peace in the home or does it not matter? What will your towing/hauling needs be in the future vs. now? Is there a middle ground: sell around 160-165K miles and buy next year (in cash)?
I am sure other will chime in. Hope this helps to make a decision. Just my humble thoughts that I would have in a similar situation. Ralph in Oklahoma.
 
With all the new emissions I would rebuild and rebuild and rebuild until it couldn't be rebuilt anymore. And not to mention the 50 grand price tag on something that doesn't make me money.
 
Don't know where you live geographically , but unless it is starting to rust pretty bad , to me it is a no-brainer...keep it and do whatever you need to keep it going. You are looking at $30,000 difference...a third of that will do whatever it needs for the next 10 years...ACCEPT RUST! I live in MI and 06,s are allready starting to split the door seams here. Again...no rust...keep it! Sounds like quite a truck.
 
No Rust. I'm just outside Houston TX. I've kept up with the mechanical maintenance, It's the cosmetic stuff that is starting to bother me. As an example: the driver seat needs to be reupholstered and the headlights are getting pretty cloudy. I've kept it waxed and have accumulated very few dings so the paint still looks good. I pd cash for this one in 06. I'm self employed so this truck is a business expense. I'm pretty conservative and don't feel the need to impress anybody.

I suspect that it will make sense to keep it till it's junk or I wreck it. I've had multiple close calls driving in Houston traffic over the years. Mostly people on cell phones or texting not paying attention. It sure makes them jump when you lay on the horn, they're just oblivious.

I pd right at 31K for it and could probably get close to 20K if I sell it now. Dealer's here in Houston are asking around 22-26K for similar trucks to mine. It's sure held it's value. I haven't looked yet but I suspect a comparable new replacement is well into the 50k's.
 
(quoted from post at 20:42:45 04/01/12) No Rust. I'm just outside Houston TX. I've kept up with the mechanical maintenance, It's the cosmetic stuff that is starting to bother me. As an example: the driver seat needs to be reupholstered and the headlights are getting pretty cloudy. I've kept it waxed and have accumulated very few dings so the paint still looks good. I pd cash for this one in 06. I'm self employed so this truck is a business expense. I'm pretty conservative and don't feel the need to impress anybody.

I suspect that it will make sense to keep it till it's junk or I wreck it. I've had multiple close calls driving in Houston traffic over the years. Mostly people on cell phones or texting not paying attention. It sure makes them jump when you lay on the horn, they're just oblivious.

I pd right at 31K for it and could probably get close to 20K if I sell it now. Dealer's here in Houston are asking around 22-26K for similar trucks to mine. It's sure held it's value. I haven't looked yet but I suspect a comparable new replacement is well into the 50k's.

I'd keep it until there is nothing left to fix and then start shopping for something even older that has even less electronic garbage on it. I plan on keeping my '01 Chevy dually until I don't even need a truck anymore.
 
Cloudy headlight lenses are no biggie. You can get kits to polish those up, or you can get cool custom aftermarket replacements.

Lots of aftermarket seat covers to cover up that nasty upholstery, and having them redone really isn't that big of a deal. You could even do it yourself.
 
The new trucks are pretty nice. I was in the market last fall the prices(after rebates) were: $37K for Ram 2500 crew cab, 4x, ST package, with manual trans. Laramie pkg will put the price at $46K. Regular cab long bed models are going for $32k. MPG is not as good as the older trucks due to emmissions equipment.
 
Keep it! There is a reason there holding/gaining value. After you shell out 40 to 50k for your new truck you have to crack the piggy bank again to do all the deletes (egr, egr cooler, dpf, etc) to get it to run halfway as good as your 5.9. And after all this you still wont get as good mileage. Dont get me wrong i love my '11 6.7(wasnt worth a damn till i scraped the emissions, and tuned it) but if i had a clean 5.9 i would keep it. By the way I traded a 2005 D-Max with 240k on the clock in on the dodge. Not a hint of problems just got the itch for something new, I wouldnt let 150k scare me at all, matter of fact we have some 5.9's at work with 12 to 14k hrs. with only minor work (lift pumps, air compressors, etc)
 
Then open a savings account and put the $500 or $600 payment that the new truck would run you into the account. Every few months pick something and have it fixed/rebuilt/replaced.

Some of the new trucks even make it out of the factory with the computer telling the stereo that it can turn on when the key is off, and has to turn off when the key is on. Then the built-in brake controller is nothing to write home about from what I have heard.
 
I have a 98 1 ton flatbed with close to 300,000 miles and it isn't even close to giving up the ghost. I replaced the headlights with aftermarket ones for $100 a pop. I replaced the driver's seat with a real nice one out of a junked 99 half ton that matched the old one perfectly. A re-paint was in the $1500 range just for the cab, that base/clear stuff isn't cheap but it looks like new now. So I do have some bucks in it, but it's nowhere near what I'd have in a new 1 ton dually with a choked down engine. Jim
 
Wow, I checked on the payments for new trucks. Let's just say that it's a good thing I have smelling salts on the floor!

I'd rebuild that old one.


Heck, next time that slush box broke, I'd switch it over to a manual 6 speed and then not have to worry about tranny problems.
 
Thanks for all your help.

I typically don't stress over these kind of decisions. The realization that a new truck costs more now than I pd for my 1st house back in the day really hit me. I feel old.

I'm going to keep my truck and "restore it" as things wear out.
 

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