new vehicle prices

Went through 4 dfferent dealer lots today, all were closed (realy didn,t want to talk to anyone today just look. Haven't bought anything since the 04 suburban,what precious metals are in these things? Seriously, since the wife passed I really have no need for 2 vehicles, suburban &99-1500 goat 4x4. Looked for a 3/4 ton club cab longbed 4x4. guess they don't exist unless ordered.
Plan is that when I retire first of next year is to find a truck and slide in camper8-10ft with potty, and do some sight seeing. have pulled a camper all over with the Dodge which was fine when both of us were here, want something smaller and simpler now.
Kinda want to do a John T trip, Utah-Nevada-Az. Been to Yellowstone,Tetons,Glacier,Badlands,and Blackhills. Been to the Smokies too. D.C and some of the Civil War battlefields are on tap for this summer.
Gonna start looking for used now, trouble is what I want seems few and far between these days. thanks for listening and would welcome suggestions.
 
I like looking online at findcars DOT com or at carsoup DOT com - saves a lot of time as opposed to driving to dealer lots. Then if they have something I'm interested in, I call and schedule a test drive so I'll be assured that particular pickup/car will be there when I want to drive it.

Took me almost two years to find my husband's pickup. Spent a lot of time searching online - but it was worth it.
 
If you are thinking about getting a truck camper, I highly recommend you spend some time reading at http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/27.cfm. You will learn a lot about the idiosyncracies of the truck campers and what you need for an enjoyable setup. As far as the pickup is concerned, it can be tough to find what is not normal dealer stock. It took me a while to find a 1 ton/crew/single wheel/ long box with gas power, but i did find a nice used one eventually. Autotrader.com is another good site to search dealers on.
clicky
 
Sounds like you have a really attractive plan there, Kent. My only suggestion would be to stay away from the "dealers" and go to craigs list or other on-line classifieds and buy from the owner who can answer your basic questions (which a dealer usually can't/won't do). I know you can't "trade" both you have and have it all tied up in a neat bow this way, but trust me you will pay dearly for that convenience. That truck is out there but you won't find it at a dealer because they won't give an owner/trader what it's worth because they will say they have little market for it. Take your time, you will find a good one this way. RB
 
Have you ever had a slide in camper??? I would not want one these days. I am used to pulling a trailer. I would just get a smaller pull behind. That way your not dragging the camper everywhere. Taking them in and out is not as easy as just unhooking a trailer. Also most pickups today do not drive with a crap with a tall load like a camper.

Finding a extended cab pickup new will be hard as most companies do not make them any more. They have went to full crew cabs only. I know Ford did that and I think Chevy too.
 
RandyB(MI)- I have a guy a few miles down the road from me that always has car out in his front yard with a sign "For Sale By Owner". He buys these cars at the local Auto Auction and has them 'Detailed' to look really nice.

He will swear to you that it is his personnel car or he is selling it for a friend that has owned it since new.

Nobody checks CarFax or titles. They just assume it some dumb 'hillbilly' selling a car for cheap.

He usually has the next 'car' for sale within two weeks.

P.S. Lots of non-locals on this road.
 
I have a one ton Dodge, 2004 four door cab, eight foot bed, single rear wheel truck that works well with an eight foot slide in, but it's a newer lighter model. Campers have changed a lot from what some used to be weight wise. Like it as I can still pull the trailer hauling the tractor for drives I enjoy attending.
 
Hey Greg! I know the type. He must have a dealer lisc to do the auctions. All you have to do is make a call to the Bureau of Automotive Regulation of your state and they will pay him a visit. If he is a dealer he is operating illegally and if he is NOT a dealer he is also operating illegally. Either way, they will handle him. We had a liscensed dealer in out township parking his cars on a friends yard because of the better exposure. Caused a big stink amoungst township and they had a tsnshp meeting to try to pass an ordinance against ANYONE selling a car in their yard. Instant mess. I went to that meeting and told them officials that all they had to do is call Bureau Auto Reg and they would stop him with no other stupid ordinance actions. End of story , they did and he was done doing it. As a dealer you cannot park dealership cars anywhere but where your lisc. is issued unless you have applied for and recieved an "alternate location" permit which is usually for no more than a week or two. You also cannot park a personally titled vehicle on your dealer lot either.
 
RandyB(MI)- Here in KY there are auto auctions with sign posting everyone welcome. You don't have to show a "Dealers" license. Just bid on the car and if you win bid, show bidder number and pay out.

I worked for one back in the early 1980' (while laid off). Anyone could buy a car.
 
In MI the law states that if you buy/sell an auto with the intent of making a profit , you are required to have a lisc. There is no majic number of 5 or 10 or any other of the rumors one hears. Even one is illegal. Usually they will not "watchdog" it but work on the complaint system Usually the ones getting caught are the ones in direct competition with the local "legal" dealers. Best thing is when one goes to Sec. of State to change title and there is suspicion, just ask them to run title history before transfer. People just have to empower themselves.
 
You can still get single and super cabs in F 150/250/350
Dealers just do not stock them because for the price difference most want the crew cabs.

Now when you move up to the F450 it only comes in crew cab with 8 ft bed.
No super cabs or even single cabs made.
 
John Your right. I just looked up Ford's web site and the super cab is still available. I was told they had drop it and went to crew cab only.
 
We've always had slide-in campers, because wife goes to the mountains with horse trailer a lot. If not for the trailer to pull, I'd much prefer a camping trailer, for the reasons you mentioned. Much more room in a trailer, and easy to unhook so you can take your pickup to town and leave the trailer in the RV park. Even better would be a motor home, pulling a small car.
 
markct
Are these regular cab 450's 2016?

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Sounds about right for the great Communist state of MI!!!! You are liking this car dealer law but you don't see the regulation of everything like this in MI is killing the state. Why in the world would you want to live where you have almost zero freedom the do anything???? I am glad I do not live in MI or IL.
 
John does cab trim level effect the option??? Most 450s would be work trucks so maybe they are only available in chassis cab, not XL or other higher trim packages??? I have seen the regular cab 450 but not sure if they are 2016 or not.
 
Sounds to me like you have a good plan. And I know your pain when looking for the truck "You" want , compared to what the dealer want to sell. I would like to find a regular cab , short box 4x4 full size Dodge truck for my wife to drive , and use as a sometimes farm truck.Every dealer lot stocks the muliti seat trucks with short box, but no dealers stock regular cab short box. We don't need or want to drive a school bus,our kids are grown . So why should we have to buy/pay for the more pricey cab , just because that is what somebody at the car lot , who orders the cars/trucks ,thinks the market wants. One sales man told me when I asked about the truck of my choice " only some old farmer would want a truck like that !" . I stood up and thanked him for his time , and told him he should be careful just what he says to customers, as I am a farmer , and what is wrong with me wanting to buy what I want, and I left. He followed me to the door backtracking all the way, I just left. Car dealer lots suck, but there is no other way to buy new, and why should you have to pay more to "special order" and simple truck. Ok , Iam done. Bruce
 
Autotrader.com is a good place to search. Can narrow down the options. Lots of dealers post on there and some private too. The last two vehicles I bought I spotted on there. Went from michigan all the way to Nebraska for one.
 
Bruce,I will have to agree with you 100% on trucks on lots,but I disagree on ordering 1,I have NEVER bought a truck out of stock since 1963.You can order one cheaper like you want then buying off lot.Plus only bought 3 cars out of stock.
 
Sounds like a great plan you have . The only thing I'll offer for you is on the camper side. When you go look for a truck camper make sure you have a AED with you. They make up a VERY small piece of the pie for camper manufactures. I will say you are in to a 10' to 12' to get a potty. If you are a tall guy or of size you are down to 2 or 3 company's and they are in the 10k to 20k range for new and 7k-10k used. You can buy a small lite weight travel trailer loaded out for less money. When I pull campers for the manufacture I went to Canada with a bunch and I saw the ACTUAL cost of the campers......... It's not even close to the lot price . You can knock 5k-15k off the price depending on style and how fast they sell. With a truck camper there isn't going to be a lot of room because of the demand. Good luck and Happy trails.
 
The trouble with buying used in a truck like that is that used prices are so high it's usually cheaper per mile to go new. Also if you go deisel those in the 05-12 range had some issues in all brands. The newer trucks are much better no matter what brand you choose. I think gas engines are better too.
 
I agree with some others comments on used, but be careful. Price new first, then look at and price used. Back when I was getting ready to buy a used 4x4 truck I started pricing used - approx 2 years old or less with less than 50K on the odometer. Salesman at the time priced me some used trucks and he said he could sell me new for about same money. He was right, as with rebates, incentives, etc I was very close. Keep in mind that sticker prices mean absolutely nothing, but make used look more attractive. The last new truck I bought was a full size ext cab 4x4, and carried a sticker of over $36000. By the time incentives, rebates came out, it was really around $30,000. By time I got my trade in the picture, I was well under $20,000, and if memory serves I think I ended up with a difference around $18000. Most of the used trucks on the lot were pricing around the $30,000 mark, with no incentives, although they will deal if you are not trading, but betting that I would have been in the same ballpark trading for a 2 year old similar truck, with much less warranty, many more miles, and wear and tear, and about half the vehicles on the lots that have been traded have been in an accident of some sort, even though it does not show up on any carfax or anywhere else (traded an suv off about a year ago that had been in an accident, but car fax showed nothing, and dealer did not find the record of the accident when I traded). Now, if you are looking at buying from an individual, or an older truck, things are different, but my bet is if you are looking at a couple year old truck, from a dealer, look at new first then see if it still makes sense.
 
In Minnesota you need a dealers license to go to the wholesale auctions. Technically you need a dealers license to sell more than 10 or 12 cars a year. We had a dealers license for several years but the requirements were more and more difficult to meet. The state inspector told us that they would rather that we just buy and sell even if it's more than 12 rather than have to inspect us. An honest person is an honest person whether it is a dealer, "jocky", or individual. Having been a dealer, I can assure you that many people who trade in cars are bigger crooks than any dealer.
 
If you want a 8' box, there are some pretty good deals on late model used in any cab style. Check any of the internet sites. An 8' box kills resale.
 
Last Jan,2015, I traded a 07 Impala w/77K for a 014 Impala Limited w/10K for less than 9k w/sales tax,tags,registeration included from a Chev.dealer. The 2014 was manufactured April of 2014. Has been a good car so far.
 
When I went through Glacier Park several years ago, the maximim vehicle length was 21' if I remember correctly.
 
(quoted from post at 01:54:20 02/01/16) Sounds about right for the great Communist state of MI!!!! You are liking this car dealer law but you don't see the regulation of everything like this in MI is killing the state. Why in the world would you want to live where you have almost zero freedom the do anything???? I am glad I do not live in MI or IL.

I wish I could "like" this post 1000 times!
 
I don't know how people justify the cost. I guess if you're a contractor you just don't have a choice, but god lord. I see guys driving 60 - 70 thousand dollar trucks, and I can't help but wonder how much of their time is spent just paying for the truck and insurance.

I guess it's supply and demand. People DO pay it, so why make them any cheaper?

But I do wish some manufacturer would come out with a basic truck with ZERO "features" - and not even change the design every few years. The only upgrades over time being making it cheaper. You SHOULD be able to buy a solid full size, no frills truck for under 20 grand. Imagine how many they'd sell.

But I'm just dreaming.

On your trip to the civil war battle fields over the summer - I'd recommend going in the spring or fall instead if you can. It can get so MISERABLY hot and humid down that way that you'll only want to stay in your truck with the AC blasting. You'll miss most of it. I've made that mistake before.
 
The 8' box kills sales. Isn't that amazing? To me the sort beds kill it. You can't put anything in them. I guess most people want grocery getters and for that the short beds are fine. I still don't get the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks with short beds that never see anything heavier then bag of dog food in the back. Give me a long bed and I'm an happy camper.

Greg
 

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