Cummins or Ranger ADVICE?

[BZieg]

Ok I have an 04. 5 Ram 2500 4x4 auto. I also have an 03 Ford Ranger (just bought) my problem is that I don't know if I should keep the Cummins and sell the Ranger I just bought (because I thought it would be cheap, but it just not a Cummins) or visa versa?; I can't afford to keep both!! I will be attending college next semester and will be moving away from home. I am really paranoid with my Cummins because it is such a nice and expensive $400 a month truck (and during college I won't work). The Ranger is paid off. Both are immaculate I just don't know what to do? Desert season is coming and I know I won't take the Cummins out because she is too nice and I won't take it off-roading like that, soooo... . I wrote down pros and cons of each truck on a paper and they both keep coming out even. What would you guys do? I am 24 and want to have fun but I also love the Cummins and want a nice truck but also want to save money. :{ Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

If you were my son(I have 2 both through college) I would ask you to:
sell the Cummins to eliminate the $400 payment and to keep the paid for and much more economical Ranger and suck it up until you are through school. Then you will be able to purchase another Cummins and be in much better financial shape to pay for it.
Life is made up of a continuous bunch of choices and sacrifices and sometimes they are not to your liking but a necessity. Time flies and this too shall pass.
My sons both had 10 yr. old Dodge slant 6 pick-ups that they drove to college from Alaska one to Oregon and the other to Calif. and back 4 times. Now they both have Dodge Cummins pick-ups and are paid for.

Good luck in your choice.

Jack in Alaska

 

[WILLD420]

Been there, done that. You can't eat a truck. You can live in one, but not for long.

Take if from someone who now drives a bunch of Hoopties. It's not worth it to have something nice when you live somewhere you can't protect it. Do you want to worry about your truck being vandalized or stolen all the time? What about when you meet a Hot girl and you want to take her out, but can't even afford a value meal to feed her? Trust me when I say that chicks will ride in anything if they like you. If they don't like you, then no amount of cool truck will change their mind.

Take the Ranger. It's easier to park, cheaper to drive, and it's paid for. When you get to college you will find that a fullsize truck is a PITA to park, they may charge you more to park it, you will worry about it all the time, it WILL get vandalized or hit by some POS jerk/jerkette high on dope or booze.

Sell the cummins, get another one when you are out of school, have a good job, have a house, and a hot wife.

 

[silverram03]

How much is left on the truck as far as payments. Do you have a family member that may be willing to take over the payments and hand the truck back over to you when you are more financially sound.

 

[DPKetchum]

How much did you pay for the Ranger? How much is owed on the Dodge. How many miles on the Ranger? Dodge? What is the Dodge worth in this economy? Real world value?

 

[JNasty]

If you live close enough to campus sell them both. Go and enjoy college without a payment and some extra cash. They'll be plenty around when your done.

 

[BZieg]

All great advice. The Dodge has 32k miles on her and $20k to pay her off. The Ranger has 53k miles and is paid off. But everytime I fire up the Cummins I fall back in love with the smell, sound, you know. The main thing that is holding me from keeping the Cummins is that it is too nice and I am paranoid to drive it or park it anywhere (especially some college campus).

 

[Matt400]

I have an 04. 5 Ram 2500 4x4 auto. I also have an 03 Ford Ranger I will be attending college next semester and will be moving away from home. I am really paranoid with my Cummins because it is such a nice and expensive $400 a month truck (and during college I won't work). Thanks in advance for the advice.

• Ram = 400. 00 drain
  
• Your not working
  
• Ranger paid for
  
• Ranger insurance less
  

I think you answerd your own question and are trying to justify the nicer truck. I don't know why you wouldn't at least work part time and even if you did the Ranger is still the better choice while in school.

 

[jkidd]

insurance will be much less, so will registration. you could always sell both and get an older 12v or 24v.
Where are you going to go to school?

 

[jgillott]

When you are out of school, there will be plenty of time to buy another very nice Cummins powered truck. Right now, with as expensive as it is to be in school, it is very hard to justify having the expense of the truck payment on top of that. As hard as it may be to do, sell the Dodge now and pick one up again later.

 

[BZieg]

I still don't know what to do. I will probably attend Cal Poly Pamona, but still waiting on other schools. The Ranger is just not the way I like it so I would have to invest some money to make it more likeable by me. I think I'll just keep the Cummins- no one will pay what I want for the Dodge so... I'll lose hard on it.

 

[JacobsD]

Sell em both and buy a nice 12 valve!!! Then you can take that to the dunes without worrying about screwing up a real nice truck and still have a nice diesel. Free horsepower too with the mechanical pump.



Thats what I would do.

 

[Matt400]

This post sure sounds familiar. .

Our son had bought our 03 QC 4x4 while in the Navy and when he got out he still had payments and no job + wanting to go to a trade school.



I said well it looks like you can't keep the Ram so we bought it back to relieve his payments and he then paid cash for a Ranger, it was a 2001 2wd lifted prerunner style. Was a great truck and served him well during school, then after school with his new job he now drives an 06 Mega Laramie nicer than mine!

 

[Jeepr]

While it's not to say there aren't plenty of Cummins running around that never tow or haul or work hard, your Cummins won't be happy sitting in school parking lot, it will want to work and exercise, think of someone other than yourself! :-laf



But on a more serious note, now is not the best time to be trying to sell a big truck.

 

[BZieg]

True Jeepr, I know the economy is the pits right now and no one will pay a decent amount of money for an awesome truck. So I'll probably keep the Cummins because it should last me forever, right.....

 

[hearingyourlies]

Fact of the matter is that after driving around that Cummins, the Ranger is just going to feel ... insufficient.

I'm 25 and a redneck at heart. A few months ago I seriously started looking at Nissan Frontier's, Toyota Fj's and the occasional car. After getting behind the wheel of all of them, I realized the there was one element I had that each lacked ... passion.

I LOVE getting into my truck, changing the oil filter, washing it, waxing it, planning long trips, hauling my buddy's trailer ... there is just some undefinable part of my truck that can not be replaced by saving 50 bucks a week in fuel.

If that's how you feel about your truck, you will never be happy with something else. Suck it up, pay the premium and put on a smile when you get behind the wheel.

 

[BZieg]

You know that's some good advice, thank you.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

You are ignoring the good advice and going with BS & emotion and NO COMMON sense.

 

[hearingyourlies]

LOL ... good advice, Jack.

To deny emotion is to deny a common fundamental of human experience. To simply cast aside its significance based on pure numbers and logic is unnatural.

If he can strike a balance between passion and rationality without putting entirely impossible strain on his wallet, then he should do it.

And as for whether or not my advice is "good", well, that's entirely subjective. I can tell you for a fact that my experience tells ME that going down to a smaller vehicle based on a TEMPORARY monetary strain is a poor decision. That experience may not ring true for any of you - but after I got my feet back on the ground I wanted my big vehicle back.

Take all this with a grain of salt, BZieg. If you're going to make this decision, it should be yours alone; not some faceless individuals spouting good, bad or indifferent advice on their keyboards.

*Remember, it is very likely any vehicle you have will be the second largest expense of your entirely life. The only thing larger will be a house*

 

[JDiepstra]

It sounds to me like you have your mind made up. You really want to keep the truck. Well, keep it then!



Sell the Ranger and only use the money to pay for expenses for the Ram, i. e. fuel, insurance, payment... if you get a decent amount for it, that money could last you a couple years worth of expenses. I just don't know what a Ranger is worth.



Also, I know exactly what you and other guys are talking about... there is just something about getting into the Cummins Dodge that is very satisfying, and worth some extra $.



As long as the truck is insured, some little jerk dinging your truck or whatever is not going to be the end of the world. Keep valubles out of sight and keep the doors locked. Park under a light whenever possible!



Another option would be to see if you can get a longer loan for the truck. It would lenghten your payment time, costing you more in the long run, but could lower your payments fornow. I'm not saying this is a good idea, just saying it is an idea.



Good luck!