Test drive and questions on time to buy

[Wertles]

I test drove a new 2013 Laramie crew cab dually, 68rfe transmission with 4. 10 rear end today. What an improvement over the 06. Just a couple of quick observations.

1. How quiet. It doesn't even sound like a diesel.

2. I was surprised how rough a ride it was. I'm not sure what the rear tire pressure was in fairness. I thought I could feel all the bumps with my 19. 5's but I guess I was wrong.

3. Interior is beautiful. Tons of technology. Good layout, especially the new location for the integrated brake controller.

4. Power felt similar to my 5. 9 with Smarty Jr on tow mode. Of course who knows really how it will perform until the trailer is hitched.

5. I could feel the torque converter unlock prior to shifting. This was in regular mode, I didn't try the T/H mode. Not annoying like I have read about, just noticeable.



He has on order 2 with the Aisin transmissions. They also have the 4. 10 rear ends. When they are scheduled to come in, he will be giving me a call.



The towing capacity on this truck was 21,670 pounds and just adding the Aisin trans jumped it up to a 29,010 pound trailer. It also added $2650 to the price. Crazy ratings.



I'm seriously considering a new truck but wonder financially when the best time to do it is. I don't need a new truck and love my current one but since this is NYS with salt, I know mine wont last forever. My current truck is an 06 Mega cab, 95,000 miles, great condition, built transmission, Smarty Jr, and anything else in my sig.



I have a lease on a Jeep Wrangler that is eligible for a $1000 rebate on a new vehicle as well.



Options for me



1. Turn in lease, trade in truck and buy new truck.

2. Buy Jeep, trade it in (I have equity in the Jeep), sell my truck privately, and buy new truck.

3. Turn in jeep at end of lease, buy nothing, keep my truck for another 2 years then buy new truck.



I am just wondering if my truck is going to depreciate significantly once it hits 100,00 miles and I'm losing the most equity that I have in vehicles if I hold on to them much longer.



Open to all opinions!!!

 

[Cummins12V98]

My 2011 HO Dually 4X4 rides great but I run 45 in the rear unloaded and 80 in the front all the time.

 

[Hoefler]

My 2011 HO Dually 4X4 rides great but I run 45 in the rear unloaded and 80 in the front all the time.

Same here. I have found that dropping the rear pressure to 45 psi when unloaded or lightly loaded greatly improves the ride and tire wear. Also, the suspension is stiff when new and will loosen up after a heavy tow.

 

[rrl989]

Since you don't "need" a new one yet, I'd wait until the minor issues that are now surfacing with the 13's to clear up and just buy a 14'. Orders for the 14' open up next week I believe. Saving $1K on a $60K truck would not cause me to run out and buy a 13'.

 

[Wertles]

I was kind of feeling the same. I just want to maximize the equity I have in both vehicles. If my truck drops $5000 the moment I hit 100,000 miles, it might be worth trading/selling sooner rather then later. I'm hoping that someone on here is a salesman and can tell me the truth about the value of what I have and when that value really starts to take a dump.

 

[Jim W]

Hi I am at the TDR rally in Columbus IN and just saw the chassis mock-up of the 2013. 5 trucks with the SCR system. Very cool but there is one little issue that I didn't like with the redesigned frame for the 2013. 5 truck, 3500HD. You now need to remove the Passenger tire and liner to remove the oil filter the frame,changes prevent removal from the bottom. This will carry over to MY 2014,2500HD trucks also. Torque curve has been changed for a broader range from 1600 RPM to 1900 or 2000 RPM'S for better usage of the engine torque when towing.

Just a few points for now.

Jim W.

 

[jgillott]

I would wait a little while to see how the 2013+ SCR equipped trucks perform under all driving conditions before I would make a purchase. From a strictly money standpoint, I think it is always more cost effective to own the least amount of vehicles possible. If the new trucks deliver decent mileage, don't have emissions issues in daily driver use, and prove as reliable as we expect them to, then I would sell both eventually and buy one new truck to use every day.

 

[Wertles]

So I test drove another truck with the Aisin. I liked it a lot. I did not feel the lock/unlock of the TC that I felt in the 68rfe. That was about the only difference I could really feel. I wonder if there is any difference between the torque converters. I could convince myself that this TC felt tighter than the other truck but not by much.

The only crew cab long bed dually with the Aisin was an hour and fifteen away. Luck would have it, my temporary job took me an hour closer to it. Yesterday I took the extra fifteen minute drive to see it. Glad I did. I had started my salesman on a work up sheet for it. It was a two tone red Longhorn edition (+$3000). When I actually saw it, I fell out of love. The two tone was red and gold. It just didn't look right. It needed to be the silver. Also, the interior wasn't the dark chocolate brown but a gold tinged tan. It reminded me of bad baby food. It was definitely not worth the extra 3 grand. More like a negative 3 grand to me. On to the next truck.

The dealer has on order a two tone real blue Laramie with a few nice goodies including the fifth wheel prep. For me, only two options are missing, the factory spray in bed liner and the keyless entry/push button start. Line-X can fix the first, the salesman thinks the parts department can fix the second. Apparently it is already built but hasn't shipped yet. He's working on that one. We are working out a price for my trade in. We are close but not there yet. Their initial offer is 25,200. I think we are about 3 grand off. We will find out in a couple of days if he really wants to make a sale or not.

The journey continues.