Turns out I need a real truck. Kindly help me choose one!

[hdas]

But instead of trying to hit the jackpot of a build in one swoop, just try the thing out bone stock for a bit. Maybe a shell, some cheap Home Depot bins, and 33-35” A/T tires. You may be surprised.

Perhaps its a matter of preferences and context. I have a toddler and time is precious. Of course there will be tinkering and optimization with experience. But I'm trying to nail the fundamental things right, the things that are a PITA to change down the road. So the pillars of this build are:

1. A capable vehicle
2. An AluCab system (Alu-Cabin or Khaya) due to the functionality, weight and more importantly, the ability to have 2 separate sleeping environments.

Now onto the vehicle itself, there are things that need to be right from the get go:

1. Color and appearance.
2. Engine and Transmission
3. Safety items and interior design.

Maybe a shell, some cheap Home Depot bins, and 33-35” A/T tires. You may be surprised.
Before this “overlanding” craze and Instagram, we just threw our crap in the back and headed out. My old 99 Tacoma, I had some aforementioned bins full of food, a 5 gal water jug, and a tarp to throw over the bed to camp under.

I've done a fair amount of camping and car trips and it's the mess and the disorganized nature of the venture what prompted us to think about a serious rig. So what you are describing is just a subjective personal preference, which is perfectly fine and i appreciate the feedback.

Plus without the wait time you could head out now and get some time in outdoors.

Say I run and I get a car tomorrow. Where I'm I going to sleep with my baby that needs a 2h nap and 12-13h of quality sleep at night?

 

[UglyViking]

Some updates:

• The wife is feeling strongly about being on the road in mid April.
• The wife is feeling strongly about wanting a black car not the "old man" metallic gray. I don't care either way, I'm happy to make her happy with the color of the rig.
• She found a car 2hours away, it's priced within our range, with a nice discount. But it's a Laramie, and the MSRP is a lot higher. It lacks some of the features I want.
• The missing features that are difficult to do afterwards are: Clearance Lights, 115Volt Aux Power Outlet, Dash Pass Thru Wire Circuits and I need to check on the dual alternators.

This is the tally, the prices include the advertised discount, but not any negotiation. Furthermore, Idk what is the average discount from negotiation alone, does anybody have a ballpark estimate?
View attachment 799610

I bought my truck pre-covid, and it was a leftover. I ended up paying 60k out the door for a 72k msrp truck. While not the best discount, with the difference in airfare and fuel to get home, plus the time, it was a good deal. Even with current market conditions being a bit more than pre-covid, I don't think I'd accept a discount of less than 8%, considering certain dealers are offering 12-15% but may require a trip.

Black trucks look amazing when clean, but they only stay clean about 20 minutes in my experience. If you don't care, or it's worth the wifes approval then rock on.

Laramie does have some nicer interior features (nicer dash for example), but if I were to start over, I think I would have opted for a lower trim and just added the few upgrades I wanted. You can add a lot of stuff after the fact if you're willing to put in a bit of elbow grease and time/money.

I don't know that I'd do clearance lights after the fact personally. Some folks have great luck, but man it makes me nervous. That said, I too had to have them so if it's what you can get, live it up.

I can't imagine the power outlet is that tricky, but may want to look on one of the ram specific forums to ask and see. The dash pass through being the aux? Plenty of folks have added that no prob. The aux fuse box is actually pre-installed, so you're ahead there. I would think adding a second alt should be pretty easy. There is a dual alt option from the factory obviously, so it should be as simple as finding the numbers for the alternator, mounting bracket, longer belt, and some large gauge wiring. I'd expect that all to be under 600-700 bucks.

A lot of guys are gonna tell you to just get out and rough it, especially old timers or guys that felt like they have earned the right to poop on the whole "overlanding" scene. I'll be the first to admit there are a lot of mall crawlers and all that, but some guys just enjoy it. How many guys soup up their cars and absolutely never hit the track? How many guys have crazy bass boats that are unnecessary? I could go on but at the end of the day, it's your money and if you've got the means go for it. It may be unnecessary expense in certain cases, but if you want it or it adds value to your life do it up. Hobbies rarely make financial sense, this one being no different.

 

[phsycle]

Say I run and I get a car tomorrow. Where I'm I going to sleep with my baby that needs a 2h nap and 12-13h of quality sleep at night?

Plenty (most?) on here are parents. When we had our first, we just stacked stuff in the Landcruiser. Pack n play, REI tent, some sort of air mattress, then headed out. All good and fun memories. Don’t overcomplicate things in your head before getting some real world experience of just being out there. Do an overnighter close by and see how it goes. Who cares if you don’t have the latest bjorn baby cradle or an overland tactical diaper changing station? You’ll make it work.

 

[hdas]

She found a car 2hours away

A deal is on the table for a 13.63% off MSRP. However, two caveats:

1. The dealer has a ton of bad reviews. It seems like a place to avoid.
2. The dealer said that there were "add ons" that weren't in the website price: tinting mask, appearance protection, dent protection. It all adds $2300. All this seems like a shady tactic. The 13.63% discount is inclusive of this BS.
3. They are unable, for some mysterious reason, to add the current RAM $2500 rebate.

Wondering if these red flags are sufficient to walk away from a potentially decent deal?



Haven't submitted my counter, but I'm inclined to round it to 75k



H

 

[Todd780]

Say I run and I get a car tomorrow. Where I'm I going to sleep with my baby that needs a 2h nap and 12-13h of quality sleep at night?

I was thinking more along the lines of keeping the truck stock to expedite the timeline and adding your camper to the stock truck.
Just a thought. Then send it to AEV over winter?

 

[Buddha.]

1. The dealer has a ton of bad reviews. It seems like a place to avoid.
2. The dealer said that there were "add ons" that weren't in the website price: tinting mask, appearance protection, dent protection. It all adds $2300. All this seems like a shady tactic. The 13.63% discount is inclusive of this BS.
3. They are unable, for some mysterious reason, to add the current RAM $2500 rebate.

Wondering if these red flags are sufficient to walk away from a potentially decent deal?
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H

You know they install that trucoat at the factory.

 

[Todd780]

A deal is on the table for a 13.63% off MSRP. However, two caveats:

1. The dealer has a ton of bad reviews. It seems like a place to avoid.
2. The dealer said that there were "add ons" that weren't in the website price: tinting mask, appearance protection, dent protection. It all adds $2300. All this seems like a shady tactic. The 13.63% discount is inclusive of this BS.
3. They are unable, for some mysterious reason, to add the current RAM $2500 rebate.

Wondering if these red flags are sufficient to walk away from a potentially decent deal?
View attachment 799646
View attachment 799647

H

What is appearance protection & dent protection? If it's some form of insurance can you tell them you don't want it?

 

[phsycle]

A deal is on the table for a 13.63% off MSRP. However, two caveats:

1. The dealer has a ton of bad reviews. It seems like a place to avoid.
2. The dealer said that there were "add ons" that weren't in the website price: tinting mask, appearance protection, dent protection. It all adds $2300. All this seems like a shady tactic. The 13.63% discount is inclusive of this BS.
3. They are unable, for some mysterious reason, to add the current RAM $2500 rebate.

Wondering if these red flags are sufficient to walk away from a potentially decent deal?
View attachment 799646
View attachment 799647

H

I’ve had dealers pull that same thing. Dealer installed accessories at inflated prices. I’ve been able to have the reduce the cost of the add ons by a substantial amount (~80%). I agreed only because I was going to add something similar anyway.

But those are horrendous ratings. I’d go back in with even a lower offer to compensate for other shady things they might pull. Back before the pandemic, 25% off MSRP was easy (for Ram). I’d shoot for something in the high teens, at least. They know the slow sales is coming up. So you’ve got the upper hand.

 

[hdas]

You know they install that trucoat at the factory.

this is exactly it!!!

 

[hdas]

What is appearance protection & dent protection? If it's some form of insurance can you tell them you don't want it?

some BS about a protection film and some paint coat.

 

[COAKXterra]

For what it’s worth (ymmv), we bought our power wagon while my wife was pregnant and got an AT habitat installed right after she was born, along the same lines of wanting something for our family to get out and go easily and have plenty of space for our daughter and us to sleep and be protected in inclement weather.

What we found out within a year was that the habitat, while awesome for me or just my wife and I, it wasn’t what we’d hoped for with the toddler. So a year after getting the habitat, we sold it. We’ve returned to ground tenting (big Agnes base camp 6) with plenty of room for the pack n play, mattress for us, and room for the 130lb dog. Sure, we have to set up a tent. But in retrospect, I wish we would have waited on a camper till we’d figured out what worked or didn’t work for us a little more and then applied it to a camper choice.

I appreciate the “easy method to get out and go” so we still have a shelving unit I built in the back to keep things organized and stored, all protected under an ARE canopy that we got as part of the habitat sale.

All that to say I agree with the comments above about getting the truck and easing into it all vs going full bore right off the bat. We certainly did two steps forward and one back, and it wasn’t exactly a fun experience for us or our bank accounts to do so.

But opinions are that. Opinions. Excited to see where you go with this on the long run.

Also, I’d stay as far away from a dealer with an F rating as I could. But that’s just me.

 

[calicamper]

Plenty (most?) on here are parents. When we had our first, we just stacked stuff in the Landcruiser. Pack n play, REI tent, some sort of air mattress, then headed out. All good and fun memories. Don’t overcomplicate things in your head before getting some real world experience of just being out there. Do an overnighter close by and see how it goes. Who cares if you don’t have the latest bjorn baby cradle or an overland tactical diaper changing station? You’ll make it work.

Same! Hell we bought a used Phil & Teds stroller for $80 had it 8yrs two kids and sold it for $100. Bought a used rocker swing thing for $15 our two kids used it then my brothers three kids and he sold it for $15😆. Oh and we own multiple properties in CA. We spend $ on stuff that matters.

First kid was tent and gear tossed in the stock 93 J80 or Subaru. Second kid we got a 2007 Sequoia added a little 4x6 Lifetime Tent trailer. Have done many 13 day 2000+ mile trips with that setup. Kids got bigger we run a Standard length Expedition heavy tow pack now. It’s hauling 7 HS tennis team kids to a match later today. Friday it’s hauling the family and dogs to the mountains for some hiking and cabin shopping. This winter and Next summer we’ll likely be spending most our extra time at a new cabin if all goes well. Our next big camping/trip will likely be Glacier NP, Banff etc. Probably rent a hard side camper for that trip if we camp. Need to save my toy money for a lake boat assuming we make the cabin thing happen.

Pssst time is the biggest challenge with kids and funds to do stuff. My two kids were $900 for season passes this winter. The good news is we dropped club volleyball so thats $10,000 a yr back in my pocket for one kid. Vehicle modifications? 😆😆😆. Yeah I’d rather spend that $ on a trip or covering maintenance cost on a property. 👍

Space!!! Yeah our two Queen bunks with 4x6 floor tent trailer (used to haul bikes, boats etc. Is a bit snug these days. One teen crashed in the back of the truck or his own tent. When they were little it worked but was snug. Truck camper no way borrowed a neighbors nice rig for two nights way to snug for 4 bodies

 

[UglyViking]

A deal is on the table for a 13.63% off MSRP. However, two caveats:

1. The dealer has a ton of bad reviews. It seems like a place to avoid.
2. The dealer said that there were "add ons" that weren't in the website price: tinting mask, appearance protection, dent protection. It all adds $2300. All this seems like a shady tactic. The 13.63% discount is inclusive of this BS.
3. They are unable, for some mysterious reason, to add the current RAM $2500 rebate.

Wondering if these red flags are sufficient to walk away from a potentially decent deal?

View attachment 799648

Haven't submitted my counter, but I'm inclined to round it to 75k
View attachment 799646
View attachment 799647

H

I'd straight up steer away. I've never had a great experience from a horrible dealer, but I have had horrible experiences from horrible dealers.

As others have mentioned about getting out and enjoying before you go full bore, I think it's for sure valid, so I wouldn't stress too much over anything. Enjoy the ride and all that.

One last thing I'll say in relation. You seem very focused on getting everything together to hit the road at a specific date, if you have flexibility I'd be flexible as much as you can. If you stress and rush into a decision you're likely to hate the decision.

Whatever you choose, it does appear to me that at this point you've made your mind up on what truck you're gonna get, what engine/trans option, and most of the details for the base of the build. At this point you're just gonna get a lot of opinions as another member mentioned. Wish you the best of luck with it, and if there is anything I can help with please reach out on this or another forum. I'm reasonably knowledgable about these newer HD rams and the offroading/overlanding scene and always happy to help out. Past that best of luck with finding the right one!

 

[hdas]

Also, I’d stay as far away from a dealer with an F rating as I could. But that’s just me.

Is there any discount over MSRP level that would change your mind?

 

[hdas]

if you have flexibility I'd be flexible as much as you can. If you stress and rush into a decision you're likely to hate the decision.

Yes....I'm tempted to:

1. Custom order the truck and wait whatever it takes.
2. Find a solution so the wife doesn't go crazy from April to whatever date we have the setup ready.

We'll see. I really appreciate everybody's input.