Thoughts on a Cummins Mega Cab

[RU55ELL]

I'll split this up so I cover everything. :elkgrin:

I think it was Chevy, or buick or somebody that had a 7 seater station wagon. So did mercedes iirc. Limo? What about an avalon, those things are pretty big inside.

There may be, but the problem is, all of them cost more than what we could sell the Camry for. Then, I would be footing the entire cost since work isn't covering a vehicle for my wife.

Lift/spring kit, tires, carb tune, and whatnot shouldn't be that bad. A nice alcan spring kit would smooth it out. Do you have time to do it? With a family of 5 that may be too much time intensive to you to be worth it. The advantage to the idea of fixing the ramcharger is then it isn't anything but a dedicated roadtrip vehicle. Plus I see the common idea of a new vehicle so somebody doesn't have to fix the old vehicle as kind of a fallacy. The old vehicle will still be broken, and instead you now have a new vehicle that necessitates maintenance. I'm not really directing that at you, it just seems to be a common idea of our cutlture that I think sorta applies here.

Yeah, time is definitely the biggest issue here. I enjoy spending my evenings with my wife and kids. I also forgot to mention that axles are on the list since it doesn't cost much more to do that than it does to regear the stock weaker ones. For the most part, it's all bolt-on stuff, but it's the unforeseen things that happen while you are doing what you meant to do that throws everything off course. If I were to get the Mega Cab, I would still fix the RC, just at a much slower pace. Throwing all that money at the RC is more my wife's issue than mine. She is an accountant and doesn't get "it", and doesn't like the idea of a bad investment in a vehicle. She is slowly understanding my passion though, and I love and appreciate that. I do share the same view as you though, and when we bought the Camry back in 06, we did exactly what you describe. We had a few problems with the Saturn that she had and it stranded her in Houston once and instead of working out the few bugs it had, we dumped it and bought a brand new car and got raped on interest because it was what we thought we "needed". Of course, we lived and learned and know now that it wasn't the best course of action. This is also why I have a problem getting something else at all. Culture says, get what you want and put it on credit. That is exactly what we do not want to do. We are actually working very hard to get completely debt free within 10 years (currently 27 right now).

I just don't think the normal giant pickup is the best way to go, mainly because of mpg and cost. Gotta be a better way right? Seems that most people I know don't take trips because of the cost to run the vehicle.

Yeah, the dually certainly wouldn't have been my first choice. It's basically the price that's the big driver, even though it still means being in debt.

Do you need the passenger space day to day for work? Since you have a work truck provided for work and paid by work, would you really want to replace that with your own vehicle that then gets beat up by work, even if they are paying you to use it? I'm not sure I would want to subject my truck to the beating I gave the work trucks at my previous jobs. Primarily I really didn't want my guys loading my truck the same way they loaded company trucks. Those dudes just threw crap at the trucks.

I'm just firing out ideas. Some will be way off target.

I don't need the passenger space many times, but it would be nice for the rare times when I have to sleep in it (manager in the oilfield). The Quad Cab I have right now isn't too easy for a 6'4" guy to sleep in. I'm EXTREMELY protective of my work truck right now, even though I don't pay for it; so much that I usually load my own truck and give very thorough once-overs of anyone that rides in it because for the most part, they don't have the same respect for other people's property as I do. I treat it very well, strictly abiding to maintenance schedule and keeping it very clean and smelling nice. I can see what you mean though, I would be even worse if I were paying for it out of my own pocket.

I appreciate all the ideas. They are giving me plenty to think about. My selfish "American" nature tells me get it. My reasoning and belief system says not to.

 

[RU55ELL]

It would be awesome if I could find a crew cab, 1st gen Cummins Ram. Then I could pay cash for the truck and pocket the money from the beginning.

 

[zeke2.0]

Have you considered a late model low mileage Ford Escape for your wife? They can be had for the low 20's, and Ford offers warranties on them. AWD, plenty of room for the kids, and it's NOT a minivan.

 

[bfdiesel]

You have 3 kids and the camery seats 5? I am failing to see the need for another vehicle. How many times do you travel more than a couple of hours at a time? It sounds like comfort vs debt is what you are hashing out.

My view is keep the company truck if it looses a tranny or blows a motor you aren't out anything. If your own does that you are out the money to fix it and the down time. Personally I would keep my private vehicle as far away from work as possible.

 

[RU55ELL]

I forgot to mention the ages of the children; 7, 3 and 9 weeks old. So the baby is in a rear-facing seat, one in a booster. You are absolutely right, that is the battle that I am fighting, comfort vs debt, as well as having a possible case of diesel fever.

 

[bftank]

do not go in debt, something unforeseen always comes up.

the $3600 i spent in cash on my 94 f350 has been the best investment on a vehicle i have made yet. it's not flashy, but it gets the job done, gives me room for my family to grow, and because i have cheap insurance on it and no payments i have room to modify it when necessary. the maintenence on it has been primarily little things.

i have been in similar shoes to your and it took me two different trucks and 5 years of car payments to realize cash is king when it comes to purchasing cars.

this my experience as a 31 yr old. in the gas fields of colorado.

 

[lstzephyr]

It would be awesome if I could find a crew cab, 1st gen Cummins Ram. Then I could pay cash for the truck and pocket the money from the beginning.

How about an early crew cab idi/powerstroke ford? You could then pay cash, pocket the money, and have a decent truck with a strong engine in your do-it-all 3/4ton. Might even be able to get one for close to what your ramcharger is worth. Although then you run the risk of having an old truck for a daily, which is at times interesting. If sleeping in the truck is a concern a softtopper(So you could load gear) and a cot could make a nice little steel cabin on your jobsite. Downside would be it would be like a big tent to set up, perhaps worse than simply taking a tent.

If it is just a slight diesel fever a battered 1st gen for swap parts for your ramcharger might be the only thing you want. There are a couple around here for 2k. A cummins swapped 4x4 ramcharger in good shape would be "worth" in the same range as a 1st gen, maybe higher so figure 4-5k. That might help your accountant be understanding of it. Then you wouldn't need to use it as daily transport so you could take your time on it.

Going into debt for the mega sounds like it isn't really want you want to do, even if it would be nice.

 

[RU55ELL]

I thought about it, but I don't think my manager would be too keen on me showing up at a Shell office in a beat up truck. So that even puts the nix on 90% of the first gen Cummins trucks too.

 

[Sangster]

What would Dave Ramsey do?

 

[RU55ELL]

We are of the same belief system.

That's a hard one to decide too. Pocketing the allowance after the truck is paid off quickly would bolster our financial situation for certain. He does also mention that it's bad to throw a ton of money in something that isn't "worth it". How guilty would we all be in that instance?

I know what you are saying though. I shouldn't be jumping into something just to be more comfortable. If this truck wasn't priced so well, I probably wouldn't have thought about it until we took the first trip and realized the want for more room.

 

[4671 Hybrid]

For the Camry, have you thought about a car top carrier? They can be had for $50-$75 on Craigslist, will free up the cabin space and trunk on longer trips, and will allow you keep the car and enjoy the great gas mileage. Add in a netbook/DVD player for the kids and they’ll be immune to the elbow rubbing in the back seat once the movie starts. I have 5 myself and know that 3 in the backseat can be tight but it can definitely be done.

If all else fails, you could sell the Camry and buy a slightly older minivan so that you aren’t paying out of pocket (depending on what you still owe). When we’re in the States, we use our 97 Honda Odyssey and it’s a great family vehicle. It’s more like a sedan wagon than a van and will easily hold your family, luggage, and whatever else you want to bring. They’re selling in the $2-2.5K range right now and are universally known as long lasting and dependable vehicles. Plus, they use the same parts from the 94-97 series of Accords which means that parts are cheap and plentiful. To give you an idea of costs, engines can be had for $400-600 and transmissions from $300-500.

Here’s an example: http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ank/cto/2589218893.html

Regarding the truck, I looked in San Antonio and found 4x4, crew cab, ¾ tons in the $7-8.5K range. True these were gas motors but they’d be easier to maintain, easier to find parts for, and unless you’re towing heavy, don’t have many disadvantages to diesel. At $7500, you’d have it paid off in 9 months and have money left over for insurance, minor maintenance, etc. For the next year, you’d have the full $10,800 to sock away and even if you hit a stretch of bad luck and lost one major component (engine, trans,t-case) per year, you’d still be pocketing at least $6k/year. Here’s a quick example of a $7k truck: http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/cto/2660184306.html

For sleeping in it, you could add a topper and a cot and you’re good to go. Or, if feasible, remove the passenger seat and add a cot setup w/fridge underneath.

As for the Ramcharger, is it worth $900/month if you kept it and fixed it up? That’s basically the scenario from your first post, that if you fixed up the Ramcharger then you’d keep the company truck and not get the stipend.

If it were me, I’d be all over the $900/mo stipend since I really don’t see how you can lose. As long as you don’t buy a complete lemon, you’ll be earning money before a full year is up. Even if you do buy a lemon, you’ll still break even it’ll just take a little while longer. Either way though, it’s a money making venture.

 

[redthies]

I feel your pain on this one! I had to make a similar choice when I was in the same circumstance as you, but single. 27 years old, working for a company that offered $600/ month for guys that provided their own 3/4 or 1ton 4x4 pick-up. I signed on the line for a new 96 F350 with PSD and 5 speed. It was $650/ month. What a great deal! A brand new rig for $50 a month! Then, before I even got my 1st $600, the owner of the company decided to stop this policy due to other employees abusing the deal. We were supposed to carry fuel for company machines at all times, but most just drove around with empty tanks in the back of their trucks. Unfair? Maybe, but I was still stuck with the payments...

While that is a nice story, here are my thoughts. Your wife loves her Camry? Simple. It is her car, let her decide what to drive. For you, I would highly recommend you look at a clean used 3/4 ton. If your company doesn't have a limit on what you purchase there is a nice example on Craigslist in Pleasanton. It's a clean silver 98 Dodge club cab with new Cummins and auto trans. $6800. It is a totally resectable looking truck, and should be just fine for what you NEED. If you took a loan out it would be paid off in a year, and as others have said, pocket the $900 there-after. Your company would still pay for fuel, correct? Insurance would be your only regular monthly outlay. I have owned the 94-98.5 Cummins trucks and they are as good as it gets for getting that diesel "itch" scratched.

If you do go with your dads truck, look at a dual to single conversion. That would be a plus for one of those monsters...

Good luck with your choice. I sold my F350 about a year after I bought it, but probably should have kept it as the 7.3 5spd is an awesome combo.

 

[RU55ELL]

Well, I went and drove it and whatnot and liked it. My wife loved it, especially the room in the back. We got to talking and we are thinking about doing something similar to this:

We still haven't made the decision to get it yet though.

 

[zb39]

I love mine. have owned many Dodge, Cummins.....never any problems. Bigger is always better for the family, around town and on the road.

 

[Halligan]

I vote for the Cummins/Mega. Work gives you a stipend to offset the cost and you know the history. If the dually portion bothers you can always find someone who has a single rear wheel but wants a dually and swap the bed and rear axle with him.