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

[phsycle]

I hear you, but some of us are like that. I spent 6-8 months thinking and tinkering with a gravel bike build, until I knew why I was making every choice and what were the tradeoffs. I think most of the time I'm trying to minimize future regret. The uphill battle here is that I'm not a car mechanically inclined person. Perhaps this overlanding rig will force me to become one. Surely at the expense of another interests.

Off course we all have a budget of time. Our goal is and has been April 2024. The timeline seems ok, get the truck from now to December, build the rig from Jan to March. I do need to anticipate delays and many components have waiting times. So a lot of the other decisions are being made in parallel. I will start a separate thread regarding the overlanding rig, once the truck order is in process.

I'm really appreciative of all the feedback I've gotten here.

My comment had more of an empathetic tone to it, despite the inability to communicate that via internet. I think we’ve all been there.
(Funny enough, I’m there now with a gravel bike build 🤣)

Anyway. Just go with your gut and move forward. I don’t think you can go wrong.

 

[hdas]

I was all set to go on a '22 Tundra

Seems like we had similar paths. 3 weeks ago I was ready to buy my Tundra, Lunar Rock or the Dark gray were my options.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Seems like we had similar paths. 3 weeks ago I was ready to buy my Tundra, Lunar Rock or the Dark gray were my options.

They are nice trucks. But in the end the F150 just offered more of what I need to use a truck for.

Tundras only came with 3:31 axle ratio.
No Max Tow option.
No bed entry steps
Had to go w/ platinum to get Tow Mirrors (?)
No front tow hooks, lol
And Toyota was going to charge $8 per month after the 1st year to be able to use remote start? That one angered me....

 

[phsycle]

They are nice trucks. But in the end the F150 just offered more of what I need to use a truck for.

Tundras only came with 3:31 axle ratio.
No Max Tow option.
No bed entry steps
Had to go w/ platinum to get Tow Mirrors (?)
No front tow hooks, lol
And Toyota was going to charge $8 per month after the 1st year to be able to use remote start? That one angered me....

I actually had no idea Toyota went away from 4.30 rear. Too bad. Remote start subscription is just stupid. 🤣

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I actually had no idea Toyota went away from 4.30 rear. Too bad. Remote start subscription is just stupid. 🤣

Guessing cause they went with a 3.5 Twin Turbo V6 and a 10 speed transmission.
So 3:31 would probably work well for most. But I wanted the extra grunt for towing....
Max Tow came with 3:55. If I had went with a PowerBoost I believe it would've been 3:73's.
Pretty sure HDPP F150's also have 3:73's.

Anyway... Back to Rams....

 

[hdas]

Going back to the AEV package, this is the breakdown:



The Diesel Exhaust Tip and the plate for winch cover are mandatory for diesel and for people not opting for a winch, also I need a spare. There are some optional items like the black branding (I hate chrome) and the Front Skid Plate, which seems prudent:


Since this pursuit is and endless drain of money, there could be some potential AEV upgrades in the future (in yellow), but definitely not right now:



The leather option is interesting, but I do wonder about the quality. Nowhere you can access leather without going 2 or 3 trim levels up and paying for a bunch of other crap.

 

[hdas]

Finalize options list including deciding between Standard Diesel or High Output Diesel

For those following this is a thread concerning this specific issue in HDRams forum

 

[hdas]

Something Important: Talking to my wife yesterday, it seems that it is a priority for her to be able to partially use the back seat when we are travelling the 3 of us (so a seat delete is not the answer). In this video, around 3:25 timestamp, It shows the ability to do this. I need to figure out what trim level (if any) offers this, or if there are any good aftermarket equivalent solutions.



I appreciate If anybody has any insight.

 

[chet6.7]

What is difficult for me to establish at this point is, what is the balance of cost/benefits in order to choose properly?: It seems that for my specific application, the SO engine is sufficient and It could even be a better experience in terms of shifting and MPG, however I'm giving up a bit more power and a very robust transmission in the AISIN. Is this a wash then?.

I haven't been keeping up on the Cummins Forum like I did in past years, but I have read more complaints on the 68 trans than the Asin. A smooth shifting weaker trans VS a less smooth shifting stronger trans, I would pick the Asin.

 

[hdas]

Of course, this is what I have always done. Submit a detailed list of exactly what you want to the dealer and ask them to respond with a price. Over the years what I have done is select maybe 5-10 regional dealers, submit my list, and they reply with their best offer. I then visit one or two local dealers in my area and ask them if they are able to beat the best price. If so, I place my order there and wait 6-8 weeks, if they do not match, I deal with the regional dealer with the best price and place my order there. I have always ordered new vehicles exactly how I wanted them.

Just spoke with a dealer, it sounds that If I custom order I should expect a wait time between 4 and 6 months.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Just spoke with a dealer, it sounds that If I custom order I should expect a wait time between 4 and 6 months.

It took 5 months for my F150. Does that timeline include the AEV conversion? If so that's not too bad....

 

[IdaSHO]

Dave Smith is a solid bet. They are just north of us. And its udder ridiculous just how far people are traveling to purchase trucks.

 

[hdas]

Dave Smith

They have 0 vehicles with a build even closed to my preferred.

 

[phsycle]

Have a dealer do a country wide search.

Or simply use cargurus.com and do a nationwide search with the parameters you want. It doesn’t get down to the nitty gritty but should get you close enough. Then fly and buy.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Or:

2022 Ram 2500 AEV Prospector XL, Mega Cab w/OEV CampX : Fishers, IN

Up for sale is my turn-key adventure Rig. With my family expanding and life/work getting busier I just have not had the opportunity to get a lot of use out of the Rig. The PXL sits just under 6,000 miles. The truck was initially ordered back at the end of 2021, It was very hard to find...

forum.expeditionportal.com

2022 Black Series HQ19 and 2021 Ram Prospector XL for Sale.

Gonna miss this setup but I'm selling my 2021 AEV built Prospector XL and 2022 Black Series HQ19... 2021 Ram Prospector XL 95,000 OBO 2022 HQ19 $59,000 OBO 150K for the package. Located In Phoenix Arizona. Would love to sell these together but will separate, camper just has to go first. Ram...

forum.expeditionportal.com

2015 AEV Prospector Crew Cab, Excellent Condition, Low Miles, Lots of Extras (PRICE LOWERED on 10 Sept 2023)

Original Total Vehicle Cost New with All Extras Listed in the Following Ad: $86,000-plus For Sale Now at: $49,500 (New Price as of 10 Sept 2023) Up for sale is a fully badged and outfitted 2015 AEV Prospector RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.4 Hemi with low mileage and many extras added to it that make...

forum.expeditionportal.com

22' RAM 3500 AEV Prospector XL w/ Four Wheel Camper Hawk

Finally had chance to put together the ultimate truck I’ve been dreaming about for a while. Picked up the Prospector @ Glendale RAM, working with Jackson was very smooth and effeicient. 2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn Sport AEV Prospector XL Took delivery 7/22 @ Glendale RAM (great experience, highly...

forum.expeditionportal.com