I bought a new truck, even though I wanted a used truck.

I have wanted to get a new-to-me truck for a while. While I did really like my 2018 Ram 1500, it was having some issues that I didn't want to deal with anymore. Mainly, the fact that it seemed to like to eat rear axles. The first axle was likely my fault. The pinion seal failed and I didn't notice for some time. In that time, I think water got into the axle and damaged the bearings. By the time I discovered the seal was bad, the damage was bad enough that the axle housing itself was damaged. I had a shop install a replacement (junkyard) axle and everything seemed fine. However, about 4 months later I noticed noise coming from the axle again. The high pitched whine of expensive repairs and regret. I took the truck in again and this axle was also bad, again. This time, the shop found a replacement that had lower miles, so we were sure it must be better. We installed that one and I had been driving on that. Well, that axle started making a strange clunking sound. That's when I decided it was time to put the wheels into motion to get a replacement truck.

I had been looking for a while at 3/4 ton trucks. Since we have the camper and the equipment trailer, I wanted a heavier truck to tow with. I doubt the towing is what hurt the 1500, but you never know. Anyway, when I was shopping around, I found lots of trucks I liked, but the prices were so high that I couldn't bring myself to even consider buying one. I wanted something that was no more than 2 years old and less than 30,000 miles. Typical, off-lease vehicles.

I wasn't set on another Ram, though I do really like them (I've had 2). I drove a Silverado 2500 that fit what I was looking for and was actually a little higher optioned than I was expecting, it did have a little higher miles, though. I liked it, but I didn't really like how it drove. The steering felt heavy. I also was not a fan of the A-pilar as it seemed to be HUGE from the driver perspective. I did really like the 6.6L engine and how it felt. I decided to drive a Ram 2500 to compare.

I found a dealer about an hour away that had 3-4 used trucks that were in the range of what I was looking for at a price that I could force myself to accept. I made an appointment and went on a Saturday, by myself (foreshadowing).

I started by telling the dealer that I was test driving for comparison mostly, but that if any of these trucks were what I wanted and I liked them, I would consider purchasing, if we could come to an agreement on price.

The 2 trucks I was interested in. The new one is on the left, the used one is on the right.

I drove 2 trucks, both only 1 year old with very low miles. They were great, but lacked a couple options I wanted. Then, we started talking about new trucks. I told him the prices were too high for what I wanted, but decided to drive one anyway to compare a brand new truck (12 miles) to the used one I was interested in (14k miles). I went on the test drive expecting the truck to feel exactly the same as the used truck, just more expensive. Well, when I came back I had a problem. I really liked the new truck more. But, I was having a tough time justifying the extra cost. We worked some numbers and he gave me out-the-door prices for both trucks. Yes, the new truck was more. However, it wasn't as much more as I had expected. I then spent at least 2 hours going back and forth about the pros and cons of each truck. I even called my wife so she could tell me I was being dumb for thinking about buying the new truck. That backfired. She told me that it was actually, maybe a good thing to buy the new truck over the used one. She was supposed to be my voice of reason, as she always is, and here she was agreeing with me. Then, I asked the dealer if it would be possible to take the new truck home for the weekend to show the girls. I expected I would need to put a deposit down or something, right? Nope! He said sure, go ahead.

I came home with the truck and pulled in the driveway. My wife hadn't told our daughter that I was going to have it for the weekend. She pretended to be very upset that I just "bought" a new truck without her consent. Our daughter really thought I was going to be in big trouble. It was pretty funny. We did eventually tell her about the test drive plan.

We took the truck when we went out to dinner that night and both girls told me I should get it, even though it was more money. We drove around for the next day and they agreed I was going to buy this truck. The dealers plan had worked and I fell for it...

The truck I came home with.

On Monday morning, I was at the credit union ready to apply for a loan. I texted the dealer to make sure.

Me: "if I bring you a bank check for the amount on the paper you gave me, you will give me the truck, right?"

Dealer: "yes".

Me: "Ok", I responded.

"I'll see you in a couple hours".

And that was that. That was how I failed to be a responsible adult and how I ended up buying a new truck when I went to buy a used one.

I have definite buyers remorse. I do feel guilty spending so much money for a new truck. It's not that it's a financial hardship, it's just a lot of money, and for certain things, I'm cheap.

I do love the new truck. I do not love the new fuel mileage, especially since gas has gone up to over $4/gallon recently. Luckily, I don't drive as much as I used to. Hopefully, that will mean it doesn't hurt as much with the higher fuel prices.

Update: The fuel mileage is not as bad as the previous truck. The main difference is, the size of the fuel tank. The 1500 had a 18-20 gallon tank, this truck has a 26 gallon tank. The extra 6-8 gallons at $4.89/gallon do add up. Luckily, my wife has lots of points at Meijer, so we use those to get a discount on fuel. Still, it is a lot. I will not be making random trips to the Estate like I did in the other truck. Average on the 1500 was around 15-17mpg. This truck averages right around 13-14. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it's not very good either. I have noticed the mpg doesn't drop like the 1500 did when I'm towing. It reminds me more of my old 1998 Suburban ( I loved that truck!). It got 13 mpg no matter what. City driving, highway driving, towing, it didn't matter. It also had a 42 gallon tank and we had it the last time was over $4/gallon. At the time, it was a 3rd vehicle and was used mainly for traveling to dock jumping competitions and our annual vacation in the UP. So, the terrible mileage didn't really bother me. This one is going to require some strategic planning for refueling, for sure.