Let's talk trucks! Questions and hopefully answers. Below in the box is a link to a great website for mechanical questions. Here, lets talk about what you like or don't like about your truck and SUV. Such as towing questions for trucks and SUV's. This forum is interactive, so share your experience with all of us, just click MESSAGE BOARD

MrTruck’s Research 

Help narrow truck buying research down to your best choice.

Questions are a good thing. I have plenty of them. Trucks are changing dramatically and the competition is heating up, which is good for you. My job is to give you a different view than what you’ll get on the street or in a dealership.

After the research, and many test-drives check out my online services page, quote to get some real quotes on the trucks. I’ve narrowed the online buying services down to the two that do it the best, try them both, they are free to you and they can get a quote on new and used. Carsdirect will send you a quote. For used trucks only I like Autotrader, they are the biggest and I sold many trucks to folks who came over 200 miles to buy from me because they saw the ad in Autotrader. They have dealer and private trucks. For the two-ton trucks and larger they also have Trucktrader.

I've completed my research into a used truck inspection service that I could recommend to the members of our club. Some of you suggested Magoo's. I haven't found anyone better. So check them out if you are looking for a used truck. You are in this club to give yourself an edge in making the right choices. Here is one more tool. If you're not a mechanic with the resources to thoroughly inspect the physical and mechanical condition of your prospective used truck, then this will save you money and sleep, click.

Now I want you to have the opportunity to have price discovery on the trucks you’re looking at. To do this for free and often, use the websites of Autotrader, Yahoo and KellyBlueBook. AutoTrader and Yahoo use Chrome Data, the same place thousands of new franchised auto dealers use to order vehicles direct from the factory. I use all three websites and compare the prices. You can build new trucks with the options you want and also get used truck prices.

With new trucks be sure to add the national advertising that those programs have and ad another 1% for regional advertising which is all built into the factory invoices. The “Prep Fee” or “Dealer Handling” charges very a lot across the country. It is a bogus fee for extra profit. The majority of manufactures pay the dealer to get the vehicle ready for delivery and is itemized on the federal law mandated Marony retail sticker on all new vehicles window. But some dealers will take the Prep Fee or D&H Fee off and some won’t. Use these three websites to get a close invoice price and average used price so that your price is negotiated up from dealer cost not down retail sticker price.

Always remember to get your money first. You can always take 0% interest from the manufacture financing when available, but be prepared with your own options. The two online loan services I recommend are on Loans. Don’t forget an equity loan on your house and then deduct the interest off your taxes. Ask your bank or credit union for details.

Before you get talked into the dealer extended warranties, do your own research. Sometimes your credit union or insurance companies have better warranties. To check out the two online warranty services go to, Warranties.

Keep checking back on the latest Rebates, Recalls and Interest Rates, which can change each month at RecallsRebatesRates.  There is also crash tests and EPA mileage on trucks 8500 GVWR and lower.

Even if you don’t want a diesel or weren’t planning on a diesel, I just want you to know the facts. Diesels generally cost between $4000 & $5000 new as an option and bring closer to $2000 to $3000 more than a gas engine in a used truck. It generally takes 100,000 miles  (Revised) before the extra fuel economy of a diesel pays for the extra cost of a new diesel. And then the oil changes cost 2 to 3 times more; the noise and the smell if it gets on your hands while filling the tank. If I didn’t plan on keeping a truck for over 100,000 or haul often, I wouldn’t get a diesel and I love diesels! But if you drive over 20,000 miles a year and love power when pulling a trailer then consider the diesel. Consider the extra cost of a diesel on a 5 year loan adds approximately $100 a month.

One way to look at buying a truck new or used is your future needs. Find the salesperson and dealership you trust and build a relationship. There are some good ones out there. I did discover if the dealership names itself “Friendly Motors” run. The month I got out of the business, my oldest son rolled his truck and we had to go truck shopping. I had forgotten how hard it was. We started out going dealer to dealer, reading the paper, looking on the Internet and I just tagged along as dumb ole dad playing with my granddaughter. After my son and daughter-in-law got tired of it and after changing their mind several times on which vehicle they wanted, they asked for help. I got on the cell phone and called one of the veteran salespeople I bought from and trusted as a broker. I told him what I needed and then we went and picked it up.

Of course I have the advantage, knowing the dealer cost of vehicles and who to trust. But the point I was trying to make to my kids was, you’re going to buy a lot of vehicles over your lifetime. Find the salesperson and dealer you trust and build a relationship and send them your friends. You still need to do price research to keep everyone honest, and let me help you sort which truck is your best choice, but in the same areas of the country used and especially new, cost all the dealers very close to the same. I would think a positive relationship with a dealer you trust would take some of the stress out of something you would do more than once.

Being in the business I use to see some amazing things. Retired people were always a target for salespeople, they were old school and got used to believing some of the wild stories from salespeople and they didn’t use the Internet for research. Next in line for the land sharks used to be women, which has totally changed, I talk about this on my web site, salespeople use to be able to intimidate women who would come to a car lot by themselves. I’ve seen this evolve to the point now that a single man coming to a car lot is the target. But if he’s married no one will talk to him without his wife. Today’s women buyers are educated about what they are looking for, do more research and ask a tremendous amount of questions. And they put up with less BS.

It’s not easy to find a superstar salesperson and most big dealerships have a 70% turnover rate of salespeople. When my customers had a problem with the service department, I was in the middle of it getting things done, when my clients had a problem with warranties, I was calling the regional manufactures managers getting things done. What I saw with most other salespeople was, they only went out of their way to help customers who made them big money. We all know that’s not right but it’s true. Just like I know several small franchised auto dealers who will service your “under warranty” problems only after customers who bought from them are taken care of and them some. That’s against all manufactures franchises rules, but it’s the real world.

New Dodge Trucks at Fleet Deals: Ask for Kathy or Linda in fleet at 1-800-880-1940, Tell them MrTruck sent you.

Quality salespeople know that if you are happy, you are the best advertisement for them. In my years in the auto business I saw how happy people were, to come back a few years later and get to work with the same salesperson, someone they trusted and sent their friends and even their relatives to. Words of caution here, even with a trusted salesperson, always do your homework and research prices, interest rates and rebates. As long as salespeople are paid on a commission of what they make the store, it’s human nature to try to make more on you if given the chance.  We all are trying to feed our families and I don’t expect people to work for free. But that’s just me, the older I get the more I can see both sides of any argument.