It's all about service after the sale. I'd buy any of the Big 3 trucks, but only based on the quality of service at the dealer and in the aftermarket.
Stake-bed diesel pickups
- Thread starter TheTanSedan
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JHZR2
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Problem is there is apparently no real decent service down in the USVI... It seems to be the quality of the repair shops you know down there... and high hopes that you bought a reliable truck that can stand up to the true severe servce seen down there.
They want to buy up here and ship down.. Problem is, I dont know where to look for the best deals, or even how to price shop for trucks and bodies in this arena.
Ford's website has moe useful info than any... I cant even find a chassis cab on the chevy site.
I really have no clue as to how to go from buying a truck to getting a finished product with a body attached, lift installed, etc.
Ive found some truck body companies around, but dont have that great an idea how to deal with them - if you buy a truck and deliver it there, etc.
JMH
[ June 13, 2006, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]
They want to buy up here and ship down.. Problem is, I dont know where to look for the best deals, or even how to price shop for trucks and bodies in this arena.
Ford's website has moe useful info than any... I cant even find a chassis cab on the chevy site.
I really have no clue as to how to go from buying a truck to getting a finished product with a body attached, lift installed, etc.
Ive found some truck body companies around, but dont have that great an idea how to deal with them - if you buy a truck and deliver it there, etc.
JMH
[ June 13, 2006, 02:30 PM: Message edited by: JHZR2 ]
http://www.gmc.com/commercialBridge.jsp - I believe that site has better info than the Chevy site.
As far as trucks go, the Duramax/Allison combo will provide the best fuel mileage and power. The allison will hold up to a ton of abuse.
The Fords are the best trucks, but they have the worst powertrain combo.
I would add an auxillary fuel filter to any truck you buy though.
As far as trucks go, the Duramax/Allison combo will provide the best fuel mileage and power. The allison will hold up to a ton of abuse.
The Fords are the best trucks, but they have the worst powertrain combo.
I would add an auxillary fuel filter to any truck you buy though.
In NJ you are lucky to have the highest population density of practically anywhere... and the most car dealers to support this.
I would go to a megadealer that advertises on TV or a full page newspaper ad and look around. There will be some that order/build stake beds "on spec" that you can play with on the lot. If they've done this in front of you they've done it ten times and have worked the bugs out.
Also consider sales tax and how it applies to cross-state transactions. Some states near you might have more lenient exemptions.
I would go to a megadealer that advertises on TV or a full page newspaper ad and look around. There will be some that order/build stake beds "on spec" that you can play with on the lot. If they've done this in front of you they've done it ten times and have worked the bugs out.
Also consider sales tax and how it applies to cross-state transactions. Some states near you might have more lenient exemptions.
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Well, any pickup can be ordered as a chassis cab ..last time I checked anyway. You can even drive it that way as long as you have mud flaps (or you used to).
Just don't let the sales person jerk you around on price reduction due to not having a bed on there. When all the Toyota trucks were imported I was fleet pricing them. We were installing small utilvan boxes on them. He casually said that since we didn't need the beds that he'd give us a $100 credit for each one. What he failed to mention was that they were imported without the beds (not quite assembled got some break at the time in import numbers) and that they typically went for $1500 trade.
It was the same with the Mazda (Ford Courier). It was just dandy with the mini=Utilivan body on it. A $1200 option at the time, but only a $177 credit for the bed.
What I'm saying is that if the sales guy jerks you around and only gives you some small discount for the chassis cab ...just get a regular pickup ..sell the bed for over $3000 (maybe more, now) and pay for part of your stake body/hydraulic lift.
I'm just thinking of your frugal side.
Just don't let the sales person jerk you around on price reduction due to not having a bed on there. When all the Toyota trucks were imported I was fleet pricing them. We were installing small utilvan boxes on them. He casually said that since we didn't need the beds that he'd give us a $100 credit for each one. What he failed to mention was that they were imported without the beds (not quite assembled got some break at the time in import numbers) and that they typically went for $1500 trade.
It was the same with the Mazda (Ford Courier). It was just dandy with the mini=Utilivan body on it. A $1200 option at the time, but only a $177 credit for the bed.
What I'm saying is that if the sales guy jerks you around and only gives you some small discount for the chassis cab ...just get a regular pickup ..sell the bed for over $3000 (maybe more, now) and pay for part of your stake body/hydraulic lift.
I'm just thinking of your frugal side.
JHZR2
Staff member
thanks! yes, fortunately NJ has a lot of dealers to haggle with and hopefully try out truck/powertrain combos...
The USVI has no sales tax, and so that isnt an issue as it will directly registered there.
JMH
The USVI has no sales tax, and so that isnt an issue as it will directly registered there.
JMH
Do your research on sales tax anyway. Some states require dealers to collect it then make you fight to get it back.... or the other jurisdiction will offer a credit against their own tax... if USVI has no tax they have no credit to offer.
You can always come up to New Hampshire and go shopping.
(How is Delaware incidentally?)
You can always come up to New Hampshire and go shopping.
JHZR2
Staff member
Hi,
My fiancee's father is looking to buy a stake bed pickup truck, with a 9-10' bed and fold under hydraulic lift on the back.
I have always liked dodge cummins trucks, and I suppose even the normal, non HD 3500 can be had without a pickup bed to accept a new stake bed, right?
The thing is, this vehicle will be used in the USVI. While the cummins engine obviously has a lot of benefits, I do not believe there is a dodge dealer down there... so Ford and Chevy need to be considered too, from a parts and maintenance standpoint.
Chevy seems to be the best as far as auto trans (allison) and fuel economy goes (though an AT is not a necessity, and the truck certainly can be bought with MT instead, if it IS a better choice for longevity, especially if maintenance is not 100%), dodge seems the best as far as engine goes, and Ford seems to be the heaviest duty overall... though it seems that its engine might be iffy at this point. Another issue is that the USVI may not have the super clean diesel that we do in the states, so sensitivity may be a problem.
Any suggestions??? comments, opinions (butnot ****in' matches) are appreciated.
Also, how do you go about buying a truck with stake bed and lift all in one. Do some dealers specialize in such trucks, or do you have to buy a truck and deal with a body manufacturer directly to get the rest done? What is the way to get the best deal?
Im totally new to this sort of thing, and though I love diesels and diesel trucks, and know a fari amount about them... buying one like this is an unknown, so any advice or info would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
JMH
My fiancee's father is looking to buy a stake bed pickup truck, with a 9-10' bed and fold under hydraulic lift on the back.
I have always liked dodge cummins trucks, and I suppose even the normal, non HD 3500 can be had without a pickup bed to accept a new stake bed, right?
The thing is, this vehicle will be used in the USVI. While the cummins engine obviously has a lot of benefits, I do not believe there is a dodge dealer down there... so Ford and Chevy need to be considered too, from a parts and maintenance standpoint.
Chevy seems to be the best as far as auto trans (allison) and fuel economy goes (though an AT is not a necessity, and the truck certainly can be bought with MT instead, if it IS a better choice for longevity, especially if maintenance is not 100%), dodge seems the best as far as engine goes, and Ford seems to be the heaviest duty overall... though it seems that its engine might be iffy at this point. Another issue is that the USVI may not have the super clean diesel that we do in the states, so sensitivity may be a problem.
Any suggestions??? comments, opinions (butnot ****in' matches) are appreciated.
Also, how do you go about buying a truck with stake bed and lift all in one. Do some dealers specialize in such trucks, or do you have to buy a truck and deal with a body manufacturer directly to get the rest done? What is the way to get the best deal?
Im totally new to this sort of thing, and though I love diesels and diesel trucks, and know a fari amount about them... buying one like this is an unknown, so any advice or info would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
JMH
JHZR2
Staff member
New Hampshire has no sales tax on vehicles?!?
Delaware is fine if youre going to shop, due to the 0% tax on anything from trinkets to TVs... I had to get out, as where I lived (convenient to Phila.) the traffic patterns were so horrible I was getting way stressed out.
Ive lived in Northern NJ and DC... both are way better, IMO. Its just the way the people drive.
But were talking about buying vehicles, not driving them in traffic... when my fiancee registered her car from VA (she registered it at her Aunt's house first when she came up from the VI for school) to DE, they tried to collect >3% tax on it!!!
So Im not sure if DE is a good place to buy vehicles, as it appears that there IS some sort of tax.
More to research... thanks for the insight!
JMH
Delaware is fine if youre going to shop, due to the 0% tax on anything from trinkets to TVs... I had to get out, as where I lived (convenient to Phila.) the traffic patterns were so horrible I was getting way stressed out.
Ive lived in Northern NJ and DC... both are way better, IMO. Its just the way the people drive.
But were talking about buying vehicles, not driving them in traffic... when my fiancee registered her car from VA (she registered it at her Aunt's house first when she came up from the VI for school) to DE, they tried to collect >3% tax on it!!!
So Im not sure if DE is a good place to buy vehicles, as it appears that there IS some sort of tax.
More to research... thanks for the insight!
JMH
Fleet sales. Look to the aftermarket manufacturer of the bed you wish to install and ask them to point out a dealers fleet sales department (importantly, a name or three)with whom they have worked to satisfaction more than once.
Here's an example:
http://www.knapheide.com/nj.html
A supplier
www.tommygate.com
And keep going. Chances are that you will hear of one or two men at one or two dealerships that have done a lot of spec work for customers out of a fleet sales department, and that they are familiar to numerous aftermarket manufacturer's distributors.
[ June 14, 2006, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: TheTanSedan ]
Here's an example:
http://www.knapheide.com/nj.html
A supplier
www.tommygate.com
And keep going. Chances are that you will hear of one or two men at one or two dealerships that have done a lot of spec work for customers out of a fleet sales department, and that they are familiar to numerous aftermarket manufacturer's distributors.
[ June 14, 2006, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: TheTanSedan ]
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