Hello EcoDieselRam members. My name is Donald. I hail from the drought affected area of California.
As a member of other online forums, I find it almost obligatory for newcomers to post up an intro, and I'm glad this forum has a specific forum for that purpose
- makes it easier for existing members to filter through intros and specific discussion threads, IMO.
Anyway, as the title suggestions, I'm no Ecodiesel owner. As a matter of fact, I'm not even a pickup truck owner. However, I can safely say that I am a very interested and hopeful buyer of the 1500 ecodiesel. The primary reason I'm not already an ecodiesel member is because I'm still in the research/finding-myself stage
I'm quite familiar to gasoline/spark-plug engines; almost 0% experience with diesel.
"why do you even want a diesel engine then?" some of you may wonder...
Well, first off - I really want a pickup truck. The wide open cargo bed makes it easy to throw something in there and not really worry about the confines of the body of the vehicle, such as my current SUV (which I also refer to as a truck - which some of you may frown upon); the SUV is an Infiniti QX4, or some may know it as the "uppity" Nissan Pathfinder. It is 4x4, and i've put some work into the suspension to be able to withstand the occasional towing of a trailer (not that much suspension upgrade is necessary to haul light-duty trailers)
Then came the fact that I really don't haul stuff on a daily basis. No matter - nor do I do so on the SUV. A "commuter with the capacity to haul/tow" is what I'm really interested in. This is when MPGs became a factor. My current weekday commute is 75miles round trip, which may increase as this truck will be the best MPG vehicle in my household, if it should someday become a part of my household. In research most spark-plug'd pickups, I find that the MPGs are not all to much better than my SUV, which is currently getting about 17-18mpgs mixed driving.
That's when I found the 1500's light duty ecodiesel option. Currently (as far as I know in the USA) the only light duty diesel option. As I'm told, manufacturers are not exploring this market - Ram just seems to be the first to break in - again, as far as I know.
So, that's how I came about the 1500 ecodisel. Nice all-around pickup truck for the type of towing/hauling/commuting I generally do, all with the hefty capability as well as the mpg's.
Another question I've been asked by others: "just get a similar SUV to what you've got now..." - mmmmMmm, nehhh, I'd prefer not to be restricted to the interior of the SUV body. I know I'm not going to haul refrigerators, or hay bales, or whatever - but I do plan to haul my motorcycle from time to time. Lots of people don't "need" to have the cars they choose
Nonetheless, here is a quick break-down of why I want a pickup truck
1. haul motorcycle (especially to trackdays)
2. haul large, odd-shaped objects (eg. recently purchased a sleigh bed frame - would have been nice not to have to borrow my brother's truck and picked it up on my own time)
3. ability to haul large and/or odd-shapped object quickly without additional hardware (eg. a trailer, or a hitch carrier)
4. crew cab can carry just as many people as a conventional 5-seater SUV - plus, lots of cargo space
Why I want a pickup with an ecodiesel (and not a heavy-duty diesel)
1. I'll be commuting more than hauling/towing
2. MPGs are extremely enticing with the benefit of torque when needed
3. ability to haul a load (yes, I'll be wayyyyyy below than the advertised 8,xxx lbs) AND! still get nice MPG numbers
4. reputation of diesel durability vs a similar pickup truck - ... and!, yes you guessed it MPG benefit.
Why don't I have one yet
1. I don't want to rush in without knowing what I'm getting myself into (ie. I prefer to be a DIY'er when it comes to managable maintenance, and I haven't a clue how to maintain a diesel on my own)
2. $$$. I'm on somewhat of a restricted budget. I don't want to go over it, and want to remain strict to the numbers I'm setting. Currently, I'm in the range of high-20 USD. Whether or not I'm crazy I'm not too sure. I really plan to buy during the 2015 liquidation due to incoming 2016s.
2a. sidenote - "how did I come about high-20's USD" budget? During the Independence Day sale at a local Ram dealership, I was able to find a EcoDiesel Laramie going for $32K USD. From what I understand, Laramie is the upper-trims of the 1500. I understand there were buyer incentives to bring the price down so far.. but the fact that it actually came down so far, made me figure that the basic Tradesman/Express trim should be easily had at less than 30K when clearance comes along. Or am I sorely wrong?
3. I need to give the missus time to get used to the idea of a getting a large vehicle, not to forget, *new* large vehicle.
And so - I'll cut myself off there, as I know I've posted a heap!
I apologize for being long winded, but figured to be clear why a non-EcodieselRam owner made his way into this forum
Nonethless, I hope to learn MUCH from you guys, and be able to find my way behind a ecodiesel ram in the near future.
cheers!
As a member of other online forums, I find it almost obligatory for newcomers to post up an intro, and I'm glad this forum has a specific forum for that purpose
- makes it easier for existing members to filter through intros and specific discussion threads, IMO. Anyway, as the title suggestions, I'm no Ecodiesel owner. As a matter of fact, I'm not even a pickup truck owner
. However, I can safely say that I am a very interested and hopeful buyer of the 1500 ecodiesel. The primary reason I'm not already an ecodiesel member is because I'm still in the research/finding-myself stage I'm quite familiar to gasoline/spark-plug engines; almost 0% experience with diesel.
"why do you even want a diesel engine then?" some of you may wonder...
Well, first off - I really want a pickup truck. The wide open cargo bed makes it easy to throw something in there and not really worry about the confines of the body of the vehicle, such as my current SUV (which I also refer to as a truck - which some of you may frown upon
); the SUV is an Infiniti QX4, or some may know it as the "uppity" Nissan Pathfinder. It is 4x4, and i've put some work into the suspension to be able to withstand the occasional towing of a trailer (not that much suspension upgrade is necessary to haul light-duty trailers)Then came the fact that I really don't haul stuff on a daily basis. No matter - nor do I do so on the SUV. A "commuter with the capacity to haul/tow" is what I'm really interested in. This is when MPGs became a factor. My current weekday commute is 75miles round trip, which may increase as this truck will be the best MPG vehicle in my household, if it should someday become a part of my household
. In research most spark-plug'd pickups, I find that the MPGs are not all to much better than my SUV, which is currently getting about 17-18mpgs mixed driving. That's when I found the 1500's light duty ecodiesel option. Currently (as far as I know in the USA) the only light duty diesel option. As I'm told, manufacturers are not exploring this market - Ram just seems to be the first to break in - again, as far as I know.
So, that's how I came about the 1500 ecodisel. Nice all-around pickup truck for the type of towing/hauling/commuting I generally do, all with the hefty capability as well as the mpg's.
Another question I've been asked by others: "just get a similar SUV to what you've got now..." - mmmmMmm, nehhh, I'd prefer not to be restricted to the interior of the SUV body. I know I'm not going to haul refrigerators, or hay bales, or whatever - but I do plan to haul my motorcycle from time to time. Lots of people don't "need" to have the cars they choose
Nonetheless, here is a quick break-down of why I want a pickup truck
1. haul motorcycle (especially to trackdays)
2. haul large, odd-shaped objects (eg. recently purchased a sleigh bed frame - would have been nice not to have to borrow my brother's truck and picked it up on my own time)
3. ability to haul large and/or odd-shapped object quickly without additional hardware (eg. a trailer, or a hitch carrier)
4. crew cab can carry just as many people as a conventional 5-seater SUV - plus, lots of cargo space
Why I want a pickup with an ecodiesel (and not a heavy-duty diesel)
1. I'll be commuting more than hauling/towing
2. MPGs are extremely enticing with the benefit of torque when needed
3. ability to haul a load (yes, I'll be wayyyyyy below than the advertised 8,xxx lbs) AND! still get nice MPG numbers
4. reputation of diesel durability vs a similar pickup truck - ... and!, yes you guessed it
MPG benefit.Why don't I have one yet
1. I don't want to rush in without knowing what I'm getting myself into (ie. I prefer to be a DIY'er when it comes to managable maintenance, and I haven't a clue how to maintain a diesel on my own)
2. $$$. I'm on somewhat of a restricted budget. I don't want to go over it, and want to remain strict to the numbers I'm setting. Currently, I'm in the range of high-20 USD. Whether or not I'm crazy I'm not too sure. I really plan to buy during the 2015 liquidation due to incoming 2016s.
2a. sidenote - "how did I come about high-20's USD" budget? During the Independence Day sale at a local Ram dealership, I was able to find a EcoDiesel Laramie going for $32K USD. From what I understand, Laramie is the upper-trims of the 1500. I understand there were buyer incentives to bring the price down so far.. but the fact that it actually came down so far, made me figure that the basic Tradesman/Express trim should be easily had at less than 30K when clearance comes along. Or am I sorely wrong?
3. I need to give the missus time to get used to the idea of a getting a large vehicle, not to forget, *new* large vehicle.
And so - I'll cut myself off there, as I know I've posted a heap!
I apologize for being long winded, but figured to be clear why a non-EcodieselRam owner made his way into this forum
Nonethless, I hope to learn MUCH from you guys, and be able to find my way behind a ecodiesel ram in the near future.
cheers!
