So it's time for me to get a new vehicle for regular driving duties. I currently have an '08 Mazdaspeed 3 which has served me well over the last 5 years.

I am seriously considering buying a truck (some Ram variant) but I'm not sure if I actually 'need' one. The main reason for thinking I do is towing. I'm not talking about heavy towing but bringing my Duster to the track during the warm months.

Any truck I buy would have to be a crew cab to fit my kids. This generally means a short bed which to me, is kind of useless since you really can't fit too much in there. I live in the suburbs of NYC which can be quite congested and parking usually involves squeezing your car into a tight space so I can't justify a Mega Cab long bed.

I dunno, there just seems to be so many reasons for me NOT to buy one but when I actually DO need one, I'm S.O.L. Would a Durango suit my needs? I like the Durango R/T for sure.

I do currently have a '76 D100 BB/4spd. SWB. I bought it with the intention of using it as an occasional tow vehicle but the more I drove it around, that idea seemed less and less realistic. Could it be done? Sure but it's not really the ideal truck for that.

Daily driving a Ram will be a complete sea change as far as driving style for me. I would be switching from a compact, turbo 4 cylinder 6 speed to a Ram. I would certainly have to modify my driving habits to an extent which in all honesty, I'm not really too happy about. Though the Mazda can be a little uncomfortable and the 6 peed can get tiring on long commutes, it's a blast to drive. I think the transition to an SUV might be a little easier but I have not driven a Durango or a Ram since I stopped working for Chrysler 4 years ago, my frame of reference is blank.

The fuel economy would likely be a wash. The Mazda requires premium and generally gets around 325 miles per tank or 25 mpg. I know a truck would get less mpg but the tank is larger and regular fuel is cheaper.

Just wondering how those with trucks as daily drivers feel about it? They are almost advertised as 'family vehicles' now with all the conveniences and accouterments.

Thanks,

Greg

I almost hate to say this, but it sounds to me like you need a minivan!

The new Grand Caravans have enough towing capacity to pull your Duster to he track, loaded with people. Put the seats down and you can haul 4' x 8' sheets of plywood inside, out of the weather! And they can pull down the same gas mileage your currently getting, and the V6 runs pretty good. There are reasons they are still selling them. Gene

Personally I would probably go Durango OR hemi grand cherokee in your position.

Ha, yeah... I'm not throwing in the towel on life just yet!

After I posted this, I was out and happened to be near the dealership where I used to work so I stopped into the showroom to look around. There was a mini van on the floor, they are in fact REALLY nice, way nicer than when I was working on them. But no way I would ever consider buying one.

Sat in a Durango GT while I was there, felt pretty close to what I have now. The driver's seat is great. If I get the SUV, I would definitely be buying a Hemi though, no question. The newer ones are way cooler than the second generation ones from 10 years ago. My wife drives a Subaru wagon though, seems silly to have two SUV type cars.

I thought about this from a different angle - most of the zillion people driving around in a Ram these days don't use them for much of anything so it's not that far fetched to be considering one.

Looked into an Ecodiesel online after I got home, seems like a really decent truck. Not the greatest towing capacity for diesel but it's not a Cummins. Probably be fine for an open trailer and maybe even a smaller enclosed if I decide I need one down the road. Definitely not towing an enclosed with a Durango!

I'm in the same position. I have a 2011 Scion tC. I'm starting to like it less and less. I only get 25 mpg as well. I drove a 2016 Ram 1500 Quad Cab with a 6'4" box and 5.7L Hemi and I really liked it. Super comfortable and enough power to have fun. It would be perfect to tow the Dart or hall stuff. Plenty of room for passengers. If I were to get one, it would probably be a Crew Cab wiht the 5'7" bed; however, that's only 8" shorter than the other truck. My biggest problem was just parking in standard shopping center parking lots. Often times you have to park far away, find strategic places to park, or really spend your time parking as you don't have the room. It's a big vehicle.

Honestly, Ram has the 20% off some of their trucks till Jan 3 or 4th. I've thought about picking up an EcoDiesel; however, I really don't want the payments as it will push me back from my next big purchase.

I drive a crew cab ecodiesel 6'4" box daily.

I really only have a issue parking in ramp garages, the mall or shopping centers are a non issue.

I stopped tracking mpg but the first year I pulled 22.9 mpg with a ton of short trip stop and go.

Red

"No" is the literal answer.
"Yes" is the figurative answer.
BUT...what's "need" got to do with it?

Good thing for you they don't make a megacab long bed. The megacab was only available with the 6' bed.

They did make a crew cab long bed. It's got almost as much leg room as the megacab but no space behind the back seat.

You could look at a quad cab with the 6' bed, it's got a good compromise of everything.


Ultimately, only you know if you need the truck vs want the truck.

They (Ram) started making the crew cab with the 6'4 box last year, so if you are looking strong at the truck make sure you check it out. The new Ram trucks ride like a car now days with the coil spring rears.

Not sure how to quantify 'need' but if I want to move forward with my car, then it would be best to have a capable, reliable truck. Driving the Duster 80 miles one way to the track through NYC traffic is not the greatest, trust me. Plus, it gets really expensive when stuff breaks. Lucky I had Triple AAA plus last time I broke or it would have been over $400. They charge you for tolls both ways and that's loaded per axle.

Not having a decent tow vehicle also prevents me from taking the car to places that might be a little farther away.

So 'need' for me is based on practicality. I actually don't WANT a truck since I'd only 'need' it a handful of times a year. Frankly, driving a big vehicle around all the time is not really all that enticing though I could probably live with it.

A Durango probably makes the most sense but my concern is that it will likely be limited in it's capabilities.

Check out the Grand Cherokee, its a bit smaller and much more maneuverable than the Durango but has the hemi and eco-diesel option. I have had a number of them and they all towed really well.

-Jon

Why do you think the D100 is inadequate to tow the duster? Should be plenty capable of hauling that car on an open trailer.
If you had a 40' enclosed trailer loaded with junk well...

I have daily driven 3/4 or 1 ton club, crew or quad cabs for several decades now. I hate driving cars anymore. Sure you have to adapt your driving for the trucks with the biggest concern being the turning radius. You get used to it pretty quickly.

Having a truck is very useful, I wonder how I ever did without one before.

I thought about replacing my daily driver truck with a car and asked a similar question here before. I ended up with another truck. My situation and use is a little different than yours. I rarely need a truck but I'd rather have it when I need it than not have it. You might find that a SUV fits all your needs better than a full sized truck. Today trucks drive better and get reasonable fuel economy compared to older ones.

I'm not sure what driving habits you would have to modify.

I daily a megacab cummins. But I don't have to parallel park it anywhere either. Currently in an apartment while we build our new house, and drive to campus while working on second bachelors degree.

I plan ahead and park farther away from the door. Driving it in the city hasn't been a problem. --but I dunno, NYC is a bit more densely populated than Columbus Ohio. Maybe your streets are skinnier

I daily drive a civic that I bought 10 years ago when I had a substantial daily commute to deal with. When we bought our house I sold my 99 Ram 2500 quad cab long box truck. 4x4, diesel, snow plow on the front, man I loved driving that thing, aside from the auto trans (I prefer stick), cold blooded-ness and poor fuel mileage in winter. When we bought our house I needed a few extra bucks for the downpayment and lawyer fees so I sold it. Right now with my wife as a stay at home mom for our kids, the increase of fuel cost to go back to a truck would be a tough pill to swallow. However if I could afford it, I would.

Like I said, it would probably be OK but...

gas mileage unloaded with ALL highway driving is barely 13 mpg. With a trailer, would probably be what, 2.5 mpg? From what I am reading, an Ecodiesel is capable of over 18 mpg loaded.

The wide ratio NP 435 in the D100 has 3 usable gears. That's hooked to a low compression 400 with a .484 cam and a 3.23 open gear... well you can figure it out. Could I change all that? Sure but it's still a short bed. If you read the long-term review on Edmunds, they say the Ram is quite stable and effortless.

And let's see, anti-lock hydroboosted brakes or '70s disc brakes and rear drums? Air conditioning? Cruise control? No matter how much you romanticize our old Mopars, they are nowhere near as capable or comfortable as a modern vehicle.

I will say, I thought about getting a Charger and finding another older truck that might be a little better suited to towing. But, I'd probably have a pay a little more for something decent and not in need of a total restoration. Even then, it mostly just sits there. Just doesn't make sense. I hardly drive the D100 now unfortunately.

The truck you have now and a new SUV will probably have the same wheelbase, but the new truck will have MUCH better braking and creature comforts for the haul. Nothing silly about having to SUV's, seems the norm around the Chicago area. I daily drive a 2015 regular cab Hemi Ram 2500 minimum 120 miles a day and get 15 MPG, but cannot ever see myself driving around in a little time CAR, ever!

I am retired and my new daily is a 1998 QuadCab 2500 4x2 with the 8' box and 5.9 Magnum Auto. I don't drive it much, but when I do it can pull my trailer with no issues, the brakes are top notch, it came to me with new E series tires, a stereo that is way overkill for me, the heater works, the A/C works (for now) and it only had 120K on the chassis. My insurance agent took pictures of it to be sure it had no body damage so the insurance is reasonable, my credit union financed it 100% and the payments are only $153.25 a month so it easily fits my budget. It only gets about 11 mpg avg city/highway, but I don't care because again "I don't drive it much" and it is there when I need it.

If I was working, I would buy a new Dodge 1500 4 door 2x4 with the V-6 and 8 speed auto short bed. I have a friend that has one with 4x4 and nothing slows him down, the V-6 makes 305 HP, the truck is short enough to park anywhere, his truck will pull my trailer and he gets well over 20 mpg in city/highway driving.

Buy what you want to fill your needs and parking place.

Buy another go cart for a daily commuter.Swap the D100's .484 cam for one in the .420-.450 lift range.A lot less duration and overlap will help with the low compression 400 for towing. Have a nice eco daily and a cool tow rig at the track!