Dodge Ram 1500 4x4

Well, I did it. I bought a new Dodge truck this month. Why? The 2004 diesel has been paid off for years and we never did buy that "slip in" camper, which was one of the reasons we bought the 3500 diesel. And yes, I must admit I was not happy spending so much money to fill up. The price of diesel rose over the cost of gasoline the month I bought my truck for the first time in history. It never came back down!

2011 RAM 1500

Okay, so what'd I buy?  A 2011 Ram 1500 4x4. It is gunmetal gray with dark gray interior and a fairly basic option package. I'm not one to spend thousands of dollars on options, especially those that are designed for looks and have no real resale value. Power windows & locks, basic radio/CD, and crew cab, not many extras.

There are a mess of changes on these vehicles since my last dodge purchase. Generally speaking, the overall look really hasn't changed much, as you probably know. The little things add up and are quite impressive. No more is the 4-wheel drive shift lever mounted on the floor, it is a convenient dial on the dashboard. If you were to ask wht I don't like about the new model it's a biggie...ready?  I don't like the front seat cup holders in the middle of the dash. They don't extend far enough (as did the old ones). I find myself scraping the dash or worse, catching my cup on a protruding knob. Not a major gripe, but it is irritating.

The worst part about the downsizing from a Ram 3500 to a 1500 (in my case) is the snow tires.  I bought 4 new high-end 10 ply snow tires just last winter. They are mounted on nice rims and unfortunately they obviously don't fit the new rig. So if you know anyone who needs mounted snow tires that are studded and siped, let me know.