Influencer I
So, I've been working on my 2000 Ford Excursion for some time, but a few months ago decided to move on. Totally bummed at the time--and I still get wistful for the rig, occasionally--but the rational side of me knows that something else was a better fit.
To wit, right now I 1.) rarely go places with the entire family, which was the driving force behind such a big rig, 2.) I was spending more on maintaining the rig (and the power plant) than a comparable gas engine would've cost me, 3.) if I was going to get another off-road-capable rig, I wanted to get as many suspension and adventure-focused options from the factory to emphasize long-term reliability, and 4.) I didn't want to TOTALLY break the bank, as the vehicle would be my daily driver.
Between me being six feet tall and having a bunch of kids, I could pretty much rule out any mid-sized vehicles. In terms of full-size offerings, I briefly looked at the Rebel, but they were priced outrageously in the NoVA area (and everywhere?). A Raptor and certainly the TRX were out due to cost. Tundras seemed very overprices for what they offered. GM wasn't really ever in the mix. I LOVED the Power Wagons, but I could do without the gaudy decals and bling-ey interiors that they often come with. I toyed with the idea of getting a 2500 Tradesman with a Cummins, but after my disastrous experience with the EcoDiesel that I had in my 2016 Ram 1500, the need for DEF, and the nearly $10k price premium for a rig that I wouldn't really tow a lot with, I couldn't really justify it. I tried to find a 7.3 F-250 with the Tremor package, but there just weren't any to be had here.
After all of the research, I found myself gravitating toward a 2500 Tradesman with the 6.4l gas engine, 4.10 gears and the offroad package that could serve as the basis for a future overland build. The Snow Chief package that I was angling for included a limited-slip rear, the auxiliary switches that serve as a factory S-pod, and the larger alternator, and the Offroad package got some slightly better shocks, tow hooks, skid plates and hill descent control. I'm not overly picky about my interior accoutrements (I did insist on cloth vice a vinyl interior)...heck, I EVEN would have taken the dinky little radio if the price was right. Definitely don't love chrome, but at this point all I needed was a reliable vehicle that I could hold onto for some time, even if the gas mileage wasn't amazing.
As I was pricing out 2021 and 2019-and-newer used 2500 Tradesmans to secure the 8-speed transmissions (they were six-speeds prior to then), I either found trucks with a TON of miles, or gently used or new trucks at about the $45-49k range, and most of those didn't include side steps or the factory bed liner (the former that I needed to get my wife and kids into the vehicle, the second just because I didn't want a beat-up bed! Ram was giving $1,500 rebates on new 2021 Rams as well.
As I was searching for the best deal online--and getting jerked around by a few dealers advertising a cheaper price only to spring a $2,500 "market adjustment" for the 6.4 gas engine--I thought I had found a great candidate: a 2021 2500 with the Tradesman 2 package (cloth interior, sliding rear window, etc.), offroad and snow chief package (and I think with 4.10 gears) for right around $48k (but with a $1,675 destination fee). I kept expanding my search range, and stumbled on what appeared to be a needle in a haystack: a 2021 2500 Tradesman with THE POWER WAGON PACKAGE! And it was used with only about 7k miles to boot!
Now, I had been trying to find a Tradesman PW for what seemed like forever. I don't know why they aren't more popular, other than perhaps most drivers want the graphics and the nicer interior? More paint colors and the dechromed look (which I admit is more pleasing to the eye), perhaps? At any rate, this vehicle had pretty much everything I wanted: front and rear lockers, factory winch, beefier rear axle with 4.10 gears, etc. Plus, it also had the nicer, 8-ish inch infotainment system, bed liner, slightly nicer dash and even things like the bed lighting and power package and floor mats that didn't add TOO much weight, giving the rig a 1,500-ish payload (about the top of the Power Wagon-equipped range). And the price difference between the new 2021 2500 Tradesman with the offroad package was only about $1,500-1,750 after I figured in the cost of the side steps and bedliner.
In other words, it was a lay-up decision.
And so now I'm the owner of an extremely BLUE Tradesman Power Wagon. Can I call it a Power Wagon? Are purists going to give me a hard time for this? ;)
Here's a shot of what I think Power Wagons should look like: muddy. I felt a little more legit after taking it up in the George Washington National Forest with the kids to explore some fire roads and a slightly rougher trail that was definitely bumpier, but didn't even require 4WD.
What's next in terms of the build? I'm going to try (read: "try") to be conservative with the truck...it doesn't NEED anything, but I would LIKE to add a few amenities like a phone holder, easy-open tailgate, bed cover, maybe a GMRS radio, and eventually a set of rock sliders. I'd really LIKE to upgrade the undersized 33" factory AT tires to 35s (not sure about 37s due to the impact on an already poor gas mileage, and to keep the transmission happy), but I'm not sure I can justify the price at the moment.
At this point, I'm just happy to be out exploring again!
To wit, right now I 1.) rarely go places with the entire family, which was the driving force behind such a big rig, 2.) I was spending more on maintaining the rig (and the power plant) than a comparable gas engine would've cost me, 3.) if I was going to get another off-road-capable rig, I wanted to get as many suspension and adventure-focused options from the factory to emphasize long-term reliability, and 4.) I didn't want to TOTALLY break the bank, as the vehicle would be my daily driver.
Between me being six feet tall and having a bunch of kids, I could pretty much rule out any mid-sized vehicles. In terms of full-size offerings, I briefly looked at the Rebel, but they were priced outrageously in the NoVA area (and everywhere?). A Raptor and certainly the TRX were out due to cost. Tundras seemed very overprices for what they offered. GM wasn't really ever in the mix. I LOVED the Power Wagons, but I could do without the gaudy decals and bling-ey interiors that they often come with. I toyed with the idea of getting a 2500 Tradesman with a Cummins, but after my disastrous experience with the EcoDiesel that I had in my 2016 Ram 1500, the need for DEF, and the nearly $10k price premium for a rig that I wouldn't really tow a lot with, I couldn't really justify it. I tried to find a 7.3 F-250 with the Tremor package, but there just weren't any to be had here.
After all of the research, I found myself gravitating toward a 2500 Tradesman with the 6.4l gas engine, 4.10 gears and the offroad package that could serve as the basis for a future overland build. The Snow Chief package that I was angling for included a limited-slip rear, the auxiliary switches that serve as a factory S-pod, and the larger alternator, and the Offroad package got some slightly better shocks, tow hooks, skid plates and hill descent control. I'm not overly picky about my interior accoutrements (I did insist on cloth vice a vinyl interior)...heck, I EVEN would have taken the dinky little radio if the price was right. Definitely don't love chrome, but at this point all I needed was a reliable vehicle that I could hold onto for some time, even if the gas mileage wasn't amazing.
As I was pricing out 2021 and 2019-and-newer used 2500 Tradesmans to secure the 8-speed transmissions (they were six-speeds prior to then), I either found trucks with a TON of miles, or gently used or new trucks at about the $45-49k range, and most of those didn't include side steps or the factory bed liner (the former that I needed to get my wife and kids into the vehicle, the second just because I didn't want a beat-up bed! Ram was giving $1,500 rebates on new 2021 Rams as well.
As I was searching for the best deal online--and getting jerked around by a few dealers advertising a cheaper price only to spring a $2,500 "market adjustment" for the 6.4 gas engine--I thought I had found a great candidate: a 2021 2500 with the Tradesman 2 package (cloth interior, sliding rear window, etc.), offroad and snow chief package (and I think with 4.10 gears) for right around $48k (but with a $1,675 destination fee). I kept expanding my search range, and stumbled on what appeared to be a needle in a haystack: a 2021 2500 Tradesman with THE POWER WAGON PACKAGE! And it was used with only about 7k miles to boot!
Now, I had been trying to find a Tradesman PW for what seemed like forever. I don't know why they aren't more popular, other than perhaps most drivers want the graphics and the nicer interior? More paint colors and the dechromed look (which I admit is more pleasing to the eye), perhaps? At any rate, this vehicle had pretty much everything I wanted: front and rear lockers, factory winch, beefier rear axle with 4.10 gears, etc. Plus, it also had the nicer, 8-ish inch infotainment system, bed liner, slightly nicer dash and even things like the bed lighting and power package and floor mats that didn't add TOO much weight, giving the rig a 1,500-ish payload (about the top of the Power Wagon-equipped range). And the price difference between the new 2021 2500 Tradesman with the offroad package was only about $1,500-1,750 after I figured in the cost of the side steps and bedliner.
In other words, it was a lay-up decision.
And so now I'm the owner of an extremely BLUE Tradesman Power Wagon. Can I call it a Power Wagon? Are purists going to give me a hard time for this? ;)
Here's a shot of what I think Power Wagons should look like: muddy. I felt a little more legit after taking it up in the George Washington National Forest with the kids to explore some fire roads and a slightly rougher trail that was definitely bumpier, but didn't even require 4WD.
What's next in terms of the build? I'm going to try (read: "try") to be conservative with the truck...it doesn't NEED anything, but I would LIKE to add a few amenities like a phone holder, easy-open tailgate, bed cover, maybe a GMRS radio, and eventually a set of rock sliders. I'd really LIKE to upgrade the undersized 33" factory AT tires to 35s (not sure about 37s due to the impact on an already poor gas mileage, and to keep the transmission happy), but I'm not sure I can justify the price at the moment.
At this point, I'm just happy to be out exploring again!
