Papa's Got a Brand New Toy!

(Well, almost.)

Upon arriving home from the Bolt Hole, I started to ask Terry about if we could get a new truck to replace my 2000 Silverado 2500. I started off slow by telling her about some difficulty I sensed with the transmission and how the tailgate/bed connection was giving me a tough time. But before I was through, Terry suggested we go take a look at some trucks. (I had hinted a couple of weeks ago and gotten THAT look. (You know, the one that means, "How'd you like to sleep on the porch all winter?") Well, never let it be said that i would let an opportunity like this pass me up. I went on line and did some shopping. I looked at both the Siverado 2500HD and the Toyota Tundra SR5.

This morning we took the Silverado down to my mechanic in Mansfield and dropped it off so he could change the oil and take the rusted running boards off. (After 7 winters of NJ and NY salt I was fearful the tubular running boards might give way every time I got into the truck. Besides, they were starting to look like hell.)

While the truck was in the shop, we went shopping. We needed a truck capable of hauling our 27' Wilderness travel trailer (7500 pounds empty) and that would have some room inside as well. That meant a 6L engine in the Chevy Silverado 2500HD or the 5.7L in the Toyota Tundra SR5. Either would have to have the equivalent of an extended cab, i.e. an bench seat in the back of the cab. We also wanted bucket seats for the driver and navigator.

First we went to the bank to see what we could qualify for in the way of a new car loan. The bank man ran our info and came back with a credit score that was in the 760s. No problem there.

Next stop was the local Chevy dealer. He had a few '07s in the lot and an '08 Silverado 2500HD extended cab that I knew about from my on-line search that would fit our need of towing the trailer. After looking over the '08 we went inside and started talking money. Terry's dad worked for GM at the Linden, NJ plant for over 40 years and although he has been gone for nearly a decade, we still qualify for the GM Family plan. As a result the price was pretty good. But, like all GM products the damn thing came with free OnStar for a year and that silly little antennae on the roof forever. To continue OnStar service beyond the first year would cost an additional $300 or more annually. I told the dealer we'd think about it.

We picked up our 2000 Silverado from the garage and then went to the Toyota dealer up in Sayre, PA.

There was one '07 Tundra SR5 with an extended cab (they call it a double cab) in the lot that also had all the requirements for towing our trailer. It also had an off-road package (so did the '08 Silverado) and 18" wheels. We took it for a test drive while they took a look at our trade-in. It drove well on the back roads and also on the small stretch of Route 17 that we ventured out on. When we got back to the dealer's we started talking money. With the trade-in, dealer incentives, manufacturer incentives and what not, the price was almost identical to the '08 Silverado. But then we were given another choice. Instead of the $2000 manufacturer's incentive we could opt for 0% financing on a 48-month "loan." A little quick math proved that we would save far more over the 48-months on the 0% than we lost in the $2000 rebate. (The bank was offering 6.25% over the same period. GM would have been around 9%.)

The end result: On Saturday--possibly Friday--I'll be driving a Dark Green Toyota Tundra.

After years of nothing but Chevy vehicles, I feel like a bit of a traitor, but the Toyota is made in Princeton, Indiana. The Silverado? Could be Michigan, or maybe Canada or even Mexico.