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Old 07-25-2005, 03:45 PM   #1
cs413
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Ford and Chevy owners

Ford and Chevy owners - You gotta love us - we either hate a vehicle or we love it. Nothing like a good brand war to get the old blood boiling! Actually I just want a good tow vehicle that takes care of me if I take care of it. So, let me get my two cents in. In March I bought a 3650RK. Beautiful trailer. I had a 1999 Chevy C3500 7.4L Vortec 4.10 rear end which I was ASSURED by everyone at the dealership would pull the 5er with no problems. I also put Firestone air bags and a K & N filter kit on it($600.00)to add a little extra advantage on the road. I pulled the trailer to and from the dealer twice - in town and a total of 4 miles round trip each time. No problem, but not much of a test. 3 weeks ago we pulled to a local state park and I knew right then my truck would not pull this trailer any farther without serious damage to the engine and tranny. Now, I loved that truck. I even shed a few tears when I entered the realm of stupid and slowly backed in to the pin box with the tailgate up. Oh yah. It happened. The last thing I wanted to do was tear up my truck, so I decided to start looking around for a diesel. Well there's no such thing as a used diesel on a car lot - they just don't exist. So then Ford came out with their price plan - and so starts my quest. I had a local Ford dealer doing quick searches, I was on the internet looking at every Ford dealer inventories in the U.S.A., I called approx. 40 dealers just to hear the same four words - "WE JUST SOLD IT!" I was always a few hours to a day late. Of course I was looking for a specific color and the Tow Boss Package which made it even tougher. So I started looking at Chevy's with the same results. It's amazing how many trucks Ford and Chevy has sold during this sale. Well I really liked the look of the Ford so I kept my hopes up. The dealer called and said he located one in Alabama with everything I wanted except captain chairs. It has 40/20/40 powered/heated bench seats. Needless to say that is the truck I picked up saturday. This truck is just awesome. I think it was the last F350 tow boss in the U.S.
Well, I guess that makes me a Ford man now, but I'm not going to knock anybody's tow vehicle. I just hope whatever you drive brings you good luck and good towing, because no one wants to be broke down on the side of the road. This is my first diesel, so I have a lot to learn about this truck. A diesel is a whole different world, but there is nothing quite like the sound of a diesel.
If anyone is thinking about looking for a new truck with the employee discount, I wish you luck.
These trucks just are not out there anymore.
Now I will have a signature.

Curt Smith
2005 F350 6.0 PSD
4x4 Dually LB
Tow Boss Package 4:30 Ratio
2005 Montana 3650RK
 
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Old 07-25-2005, 04:14 PM   #2
Bill Hill
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Curt,
Congratulations on the new TV! You'll love having a diesel, no matter what brand it is. A Tow Boss dually 4x4 with a 4.30 rear end should allow you to pull anywhere you ever want to go, and then some! By the way, does that rear kitchen on the 3650 look as good in person as it does in the brochures? It's a looker!
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Old 07-25-2005, 04:55 PM   #3
cs413
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The 3650 is truely a unique trailer. The kitchen island really stands out. We also like the dining room off the kitchen as opposed to next to the living room couch and the corian style counter top is great. We only had it out the one time but now with the new truck hope to go a lot more often. Being only 51, I have a few years before retirement, but now we have the tools to enjoy it when it gets here. All the Montanas were great looking trailers, but the 3650 just caught our eye. They just got it in the day before we looked at it. It is in the rose color which we really like considering our Holiday Rambler TT of 10 years was also the rose color. When I get a little time I'll try to get some pictures on the site here. We don't get to go very often, but when we do we sure enjoy it.
Curt
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Old 07-25-2005, 05:05 PM   #4
Wordsmith
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Congratulations—that is A LOT of truck! You should be set for many happy years of RVing! It is a shame you had to sacrifice the captain’s chairs—I absolutely love that feature in mine—but it is a minor sacrifice compared to everything you DID get.
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Old 07-25-2005, 05:31 PM   #5
cs413
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I was a little disappointed at first, but the way Ford set up the seats in a 40/20/40 arrangement it's almost like having captain's chairs. The center console in at the perfect heighth to rest your arm on, so it's not bad at all. But you are right - this is a lot of truck. I have to keep reminding myself I have an extra 12" on each side in the rear when I'm NOT towing, but I'll get used to the two extra tires. I'm really impressed how smooth the ride is. I wasn't expecting it to be that smooth. Really looking forward to hooking up and pulling the Monty for an extra long weekend.
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Old 07-26-2005, 10:38 AM   #6
sreigle
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Congratulations, Curt! As you indicated, there are lots of great choices in trucks out there. In my opinion you made an outstanding choice. I take it your tow rating is probably 19,200, with GCWR of 26,000? Maybe the 4x4 is a bit lower in tow rating? But, then, it is hard to make a bad choice in diesel trucks these days. I can see the smile on your face as you tow that first long mountain grade! Vicki says I still grin from ear to ear.
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Old 07-26-2005, 03:09 PM   #7
Parrothead
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Curt
Congratulations. We've been look also and I even started putting other states in the spot where you find a dealer with what you want and no go. We were looking for either GMC or Chevie and could not find either. Guess we will have to wait for the '06's but won't get that marvelous discount. I hope GMC or Chevie has something really new and great for the '06's.
Happy trails.....................
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Old 07-26-2005, 04:24 PM   #8
Bob Pasternak
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For our first truck I didn't want to pay the price for a new one so I went to "Auto Trader". You can use their 'powersearch' and spec what you want like ordering a new one. Then check the miles you're willing to go to get it. I did that and found exactly what I wanted on a lot in a northern suburb of Detroit. 280 miles but not a probllem. 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins LB 4X2 that had a camper/tow package and had been set up for a 5th wheel. 28 months old and had 17550 on it. You just may need to look a while. This one we ordered new from our local dealer.
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Old 07-26-2005, 06:07 PM   #9
cs413
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According to the Ford tow chart, towing capacity is 18,100. I guess you loose a little towing with the extra weight of the truck. But with a fully loaded Monty at 14,000 lbs. that still leaves plenty of room to go mountain climbing which is what I wanted to achieve - give the truck plenty of breathing room so it will run a little cooler and not work as hard.

Parrothead - While you're searching on-line, look at the MSRP and then at the employee price. When you're ready to look at the 06's that will give you a little indication of just how much they actually can come down in price and still make a profit. If you haven't been to www.edmunds.com yet, that website will let you build a vehicle of your choice and compare it to MSRP, dealer invoice, and what others are paying for that vehicle. This is an excellent guide to buying a new or used vehicle. The MSRP on my truck was $50,490 and after the employee pricing and $2500.00 rebate, sale price was $39,565. I just couldn't afford to pass this up. Almost $11,000 off the sticker - that's the only way to deal. NO haggling back and forth! That truck was offered to me at another dealership 2 weeks earlier but I turned it down because it didn't have captains chairs and I thought it would be easy to find another one with the chairs. Plus I didn't care for their sales tactics. High pressure salesmen turn me off in a hurry and I just walked out. But I was wrong about being easy to find another one.
Then the dealership I did buy it from found the same one and it was still available, so I said grab it. I was real lucky. I think the only reason it was there was because of the bench seats, but they are really nice. I look at it like the little puppy no one wanted, but that puppy turned out to be the best of the litter. I hope so anyway.
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Old 07-27-2005, 05:17 AM   #10
richfaa
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I got the truck in my signature on the Ford Family plan (X plan) in Feb 05. When you buy on the X plan it makes no difference what dealer you buy from the X plan price will be the same. Just priced the SAME truck in the 06 model year on the Ford site and it is 720.00 more money (MSVRP) Although I chose the gas motor the tow capacity is 16,300 and will handle any Montana. Since I can always buy the Ford on the Family plan(X plan) We are stuck with the Ford..It is a $ thing. Will be looking hard at the new diesel in 07 and perhaps a diesel in 08.
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