Helpful Web Sites

One of your first decisions is to select the type of vehicle you need.  Since you are reading the TDR, I’ll assume that you’ve already passed that hurdle, so I’ll go to the next step!

There is a great deal of information on the Internet on purchasing a new or used vehicle. Here are a number of sites for you to start your research on your purchase.  Since I was not able to come up with a way to put these in order, I decided alphabetical would work best:

• http://www.autobytel.com has new and used car pricing information, classified ads, insurance, extended warranty, and maintenance and repair information to keep your new truck running greatt.

• http://www.autoweb.com has information on new and used vehicles, financing, warranties, insurance, recalls,  rebates, and great 360-degree interior videos of vehicles.

• http://www.buyersknowledge.com has the “Used Car Buyers Survival Guide”. A selection of their info includes: basic rules, automobile body, engine and transmission, warning (idiot) lights, the test drive, and a pre-purchase checklist.  Their inspection requires nothing more than a flashlight, a shop rag, and a pencil or pen to take notes.

• http://www.carfax.com offers a fee-based service that lets you check for salvage history, odometer fraud, multiple owners, flood damage, major accident damage, fire damage, and lemon history.

• http://www.carinfo.com has information on saving money with your new purchase including: car buying secrets, leasing secrets, money saving tips, auto repair secrets, new and used car quotes, auto loans/rates; extended warranties, used car history, dealer cost, auctions, and insurance.

• http://www.carprice.com has information on new and used car and truck pricing, negotiating the purchase price, rebates and incentives, financing, insurance, and warranties.

• http://www.carsdirect.com allows you to purchase new vehicles directly online and take delivery at a local dealer.

• http://www.edmunds.com has pricing information on both new and used vehicles, road tests, and safety information.

• http://www.kbb.com also has pricing information on new and used vehicles as well as financing, insurance, lemons, warranties, and reviews and previews.

• http://www.nctd.com has detailed test drives on vehicles back to 1994 as well as information on purchase and leasing, selling your used car, insurance, buying a used car, quotes, and a free lemon check.

• http://www.stoneage.com offers used vehicle inspections and insurance and warranty information, as well as a free carfax.com lemon report.

• When I was ready to buy my dream truck (three-years waiting after a friend bought one), I personally could not afford a new Turbo Diesel, so I had to go the used-truck route.  Finding a truck with the options I wanted wasn’t easy, but I was able to do so through http://www.traderonline.com. It took two months of searching and I still had to drive five hours to get it!  You can specify the range of price you want to pay, model year, geographic area, etc.

• http://www.trucks.about.com is a site that has a great deal of information specifically relating to trucks.  They have information on purchasing both new and used trucks as well as pricing on the above.  They also have links to other sites that give more detailed information.  Their subjects include new and used truck buying, truck pricing, makes and models, 4x4 and off-road, sport utility/SUVs, heavy trucks, classic trucks, monster trucks, truck resources, military trucks, truck toys, lemon trucks, working trucks, and truck campers/RV’s.  They also have a companion site with more specific 4wd information at http://4wheeldrive.about.com.

• Of course to not forget the classified ad’s at the TDR site at /cgi-bin/classifieds2/classifieds.cgi.

Other Information Sources

• If you wish to check out the “other” brands of diesel trucks the two best web sites on the Internet that I’ve found have been http://www.ford-diesel.com and http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com. 

• For the latest insider information on Daimler-Chrysler vehicles check out http://www.car-truck.com.  Their site is updated with new information every couple of days!

I Did It My Way

To oversimplify, I used carprice, edmunds, and kbb as well as the used vehicle books at the book store to establish a budget price. My way of looking at all the numbers: Take as many retail numbers as you can find, then average them. Take as many wholesale numbers as you can find, then average them. This gives you a high and a low benchmark to help you identify on the year/model that is within your budget. Then search for the vehicle and hope to reach a fair transaction price. In my mind “the number” is the median price between my wholesale average and retail average.

Now it is time to do a vehicle-specific background search.  Carfax.com provides a service that will check for salvage history, odometer fraud, multiple owners, flood damage, major accident damage, etc. The service is approximately $20 and is money well spent. Information from carfax.com can be a deal-maker or deal-breaker.

Buyer’s Guide Details

Additionally, you’ve joined the TDR web site and hopefully gained a wealth of knowledge through the experiences of other Turbo Diesel owners. By perusing the site, you’ve seen that problems are openly discussed and solutions offered. The negative: the discussions can tarnish the image of the vehicle and cause alarmist-type reactions. The positive: the owner is aware of the potential for a problem, knows the correction and can make cost-effective, informed decisions (this is a strong selling point for Dodge, Cummins and for the TDR magazine/web-site).

There are two parts to our Turbo Diesel Buyer’s Guide. The first is easy to access as you’re already on our web site. Simply click here for an article entitled “Looking at the Changes,” and “Buying a Used Truck” by staff writer Jim Anderson.

The second part of our Buyer’s Guide is a very detailed book by Dodge Truck historian, Don Bunn. You may recognize Don’s name as one of the writers for the TDR as he does a column for us entitled “Miscellaneous Ramblings.” Don has compiled a photo history of Dodge Ram trucks from 1994-2001. The soft-bound book contains 120 pages and is a “must have” for any prospective 1500, 2500 or 3500 Dodge Ram owner. Like Jim’s year-to-year look back, Don’s book does the same for each model year, only in greater detail (i.e. color options, interior trim, engine options) as well as a look at the market/happenings at DaimlerChrysler.

Don’s book is available for $24.95. In addition to Don’s compilation of everything you would want to know about 1994 to 2001 Dodge Trucks, we’ve put together a Turbo Diesel supplement. Our supplement is 64 pages in length and gets very specific in it’s coverage of the Turbo Diesel. “How so?” you ask. Consider the following: the book contains summaries of the DaimlerChrysler Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that have been published for each model year truck. The TSB number and date of issue are noted to allow for reference should you need dealership service. 

There is a three-page section entitled “Turbo Tips,” which is a collection of tips, minimal cost modifications, and solutions found by Dodge/Cummins Turbo Diesel owners in real-life operation of their vehicles. It is gleaned from previous issues of the Turbo Diesel Register. 

There is a listing of special areas on Turbo Diesel trucks that warrant attention. These items have been discovered through miles and miles of driving by the TDR membership. For clarity, the list is categorized in the same classification as Dodge’s TSBs. Finally, we’ve included a collection of tips to help the mechanic/handyman while working on his or her vehicle. These tips have been collected by the editor over a period of years from many different magazines and other sources.

For the prospective (or current truck owner) Don’s Dodge Ram Trucks 1994-2001 Photo History at $24.95 ($5.20 postage) along with the TDR’s 64 page diesel supplement (included at no charge with every book purchase) is a combination that eliminates that “pig-in-a-poke” scenario. Order now!