What's your day to day ride?

[Old Moparz]

Daily driving gets split between my 2013 300C & my most recent purchase, a 2024 Ram 2500. Deciding on what I take depends on where I am going & whether or not I am picking something up. A few weeks ago I went to NYC & took the 300 because I had serious doubts that the Ram with the taller cap was going to fit into a parking spot or even clear the ceiling of a parking garage. 

After 22 years of driving my 2004 Ram 1500 I had to force myself to replace it. It still ran great but it was starting to need a lot of work along with rust coming back. If not for the rust I'd still have it & would've just fixed the issues it had. Steering rack was leaking, radiator & heater core were struggling, tires wouldn't get me through the winter & it had a handful of minor bugs & annoyances that the guy who bought it wasn't concerned with. 

[LaOtto70Charger]

Side by side that 2024 looks gigantic!

[Old Moparz]

Side by side that 2024 looks gigantic!

The picture is slightly deceiving because of the angle, but there is a fairly big difference. The height is the most obvious & it's much more apparent when reaching over the tailgate. 

I used to keep an expanding cargo bar across the bed of the 2004 about 16 to 18 inches inward. In between that & the tailgate I had a milk crate with jumper cables, oil, hitch ball & rags. On the 2024 I did the same thing but had a hard time reaching in to move it. Bought a used pair of the Swingcase tool boxes cheap, mounted only one & solved that issue. 

[Kern Dog]

I know that we have only two choices when it comes to cars and trucks to buy. We either buy new ones as needed or try to keep our old stuff running as long as possible.
Newer trucks look terrible to me. The blunt front end looks as if they really embraced the Kenworth/Mack truck styling. I really don't like how tall and thick they look nowadays. I remember thinking that my 2007 Dodge looked thick but hey, it does have a slope from the windshield to the grille and the front is more bullet shaped than any new truck.
I don't mind a boxy looking truck in general, a 73-87 Chevy and a 72-93 Dodge are both square-ish in design. I love those styles. Park a 1993 Dodge next to a 2026 Ram and notice how thick they are from the bottom of the rocker panels to the roof. I can't get over the difference.
Because of that, I'm sticking with my 2007 even though I'm well over 400,000 miles!

[doctor4766]

Recently retired my '02 Holden SS LS1 Commodore ute for another dual cab ute.
The LDV is a 2.8 diesel and has a longer bed than both my old Hilux and most other utes.
It was really my only option unless I could fork out RAM or Silverado money.

[Old Moparz]

Funny how you take certain things in a vehicle for granted after driving it for 22 years. The 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 has the SLT package & the 2024 Ram 2500 has the Tradesman package. The extras that were in the 2004 that the 2024 doesn't have were....

Split Fold-Up, Rear Seat ........................(Swapped in a split seat)
Folding Load Floor Under Rear Seat..........(Took the one out of the 2004)
Power Driver Seat........................(Searching for one close to home)
Lower Storage Below Front Center Seat........(Swapped in the storage seat)
Fog/Road Lamps...........................(Considering an after market set)
HDPE Bedliner & Tailgate Protector.......(Put rubber mat on painted liner)
CD & Cassette Stereo.......................(Added a USB plug in CD player)
Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel.............(Will learn to live without it)

[Kern Dog]

I'm not familiar with the Tradesman model. I guess that is one aimed toward the blue collar guys that need a more basic truck?
If so, it is great that they are being made. I'm surprised though. It is hard to imagine that a truck 20 years older is that much fancier. My 2007 is an SLT with the equipment that you mentioned. As much as some of us claim to only need a basic truck, some of the modern conveniences can become habit and be a little difficult to do without.
I love the compass/temperature in the overhead console. Power seats are okay but a manual reclining seat is usually enough. Heated outside mirrors may be great for the cold weather climates but are rarely beneficial out West.

[Old Moparz]

I'm not familiar with the Tradesman model. I guess that is one aimed toward the blue collar guys that need a more basic truck?
If so, it is great that they are being made. I'm surprised though. It is hard to imagine that a truck 20 years older is that much fancier. My 2007 is an SLT with the equipment that you mentioned. As much as some of us claim to only need a basic truck, some of the modern conveniences can become habit and be a little difficult to do without.
I love the compass/temperature in the overhead console. Powe seats are okay but a manual reclining seat is usually enough. Heated outside mirrors may be great for the cold weather climates but are rarely beneficial out West.

The Tradesman is the base model, not a stripped one, but it was ordered with some decent options. Some of them are what sold me on it even though I wanted a few more things. I just wasn't going to pay $10,000 or more more those things & get a Bighorn. It was also hard to find a low mileage crew cab with the 8 foot bed. This one came from CA & only had 16,000 miles for $41,000.

I had test driven almost a dozen trucks both new & used. Drove a new 2024 leftover 1500 with the 5.7, a couple of other 1500s with less than 35,000 miles, a few 2500s & a 3500. One thing I knew I didn't want was a 6 cylinder or a vinyl interior. I'm pulling a car trailer & I don't care if the 6 is rated for that weight, it's just plain old stupid.

The reason I am looking for the power seat is to get more height in the driver seat. I'm 5'-10" tall & the shape of the newer truck hoods is not as easy to see over the front passenger corner. I bought a spacer kit to get another 1-1/2 inches of height that helps dramatically but it doesn't allow for angles. My wife & son will sometimes drive it & they are shorter than me so having better angles & heights are a good thing.

[Kern Dog]

It is great read others comment about the way tall hoods on a newer truck. I'm the same height and while I usually fit into just about any vehicle, the squared off and blunt front ends of these trucks, I hadn't thought of sight lines being so limited. My first impression is that the appearance isn't as appealing to me as the 2015 and earlier models. I don't know exactly which model year that they squared off the front ends. It is as if they are trying to fit a gigantic radiator or something.