Our Last New Truck

[JEBar]

unless something totally unexpected happens, this should be our last vehicle purchase .... that said in our world it seems inevitable that our absolute and final plans are subject to change at any second .... with our decision to no longer make long distance tows, we realize that its in our best interest to part with our '07 Freightliner and replace it with a much more user friendly to truck .... after a good bit of looking and discussion we've settled on custom ordering a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD .... yesterday I spent a couple of most enjoyable hours working with the fellow at our local Chevy dealership .... over the years our family has purchased well over a dozen vehicles from him .... should things go as planned, our Freightliner will be with its new owner during the last week in this month .... a few days later we will custom order a replacement .... yesterday I came away with a 5 page printout listing every option that will be built into the truck we order .... yesterday evening I spent a good while cross checking the RPO numbers with exactly what they are .... I got a kick out TDM - TEEN DRIVER MODE

the core components :

Crew Cab
Long Bed (8')
LTZ
radiant red tintcoat
4WD
6.6L V8 Gas engine
Allison 10 speed automatic transmission

[Sir Henry]

That 10 speed Allison should give it decent fuel mileage.

[BigAl52]

Not trying to put a damper on your purchase but Ive read of some issues with the 10 speed Allison. Are you aware of those issues Jim.

[JEBar]

Not trying to put a damper on your purchase but Ive read of some issues with the 10 speed Allison. Are you aware of those issues Jim.

there were some issues when they first started using them .... its the same tranny used with their Duramax diesels .... from what I've heard, when GM first started actually making the Allisons they were installing there were some issues .... apparently those have been worked out

[JEBar]

That 10 speed Allison should give it decent fuel mileage.

our daughter has the same power train and 373 gearing in her 2025 Silverado 2500 .... she gets 14+ MPG around town and 8+ MPG towing .... I'd be happy with that .... they do offer a max tow option which offers more power but lowers MPG .... our anticipated use of the truck will be almost all non-towing miles so I have no interest in the max tow option

[Sir Henry]

That 10 speed Allison should give it decent fuel mileage.

our daughter has the same power train and 373 gearing in her 2025 Silverado 2500 .... she gets 14+ MPG around town and 8+ MPG towing .... I'd be happy with that .... they do offer a max tow option which offers more power but lowers MPG .... our anticipated use of the truck will be almost all non-towing miles so I have no interest in the max tow option

I got almost 20 mpg with five people and all their luggage and pulling my teardrop going down to Virginia at 60 mph. Coming back I was doing 75 and only got 14.

IMG_3277.jpeg (3.89 MiB) Viewed 3557 times

The Transit is a T150.

[BigAl52]

Yes Im well aware of that transmissions applications. I pretty well keep up with the big 3 when it comes to diesel powered 5th wheel pulling trucks. It seems like right now there is a lot of recalls on vehicles. More than ever before. Im not sure if its lack of manpower skill or if its just manpower has no pride in what they are making anymore. I also think that regulations are making it harder and harder for them to put diesel power on the road. Simple has gone out the window and hi tech has taken over. Ive been going back and forth for a year or so now trying to decide if I want to dive into a new truck. Somehow the price tag has been holding me up.

[JEBar]

Somehow the price tag has been holding me up.

not just well understood, its a point I can identify with .... if we were going to continue traveling cross country, we would certainly not sell our Sportchassis .... the way our future looks, it makes no sense to us to keep such an expensive truck to own and operate for only few days use per year

[JEBar]

we've pretty well decided on the bed cover we will have installed on our new truck; as well as, as on our daughter's new truck .... .... we installed a Pace-Edwards Bed Locker on 2011 Chevy Silverado shortly after its purchase ===> https://www.pace-edwards.com/product/be ... 00651e0QAA .... it came with a remote and we decided to also add a small rocker switch that they mounted on the dash .... the remote stopped working years ago but that rocker switch continues to work every time it is pushed .... it simply works flawlessly and has done so without any service or adjustments since the install 14 or so years ago

[JEBar]

for the first time in almost 20 years, all storage areas in our Sportchassis have been emptied .... she's parked and awaiting her new owner .... as already noted, with us no longer routinely planning to travel thousands of miles cross county each year, we no longer need it .... we still intend to camp with our club and family locally so we will need a truck to tow our camper .... for that we simply don't need our Freightliner .... if things go as we hope, within the next week we hope to have its replacement on order

[JEBar]

​UPDATE .... a little while ago the fellow buying our Sportchassis came by with a check .... a short time later I drove over and deposited it into our credit union account .... I asked the teller how long it would take to clear our account .... he said let me check and called over a supervisor .... the supervisor looked at the computer and said something to the teller that I couldn't hear .... when she walked away the teller handed me a receipt and said, "Its there now." .... must admit that came as a very pleasant surprise .... as a side note, the Sportchassis is the highest priced vehicle we have ever purchased .... we've had it for 18 years .... the price we sold it for is just under half of the truck's price on the original window sticker .... in my book, that ain't too bad .... an order for an 2026 2500 HD has been submitted .... if things go as anticipated, it should be built and delivered to our dealership in September​

[daytime dave]

Glad to hear that Jim. Looking forward to seeing your new ride.

[Hatchdog]

Always exciting to get a new truck. Your Sport Chassis served you well for many years.

[JEBar]

good wishes appreciated .... in a second trip to the credit union yesterday we paid off our second mortgage and had them wire the money to payoff the Sportchassis .... with that taken care of, we delivered it to its new owner .... the tag will be turned in on Monday and we will cancel its insurance .... must admit, its parking spot in the yard sure looks empty ... a couple of days ago our Chevy dealership turned in the order for our new truck .... it was their 1st ordered for a 2026 model from a 2025 spec sheet .... we have been told that the order has been accepted which there most probably won't be much difference in the two model years

[JEBar]

well she's officially gone .... shortly after they opened at 9AM we took the Sportchassis NC license plate to our local DMV office and turned it in .... while in the car on our way to our next destination, we called and cancelled its insurance .... only thing left is waiting to receive its title from the finance company .... later on our way home we stopped by the hitch company where we plan to have a B&W hitch and Pace Edwards bed covers installed on both our daughter's and our trucks .... due to the high dollar nature of the work they will perform, we came to an agreement for a pretty good discount

[JEBar]

today brought another step forward .... our dealership received word from GM that they have accepted the order for our truck as written .... that strongly suggest that the there will be little difference in the 2025 and 2026 models ... no word as to when they will switch over to producing the 2026's

[JEBar]

well, another in what has been a series of steps in selling our Sportchassis and ordering a 2026 Chevy 2500 HD should take place later today .... the Freightliner's paid off title arrived yesterday .... later today we plan to have our signatures on it notarized and turn the title over to its new owner .... he plans to leave here on the 21st and drive it to his ranch in Texas where it will be put to work .... we hate to see it go but its time to do so

[JEBar]

received word today that our truck is scheduled to be built in GM's Flint, Michigan Assembly plant during the week of August 11, 2025 .... as a general rule vehicles arrive at our local dealership roughly a month after the roll off the assembly line .... shortly before it ships we are supposed to get a notice with its itinerary

[Hatchdog]

How fun. I’ve never ordered a new vehicle of any sort including rv’s and boats. That must be awesome sitting down and selecting the truck exactly as you wanted and not making any compromises.

[BrokenolMarine]

Waiting sucks....