Well, I have dreaded this post since about 3pm yesterday, but here it goes. I have traded my ST in for a Toyota.
As some of you may remember, a few months ago, we wanted to buy a big offshore boat and debated whether the ST was "up to snuff" to pull it. We decided it wasn't fair to expect the ST to do that and ultimately we needed a bigger truck to handle the job. In that we began our search. Our main requirements were -
*the ability to tow over 10K (for the ability to get as big of a boat as we could afford)
*bucket seats
*power rear window
*affordable payments so that we could add the boat payments monthly and still be "okay"
We looked at the Nissan Titan, Chevy/GMC 2500HD, F250, and the Toyota Tundra. By process of elimination, we got that choice down to the F250 and the Tundra. Both were nice and suited our needs perfectly, but we just couldn't get the exorbitant cost of the F250's to fit. We found that it costs around 10k+ more to get an F250 than a Tundra with equivalent amenities. Add in fuel costs (the F250 gets about 1-2mpg less realistically) and the numbers just didn't add up.
When we went to many Toyota dealers to find just the right truck, and found they were surprisingly willing to deal. We ended up getting a great deal on a Tundra. It's Nautical Blue, has a 5.7L V8. It's 4x4 with the TRD package (Billstien shocks and a seriously beefed up suspension) and tow package (heavy duty engine additions, and can tow 10,300 lbs). It's got the SR5 package which includes bucket seats, dual climate control, active Sync system, and the rear power window. To seal the deal we got them to add on the running boards and a 7 year bumper-to-bumper warranty. We got it all for just a smidge over 30K when it was all said and done. We are actually quite pleased.
I will be honest, I did shed a tear driving away from my ST. It's been a great vehicle and I will always have fond memories of it. We just reached a point where we needed something more.
I sincerely hope you all will understand our decision and keep the public flogging to a minimum.
And I also hope that you'll be okay with me sticking around, even though I'm now a blood-traitor.
Here's a quick picture I snapped with my cell phone yesterday before the rain:
[Broken External Image]:
As some of you may remember, a few months ago, we wanted to buy a big offshore boat and debated whether the ST was "up to snuff" to pull it. We decided it wasn't fair to expect the ST to do that and ultimately we needed a bigger truck to handle the job. In that we began our search. Our main requirements were -
*the ability to tow over 10K (for the ability to get as big of a boat as we could afford)
*bucket seats
*power rear window
*affordable payments so that we could add the boat payments monthly and still be "okay"
We looked at the Nissan Titan, Chevy/GMC 2500HD, F250, and the Toyota Tundra. By process of elimination, we got that choice down to the F250 and the Tundra. Both were nice and suited our needs perfectly, but we just couldn't get the exorbitant cost of the F250's to fit. We found that it costs around 10k+ more to get an F250 than a Tundra with equivalent amenities. Add in fuel costs (the F250 gets about 1-2mpg less realistically) and the numbers just didn't add up.
When we went to many Toyota dealers to find just the right truck, and found they were surprisingly willing to deal. We ended up getting a great deal on a Tundra. It's Nautical Blue, has a 5.7L V8. It's 4x4 with the TRD package (Billstien shocks and a seriously beefed up suspension) and tow package (heavy duty engine additions, and can tow 10,300 lbs). It's got the SR5 package which includes bucket seats, dual climate control, active Sync system, and the rear power window. To seal the deal we got them to add on the running boards and a 7 year bumper-to-bumper warranty. We got it all for just a smidge over 30K when it was all said and done. We are actually quite pleased.
I will be honest, I did shed a tear driving away from my ST. It's been a great vehicle and I will always have fond memories of it. We just reached a point where we needed something more.
I sincerely hope you all will understand our decision and keep the public flogging to a minimum.
And I also hope that you'll be okay with me sticking around, even though I'm now a blood-traitor.
Here's a quick picture I snapped with my cell phone yesterday before the rain:
[Broken External Image]: