That thing got a Hemi?

After 10 years and about 70,000 miles, it was time to trade in our old GMC pickup (it actually had just under 85,000 miles; we bought it used with about 15,000 on it—I just recently found that the 15,000 miles it had put on in a few short months back in 1998 was because it had been a fleet vehicle). So above is the latest addition to our stable. With the current economy driven by shoddy lending practices and exorbitant fuel prices (at least in comparison to what they were prior to summer 2008), this was a really good time to buy a truck. They weren't quite giving them away, but with the 2009 trucks arriving this week, I ended up paying about a $1,000 more for the new truck than what I paid for our used one 10 years ago! (Not counting tax, title, licensing fees or what they gave me for the trade-in, but still, the bottom line looked good on paper.) This was the last white Dodge Laramie I could find within about a 500 mile radius. A couple of weeks ago I almost literally saw two other similar trucks get sold right under my nose (one by about a week of me watching it remotely from Finland, the second a day after I had taken it for a test drive). So it was either snap this one up or pay about $10,000 more for a new one. I went for the savings.

The truck is fairly similar to our old GMC, but equipped with some modern features. Like our other vehicle, the truck has a sunroof, bluetooth cell phone connectivity, satellite radio, a nav system, and leather seating (it's not quite at the same level of quality, but it's good enough to haul garbage and mulch in :) The ride is way up there (you literally have to climb into it), heightened partially by its 20" wheels. Filled with nitrogen no less. What's up with that? I dunno, sounds a bit like a scam to me, especially if it costs $5.00 a tire (WTF?!) and especially when you start seeing claims such "Not all nitrogen is created equal." To counter, I like the observation that regular old air, in which the tire is immersed in anyway, contains 78% nitrogen to begin with. Nitrogenated beer I'll buy, but I don't think I'll be paying $5.00 to fill a tire. It's bad enough when gas stations charge me $0.75 to fill up with air...but I digress...other options of note on the truck are the towing package (a must-have), tow mirrors (heated even), and yeah, it's got a Hemi—sweeeeeet!