A new pickup

I’m sorry to have gone so long without posting something. . .but we seem to be on the run all the time. If you look at the picture on this blog heading, you may notice a different pickup parked in front of our Casita. Yep, we traded in our long-suffering, faithful (but getting real tired & gas hungry) Ramsey (a 2000 Dodge RAM 1500 4x4) for a new(er) pickup.

It’s been awhile since we shopped for a vehicle — & it hasn’t gotten any easier! We looked at a new Ford F-150 with the new eco burst giving much improved gas mileage. We looked at a 2011 Dodge RAM 1500 in a beautiful blue color that would have gone well with the Casita. And finally, we checked out Toyota.

Number one was finding a truck with a bed that our utility shell would fit. And a close second was a desire for 4-wheel drive. Since we pull our HOME with us, we don’t want to worry about not being able to get thru a surprise snow storm or muddy road with the trailer. Then there’s  having room inside the cab for critter crates & riding long hours in comfort.

We eventually settled on this pyrite mica painted 2010 Toyota Tundra 4x4. No, it doesn’t match the Casita. . .but it’s totally comfortable. Unfortunately Jeff had to give up his beloved manual transmission, but the 18-20mpg on the highway has him content.

I was surprised by all the new gadgets on vehicles too. I totally love pairing my Droid to the truck’s radio for hands-free telephone conversations. It also has a USB and aux jack, so we’ve listened to internet radio on my Droid thru the truck radio. There are three 12V jacks to plug in a computer, mp3 player, & cell fon all at the same time. I could even plug in a little coffee maker if we had one!

Oh, I’m also loving South Dakota’s 3% sales tax on the purchase compared to Missouri’s (I think) 6 something! I’ve only driven the truck once & have A LOT of practicing yet to do before feeling confident.

Well, I’ve got more postings to write about our month in Branson, so stay tuned.