Like a Kid at Christmas

First off, although I suppose this could be horse-related as it is about a truck, I gotta warn you that this is a post falling under the "Etc" of my blog title. ;)

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I woke up this morning and started my semi-usual routine. Bathroom, get dressed, turn on the computer, brush hair, then go start coffee. On the way down to start my coffee I suddenly felt like a kid at Christmas, or more accurately, a kid the day after Christmas. I went to the living room window and peaked out. Yep, the big truck is still there.

Now, a bit of back story. I've had a thing for a certain truck for quite a while. My dream truck: Dodge Ram, 2500 with the Cummins turbo diesel, manual transmission, 4x4, quad cab, long box. Many year ago one of my uncles visited and he was driving that exact truck. That was the first time I had any up close experience with these trucks and that was when I fell in love with the beast. His truck was white in color and was beautiful.

For a time I owned a truck that was close... It met the criteria, except that it was an automatic, 2-wheel-drive and short bed. It did have several aftermarket parts which made it impressively fast for a big truck. Oddly enough, it was also white.

Shortly after Jeff and I met, we decided to start up a horse hauling business together. For that purpose he bought a truck which happened to meet all of my dream truck criteria. It was also flashy, being white with chrome accents. That truck got looks wherever I drove it. However, the longer we had it the more apparent it became that it had been abused by former owners. The truck had been overworked quite a bit before we ever touched it. Parts started to fail and we both got tired of it. Long after we decided to stop hauling we were still fighting the truck's hard working past. We finally decided to sell it. Even though it fit my idea of a "dream truck" in looks and options, I didn't trust it anymore. The truck had also been a source of tension in our relationship because of the business not working out and quite frankly I wanted it gone.

We had the truck for sale for several months and earlier this week it sold. The night before we signed the papers, I was browsing online classified ads, shopping for some used wheels for my "in-between" truck. I bought an old Chevy 2500 for a horse truck when we decided the problem truck had to go. I happened to see an ad for a Dodge truck just like the one we were selling. When I pulled up the ad, I was stunned to see the pictures; it looked just like the truck we were selling too! I called Jeff over and showed him, just because I thought it was kinda funny.

The next day we went and signed the papers to officially sell the other truck. Later that afternoon, Jeff asked me what the truck I'd seen was going for. Long story short, that night we ended up going to look at the one I'd found listed for sale and....

We bought it.

Jeff made the joke that we went without a Cummins for about 8 hours.

We had to wait a few days for the bank to send a check and to actually get the truck. We went and picked it up last night. Driving the truck home was, for me, a bit surreal. The truck is almost identical, inside and out, to the one we just sold. The one that I spent countless days and miles in, hauling livestock all over the country and taking my own horses places. The one I decided I wanted nothing to do with because of its breaking down on me a few times and the fights Jeff and I had had over it.

This truck is the same year, make, model, engine, transmission, cab, box length, color, and interior. The main difference isa that it has many aftermarket parts on it, like my first Dodge. All I can say about the upgrades is: Oh. My. God. can it MOVE. This truck is huge, even taller than the one we just sold because it has a leveling kit, raising the front end at least a few inches. It is creepy fast. When the turbo kicks in, it's hard to believe that something this massive can move so fast. Jeff and I both drove it around some last night, putting it through it's paces and glancing at each other wide-eyed at its power. This truck is in incredible shape inside and out and doesn't appear to have been abused like the other one. It doesn't even have an in bed hitch and the unlined bed is in great shape so we're quite sure it hasn't been used for much heavy work.

I'm still kind of in shock and had to go make sure that the truck is still in the driveway. It was strange to see another big white Dodge with chrome sitting out there.

There is a lot to do with the truck. We are going to have a spray in bedliner put in, as well as a gooseneck hitch, trailer brake system and wiring. Its maiden voyage pulling the trailer will most likely be to go pickup my mustang next month!

I have a busy show schedule planned this spring and summer with the Mustang Makeover right in the middle of it. I'm really excited that I'll be driving another dream truck! :)