There is a methodical reason for this purchase. It will pull our next home.
Our new truck.
It is true. Everything is bigger in Texas. This is what we hear from our French student every day, but especially after she stood in the long bed of our new truck. Tim was jealous when Cindy got to drive it to take some Frenchies to the mall so they could do serious Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister shopping. The Super Duty Long Bed fit neatly into two spaces, parked far enough from the mall to avoid dings and dirty looks.
Dodge and GMC were a consideration, but after much empirically validated data by our own qualitative observations (ha), we have come to the conclusion that real Texans drive a Ford. Maybe it is a stereotype, but hey, this is a blog; it’s not a dissertation (smiles to all our academic friends). The Ford F350 Super Duty Lariat long bed won our favor on several counts including towing capacity, more options, fuel economy, better reviews, auxiliary inputs, locking storage, roomy, general look and feel, stronger rear suspension for less money, resale value, interior design, automatic folding side mirrors, voice activated NAV, lower cost, the “man step,” reverse camera, and more.
For those who know Tim well, he did not pass two Ford dealerships to make the purchase all the way in Houston for his own pleasure. When a manager tells you the deal is “only good today” even though financing cannot get you into the office after an hour of waiting, and it is 9:00 PM, it is time to walk. While we liked the salesman, the first dealer lost the sale because of a manager who has mistaken a Ford for a timeshare. The next dealer lost the sale because, well, bad business practices. On the upside, Tim got a much better deal with Lone Star Ford with fewer hassles, and they had in stock the color we preferred. Third time’s a charm!
So now we are “real Texans,” for what it’s worth. We have the boots, the hat, and now we own the truck.