So many careers are truck-related, weather and road conditions are often truck-pounding, and recreational hauling usually demands truck performance. In selecting a truck, there can be many variables which, will effect your long term driving satisfaction. So having pre-thought your requirements in advance can greatly ensure that under the influence of the excitement, the paint, the dandy options, and the great deal of money you will lose if you walk away... you can still end up with the vehicle you need for the things you want to do.

Too often clients have come in wanting a truck, telling the salesperson what they want, buying the vehicle they want, only to later discover that it really is not what they wanted. A fellow I had sold a Ranger pick-up to came in and told me later that the truck he had bought wouldn?t carry all the tools he needed to haul with it. Ouch! Certainly a good sales person helps you select the vehicle that will work for you, but unless it is clear in your mind what you need, it is difficult to make it clear to someone else. It is important to know what you need your truck to do. So here is a basic checklist of items to consider in your next truck purchase.

1. Will I be working this vehicle or using it for pleasure?

This includes:

• 1. How many people? Will my short teenagers outgrow a super cab by next year? Am I still in the process of growing a family and better not forget that a super cab is more important next year than four wheel drive if budget is a concern.

• 2. How much cargo do I carry? This becomes a concern when you are doing more than just packing people. If you are loading your truck with fuel tanks, off road machines, special equipment, trailers etc.., you need to identify how much weight you are going to be packing. You may need to understand that the way you drive and the roads you drive on can also effect the real abilities of your truck as well. I had overheard some shop comments about how excessive mud can add so much additional weight that an already loaded vehicle may have the warranty voided due to the additional ?unconsidered cargo?. On rough roads it is possible to bend frames and have the springs break through the bottom of a box in an otherwise not overloaded vehicle. As B.C. has been more strict about vehicles being overloaded, one may need to also consider out-of-province regulations when selecting the truck that is right for you.

• 1. Knowing what options you need is a result of knowing what expectations you have of the vehicle. If you need to be moving plywood all the time, an eight-foot bed is the option you need, if you will be pulling a fifth wheel, depending upon its size and your wallet, you may need dual rear wheels, possibly a suspension package or maybe nothing extra depending on the capacity of the truck you select. Do not forget that the weight of an empty trailer and a load for a week of holidays is not the same. As I mentioned in the previous article it is important to get out and look at the various options available and to talk to the various truck dealers to discover what sort of options they have available since they are changing all the time. Spend time getting an update on the features that have changed, try not to assume that you are fully knowledgeable about the vehicles you are looking at, your inquiry may lead to discovering new things in another manufacturer?s unit that you wouldn?t have known otherwise to be important to you.

• 2. There are options available which take time to discover. A frustrating thing about purchasing vehicles these days is that there are so many programs and so many financial institutions, each with their own host of options, so that vehicle you like at the payment you want, may not be out of your reach if you work with your dealer to exhaust the sources. This takes time and patience on the buyer?s behalf because the dealer and the buyer often want to part company as quickly as possible, each getting what they want from the other. Taking the time to understand and have the dealer work through all your options is important for both you and the dealer because it goes far in helping you ensure that you get the best arrangement for yourself as well as a solid relationship being established with your dealer for any future problems that may need to be addressed. (You don?t want to have a warranty issue and then be wishing that you hadn?t treated the dealer like trash earlier when you bought the vehicle.)

• 3. Know your contract. When you trade in a leased vehicle, or are leasing a new one, take time to know the numbers and what you have agreed to. Not all companies are the same, not all agreements are the same, and it may be that changes have been made since your last lease. Do not take for granted that you will be told all things, nor that the people who are writing the contracts have remembered everything. If you do not understand where the numbers came from, ask for an explanation that will make sense to you. If you have kilometers owed back to you, or things you are uncertain about, get it clearly and honestly resolved. This keeps you from kicking yourself later, and helps the dealer ensure that they have not overlooked something that you might want to bring up again after the paperwork is sent to the finance company. In the long run it keeps you both happier.