What have you spent on customization?

[JoeCo]

What are the door covers? Our dogs, one mainly, are bad about putting their feet up on the doors and looking out the window. I'd like to protect that area.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AE6GG0W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are the ones I bought, same reason, ours loves having her face out of the window as well. These have done the job so far of keeping my doors clean, and the back seat hammock does an excellent job as well (has already saved my seats from puke).

The door covers offer pretty good coverage though, not completely big enough for the entire door but nearly all of it. Good enough of a solution for us to keep the ram clean.

 

[Idahoktm]

So I'm just curious, are the people who are spending thousands on mods for a new truck taking out a 2nd loan to pay for all this, or do all u guys just have that much extra cash sitting in your bank accounts ? I mean the truck payments alone on these rigs are insane to begin with, let alone buying new tires, wheels, lift kits etc on a brand new truck. U guys must all make 6 figures or be in debt up to your eyeballs !!

Going into debt is the American way but based on this thread I'm guessing that a quite a few make 6 figure salaries. https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/what-does-everyone-do-for-a-living.21816/

 

[Finn5033]

Yeah for me standard mods to my eco diesel were

tint front windows
Side steps
Tonneau cover
Bed mat
Wheels and tires
Headlight upgrade
Rear air bags
Those few things right there were over 4K

that’s why on my current truck I looked for it to come stock with some things I usually buy. This one came with

factory bed liner
Side steps
Really nice wheels so I just put different tires on
Came with LED headlights
Didn’t need air bags

pretty easy to drop 5k in mods on a new truck

 

[nc_beagle]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AE6GG0W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

These are the ones I bought, same reason, ours loves having her face out of the window as well. These have done the job so far of keeping my doors clean, and the back seat hammock does an excellent job as well (has already saved my seats from puke).

The door covers offer pretty good coverage though, not completely big enough for the entire door but nearly all of it. Good enough of a solution for us to keep the ram clean.

Looks like an added bonus of blocking the window button. They seem to know how to lower them.

 

[jl13]

Three things:
1) I bought a truck that I knew I could afford and still pay for the mods I wanted. Would I have wanted a Longhorn instead of a Bighorn? Yeah maybe, but would I have been able to afford to mod the Longhorn like I’m modding my Big Horn? Probably not.
2) I’m a firm believer that if I have to finance the mod to afford it, then I can’t afford it.
3) You’d be amazed how much money you save when you do everything yourself.

true - my installation cost would not have been that much but since I did the level installation myself I was able to save some $
Add
0% finance - plus cash is king for smaller things - and if you spend some time to get discounts or good deals on some local listings.
example
my general atx - from $1270 that I was quoted at a chain store - my local tire shop did $1000 cash plus I got back $100 direct from general - total pay $900 - plus planning on getting $400 for my almost new stock tires eventually when I post them for sale
roll up cover - normal cost $800-900 - because it was an open box with minor scratch that I could not even see - $465

Some things I justify them as necessities more than a true mod - like the cover, mup flaps, bed extender.

But yea I mean I was also curious on how everybody was taking on the more expensive mods but I figure some would be in the same boat as me. And were able to trade in or put a good down. My payment is under $500. not too bad - and that was my comfort zone and I almost walk out because it still was a 60K+ truck and I was a believer that was too much to pay for a any vehicle - also still single with no kids

Others I am assuming do make big money.

 

[BowersFJ]

Looks like an added bonus of blocking the window button. They seem to know how to lower them.

It’s a bonus when the wind blows their drool/slobber onto the door paint … Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bankr]

So I'm just curious, are the people who are spending thousands on mods for a new truck taking out a 2nd loan to pay for all this, or do all u guys just have that much extra cash sitting in your bank accounts ? I mean the truck payments alone on these rigs are insane to begin with, let alone buying new tires, wheels, lift kits etc on a brand new truck. U guys must all make 6 figures or be in debt up to your eyeballs !!

The best way to do it is to buy all the mods on your rewards credit card so you get free nights at the hotel/bonus airline miles/cash back/etc, then pay off the credit card when the charges post or before the statement cut.

When I was younger I bought the 2wd Toyota p/u, then later the 4wd Ford Ranger and so on....because that's what I could afford at those times. Now in my 40s, I'm very comfortable financially so I can afford bigger toys.

 

[jl13]

Niceee! I was $7k upside down on my previous car (because I was young and dumb), so right off the bat that was $7k less truck I could buy. But when I found my truck for $39k brand new, I was sold!

I think and maybe i am wrong - 2019 and 2020 there were good deals for buyers.
2021 has been a hard year to find a good deal- I only went thru with my 2021 bulit to serve because I got a good return deal on my 2017

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Guess I'll chime in on this. I had a bunch of stuff come together for me at the same time.

• Had been saving money for years, mostly to build up an emergency fund, but kept going past my cutoff as I just wasn't seeing anything big purchase-wise that I really wanted
• Lockdown checks and child tax credits (I donated some of it but kept most of it, figure it's kind of like some of my taxes coming back to me anyway)
• Sold my house and moved in with my wife (we talked about whose we were gonna sell while we look to get a new one down the line and went with mine; I put most of the cash from the sale away, but kept some liquid)
• Used market went insane and I got a really good deal on my not particularly old but very high mileage (for its age) Grand Cherokee
• Researched about the "invoice" price of these things and walked into my dealer knowing what mine was
• My dealer played ball and gave me $500 under invoice.

So I traded, paid the rest with cash, and set aside a bit extra for mods. Gotta get at least 2 good years, probably 3 out of this truck to give me enough time to save for another trade-in if that's what I end up deciding to do. But, after the mods I've done to personalize it, the idea of doing that is already less lucrative haha.

I don't make very much money at all, I just try to be smart with what I do have. I've been able to save at least $200/month and put away most of my tax refunds for the better part of 15 years. Do some smart investing, keep your monthly expenses in check, don't try to live a lifestyle beyond your means, and look for opportunities to make or just put away extra cash every chance you get. You'd be surprised how quickly it adds up.

 

[MikeyHo808]

Hmmm, let’s see…
Just off the top of my head:
OEM Bug shield
OEM Vent visors
OEM Bed Mat
Ceramic Tint
OEM Bed Cargo rails
Tonnopro Tonneau Cover
Bed Rug
Blacked out Emblems
TDVinyl decal emblem overlays
Flowmaster Flow X Muffler
OEM 5 inch chrome tips
OEM Bed divider
Mishimoto Catch can
Cab Over America Cab Lights
Pioneer powered sub
Sub interface
4 Bilstein shocks + install
Hellwig sway bar
Bed and running board LED light strips
LED bulbs, interior/exterior.

I honestly thought I would be in the under 5k category, but after recapping invoices, I’m way over 5k, with maybe 25% of that total being shipping, grrrrrr….!
I most definitely love my wife. The Mrs. budgeted 10k in mods for this truck, so I got some work to do!

 

[JoeCo]

Looks like an added bonus of blocking the window button. They seem to know how to lower them.

Haha they are clever creatures! Yeah they may work for your cause, probably wouldn't hurt to try.

 

[SKT Customs]

I think and maybe i am wrong - 2019 and 2020 there were good deals for buyers.
2021 has been a hard year to find a good deal- I only went thru with my 2021 bulit to serve because I got a good return deal on my 2017

Absolutely, 2019 & 2020 there were great deals. 2021 you were lucky to pay MSRP!

 

[Idahoktm]

Absolutely, 2019 & 2020 there were great deals. 2021 you were lucky to pay MSRP!

Not really. I paid 6k less than MSRP.

 

[jl13]

Not really. I paid 6k less than MSRP.

i paid 3k under msrp, but in comparison I paid about 12k under msrp back in 2017. those were deals. Usually in a buyers market you will get manufacturers rebates plus dealer discounts, plus anything else you might be able to negotiated.
2021 - at least in CA, everything had a bunch of bs install anywhere from 2k-3.5k and in some cases mark ups. And I think 2022 prices will stay high as well.
I tried to help my dad get a rubicon 4xe. man that thing was coming out to like 72K once everything was paid off. crazy. And it wasn't equip nicely

 

[JoeCo]

Not really. I paid 6k less than MSRP.

About $11,500 off msrp on my 21, but I did have to order it from a dealership 1500 miles away. My local dealers barely moved off sticker prior to any of these shortages, thus they've never been a consideration for my business.

 

[Idahoktm]

i paid 3k under msrp, but in comparison I paid about 12k under msrp back in 2017. those were deals. Usually in a buyers market you will get manufacturers rebates plus dealer discounts, plus anything else you might be able to negotiated.
2021 - at least in CA, everything had a bunch of bs install anywhere from 2k-3.5k and in some cases mark ups. And I think 2022 prices will stay high as well.
I tried to help my dad get a rubicon 4xe. man that thing was coming out to like 72K once everything was paid off. crazy. And it wasn't equip nicely

It's somewhat relative because I got 20k for my 13 year old Tundra. I think it was worth 15k before COVID jacked everything up.

 

[jl13]

About $11,500 off msrp on my 21, but I did have to order it from a dealership 1500 miles away. My local dealers barely moved off sticker prior to any of these shortages, thus they've never been a consideration for my business.

awesome, I keep hearing about people going out of state for good deals. too late for me. I did extend my range but not that far out when I did my search.
Can I say a got another 3k off in savings because of the 0% financing

 

[OCD Solutions]

I paid $15k under MSRP for my 17 Limited in Sept of 2017. I had the cash on hand to pay for the entire thing but we held some back to put into our brand new home. I paid the balance off in under 18 months and used the last payment as a down payment plus trade on my 2019 limited.

Incentives were less but I ended up getting $36k trade in value for my 17 with 29k miles. I wanted the new truck way too much and I ended up paying 23k difference rather than the $15k I had in my head when I entered the ring. I financed the $23k but had it paid off in just a couple months.

I get paid to drive so I get mileage plus a quarterly bonus for being on the road 240 plus days a year. It’s paid off two brand new trucks and my wife’s 2022 Honda Insight and am halfway to a new RAM EV in just 4 years at this job.

 

[JoeCo]

awesome, I keep hearing about people going out of state for good deals. too late for me. I did extend my range but not that far out when I did my search.
Can I say a got another 3k off in savings because of the 0% financing

Absolutely, that certainly counts too. I just got lucky, I had been a member of these forums for a while but wasn't active or viewing them much. I started looking at the right time and saw some good recommendations/information here.

It is nice having the 0%, it's the first time I've had it and I love seeing the whole payment coming off the balance when I make one.

 

[AdamChandler]

Some Math off the top of my head:

CanvasBack seat cover - $300
Mudflaps - $100
Big Horn 20” wheels + Winter tires mounted - $1500 (I swap my 22” and 20” based on the season)
Radar Detector + 2-channel Dashcam - $1300
ProClip + Wiring - $120
Weathertech Mats - $150
Heater block cable - $36
Undercarriage lifetime spray from ValuGuard - $900
Leveling Hitch - $150
Dirt bike mount - $200
Ramps - $700
window Tint - $350
12” screen protector - $20
then probably $200 in misc. stuff like guards, protectors, cup holders, etc.

Truck build is done. Everything I did was to extend the life, comfort and practicality of the truck.