Its a tough one....I have to say for many of us we always face that same decisions even later in life.(not that I'm old or anything).. I want to sell my kit car and corvette and buy something really nice but the voice in the back of my head tells me they are paid off and I have so many other projects and things to pay for.... Some times in life things will be going better for you than others and making choices like that will be easier than others....
You could likely trade that truck for a fairly new compact car and save lots of money on repairs and gas but then part of you will always regret it even if its the smartest thing for you to do right now... Its a tough one.... but this being a forum of almost all 2nd gen truck owners and most of them being kids themselves? Your going to get pretty biased opinions many from people in the same boat as yourself who are still trying to justify it to themselves...

 

Buying a diesel would be just about the worst thing you could do. You don't need one, they are hella expensive, and cost way more for fuel. Would I like one, Hell yeah, Would I buy one if I had the money, Hell No! I don't need one, I don't tow anything with my truck, and the things I do haul, I don't need a diesel for. You said it yourself, diesels at our age, are just so you can become a diesel doucher and have the best rig around, Which right now, you probably pretty much already have.
A girl that I went to school with had a 98 Ram 1500 4x4, she bought a 2001 Cummins for around $14k if i remember right, she then sold her 98 for $4k, and she's already put all the money and more from selling her 98 into repairs for her Cummins, and she's only had it for about 5 months. She uses it to pull her horse trailer, but I think her 1500 did that fine before. She wishes she never bought the Cummins now. Her real reason for buying it was to have the coolest truck around, and now it sounds like she regrets it.

You already have a BadAss looking truck, and it still has low-ish miles. 104k that's not bad. You already put a lot of money into it, not only cosmetic, but to make it more reliable. You should be fine, every vehicle you will own, you will have to keep up maintenance on, and somethings are going to break, that's just the way it is. If I were you, I would have parked it, and drove that Hyundai around for a bit, or at least traded it for something a little cooler, if you just have to look cool.

You should have a pretty decent amount of Cash from an 09 Accent, I wouldn't worry about the cost of the Ram for a while.

I thought about selling my truck earlier this year too, even had it listed on craigslist, with a couple potential buyers lined up, but in the end, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
Do whatever you feel is best, but if I were you, I would stick with the Ram.

 

My $400 power wagon got more attention in high school then the camaros, mustangs, you name it. The only guy that got more attention then me was Sean Hartman, my good buddy, and the owner/builder of his "6 pack rat." If you don't know what that is, Google it, because you want to.

In your case, like I said before, if you don't want to spend money on the "cool" factor any more, but you still want a sweet ride, your ONLY choice is to keep what you have. with time and a few miles on the truck it will get to where it needs to be, and you will be glad you kept it.

 

Thanks for all your opinions everyone. As of right now, I just ordered a new drop pitman arm and drop trackbar bracket, seeing if that will fix, or help identify the noise with the front end.
So, I will put those in, have the body work I need done, from my mom hitting a brick column with my truck. And go from there. I think I'll plan on keeping it, but might throw it up on craigslist and see what I get for offers, or maybe not. Not decided yet.
But, thanks either way for all your opinions, it's nice to hear different ideas beside what my dad and family say.

 

Good move. That's a nice truck you have, and I'm sure you'll figure out where the noise is coming from.

 

^^^ +1

 

i'm 20 i was 16 not to long ago so i know how it is man.. i have been repairing my truck left and right.. when i bought it in 2008 i had to replace both hubs at 200 a pop. new tires and exhuast work.. 2009 it need a tranny later in 2009 it need a rear end 2010 was a good year no problems and 2011 ball joints... and now it needs hubs again..

no matter what you buy even know.. they will always need work. yes with a new rig they are covered but still the fact is if you don't want to pay upkeep and repiars on something.. in vest in a good pair of shoes and walk everywhere..

my truck has had many problems... but if i sell it on buy something else.. i'll still have more problems. hell your truck is better looking than what i had in high school when i was 16. all i have was a 84 k5 blazer with a 454 and a big lift but the body was all rusted and smashed up.. i would of killed to have a nice looking truck like you have.

don't make a stupid move and get a POS... if you do see the truck trust me you will regret it for the rest of you life... i sold my blazer.. and i still feel sick to my stomach when i think about it... i ended up buying another k5 but its not the same

 

buy the sct tuner you will like your truck alot more for sure !

 

if you wanna sell your truck lemme know how much you want. lol nice lookin truck, keep it.

 

Diesel 'aint as hard as everyone makes it out to be, just a bit more important to do routine maint. The mechanical injection cummins are the easiest engines to work on (89-97.5) Only pain in the *** is taking the head off with the engine still on the truck....

And yes, 5-6k easy.... 104k miles? thats one of those you need to keep into you're 30's or further. just take good care of her, and she'll take care of you!