Cummins Diesels-

A Saturday last summer-
I had just pulled into the parking space at the WalMart in Clarksville, Tennessee and was allowing the turbocharger on my truck to cool. This normally takes about a minute or so.
During my wait I became aware of a man standing just outside my door.
He didn't look threatening. I opened my door.
"What year is your truck?" he asked.
"It's a '97."
"How much you want for it?" he asked with a smile, (with no idea how many miles were on the clock. 268,000.)
Knowing exactly where he was headed I responded "What's it worth to you?", even though I have NO INTENTION of selling my truck.
Again, he smiled.

We chatted for a few seconds and together we realized two things-
1. He initially thought I might not know the value of the truck and that he might be able to lowball me.
2. He soon realized I knew exactly what I owned and that he wasn't able to take advantage of my ignorance.
That settled, we had about a 15 minute discussion about the market for old Dodge/Cummins trucks, and parted amicably.

I had spent several months on eBay searching for the truck I wanted to buy...
A two-wheel drive extended cab Dodge Ram truck with a 12-valve Cummins engine and long bed.
I wanted a truck with a standard transmission. They are FEW and FAR between. I had to settle for the automatic.

Growing up in Central Indiana I had a friend whose Father had a pickup... a '53 Ford F100 with a Flathead V8 engine.
I LOVED that truck... loved the looks and the sound of it. It was simple and ready to do work.
It was A TRUCK!

Over the last years I've owned a few trucks-
Two Chevy S-10's that served me well during the almost 200,000 miles I drove them.
A '95 Chevy K1500 bare-bones truck that was geared WAY TOO LOW for Interstate driving that I sold within two months of purchase for exactly what I paid for it..
I wanted a truck, and knew what I'd need in the future.

As a kid my family went camping, and I had fond memories of that.
Sara Jean's indication of early stage dementia made me realize while she was still "with me" I wanted to do some traveling with her. I figured some sort of camper in our future would serve that need, but would require a truck to tow a camper. A 3/4-ton truck would be most comfortable.

I'm a HOOSIER kid; Indiana born and raised. I have been aware of the Indiana based Cummins company since Freddie Agabashian drove a Cummins Diesel powered race car in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 and shocked everyone with the power of that race car.

A few years back, Cummins had gotten together with Dodge to produce a pickup truck and those trucks had proven to be "Torque Monsters" and reliable. Buyers seeking a pickup with the power to tow heavy loads without niggling troubles have sought them out. 
Early "12 valve" versions like my truck are now respected and sought after.

-The following Sunday, literally 24 hours after being approached in the WalMart Parking lot, the doorbell at my son's home rang. At the door I found two nice looking young (30-ish?) men.
"We're interested in the truck. Are you interested in selling it?"

I LOVE my truck and I'm not interested in selling it right now.
But it's nice to know it will probably increase in value from this point forward.