Well, you can still have fun and not toally trash your truck. There is a difference between a $35000 truck that never leaves the street and a $35000 truck that gets muddy every couple weeks. My 05 (that I bought in July) has more sctatches in it than my 97 Dodge Intrepid that I drove for 8 years. Will I follow you in your $1500, maybe not, but I am not afraid to get it a little dirty.