[Bob86ZZ4]

As far as a MDT vs. HDT, I think HDT has a lot of advantages. Many of the HDT owners I've talked to at the 5 HDT Rally's I've attended have owned MDT before going HDT. Most of them will tell you they wished they hadn't gone MDT at all and gone straight to the HDT. Okay, now that we have that decision figured out.

Do you need a car on deck? There's plenty of people that use an HDT to pull their 5th wheel and then use it to drive around. There's probably more that bring some sort of shopper/touring veh. along. What are the cost differences? Building the deck is going to cost more. It's going to be a bit longer (which will make it not as nice to drive around for shopping, etc...) and it might make it harder to get into some camping areas. It's going to be more desirable for resale. This is a pretty important point here. Remember above where I said a lot more people are bringing some sort of veh. At some point you (or your kids after you die) are going to have to sell this truck. Maximize the sales potential. Even if you have a long deck doesn't mean you have to toss a car up on it.

For sure don't do anything until you attend a rally. The East Coast rally is in the spring. That would be a good one but it's a bit farther from us in MN. The National Rally in Hutchinson is great. Lots of rigs and info sessions.