It has some interior trim that the bare-bones pickup did without, and it sports a fetching purple wrap to match my unicorn-servicing business’s uniforms, which admittedly adds $499 to the bottom line. But the rest is purely functional: a structural floor liner for the bed, a toolbox, a locking tailgate, and some MOLLE webbing into which I can strap things. There’s a tow hitch—rated for up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg), with up to 1,550 lbs (703 kg) in the bed, and a $275 telematics module because I do want to be able to track this truck online. Without this telematics module, you can’t connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth.
The off-road brodozer
For my final pickup variant, I wanted to build something for adventuring, and my selections came in at a total of $32,923.64… plus whatever the lift kit ends up costing. Almost $8,000 in add-ons is a lot—much of the money went to the various exterior lights—and I probably could have kept going with some gear to help get unstuck from sand or mud. The all-terrain tires were a significant cost; upgrading from the stock 17-inch wheels will add at least $1,000 to your Slate.
I’ll definitely be able to see where I’m going now.
Slate Auto
