As others have said, graduate and lock down everything first. I'm not a fan of spending money I don't have yet.

A few things to keep in mind is that the sticker price is not the out the door price on new cars. Dealers are going to hit you with some random fees that will add a few grand to your price tag.

Personally I've owned around 50 vehicles and have never owned a new one. I also haven't financed a vehicle since 2007. I've always said "let someone else take the initial depreciation hit". Vehicle prices are stabilizing and even coming down in some cases. I'd buy used with 20% down just so I immediately had some equity. When you're starting out it's nice to know that you could liquidate your vehicle at any moment and not have to cut the bank a check.

There is a reason that Dodge trucks typically depreciate quicker than the others. Historically they don't hold up as well as the others (power trains are pretty solid but the interior and body don't seem to hold up). That is purely subjectively opinion based and I have no data to support it, vehicles are just a hobby.

Fullsize trucks are expensive and complete overkill for most people. If you're really set on a truck be honest with yourself about what you really want/need and try not to get caught up in the "well if I'm going to this I might as well go bigger". Many SUVs and midsized trucks are as capable capacity wise as full size trucks were 15-20 years ago.

Ok, having vomited all of that. If fuel consumption wasn't a big issue and I wanted the best bang for buck I'd look at 7-8 year old Suburbans, Tahoes and the like. They don't seem to hold their value like trucks do. Most have been used as kid haulers so the power trains haven't been taxes (sometimes the interiors are beat up with mystery stains and Cheerios). They are based on their truck counterparts and have very similar towing and hauling capacity. If you're into the outdoors you can usually sleep in them if you want to as well.

There is some random advice from a random guy in the interwebs