Looking to purchase 2013 / 2014 / 2015 (what to look for?)

Hey folks,

I am currently shopping for Ram Sport either 13/14/15

Must be...

- 8 speed
- 3.92
- Leather (have kids)
- Crew Cab (have kids)

Everything else is a bonus.


I noticed when people spoke about some of the issues with RAM is paint job, transfer case and few other things...

Is there a year between 13-15 that I should stay away from, or on other hand look for only 2014 etc...?



Thank you.

scubabill said:

All 2015s at least are 8 speed FYI

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noticed 2014 and 2015 are 8speed

2013 is hit and miss... thats why I brought up 8 speed since I had year 2013 in the mix to keep me at budget

There is nothing wrong with the transfer case.

I love my 14...

Yeah coming from someone who isn't biased at all, the transfer case is he best thing about the truck

But since you're looking. On your test drive get it up to 65-70 , pay attention to vibrations at those speeds. Also ensure the transfer case actually engages. Put it in 4 lo and creep forward, try to stop, you'll know if its engaged.

Also pay close attention to the radio, if it has nav, ensure it works! Heck the spare tire, make sure it has one and its the RIGHT one. I purchased a brand new truck with a spare that didn't even belong to this thing.

yillbs said:

Yeah coming from someone who isn't biased at all, the transfer case is he best thing about the truck

But since you're looking. On your test drive get it up to 65-70 , pay attention to vibrations at those speeds. Also ensure the transfer case actually engages. Put it in 4 lo and creep forward, try to stop, you'll know if its engaged.

Also pay close attention to the radio, if it has nav, ensure it works! Heck the spare tire, make sure it has one and its the RIGHT one. I purchased a brand new truck with a spare that didn't even belong to this thing.

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WTF, you are biased but there is nothing wrong with it. Lol

Generally the 13's required plug changes at 30,000 miles while the 14 up Hemi go at least 100,000 miles.

I purchased a used 14 Sport and really like the truck. IIWM, I'd stick with the 14 and newer Sport.

I believe the standard seats are cloth insert seats with 10 way adjustment on the drivers side. Mine has that setup and I like the adjustability. You can get them comfortable for many hours on the highway so be sure it does have them.

Mine is loaded with other options - front and back parking sensors, heated seats and steering wheel, push button start, remote start, moon roof and power rear window.

I could probably get along without any of the options but once I got them, I started using them and they are all really nice to have.

I would also suggest that you investigate a lifetime warranty and judge if you want it. There are a ton of electronics on the vehicle and they are not inexpensive to replace.

I'll also agree to taking a long test drive looking at all driving conditions. I had the truck for two hours and close to 90 miles, some of which was a bit better than 70 mph on the freeway. I was leary about why a 14 month old truck with 12,300 miles on it was selling for the low price the dealer was asking. That's why I put so many miles on it. After owning it 14 months, it has performed perfectly so I guess it was a great purchase.

Lastly, don't buy without Carfax, don't know if it catches everything but it said mine had normal service done and the recalls (3) performed so It gave me confidence that the truck had been looked after and it's pristine condition was from good care.

I plan to keep this one a while so I went for an extended service plan.

avantiguy said:

Generally the 13's required plug changes at 30,000 miles while the 14 up Hemi go at least 100,000 miles.

I purchased a used 14 Sport and really like the truck. IIWM, I'd stick with the 14 and newer Sport.

I believe the standard seats are cloth insert seats with 10 way adjustment on the drivers side. Mine has that setup and I like the adjustability. You can get them comfortable for many hours on the highway so be sure it does have them.

Mine is loaded with other options - front and back parking sensors, heated seats and steering wheel, push button start, remote start, moon roof and power rear window.

I could probably get along without any of the options but once I got them, I started using them and they are all really nice to have.

I would also suggest that you investigate a lifetime warranty and judge if you want it. There are a ton of electronics on the vehicle and they are not inexpensive to replace.

I'll also agree to taking a long test drive looking at all driving conditions. I had the truck for two hours and close to 90 miles, some of which was a bit better than 70 mph on the freeway. I was leary about why a 14 month old truck with 12,300 miles on it was selling for the low price the dealer was asking. That's why I put so many miles on it. After owning it 14 months, it has performed perfectly so I guess it was a great purchase.

Lastly, don't buy without Carfax, don't know if it catches everything but it said mine had normal service done and the recalls (3) performed so It gave me confidence that the truck had been looked after and it's pristine condition was from good care.

I plan to keep this one a while so I went for an extended service plan.

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appreciate detailed response, will be looking into lifetime warranty

few questions on warranty..

- I assume warranty price is negotiable?
- Is there certain KM's vehicle has to be under to be applicable for warranty?
- Since I'm looking to purchased used and might not be bought from RAM dealership, can I still buy lifetime warranty?

Syntec said:

appreciate detailed response, will be looking into lifetime warranty

few questions on warranty..

- I assume warranty price is negotiable?
- Is there certain KM's vehicle has to be under to be applicable for warranty?
- Since I'm looking to purchased used and might not be bought from RAM dealership, can I still buy lifetime warranty?

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You can buy an extended warranty if its still under warranty. Sometimes dealers will sell dealer specific warranties, stay away from those.

I bought a 14 with 30K miles last August. I have now in January put about 7K more miles on it. I just passed the 3 yr/36,ooo mi bumper to bumper warranty the factory gives.

I have benn offered extended warranties from at least 3 different Mopar dealers for various prices, most recently last week via email. I am not an extended warranty kind of guy... you have to choose what you want to do but they are available after purchase.

I have the 8 spd tranny and like it. I pull a 5000# trailer occasionaly. I thought I wanted 3.92 gears, but was talked out of the choice by tranny engineer bro in law who explained final gearing to the wheels to me and I find that final 1st gear is lower with 8 spd and 3.21 then 6 spd with 3.92. I have no issues with towing at all, and I like the fact that I can get 21+ MPG on the hiways at 70MPH (not towing).

Get the 32 gallon tank if you can. Without towing I get 500+ miles on a tank of gas.

I have a Bighorn edition, cloth seats. Friend has leather Laramie and I prefer my seats for comfort to his. the bighorn has heated seats and steering wheel as stock I think... both are great, along with heated outside mirrors.

I have used the 4WD auto this winter some and it seems to work well, going from slushy to wet to dry roads without having to shift 4WD/2WD manually.

I luv my crew cab with tons of room in the back. Downside is 1400# payload, and 5' 7" box, but that is not a problem for me.

Hemi 5.7 is awesome engine with 395 Hp and 400+ torque. It has power to spare in all but the heaviest towing situations.

The electronics in the cab with the 8.4" screen scare me as to how long it will last, but only time will tell on that.

I also have rear 60/40 filp up rear seats that give some added storage in the crew cab floor along with some under seat storage. Seats are comfortable in the rear... did I mention lots of room in crew cab?

Rear tailgate camera good for backing up. I also have the integrated tow brake and flip out outside tow mirrors, which I am glad I have them. Front tow hooks and facotry skid plate is nice.

Don't like the sealed auto tranny. Dealer says to replace fluid at 100K miles... OK, but would rather do it sooner but what a pain.

The wife luvs my truck also as it is easy to get in and out with side steps and grab rail inside, and rides like a car.

I hope this helps...

Awesome report rsdata.

I'm on the fence between a Bighorn or an Express Crew Cab myself. I like the extra bells and whistles, and most of the Express's around here are Quad's for some reason.

The prices get pretty close once the discounts are figured.

Syntec said:

I am currently shopping for Ram Sport either 13/14/15

Must be...

- 8 speed
- 3.92
- Leather (have kids)
- Crew Cab (have kids)

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Very nice choices. 8 speed and 3.92 gears are a great combination if you don't mind sacrificing a little highway MPG for better towing or just the "fun" factor.

Syntec said:

I noticed when people spoke about some of the issues with RAM is paint job, transfer case and few other things...

Is there a year between 13-15 that I should stay away from, or on other hand look for only 2014 etc...?

Click to expand...

My comments mostly echo what others have said here already. I like to think I have a fairly unique perspective on your question, because I bought a 2013, owned it for a few months before it was totaled by a red light runner, and then bought a 2014. My father drives a 2015.

If you have ever wondered about "tuning" it with a programmer to get more power and throttle response, skip the 2015. Requires a whole new computer, doubles (or more) your cost. 2013 or 2014 are easier/cheaper.

2013s the 8-speed is harder to come by, as it was only an option. The 2014s started making it common in middle trims and up. 2015s even more so.

For 2014+, they seemed to have gone back to the suppliers and said "how can we mach each part just a little cheaper" when it comes to the small things. Plastics/metals you don't deal with or see unless you're taking stuff apart, such as fasteners for example, all feel a little more cheaply manufactured on my 2014 compared to my 2013. I guess that makes a little sense since 2013 was the first year of the refresh.

Paint wise, I cannot comment, had no issues with any of the Rams. Others have not been as lucky. My 2013 was Prairie Pearl with lower tone White Gold, 2014 is Maximum Steel, and father's 2015 is Deep Cherry Red.

Take a look at one with the Ramboxes. I cannot stress that enough, they are extremely handy if you don't mind sacrificing a little bed width. My 2013 did not have them, as I thought them unnecessary at first, but gave them a shot on my 2014. I don't think I can ever go back to not having them now.

Be aware that the Laramie and below trim levels don't have rear heated seats standard. I think it may be an option on the Laramie, but its standard on Longhorn and Limited. Depends on how much you want to spoil your kids and/or wife, I guess. The first time my mother and wife rode in my back seat during a trip, they both commented about how my father's Laramie doesn't have the heated seats, and they wished it did.

Stay away from 3rd party warranties. If you buy one, only buy an authentic Chrysler one. The best two places I've found, price wise, were Chryslerwarrantys.com (misspelled on purpose), which is a dealership out of Wisconsin, and ChryslerWarrantyDirect. I did not buy one at all myself, and chose to stick with the powertrain-only factory warranty. I've never spent enough money on repairs to justify an extended service contract. (At least, not yet.)

I agree with jasonw.
If you plan on adding any type of tuner the best way to go is a 13 or 14, if I would have researched a little more I would have picked up a 14 instead of my 13 just because the 14s plugs are changed every 100k instead of the 13s at 30k, but I am not complaining still love my truck!!

Thank you all for in-depth replys I really appreciate it!

Just picked up a Blue Streak Pearl 2014 Ram Sport 1500 / Crew Cab / 3.92 / LSD / Fully Loaded

Picking it up tomorrow and will post pictures. I am super excited for the truck but scared for my wallet as I been already thinking about mods

will try and keep it tasteful - first on list new rims and tires and levelling kit




P.S - should I change out the lug nuts on it as I heard OEM ones are terrible? Also something about leak around break light? School me please.

Syntec said:

Just picked up a Blue Streak Pearl 2014 Ram Sport 1500 / Crew Cab / 3.92 / LSD / Fully Loaded

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Congrats! Looking forward to the pictures.

Syntec said:

P.S - should I change out the lug nuts on it as I heard OEM ones are terrible? Also something about leak around break light? School me please.

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If you have the budget, yes, I would advise it, but I wouldn't call it an emergency-do-it-now-or-the-wheels-will-fall-off mod. You may never have the issue, but you never know. My 2010 Dakota had it in 2014, very similar lug nut design. When I had new tires put on, the tire shop advised me they had to go up 1mm larger socket than OEM due to the bulging. I just did my wife's 2014 Grand Cherokee and my 2014 Ram (same lugs) last weekend finally, wanted to get it done before the 4 year mark on their age (the Jeep turns 4 years old in March, it was an early 2014 built in March of 2013). The Ram is not an early 2014, it is a late one, but since I was ordering one set I figured I might as well order two.

If you want, you can read the thread about it here.
Here is the cheapest place I have found the good, solid one-piece Gorilla brand lugs.

The third brake light I would do ASAP, just for peace of mind. Do a search on the forum here, best method is to replace the cheap weather seal on it with a different (better) one. Here is a good thread on that.

jasonw said:

Congrats! Looking forward to the pictures.



If you have the budget, yes, I would advise it, but I wouldn't call it an emergency-do-it-now-or-the-wheels-will-fall-off mod. You may never have the issue, but you never know. My 2010 Dakota had it in 2014, very similar lug nut design. When I had new tires put on, the tire shop advised me they had to go up 1mm larger socket than OEM due to the bulging. I just did my wife's 2014 Grand Cherokee and my 2014 Ram (same lugs) last weekend finally, wanted to get it done before the 4 year mark on their age (the Jeep turns 4 years old in March, it was an early 2014 built in March of 2013). The Ram is not an early 2014, it is a late one, but since I was ordering one set I figured I might as well order two.

If you want, you can read the thread about it here.
Here is the cheapest place I have found the good, solid one-piece Gorilla brand lugs.

The third brake light I would do ASAP, just for peace of mind. Do a search on the forum here, best method is to replace the cheap weather seal on it with a different (better) one. Here is a good thread on that.

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Awesome! thanks for the links, will look into it and get that third brake light fixed this weekend.

Edit. (post no longer relevant)

Make sure its not imported to the US from Canada! I bought a 14 and had a gauge cluster issue, went to the dealer and they ordered the part and it came by with a KM cluster. Turns out that voids the 100k mile warranty...

But overall I like my truck. 14 4x4

KiloHotel said:

Make sure its not imported to the US from Canada! I bought a 14 and had a gauge cluster issue, went to the dealer and they ordered the part and it came by with a KM cluster. Turns out that voids the 100k mile warranty...

But overall I like my truck. 14 4x4

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not going to be a problem for me friend, I am in Canada

My son had a 14 with the 8 speed and the dial shifter on the dash....we both hated it. He kept turning up the radio to shift gears...ugh

I found a 13 with a shift level on the console but is only had the 6 speed with the hemi that year....it worked great and I really liked it until I traded for our 2500...