Replacing my F-150. Truck buying question... Why are Ram trucks valuable?

My F-150 was crushed by a fallen oak tree a few days ago. I will find out soon if the insurance company totals it (probably totaled).

My dad wants to replace it with a 2001 Ram 1500 with the 5.9L V8. Now I understand that you guys like your trucks, but I have a general question, what makes Ram trucks valuable, as in why do they hold their value better? And why would it be worth paying more for a Ram truck vs comparably sized Ford truck?

Which one is cheaper to own, like maintenance costs vs truck cost.

My old truck is a 2001 F-150 XLT with a 4.2L V6 which was more than adequate for our light-duty needs.

Sorry if the question offends you. I'm not here to get flamed.

r00tb33r said:

My F-150 was crushed by a fallen oak tree a few days ago. I will find out soon if the insurance company totals it (probably totaled).

My dad wants to replace it with a 2001 Ram 1500 with the 5.9L V8. Now I understand that you guys like your trucks, but I have a general question, what makes Ram trucks valuable, as in why do they hold their value better? And why would it be worth paying more for a Ram truck vs comparably sized Ford truck?

Which one is cheaper to own, like maintenance costs vs truck cost.

My old truck is a 2001 F-150 XLT with a 4.2L V6 which was more than adequate for our light-duty needs.

Sorry if the question offends you. I'm not here to get flamed.

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honestly think the looks have something to do with it. there's a reason the sales jumped from 80k to 400k when they went to this body style. also I think it's that you get the best of both worlds-modern enough to ride smooth, yet still feel like a truck.lastly, the diesels-every body loves the 12 valve&keeps the price pretty high for a clean one. it honestly wouldn't surprise me to see these trucks hold more value than early 3rd gens here soon.

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As far as maintenance costs, they are pretty much the same for equivalent trucks. No major differences there.

With respects to price, that is usually driven by the individual truck's condition, mileage, age and options. Dodges, as a general rule, don't cost any more or less than other brands. It's all about the specific trucks value.

The diesels hold their value due to one thing - the Cummins engine. It's proven, reliable and will last a long time. Having owned GM diesels I can't say they will stand that same test of time and use.

But at the end of the day, it does boil down to what you like in looks, performance and aesthetics. If you like the look of the Ford better, then go with the Ford. If you like the looks of the Ram, go with the Ram.

They don't hold their value so much as the fact that there aren't as many sold, so less in the marker means marker prices are driven up.

In my search, they are about the same when value is concerned. pickup a well used truck in the 3k range

the majority of the F150 in your year range came with triton motors: The triton motors are a pain to work on (see how to replace a head gasket), Cam phaser go bad, Earlier motors had spitting spark plugs out due to lack of threads in the head. Later models had an issue with spark plugs being too hard to get out and breaking in the block. the plastic intake manifold has a history of leaking coolant into the intake, I didnt hear alot about the 4.2 when it comes to design flaws so that might be the most reliable engine in the line 4.2, 4.6, 5.4.

Dodge is a different story for these years, They modified an older engine design so you really have a reliable platform to start from, but no OHC these are push rod motors, No coil on plug you have a distributor (but not a traditional distributor) timing is controlled by the engine computer. Of course the magnum series engine's have their issues, "Keg" intake manifold can be restricting and does leak oil into the engine,
you dont get the engine advancements/management that the ford had so the trucks do use more gas than a comparable engined dodge, (but its a truck 2-3 mpg isnt going to kill anyone)

Transmissions: I do see more dodge having more transmission issues but the 4r70w has its own issues with ford. The service interverals are also completely different and i believe the 4r70w doesnt have any bands to adjust where the dodge does.

Take all of that into consideration the dodge requires more attention but isnt a nightmare to repair if you are the one doing the wrenching.

Guys correct me if you see anything wrong with what i said.

Not sure I agree, resale is subjective, even down to how well vehicle was taken care of.

But lets face it, Who doesn't want a Hemi

Dodge transmissions of this era can benefit a lot from a large auxiliary cooler and a shift kit.

Must be a regional thing as I never heard of RAM being "higher market value" when compared to other makes.

Hootbro said:

Must be a regional thing as I never heard of RAM being "higher market value" when compared to other makes.

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They're much higher in price up north generally.
Down here in Texas all trucks are inflated.



THANKS OBAMA!

In georgia, it seems the only domestic trucks that hold their value well at an age of 15+ years is chevy. Fords and Dodge can be had for 2k-5k that range covers in need of repair to well maintained.

Sorry if the question offends you. I'm not here to get flamed.

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This made me laugh.

Not sure I see a higher price on the Ram around here either. Just the opposite when comparing Dodge to Ford.
I've always been a Mopar guy but disappointed in my 98. New ball joints, transmission, plenum gasket, steering box all under 125,000 easy road miles. That doesn't impress me.
Love the second gen looks but I don't enjoy the wrenching like I used to.
I married into a 4Runner 17 years ago and you just can't kill that thing. Very low cost to operate so when done with the Ram, I'll be researching a Tundra. Will certainly expect to pay more for that though.

David H said:

This made me laugh.

Not sure I see a higher price on the Ram around here either. Just the opposite when comparing Dodge to Ford.
I've always been a Mopar guy but disappointed in my 98. New ball joints, transmission, plenum gasket, steering box all under 125,000 easy road miles. That doesn't impress me.
Love the second gen looks but I don't enjoy the wrenching like I used to.
I married into a 4Runner 17 years ago and you just can't kill that thing. Very low cost to operate so when done with the Ram, I'll be researching a Tundra. Will certainly expect to pay more for that though.

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Totally get it, Had a roomate in college with a 2001 Tundra access cab. Great truck good power out of that engine and 18mpg to boot. Wouldnt want to work on one personally.

Wouldnt want to work on one personally.

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Agree with that. Did the timing belt on the 4Runner last year at 210,000. Old one looked like new. No fun wrenching though.
On the other hand, I had a cut CV boot (original) at 205,000. Looked easier to just replace both half shafts rather than mess with the boot. Cheap and easy.
Still has original shocks on the back 'cause they sound like a *****.
Wife downgraded to an SRX last year. Just can't seem to list the Toy. Love that truck but it won't tow much.

I can get 16mpg out of my truck on the highway during my flatlands Michigan cruising. City kills it though, i'm talking 250 miles to a tank, thats 10mpg. Given these numbers are before I fixed the plenum, but the change hasn't been so noticeable that i'm going to study it again.

I love my truck in part because I like the way it looks. I like the second Gen body style. I absolutely love the cummins part though, the old 12 valves were great rock solid engines, but i'm going for a newer one of those bad boys.

The body is just like any other truck, the interior plastics are a bit cheaper than the other two major brands, but its not a deal breaker in my opinion.

Sure some transmissions go bad, but i'm amazed how screwed up mine was and kept going, and still is. These transmissions have bands, as such they have levers and linkages to push on the bands. When I dropped the pan last week for a fluid and filter change (oil was blacker than my grandmothers heart) and in the bottom of the pan was one of the stubs that holds the bands tight, and the linkage bar was tilted to the side a bit. One picture is how it looked after i'd taken it off, I had to put it back up there becuase I knocked it down removing the valve body. The second is how it looks before I adjusted the band. It shifts still even though the front band has no friction material on it, its bare metal.

Overall, I like my truck, sure I wish it was the 12valve, but I cant have everything. It works great for what I need it to do. It also pulls around my 6500lbs ish trailer just fine, at least before the transmission died.