Do I need to get a RAM 2500?

[mtnrider]

I have owned a diesel 2500 pickup for the past 9 years and it costs a great deal more to keep on the road than a truck with the gas engine. I valued the added power of the diesel when hauling a 4,000 lb cabover camper and when towing a boat and trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs, but now that the boat and camper have been sold I will be selling it to get a 1500 pickup with the V-6 engine (and 3.92 gears).

I have to do fuel filter changes 4x as often as diesel is a very very dirty fuel, and I have to replace the oil at half as many miles and the engine takes twice as much oil. I have two batteries to replace every 3-4 years. An injector overhaul for a diesel engine costs over $4,000 just for the parts. A diesel fuel pump costs more than $3,000 to replace and due to the nature of diesel these pumps can fail at 100,000 miles.

So unless one needs the 40% greater range on a full tank of diesel (and there are aftermarket fuel tanks for diesel trucks unlike the current situation with gas fuel tanks) and is towing more than 12,000 lbs and is towing on mountainous terrain where an exhaust brake is very important, there is no rational reason to buy a diesel truck. Be aware to that out on the highway fewer than half the gas stations sell diesel.

I needed a good laugh, thanks for that. The service guy must have seen you coming a mile away......




.

 

[dhay13]

My son was trying to buy a 2500 diesel last summer but prices were outrageous. He found a 2016 with 45,000 miles for $45,000 and a 2018 that had 2 accident reports with 20,000 miles for $46,000. These were Big Horns so nicely optioned but not loaded. The cheapest he could find brand new was about $62,000. He didn't need the diesel for towing or hauling but more for the miles he was putting on it. He put 39,000 on his 6.4 in 9 months. The resale on the 6.4 will kill him so he wanted the diesel for that reason. For a 2018 Big Horn with about 30,000 miles was about $55,000. For comparison, our 2018 6.4s are pretty well loaded. Has the full console, touch screen nav, power sliding rear window with defrost, power fold mirrors, Off-Road package, 20" wheels, etc. Mine had 8000 miles and his had 6000 miles. Got them for $39,000 each and they gave me $4000 more for my 2013 than anybody else would. He didn't have a trade.

I wanted the 6.4. Did not want a diesel. He didn't have much choice. He only had 1 week to find and buy one after his company told him he had to go 1500 miles away and take his camper there but couldn't use his company truck to tow it so it was a race to find him one. He called about every dealer within a couple hundred miles and couldn't find anything reasonable. BTW-he was happy with his 6.4 towing his 9000lb camper just all the miles he is racking up

 

[Motoman501]

Repair costs are one of the reasons I sold my Cummins but not the only one. Maintenance is more expensive however I did a lot of it myself which greatly reduced costs. If certain parts break on diesel the repair costs can be insane. I have family that have seen $10,000+ repair bills and two reputable diesel repair shops in my city told me if they didn’t need a diesel, they wouldn’t own one of the newer ones. My Cummins had two emission sensor issues that were luckily covered under warranty but the emission garbage made me nervous and I didn’t need a diesel so I sold it. Got $1000 less than what I paid for it 4 years prior. I loved the Cummins when I was towing though and looking back the internet horror stories probably spooked me a little more than they should have.

 

[jejb]

I have owned a diesel 2500 pickup for the past 9 years and it costs a great deal more to keep on the road than a truck with the gas engine. I valued the added power of the diesel when hauling a 4,000 lb cabover camper and when towing a boat and trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs, but now that the boat and camper have been sold I will be selling it to get a 1500 pickup with the V-6 engine (and 3.92 gears).

I have to do fuel filter changes 4x as often as diesel is a very very dirty fuel, and I have to replace the oil at half as many miles and the engine takes twice as much oil. I have two batteries to replace every 3-4 years. An injector overhaul for a diesel engine costs over $4,000 just for the parts. A diesel fuel pump costs more than $3,000 to replace and due to the nature of diesel these pumps can fail at 100,000 miles.

Y'all must have some crappy diesel in your area.

So unless one needs the 40% greater range on a full tank of diesel (and there are aftermarket fuel tanks for diesel trucks unlike the current situation with gas fuel tanks) and is towing more than 12,000 lbs and is towing on mountainous terrain where an exhaust brake is very important, there is no rational reason to buy a diesel truck.

I would agree there for the most part.

Be aware to that out on the highway fewer than half the gas stations sell diesel.

That is not true of the highways and interstates I travel in middle America. Rare to find a station w/o a diesel pump.

 

[andymax]

I have owned a diesel 2500 pickup for the past 9 years and it costs a great deal more to keep on the road than a truck with the gas engine. I valued the added power of the diesel when hauling a 4,000 lb cabover camper and when towing a boat and trailer with a gross weight of 13,000 lbs, but now that the boat and camper have been sold I will be selling it to get a 1500 pickup with the V-6 engine (and 3.92 gears).

I have to do fuel filter changes 4x as often as diesel is a very very dirty fuel, and I have to replace the oil at half as many miles and the engine takes twice as much oil. I have two batteries to replace every 3-4 years. An injector overhaul for a diesel engine costs over $4,000 just for the parts. A diesel fuel pump costs more than $3,000 to replace and due to the nature of diesel these pumps can fail at 100,000 miles.

So unless one needs the 40% greater range on a full tank of diesel (and there are aftermarket fuel tanks for diesel trucks unlike the current situation with gas fuel tanks) and is towing more than 12,000 lbs and is towing on mountainous terrain where an exhaust brake is very important, there is no rational reason to buy a diesel truck. Be aware to that out on the highway fewer than half the gas stations sell diesel.

I'm sorry but you are using threads of truth to mislead and make your point for not buying a diesel. Buy diesel, buy gas...I don't care personally, only that it makes sense for you, whether its an emotional decision or a completely practical decision, it's still one's own decision based on available and valuable information. I have over 196K miles on my diesel in well less than 4 years. I have had fuel pump failure, I have replaced injectors, and the rest of the fuel system and did so at well less that the prices you suggest. Lastly, I have never, ever even once come remotely close to not being able to find diesel fuel...particularly "out on the highway". Am I defending diesel? NO. I can see perfectly logical cases for both...an in the case of the OP I could see going either way for his use case and priorities. Surely seems he will be very happy with his decisions...

 

[RandomRam]

My son was trying to buy a 2500 diesel last summer but prices were outrageous. He found a 2016 with 45,000 miles for $45,000 and a 2018 that had 2 accident reports with 20,000 miles for $46,000. These were Big Horns so nicely optioned but not loaded. The cheapest he could find brand new was about $62,000. He didn't need the diesel for towing or hauling but more for the miles he was putting on it. He put 39,000 on his 6.4 in 9 months. The resale on the 6.4 will kill him so he wanted the diesel for that reason. For a 2018 Big Horn with about 30,000 miles was about $55,000. For comparison, our 2018 6.4s are pretty well loaded. Has the full console, touch screen nav, power sliding rear window with defrost, power fold mirrors, Off-Road package, 20" wheels, etc. Mine had 8000 miles and his had 6000 miles. Got them for $39,000 each and they gave me $4000 more for my 2013 than anybody else would. He didn't have a trade.

I wanted the 6.4. Did not want a diesel. He didn't have much choice. He only had 1 week to find and buy one after his company told him he had to go 1500 miles away and take his camper there but couldn't use his company truck to tow it so it was a race to find him one. He called about every dealer within a couple hundred miles and couldn't find anything reasonable. BTW-he was happy with his 6.4 towing his 9000lb camper just all the miles he is racking up

The funny thing is these modern gasoline engines will run hundreds of thousands of miles without needing an overhaul.

 

[Willie Mosher]

Yes , diesel have they place.
But talking weekend camp trailer
Word, guy tow less 10,000 miles a year,

A guys tow trailer 15~ 20 miles
To favorite camp spot, 4 times year,
Keep your 1500 V6 , just take EZ an slow,

1500 vs 2500. The main reason to get
3/4 ton is safety, Breaks, axle, Transmissions and frames, 3/4 ton are rated 13, 000 to over 16.000 in Gas,
Today gas motor. Ram , GM , Ford, Detuned
So you more less keep it full throttle 100,000 miles and unlike Break it,
So you’re west coast under 8000 lbs,
Or east coast 10,000 lbs gas will
Work fine, you never read about big repair
On Gasoline motor,
Diesel are expensive to buy $9000 or more
To buy, More Expensive Insurance. register and Smog year. EGR. turbos, can cost more
Than gas Motor, Ok tow W Diesel get better MPG went tow. But Empty unloaded Gas get same MPG, ( I get 18 mpg 3/4 long bed
4.10 , 6 pack , 4x4, 6.4 gas) Diesel is west coast $0.80 more + DEF. an hard to find.
Resales vale well this 10~12 years down road 150.000~ 200.000 miles,
No one know market, maybe $12 A Ton,

 

[Moparfanatic21]

The diesel is not why that truck is not moving. The price is. I just picked up an 18 Laramie that is loaded, diesel, certified pre-owned, 14K miles for about $50k. A gas truck in a like configuration would have been much cheaper. Dude is probably upside down on the truck and hoping someone will bail him out.

Here is another example. A 2001 Ram 2500 with upgrades guy says it makes 500hp with proof 98,156 for 6K been there for 13 months

 

[jejb]

3/4 ton are rated 13, 000 to over 16.000 in Gas,
Today gas motor.

Rated that high, yes. Able to easily pull up and down mountains and big hills? You're not going to have a great experience. Here is one 45 mile stretch of road I travel fairly often with my trailer.

Resales vale well this 10~12 years down road 150.000~ 200.000 miles,
No one know market, maybe $12 A Ton,

Not sure what you mean by "$12 a ton"? But we can look back at 10 year old vehicles right now and see what the price difference is. I'd bet it will remain in or very close to the same percentage range for the foreseeable future as well. But the money part of it is not the most important part for a lot of us. If it were, we'd all be driving Tradesman level trucks (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's about picking what each one of us decides is the right tool for the job.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Hopefully there will be a market for gas/diesel vehicles in 10 or 15 years. I'm afraid they'll be legislated out, more sooner than later....

 

[Elkman]

I needed a good laugh, thanks for that. The service guy must have seen you coming a mile away......




.

Was there a point you wanted to make? Maybe get some help from your mom or dad for your next post

 

[mtnrider]

deleted

 

[Sandevino]

Rated that high, yes. Able to easily pull up and down mountains and big hills? You're not going to have a great experience. Here is one 45 mile stretch of road I travel fairly often with my trailer.
View attachment 206932

Not sure what you mean by "$12 a ton"? But we can look back at 10 year old vehicles right now and see what the price difference is. I'd bet it will remain in or very close to the same percentage range for the foreseeable future as well. But the money part of it is not the most important part for a lot of us. If it were, we'd all be driving Tradesman level trucks (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's about picking what each one of us decides is the right tool for the job.

Explain the graph please.

Why are you bagging on the Tradesman trim? Mine is a tradesman and it’s got everything my ‘96 SLT had and then some. I have some tremendous payload in this trim.

Just giving you a hard time....

 

[jejb]

Explain the graph please.

The graph is a GPS track of a 42 mile stretch of Interstate in Arkansas. Demonstrates the type of terrain I pull through.

 

[Rherman1]

Okay, I have the new 1500 bighorn 2019 with 3.92 gears 8 speed and 5.7 hemi, also my Toy hauler is a 2020 coachman catalina trail blazer rated at max weight 7900lbs. the trailer dry is 5490lbs. with the bike and all stuff in side we are at about 7000lbs. My WDH is a 4 point sway with 1000/10,000. I am thinking this truck will handle the trailer, I am just not looking to upgrade my truck yet! I forgot to mention the trailer is 29' 10"

 

[Marley]

Okay, I have the new 1500 bighorn 2019 with 3.92 gears 8 speed and 5.7 hemi, also my Toy hauler is a 2020 coachman catalina trail blazer rated at max weight 7900lbs. the trailer dry is 5490lbs. with the bike and all stuff in side we are at about 7000lbs. My WDH is a 4 point sway with 1000/10,000. I am thinking this truck will handle the trailer, I am just not looking to upgrade my truck yet! I forgot to mention the trailer is 29' 10"

Your Hemi can indeed pull that weight but that won't be the issue.

It's always the 1500's payload that becomes marginal with bigger trailers.
Tounge weight, hitch, cargo in bed and passengers usually dissolve the half-tons payload.

A 2500 with the same engine has double the payload.....it's suspension can handle twice the weight.

You may be ok but I'm betting you're really close with a 30 footer and a good WDH is paramount.

 

[dhay13]

My payload on my 2018 2500 6.4 is about 3000lbs. Can't remember the exact number but right around there

 

[dexter]

My payload on my 2018 2500 6.4 is about 3000lbs. Can't remember the exact number but right around there

try google - you're off by about 30%

 

[Motoman501]

Google won't give you the exact payload of your truck. Check the sticker on the driver's side door. My payload is 3213 lbs.

Payload is the killer on half tons. I hated worrying about counting the weight of everything so my 2500 took care of that problem. If you are close to maxing out your truck I'd weigh your trailer on a scale too. My last trailer was an Attitude toy hauler which empty actually weighed 6200 lbs but the sticker said it weighed 5400 lbs.

 

[dhay13]

try google - you're off by about 30%

With me in it and 1/2 tank of fuel it weighed about 7250 so that leaves me with 2750. I weigh 270.

Mine says 2973. Your 30% might be for a regular cab or Tradesman but you're off by about 300lbs