Help me choose a truck?

[davva]

Hi!

I'm coming off of an 05 Access Cab Tundra. Great truck. Stolen, recovered, and totaled out. Stay safe out there.

Instead of getting into another 20 year old truck, I'm looking at recent 5th gen 1500s. Seem like the best of the bunch, strong payload, etc. Plus my father in law drives one. I've spent some time on this forum to get a sense of things -- super helpful. I could use your help making a decision.

Main use case:
* driving 75 miles each way to our place in the mountains,
* driving up and down the mountain (1,000 ft in 1.4 miles, decent but steep gravel, unplowed in winter),
* doing truck stuff up and down the mountain (firewood, slabs, chainsaws, brush, gear, etc).

I don't really tow. Just haul stuff around. And people.

I have 2 trucks I'm looking at. Both low mileage, California trucks. I could use your advice.

Truck one:
* 2021 1500 Bighorn. 5.7L Hemi.
* Level 2 package - 8.4 inch display, power seats etc.
* Class IV hitch.
* 3.92:1 Rear axle.
* Stock wheels and original tires.
* Certified Pre-Owned (!)

Truck two:
* 2021 1500 Bighorn. 5.7L Hemi.
* Not much electronics - the 5 inch display, seats are manual, etc.
* Protection package - skid plates, tow hooks, etc.
* Hitch is only Class III.
* "Anti-spin" LSD
* 3.92:1 Rear axle.
* After-market Fuel wheels and KO2s.

Mileage and price are both close enough that we can call it a toss-up.

I can put on after-market skid plates and upgrade the wheels and/or tires on my own time, so let's factor that out for the moment.

So the decision: CPO, more electronics, and the Class IV hitch versus the LSD.

My Tundra had an open diff, also lacked traction control. (Good old days). I would switch it to 4WD Hi at the bottom of the mountain and leave it there for the duration. 4WD Lo if I was hauling a big load up or down. Worked great.

Now, if everything were equal, I would want the LSD. For sure. I have an 08 Subaru, manual transmission, all limited slips, I can drive it in the snow with all 4 wheels rooster-tailing. Awesome.

But is it worth the trade for the CPO, stronger hitch, and creature comforts?

My instinct is that the 3y CPO warranty is more value than the LSD. I know it's apples to oranges. I'm curious for your advice.

Thanks!

 

[NCRaineman]

My instinct is that the 3y CPO warranty is more value than the LSD.

This.

If its a 4x4 the LSD isn't really vital. A three year warranty is great piece of mind, especially with all the electronics modern vehicles have. You want that stuff covered.

If you are financing I recommend getting an additional extended warranty, all the way out to 100k miles if you plan on driving the truck a good bit. Again lots of $$$ electronics and if you are unlucky enough to get the "hemi tick" lifter failure you'll be out major bucks for engine replacement.

My 2019 Ram is bumper-to-bumper covered through Mopar out to 2028 or 85,000 miles, because we only drive about 10,000 miles a year. Great piece of mind knowing that if anything happens I can go to the dealer and say "Fix."

Finally, know you are shopping used but have you looked at prices and interest rates on a brand new truck? Dealer lots are still full of unsold models, and if you are willing to shop around you may still be able to find a "new old stock" leftover 2022 model for even more savings.

I picked up a 2022 Charger R/T back in July that had been sitting on the dealer lot for essentially a year. They came $4k off sticker and threw in 5 year 60,000mi bumper-to-bumper coverage at no additional cost. Deals are out there if you look and aren't super picky about trim level, colors or options.

 

[GTyankee]

If you do get the truck with the Class 3 hitch

This is how to upgrade the hitch, if you decide that you need it

2019-23 RAM 1500 Trailer Hitch Class 4 Install

My truck came with a class 3 hitch with a 6000 trailer limit and a 600 lb tonque rating which is far less than the trucks 9700 lb tow rating. But worse, the ...

www.youtube.com

 

[Mike Wenrich]

Since you do not "really tow" the hitch should not be an issue and a Class III will do pretty well if you do tow. Just not going to tow a fifth wheel trailer, etc. If you don't go extended warranty the lower level package will likely be less risky. Also you already have better tires and wheels on that truck and the LSD. Unless you just want to have heated seats in the rear and all the other goodies the Level II offers the lower level truck might be a better choice. I would hope either one has very low milage and you should consider why they are being sold. Listen to the engine for the "tick" and maybe get a FAX report to see if they have been in an accident. If your pocket is deep enough there are some good discounts on new 2023 trucks right now. The lots are loaded with them in CA and likely elsewhere.

 

[davva]

Thanks guys. Truck one has 17k miles and just came off a lease. Truck 2 has 28k miles - I don’t know the reason for sale.

as much as I like the idea of CPO and CarPlay, I am leaning towards truck 2. It has skid plates and the LSD, has the tires I would put on it anyway, and is simpler in a bunch of ways. I don’t need 8 way power seats or for my truck to park itself. I need it to drive in rough conditions well and do truck stuff.

That hitch video is great - I installed a class 4 hitch on my SUV and it was easy too. Couple of hours. So yeah that doesn’t swing it.

i have a friend who should be able to test drive on Monday. I think I’ll ask her to drive truck two and see how it is.

 

[brian42]

It will come down to which one feels better to you. The only thing that makes me lean towards truck #2 is the LSD. As mentioned 4wd negates a lot of the potential issue (4WD Auto) and I had no issues with my "open" diff (4wd with e-locker).

I am biased towards truck #1 because I had a Level 2 Big Horn and wouldn't have it any other way. Not sure what you had in your Tundra but the 8.4" and extras (heated seats, rear vents, dual zone climate control, etc.) that come with Level 2 were a must-have for me. I could have downgraded but I spend a lot of time in the driver's seat so wanted the bells and whistles. YMMV

The lease return is also a plus as well as the truck is all stock.

Just my .02

 

[Explorer682]

Thanks guys. Truck one has 17k miles and just came off a lease. Truck 2 has 28k miles - I don’t know the reason for sale.

as much as I like the idea of CPO and CarPlay, I am leaning towards truck 2. It has skid plates and the LSD, has the tires I would put on it anyway, and is simpler in a bunch of ways. I don’t need 8 way power seats or for my truck to park itself. I need it to drive in rough conditions well and do truck stuff.

That hitch video is great - I installed a class 4 hitch on my SUV and it was easy too. Couple of hours. So yeah that doesn’t swing it.

i have a friend who should be able to test drive on Monday. I think I’ll ask her to drive truck two and see how it is.

Inspect the rear window frame for a fine crack above the sliding glass. Thousands of these trucks leak water which can cause damage to all the electrical components behind rear seats and near the speakers in the headliner. While the third break light gasket and rear window “may” be covered the damage caused by water intrusion will be problematic, multiple threads on this topic here. Just give a real good look !

 

[Stavinksi]

10k miles doesn’t seem like that much, but it’s a lot. Thats 5% of trucks life of 200k miles, 10% of a 100k life. Is the other one 5-10% cheaper? If both option sets are acceptable I would always favor the lower miles personally. Also less usage you didn’t do to it. Was it treated nicely for those extra 10k miles?

 

[kdoublep]

Truck 1

 

[Sherman Bird]

Thanks guys. Truck one has 17k miles and just came off a lease. Truck 2 has 28k miles - I don’t know the reason for sale.

as much as I like the idea of CPO and CarPlay, I am leaning towards truck 2. It has skid plates and the LSD, has the tires I would put on it anyway, and is simpler in a bunch of ways. I don’t need 8 way power seats or for my truck to park itself. I need it to drive in rough conditions well and do truck stuff.

That hitch video is great - I installed a class 4 hitch on my SUV and it was easy too. Couple of hours. So yeah that doesn’t swing it.

i have a friend who should be able to test drive on Monday. I think I’ll ask her to drive truck two and see how it is.

In my experience, CPO has been a huge joke over the years. This is due to low diligence of the dealer techs I've been around. It may be different these days, I do not know.

The warranty is a great peace of mind thing to consider, lest you have plenty in savings for the mechanical rainy days.
Class 4 receiver is best, and I'm a big believer in limited slip diffs. Skid plates are a must, based upon your description of your commute.

 

[dhay13]

Personally I would not buy a truck without an LSD. 2WD vs 3WD (unless you have lockers in the front too).

 

[AlexC2350]

Have you decided on a truck yet? I just came across this thread. If you haven’t bought one I wanted to give my 2 cents.

I think for your use case, truck 2 is the way to go. You don’t say if it’s crew cab or not. If is, the 5.5 foot bed is irritatingly small. You’ll want the extra foot for hauling and the crew cab for gear and people.

 

[davva]

Thanks for checking in. I wound up buying "Truck 3," on the east coast.

2021 1500 Quad Cab Bighorn:

* 16k miles
* Level 2 (heated seats and 8.4" carplay screen)
* 3.92 gear ratio
* LSD
* bedliner
* super, super clean

I took the LSD advice to heart.

It has factory skid plates but they seem like a joke -- I've ordered a full set from Talon's garage.

I have some more work to do to make it my own, but so far it's been awesome.

Happy New Year!

 

[NotSoFast]

The difference between the headlights in the Level 1 and Level 2 trims is huge. It does not seem easy to upgrade.

 

[brian42]

Headlights were a different option and not tied to a package, which is why many didn't go that route with their Big Horn (~$1500 to add LED headlights/taillights).

My '19 had LED headlights. I never had them before but were on my "must have" list. Now I'll never have anything else.

 

[Drummin4jc]

Thanks for checking in. I wound up buying "Truck 3," on the east coast.

2021 1500 Quad Cab Bighorn:

* 16k miles
* Level 2 (heated seats and 8.4" carplay screen)
* 3.92 gear ratio
* LSD
* bedliner
* super, super clean

I took the LSD advice to heart.

It has factory skid plates but they seem like a joke -- I've ordered a full set from Talon's garage.

I have some more work to do to make it my own, but so far it's been awesome.

Happy New Year!

Congratulations on your purchase!! Glad you were able to get great advice from the forum. Enjoy!!

Adam