Looking to buy used RAM 1500 - advice ??

[jimmy jam]

So never owned a Dodge or Ram in my life ( 57 now ) used to own a ford with the 5.4 and that ate spark plugs, then switched to silverado and love that truck... tranny went at 155K but otherwise problem free.

Now that my chevy is getting old ( 2005 ) I need a reliable toy hauler, the tried and tru chevy I own has the 4.8, great engine but not so nice when i have to haul two ATVS on a trailer going over the continental divide about a dozen times a year the little 4.8 does the trick but very sloooooowly.

Have it narrowed down to a Ram, 2014 or newer with less than 60K miles with the 5.7 Hemi and 8 spd trans. Was wondering if there is anything I should know about this truck ? any known issues ? recalls ? problem issues that I need to look for ?

ran into a guy over the weekend at my local carwash, he owns a 2017 Ram 2500, king cab long bed and he was in there getting it cleaned so he could trade it in. Seems that model has a known vibration issue and he has tried about everything to get rid of the vibration but says it's a known issue with that model and he wished he would have know that before he purchased the truck. He owned a Ram 1500 with Hemi prior and loved that model.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide...

 

[Graygoose]

I was a Chevy man until my first Ram 1500 in 2011...was a regular cab, 5 speed and Hemi...never an issue. Was a regular cab...needed more room. Then bought the 2015 below, I have about 23K miles...and LOVE it...plenty of power, Hemi, 8 speed and 3.21 gears. Even with the 35's now...still pulls great!!

 

[jimmy jam]

Nice Ride ! thanks for the info. do these rams vary in terms of the gear ratio's or are all pretty std 3.21 gearing ??

 

[zrfraser]

Nice Ride ! thanks for the info. do these rams vary in terms of the gear ratio's or are all pretty std 3.21 gearing ??

3.21, 3.55, and 3.92. Most opt for the 3.92 if doing a lot of towing and hauling.

 

[Pull Ya]

One thing that I think is important would be getting a later model that has the 8 speed trans. They are almost bullet proof. Although all the gear ratios that Ram offers will do the job of towing, I think if you tow a lot my preference would be the 3.92 gears. There is always going to be small misc. problems with any vehicle, but nothing that really jumps out at you in the range of years your looking at. Some of the older 4th Gens need to have the plugs changed every 30k if that would make a difference to you.
Jay

 

[jimmy jam]

Thanks Jay, I think I recall seeing the 3.9 gearing on most of the trucks I have looked at. As for the plugs every 30K i can live with that, I typically do all that myself, including brakes, oil changes, coil packs, alternators, water pumps, belts etc etc. the easy stuff

 

[Pull Ya]

From some of the words some people have used to describe changing the plugs in these hemi's it appears that the jobs is easier for some than others----LOL
Good luck in your search
Jay

 

[14hemiexpress]

From some of the words some people have used to describe changing the plugs in these hemi's it appears that the jobs is easier for some than others----LOL
Good luck in your search
Jay

The 2014+ have the 100k iridumn plugs 2013 was the year they did the minor update I'm not sure what plugs they have. The only thing that's stands out to be common is the manifold bolts breaking and the ball joints giving guys issues if they use leveling blocks in the front. The 8 speed has a know clunk shifting into first until it goes through it's learning process.

As far as doing the plugs imo they arent bad took me about hour and half total. Just make sure you have several length extensions, a spark plug socket that has the boot inside it and a magnet on a stick and your good to go.

 

[mohemipar]

As far as vibration on 2500 goes, I have never heard of that being a well known issue. Haven't seen too many reports of that on the forum. And mine rides smooth as glass on the highway. But if you are looking at 1500 trucks, don't even concern yourself with the HD models. They are completely different underneath the interior and sheet metal. So it's pointless to consider someone's issues on a 2500 if you are in the market for a 1500.

 

[blackbeautyhemi]

From some of the words some people have used to describe changing the plugs in these hemi's it appears that the jobs is easier for some than others----LOL
Good luck in your search
Jay

Lol yea the ones in the back are a ***** to get to and don’t forget there’s 16 of them!

 

[Ratket]

Something you probably are not aware of OP-
You apparently keep your trucks for a long time- Mopar offers a “Lifetime” warranty on their gas vehicles. But it is only on new vehicle and has to stay in your name. Mileage is not a factor. Runs anywhere from $2500 to $3300 at purchase. Just something to think about. Also these trucks can be had at 10k back of msrp all day long. Just take a look at this dealer.

https://www.dennisdillonchryslerjee...#x2f;ram-caldwell-id.htm&lastFacetInteracted=

 

[David S]

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Big Horn 4x4. It has the 5.7L with 8 spd. Got this truck after selling my old 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L that had 274k miles. With this new truck i have been very thewith the ride quality and power even with the 37 inch tires (6 inch lift). When the truck was stock i was averaging 17 mpg, not bad for a V8 4x4. The cylinder deactivation helps a lot with that. Overrall its a great truck i hope to have for many years.


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[TerraNewf]

Not sure of your budget but you should look into new before pulling the trigger on used. Great deals and warranty available on new vehicles IMHO

 

[GRN69CHV]

Traded my '15 Chevy double cab with 60,000 miles on it for a '16 Ram 1500 Laramie, fully loaded, every option except air ride and ram box. The '16 Ram was first put into service end of November 2016 and only had 9400 miles on it when I bought it 3 weeks ago. Balance of factory 3 year 36K bumper to bumper and Certified extended 7yr/100K warranty on powertrain. I basically got as close to a new truck as you can get with all the warranty for $6,000 less than I could touch an '18 even with all the discounts and rebates. Deals are out there.

PS - Mine has the 3.21 gears. The Chevy had 5.3,3.08's with the 6 speed, towed with the Chevy couple times up to about 4500#, that combo handled it fine. Prior to that had an '05 Avalanche with the 5.3, 4 speed trans and 4.10 gears. Towed up to about 5000# with that also and never a problem. Probably will never tow anymore than 5000# with the Ram, have no doubt the 5.7, 3.21 and 8 speed will handle towing with no problem. Point being, gear ratios aren't the killer of towing performance that we think until you maybe start closing in on max towing capacity.

 

[tidefan1967]

Your Chevy's 6L80e transmission has a 4:03 1st gear + 3:08= 7:11 total. The ZF 8spd has 4:71 1st gear + 3.21= 7:92. That being said your Ram with 3:21's should pull circles around the Chevy.

 

[jimmy jam]

thank you to everyone who has responded, helps a great deal, thanks. Setup an appointment with a guy at Johnson Auto Plaza in denver and hope to get a RAM sometime with 30days.

 

[Pull Ya]

Good luck in your search????? I lived in Denver---where you at?
Jay

 

[jimmy jam]

Work in Arvada but live in Evergreen, so i get the sun in my eyes on my drive into Denver and then again on my way home. Lots of accidents out here and i25 is always a mess....

 

[Pull Ya]

Evergreen used to be really beautiful a long time ago. Haven't been up there in quite awhile. Used to ice skate on the lake in the winter. I-25 has always been a mess----even in the 60's.
Jay

 

[fpdsniper]

Avoid the air suspension. Poor reliability and expensive repairs. Other than that, they seem good to go. Looking forward to mine getting out of the shop in a few weeks once they can actually get a new suspension compressor.....