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PolarisCobra

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Posts
457
Reaction score
643
Location
Mendon, MA
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7 HEMI
So i bought my 1500 just a little over a year ago, thought I would post some reflections and observations.

First, I bought it at a local dealer (not a Ram dealer) with 23,000 miles on it. Looked at my local Ram dealer, they didn't have a truck on the lot with the options I was looking for. Looked at Rams and Fords. Wanted a bench seat and a Crew Cab, need to carry six people when my son visits from out of state. That led me to a Big Horn, since in general, the Laramies have the full console and bucket seats up front. Wanted a few options, but didn't need all the toys.

My truck was owned by National Car Rental before me according to the paperwork. That concerned me a bit, but as I looked it over, it was really very clean, no signs of abuse, and would have the remaining factory warranty to 36,000, so I went with it.

The truck has the 5.7, Crew Cab, and 6 foot bed. This seems to be a rare combo, most of the Crew Cabs I see have the shorter bed. That was not a big deal to me, but I did need to get it home to make sure it fit in the garage. Makes it with about 2 inches to spare at each end, so I'm good.

A year later, it has 44,000 miles on it, and has been flawless. Two recalls (transmission and tailgate), done no problem. Not one other problem.

I have snowmobiles, and use it to tow my 2 place enclosed trailer several weekends every winter. Typical trips are close to 300 miles round trip. Mileage towing is 12 -13, which seems to be typical no matter what kind of truck you have. Trailer weighs nearly 3000 pounds loaded, so it doesn't really tax the truck, it does a GREAT job pulling it. One trip last winter was VERY cold, - 30 one morning. Hit the remote start on the key fob, truck started like it does any other day, let it warm up for a few minutes, drove like normal. The 4 wheel drive pulls the truck and trailer up hills without issue.

Still have the original tires on it at 44,000 miles, they are getting thin, and will be replaced before winter. They will slip a bit when it's wet, but overall I feel like they have been fine for me.

I have added a few things, and been very happy with all of them.

Installed this cover on the bed

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00REJXVEW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Put on these steps. I like them, the steps themselves look great. Only issue is the brackets rusted. Cleaned them up with a wire brush, painted with rust stop paint, then a couple of coats of Rust-Oleum, then a couple of coats of Plasti-Cote. Hoping that holds up. If you get a set of these, I would recommend putting some better paint on them before installation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018MOCIMI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Installed these flaps, they look fine, zero issues. I did need to take off the factory spats, and drill a couple of holes in the fender.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AX7O5XM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Orders these mats. Price was good, they have held up perfectly, still look like new. Having the bench seat, I liked that there was an option for one mat the covered all the way across the front, they fit great front and back.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XD5M21N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Oil changes will continue to get done at 8000 - 9000 files with Pennzoil Platinum.

I could not be happier with my truck, it suits my need perfectly, is very comfortable and trouble free. Time will tell , but I am wondering if I made the right decision buying the extended warranty, if things hold up like they have, I won't need it much, which is actually a good problem to have.

Snow Truck.jpg
 

indept

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Posts
3,213
Reaction score
4,740
Location
South Jersey
Ram Year
2017
Engine
Hemi 5.7L
Great writeup. Sounds like you got a great deal as far as options.
 

JohnnyMac

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
Military
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Posts
2,558
Reaction score
2,920
Location
SouthWest Washington
Ram Year
2018 1500 Laramie
Engine
3.0 EcoBurner
Looks good! Glad it's working out for you.
 

Mike Murphy

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2019
Posts
225
Reaction score
196
Location
Deleted, Deleted
Ram Year
Deleted
Engine
Deleted
Beautiful truck! What I like even more is your truck and my truck are in the same club. Look at the grill.. The original DODGE ram club. :D

*I love all Ram Ram's or Dodge Rams or whatever, but some day's you love only one of your children* :D;)

Especially the 3rd gen children!
 

meedom

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Posts
470
Reaction score
331
Location
Arizona
Ram Year
2016
Engine
Hemi 5.7
So what was your OTD price for it including TTL and any fees, and did you have a trade, what did they give you for it??
 
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OP
PolarisCobra

PolarisCobra

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Posts
457
Reaction score
643
Location
Mendon, MA
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7 HEMI
Remember I bought it used, had 23000 miles, in late July of 2018. Got it for $27,000, which seems to have been a good deal. Was at a Nissan dealer, FWIW.
 

Random_Walk

...what's this bolt do? *plink* ...oh.
Military
Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Posts
1,168
Reaction score
2,062
Location
Out
Ram Year
2017 QC 4WD SLT
Engine
Pentastar 3.6
Sounds pretty close to how I got mine (bought it @ 19k miles at a Subaru dealership in June 2018, previous owner was Enterprise, and so far, so good... no complaints of note. :) )
 

Coramie

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2018
Posts
201
Reaction score
206
Location
Lago Vista, Tx
Ram Year
2018
Engine
Hemi 5.7
So i bought my 1500 just a little over a year ago, thought I would post some reflections and observations.

First, I bought it at a local dealer (not a Ram dealer) with 23,000 miles on it. Looked at my local Ram dealer, they didn't have a truck on the lot with the options I was looking for. Looked at Rams and Fords. Wanted a bench seat and a Crew Cab, need to carry six people when my son visits from out of state. That led me to a Big Horn, since in general, the Laramies have the full console and bucket seats up front. Wanted a few options, but didn't need all the toys.

My truck was owned by National Car Rental before me according to the paperwork. That concerned me a bit, but as I looked it over, it was really very clean, no signs of abuse, and would have the remaining factory warranty to 36,000, so I went with it.

The truck has the 5.7, Crew Cab, and 6 foot bed. This seems to be a rare combo, most of the Crew Cabs I see have the shorter bed. That was not a big deal to me, but I did need to get it home to make sure it fit in the garage. Makes it with about 2 inches to spare at each end, so I'm good.

A year later, it has 44,000 miles on it, and has been flawless. Two recalls (transmission and tailgate), done no problem. Not one other problem.

I have snowmobiles, and use it to tow my 2 place enclosed trailer several weekends every winter. Typical trips are close to 300 miles round trip. Mileage towing is 12 -13, which seems to be typical no matter what kind of truck you have. Trailer weighs nearly 3000 pounds loaded, so it doesn't really tax the truck, it does a GREAT job pulling it. One trip last winter was VERY cold, - 30 one morning. Hit the remote start on the key fob, truck started like it does any other day, let it warm up for a few minutes, drove like normal. The 4 wheel drive pulls the truck and trailer up hills without issue.

Still have the original tires on it at 44,000 miles, they are getting thin, and will be replaced before winter. They will slip a bit when it's wet, but overall I feel like they have been fine for me.

I have added a few things, and been very happy with all of them.

Installed this cover on the bed

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00REJXVEW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Put on these steps. I like them, the steps themselves look great. Only issue is the brackets rusted. Cleaned them up with a wire brush, painted with rust stop paint, then a couple of coats of Rust-Oleum, then a couple of coats of Plasti-Cote. Hoping that holds up. If you get a set of these, I would recommend putting some better paint on them before installation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018MOCIMI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Installed these flaps, they look fine, zero issues. I did need to take off the factory spats, and drill a couple of holes in the fender.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AX7O5XM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Orders these mats. Price was good, they have held up perfectly, still look like new. Having the bench seat, I liked that there was an option for one mat the covered all the way across the front, they fit great front and back.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XD5M21N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Oil changes will continue to get done at 8000 - 9000 files with Pennzoil Platinum.

I could not be happier with my truck, it suits my need perfectly, is very comfortable and trouble free. Time will tell , but I am wondering if I made the right decision buying the extended warranty, if things hold up like they have, I won't need it much, which is actually a good problem to have.

View attachment 176749
You’re in roughly the same boat as me. I bought my Laramie last July from a used dealership (Not CDJR) with almost 12k on the clock. It was an Enterprise Rental vehicle. It’s also a crew cab Hemi with the 6’4” bed. I had never bought a used rental before and read plenty of stuff from “experts” warning against it. The deal was too good to pass up ($32,500) so I jumped on it after a test drive. It’s got almost 29k miles on it now and hasn’t missed a beat. Drove it from Austin, Tx to Fairhope, Al and she purred like a kitten the whole 11+ hours. I did get the lifetime warranty on it just to be safe. Couldn’t be happier. Glad to see someone else having a positive experience with a former rental!! :favorites13:
 

Blue2500CC

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2019
Posts
85
Reaction score
29
Location
Mid Mi
Ram Year
‘18
Engine
5.7
Congrats from a fellow sled head!!!

Truck looks great!!!

Once camping and boating season winds down here in Michigan, I’ll be looking forward to another great sled season.

What tires are you considering? I was pretty happy with the Cooper A/T3s (original version) on our last truck (‘10 1500) and now the Cooper ATPs (Discount Tire exclusive) on our 2500HD. We snowmobile in Northern Michigan and Northern Ontario, so they definitely have been tested.
 
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OP
PolarisCobra

PolarisCobra

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Posts
457
Reaction score
643
Location
Mendon, MA
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7 HEMI
Do most of our sledding in NH and Maine. Not much for trails here in Mass, need to drive a coujple hours west to get to them, just as easy to go north, don't bother to register in Mass.

Need to drive a minimum of 100 miles one way, sometimes up to 250 to get to our riding areas. There is some great riding here.

As for tires, most lilkely Coopers. I have posted some of this before, but as a kid, we lived next door to a guy who ran a Cooper dealer. My father worked Saturday mornings for him for a while, mounting tires. Always bought our tires from him, later is son.

We have gotten good service from our Cooper tires, never a delamination, bubble, blowout, or any other problem. Performance has met our needs, price is fair. My guess it it will be AT3s, but will talk with the local dealer and see what he suggests. I need something that is decent in snow, but good all around. Don't want to give up a quiet and smooth ride to the extent possible. The would be stock size for me, I have no need for anything bigger.
 

TomB 1269

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2019
Posts
452
Reaction score
453
Location
Schenectady NY
Ram Year
2019 Classic
Engine
5.7 Hemi
If you like the Cooper AT3 look at the Cooper ATW+4, it's the AT3 tread but with a lower temp rubber compound and higher silicate to handle summer use. Basically its an AT3 with outstanding cold and snowy weather capabilities.
 

Blue2500CC

Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2019
Posts
85
Reaction score
29
Location
Mid Mi
Ram Year
‘18
Engine
5.7
@PolarisCobra,

I completely understand the driving to find snow!!!

We live east of Lansing, so it’s usually at least 2.5-3hrs to find rideable snow. Most of my riding is in Northern Ontario, the general Sault Ste Marie area. We have made it to WaWa once so far. I rode ~300 miles in Michigan, the other 1100 miles was all in Canada. Love riding there!!! To get to my in laws cabin that’s east of the Soo in Canada is 330 miles door to door. Makes for an adventure some trips!!

I do remember you mentioning you are a Cooper fan after reading your post. I have been happy with the two sets I have had.

I will figure out which tires we go with once we get closer to winter.

@TomB 1269,

TY for that info!!!
 

TruckNut

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2015
Posts
1,066
Reaction score
517
Location
Tennessee
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7 Hemi
Congrats-nice looking truck. Love mine as well.
 
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PolarisCobra

PolarisCobra

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2018
Posts
457
Reaction score
643
Location
Mendon, MA
Ram Year
2017
Engine
5.7 HEMI
Thought I would add an update to this. I have had the truck for a bit over three years now. Have replaced the battery (Delco) and tires (Cooper AT3). At 65000 miles now, and zero issues. I have not had any problems, even the brake pads have not been replaced yet, and seem to have plenty of life left in them.

There are a few 'battle scars' from parking lots and general use, but nothing major. No mechanical failures at this point, I still really like this truck, and will likely hang on to it for a while.
 

gfh77665

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2019
Posts
478
Reaction score
613
Location
SE TX
Ram Year
2019 Classic
Engine
3.6 Pentastar
but I did need to get it home to make sure it fit in the garage. Makes it with about 2 inches to spare at each end, so I'm good.
I checked that too before I bought mine. My front wheels touch the 3" raised concrete pad at the front of my garage and the rear bumper ends up with 2" to spare from the automatic garage door. Just enough!
 
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