2019 1500 8 speed Good Deal, but nervous

[ronheater70]

Im looking for a 1/2 ton truck for a work vehicle. It has to be white 4x4, 4doors and we need vinyl seeats and rubber floor.. Seems the only thing I can find in that category is the Ram for 2019.
I found one with 11 miles on it, but the dang dial shifter has me worried. We do landfill design and environmental monitoring which means that many times my Employees are on site back at the edge of the woods in the middle of nowhere. I worry about them not being able to get it into drive, etc after reading reports about the issues with this system. The truck im looking at is a really good deal. SO is this an issue that deserves scrutiny, or should I look at it as the number of issues is typically smale and we may never experience them. I stress, that these employees will be hours from the office and in the woods taking gas and water samples. Thoughts?

 

[lharrell79]

The dial shifter has been around for years. It sends an electric signal to the transmission. Believed it or not, modern column shifters do the exact same thing. They send an electric signal to the transmission.

The dial shifter would be the least of my worries with the 5th gen.

 

[Ramm5.7]

For me the worst thing about the dial shifter is/was getting used to it!
I have had my truck, a 17 1500 bighorn, for over 2 years and NEVER had a TRUCK shifter issue. Now me? I have inadvertantly twisted the radio volume or fan speed control a time or two but in my truck the shifter works just fine, its just a bit weird after decades of column or console shifters.
If the truck you are looking at is a good deal to you, buy it.
Your employees will have a learning curve but will get used to it

 

[ronheater70]

Yea Im leaning towards getting it, I think. Like most things on truck forums, The Shifter problems I have read about are undoubtedly in the minority.

 

[whetrick1]

I've had 2 a 2016 and traded it for a 2019 because I liked the new body style. Never had a problem with the 16 and it had over 52K on it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lharrell79]

Yea Im leaning towards getting it, I think. Like most things on truck forums, The Shifter problems I have read about are undoubtedly in the minority.

Before you buy it, make sure you give it a thorough test drive and inspection. The 5th gens are getting a lot of complaints on the HVAC, and so far, Ram isn't helping anyone out with their complaints.

Before buying, check the following:

HVAC (all modes), is it cooling properly, is there air blowing out of the defrost when it shouldn't be?
Vibrations
Brakes squealing
Clunk while shifting
Doors out off alignment
Paint defects

 

[ronheater70]

Before you buy it, make sure you give it a thorough test drive and inspection. The 5th gens are getting a lot of complaints on the HVAC, and so far, Ram isn't helping anyone out with their complaints.

Before buying, check the following:

HVAC (all modes), is it cooling properly, is there air blowing out of the defrost when it shouldn't be?
Vibrations
Brakes squealing
Clunk while shifting
Doors out off alignment
Paint defects

Wow, this is all good info! This is the V6 so not sure it will make a difference with anything.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

I just purchased a 2019 1500 Quad cab 6.4 box 5.7 this by far is the best handling truck I have had in years,I'm new here enjoying it so far

 

[Graygoose]

This is 2nd dial truck for me, my 2011 was column....its easy to get used too.

 

[JD Martin]

I wouldn't worry 5 minutes about the dial. It's a little odd getting used to if you're like me and have had console shifters for years (I've never had a column-shift truck, as all my trucks were standards before my last 2 automatics with console shifters) but it is the wave of the future - everything is going electronic with servos, mechanical linkage to anything that can be computer controlled is going that way. Mine has been flawless so far. Other than me forgetting sometimes that I haven't actually put it into park

 

[turkeybird56]

^^^^^^^^^^ Shifter not an issue, some have reported HVAC suks. On mine HVAC is OK, not great, but doubt FCA gonna do ne thing to improve. But overall, truck is great and I can even pass a gas station once in a while. IF U get a 2019 V6, I wonder if it has the new E-Torque system? U might wanna check on that, as I thought all the new V6 Penstars have the E-torque... IMHO...

 

[JoeCo]

2019 classic (4th gen) or 2019 (5th gen)? Either way, I agree with the others that the dial shifter shouldn't be a concern. If it's a 2019 classic some may argue you have less to worry about, being that it's a 4th gen and they've been around forever vs the newer 5th gens that just came out last year. In either generation though I wouldn't be concerned about the dial shifter.

 

[ronheater70]

Well you guys have put me at ease regarding the shifter, I think for one reason or another there's always some rsearch that shows something as a bigger problem than it actually is. I just dont want to worry about an employee being stuck somehwere because of something I didnt research enough prior to purchase.

As for other comments, I'm pretty sure its a true 5th gen and not a classic, I could be wrong. This is somethign I need to look at. Truck has 11 miles, but being sold as used. So im wondering that as well.

 

[reefer451]

I don't think anyone has ever had a problem getting into drive with these shifters. Some people bellyache about the knob but it's just a personal preference thing for the most part. I'm seeing lots of other manufactures copy this design. The only legit complaint I've seen is it makes it harder to rock the truck if you're stuck.

 

[JoeCo]

Well you guys have put me at ease regarding the shifter, I think for one reason or another there's always some rsearch that shows something as a bigger problem than it actually is. I just dont want to worry about an employee being stuck somehwere because of something I didnt research enough prior to purchase.

As for other comments, I'm pretty sure its a true 5th gen and not a classic, I could be wrong. This is somethign I need to look at. Truck has 11 miles, but being sold as used. So im wondering that as well.

Definitely good to do research, but sometimes the negatives you find are for the unlucky few rather than a problem that impacts a large number of owners. I'm on my second truck with the dial shifter and haven't ran into any issues with it at any time. Kind of odd that a truck with 11 miles is used somehow? Did someone register it and drive around the block and sell it right after?

Also in terms of the 4th or 5th gen, does it look more like this (4th gen):



Or this (5th gen):

 

[Beltsand]

181517[/ATTACH]

Is the Gen 5 with 5 stud wheels?

 

[lharrell79]

Is the Gen 5 with 5 stud wheels?

Gen 4 = 5 lug wheels
Gen 5 = 6 lug wheels

 

[Beltsand]

Gen 4 = 5 lug wheels
Gen 5 = 6 lug wheels

Did you really look at the second picture?

 

[pacofortacos]

Gen 4 = 5 lug
Gen 5 = 6 lug.

 

[lharrell79]

Did you really look at the second picture?

???