Convince me to buy a Ram

[BillinNM]

Been driving trucks for 30 years -- mostly F-150s with a Mazda B2600 and a Nissan Frontier in the mix. Traded my F-150 for a Subaru Forester in January. Huge mistake. I need a truck.
I have been looking hard at the basic regular cab 4X2 XL in the F-150 (with 2.7 Ecoboost and 10-speed transmission), but decided I needed to put aside old prejudices against Chrysler reliability and consider a Ram in the Tradesman trim level.
I see that the 5th Gen is just around the corner (and Ford will remake the F-150 in 2020), but going over the reviews and data and yes, even the much-cursed Consumer Reports reviews, I think I have made a mistake not to consider a Ram. I would expect a better ride, quieter cabin, better reliability as the 4th Gen has been perfected, and all the power I need for very occasional light towing with the 3.6, 8 speed and 3.21 rear axle.
Any thoughts or advice?

 

[Big Daddy]

I have a 2009 with 245,000 miles and I still love everything about it.

 

[Chigurh]

2018 Rams may be a good deal at your dealers or if you're willing to make the drive to Hel Paso or Roswell. I recommend getting the 5.7 too, imagine towing up to Cloudcroft with a V-6, you'll be pedaling pretty hard. Go test drive a Hemi, it should sell itself, only Ford I would consider is the 5.0.

 

[LCACER]

This is my 3rd Ram. Started with a 2001 4x4 Off Road pkg. I had it for 14.5 years never ran into a problem with it. Sold it privately then purchased a 2010. Just traded that for my 2018 that I got in March. You can't go wrong if you take care of it.

 

[WilliamS]

Cant ask a biased question on a biased forum!

On that note I run a Ford dealership and own a Ram, but thats my preference. The 3.5 Ecoboost is an amazing motor, the 2.7 is no slouch especially in a regular cab truck. Ive yet to see a 2.7 fail and the 10 speed is a great transmission. I myself am a Hemi man.

If you are looking at regular cabs, there is no better looking truck than the Ram. The F-150 will out pull the Ram with the 2.7, but if you are looking at the 3.6 Ram Id be comparing to the 3.3 F-150 as they are the base motors.

Do not let consumer reports, a highly paid for and manipulated company help that decision in any way shape or form. Seriously how does the Honda Ridgeline always end up one of their top picks? Are you telling me a 4x4 accord is actually better at being a truck than every other truck? Hmmm me smells dollars at play.

 

[TXCOMT]

Forester? What were you thinking, OP? Seriously, though, get a Ram; you'll love it. I really love my '16 Rebel; some may call it a "softroader," but it's plenty capable when you leave payment. I'd say find a great dealership (sales AND service), make the Max Lifetime warranty the first mod you get and you'll be set.

Oh, and frequent this place...lots of knowledge here and not too many trolls!

TXCOMT

 

[mohemipar]

If you are looking into buying a Ram, the first thing I would suggest is find a good dealership with a reputable service department.


I have owned 4 different Mopars since 2015. Two Rams and two Dodges. ONE mechanical issue I can think of on the first Ram… a leaky shock around 35,000ish miles which was replaced under warranty. Not a single rattle in the cabin, not a loose piece of trim, no excess wear on any items, nothing. Build quality has been excellent on all of them. I enjoy being inside these cars over any of the GMs I owned previously. I find the (4th gen) Ram Laramie interior is a nicer place to be than any luxury vehicle I have previously owned.


I also have family members who own Rams and a Chrysler. Asked them if they have had any issues with reliability or quality and they said no. The Chrysler takes a beating too. Lots of short trips with very long ones scattered around. All that car gets is oil changes once a year and no extra love.


Generally speaking, I believe the “quality” bashing on these newer cars is ridiculous.


As far as 5th gen Tradesman, you should already be able to find these on dealer lots. I have read the build quality is perfectly fine on Tradesman. The materials will be a little on the hard side but that should be expected on that trim level. Finding a truck that is spec’d perfectly to your liking can be difficult. You may consider ordering one from the factory.

 

[22hemi13]

All I’ve owned. Except on gmc in 1999 has been ford and ram. Ford is good. Ram is better. BOth last and hold up well. Both have bad trucks. Imo ram looks better. Drives better and is more comfortable. I just came from a 2005 f150 with 220k Miles. Don’t miss it. Love my ram. Also I’ve had both 1500 and 2500 rams now both good. 2500 is a very nice truck. One last thing. I’m originally from t or c nm. Hell0 from Texas

 

[redskinredtaco]

I have been anti-Chysler my whole adult life. Due to the reliability issues of older models from years past. I have driven mostly Toyota and Chevy trucks for 30 years. 4 years ago I needed to purchase a truck capable of pulling a 9500lb camper. I was searching auto trader for used 2500 diesels and trying to stay under $30,000. All the diesels had over 100,000 miles. I just couldn't bring myself to spend over $30k on a truck with so many miles. So I widened my search to include gas engines and brand new Ram 2500's started popping up in the search for less than used ford and chevy's. I decided to go test drive a 2015 ram 2500 tradesman crewcab 4x4 with the 6.4 semi. I loved the truck! Ended up finding a nicely equipped tradesman brand new for $33K. I owned it for a year and put 25,000 trouble free miles on it. I ended up selling it when we moved to a 14,000lb fifth wheel. I moved to a 2013 Chevy LT 3500 Duramax diesel. Although I loved the engine in my chevy I missed the cabin and ride quality of the Ram. I drove the chevy for a year and also had no issues in the 20,000 miles. I sold the chevy when I decided to sell the camper. When I started looking for trucks to replace chevy I was thinks Chevy 1500 or a Tundra. I drove the Sierra SLT and a Tundra 1794. I liked them both, but my wife made the comment that in the past I kept commenting how much I liked my Ram. I found a 2016 Ram 1500 Larieme crewcab 4x4 Hemi 5.7 with the 3.21 gears and 4 corner air suspension. I freaking love this truck. The Hemi is an amazing engine with power for days! I mostly drive highway commuting from Virginia Beach to Washington DC for work every weekend. I average 22mpg while driving 75mph.

 

[markusaf81]

Ive had quite a few trucks the past few decades:

2006 F-150 4x4 V8 reg cab, 2001 F-150 reg cab V8 4x4, 2003 Silverado Ext Cab V8 4x4, 2012 Sierra ext cab v8 4x4, and now the 2014 Ram 4x4 Quad cab.

Whats odd is that my favorite was the 2003 Silverado. I hated the 2012 Sierra. The 03 Silverdao was my most recent but it got totaled. I test drove a lot of trucks, Toyota being the favorite. With that being said, I went with the Ram because it felt just as powerful as the Toyota, just as quiet, and just as smooth but was 5k cheaper.

My only complaint with these trucks is the squat when towing or carrying heavy loads in the back which doesn't look like you will be doing. But, the squat is the compromise for the smoooooooth ride. If it bothers you that much, you can do what I did which is either add cheaper airbags ($100) or do what I just did which was to replace the rear springs ($250 I installed myself).

In summary, if smooth and quiet is what you are looking for (since you are looking at the smaller engines and 2 wheel drive), my vote is for the Ram hands down.

 

[TruckNut]

Don't know that I or anyone other than yourself can convince you to make this big of a purchase. Do your research.....drive, price and then buy accordingly. I think the RAM will do a better job to convince you rather than us. They are great trucks and sell themselves.

 

[BillinNM]

Appreciate the replies. I wish there were regular cab Tradesmen to test drive closer to home, but there aren't any F-150 work trucks nearby either.

 

[Random_Walk]

I suck at sales, so I'm not going to chat-up or chat-down anything. I can however tell you what led me to buying my truck a month ago today...

My use case is simple: I live on a small homestead on the Oregon Coastal Range (and I generally work-from-home for my day job as a Sr. Software/Systems Engineer.) I needed something that won't be towing an oil tanker but still has a decent capacity, needs to have kickass fuel economy yet still have the HP, and something that can take the abuse of light/moderate farm work, dirt/gravel hauling, wood hauling(!), light livestock and project drudge work, etc. Oh, and it has to put up with ice and snow for 6 months of the year. On twisty mountain roads. Also, it needs to last forever, and be a comfortable drive, since it's 15 miles to the nearest bit of civilization, and 20+ to the nearest (small) grocery store.

So why did I buy a Ram? Well...


Ford:

Looking at Fords, I had a lot of experience and advice here: My little brother has a massive twin-turbo F-350 (but he took over and runs the family farm back home in AR, so...) I worked for FDCS/FoMoCo back in the 1990s. I once owned a fairly decent (albeit old) F-250 that refused to die no matter how hard I beat it up. So why not a Ford? Well...

...the stupid aluminum usage turned me off, big-time. I just could not get away from the fact that a truck that's supposed to be rugged will require (by mfr official statements) buying a tough bed liner just to do it's primary purpose without turning into Swiss cheese. I toss rocks, logs, all kinds of crap into the bed. I've been abusing the crap out of my truck bed... I drive off-road when I get wood, and that means risking dents on the body - something I suspect that aluminum is going to do way more easily. (Put it this way - a large owl bounced off my grille at highway speeds barely a week after I bought my truck... I don't even want to know what kind of damage it would have done if that truck were a Ford.) Maybe I'm just overreacting? Prolly, but it's still a huge source of buyer discomfort for me.


Chevrolet/GMC:

Okay, confession-time: I like (and until recently, would have preferred) Chevy trucks. My old man had nothing but Chevy (and will have nothing but - pushing 70, he stopped driving pickups a couple years back and now drives a new Tahoe to haul his golf clubs). I have a brother-in-law that still drives an old Silverado with over 420k miles on it (no, that's not a typo - Four-Hundred-Twenty thousand.) My all-time favorite car is the 1963 Nova SS that I used to own way back in the day, and restoring that beast was one of the best memories I'll ever have, automotive-wise. And so, quelle surprise, I actually liked and up until recently, would have preferred Chevy trucks.

What I didn't like is the price. To match my full-sized 1500 SLT in price, I'd have to downsize to a Colorado... umm, okay no thank you. It's not a question of machismo, it's a question of usage. If I wanted a compact truck, I'd go get a compact truck, but I actually need and use a full-sized truck. I mean, if I had to I could get by with something smaller, but that means multiple trips, less capacity, less interior room (I'm 6' and my wife is 6'2"), etc.


So this brings me to the Ram trucks. Here's what led me to buying mine:

* I get 300hp and around 24mpg, in a 4x4, all in the same vehicle. Yeah, it's a v6, but I've never towed anything heavier than 5,000 lbs in my entire life. Even the one Ford truck I did have (a rebuilt 1978 F-250 Supercab w/ a 460) barely gave me ~320hp, and it swallowed fuel like a container ship.

* This thing corners like it's on rails. On the twisty mountain roads I have to drive all over, this is a *massive* bonus.

* This is, quite frankly, the most comfortable truck I've ever driven in. The coil-over suspension might reduce tow weight a little (very little) compared to the others, but who gives a crap when I can drive it all day long, and not feel like I've been through a street-gang initiation rite after I get home. It's so damned comfortable, The missus and I take it everywhere instead of her little Kia, gas mileage be damned. Like I said, I don't tow insane weights, so I'll take the tradeoff with a smile.

* I like the looks. Seriously, this thing is very easy on the eyes.

* I love the price. I bought a 2017 Ram 1500 QuadCab 4x4 SLT with 19k miles and a decent (uConnect 5.x) media feature set for $22.3k. I wouldn't be allowed to touch a comparable feature-for-feature Chevy or Ford for less than $28-30k, if not more... and GMC pricing at the same condition set would have been stratospheric.

* Other, small-but-somewhat-important bits: The 8-speed transmission makes it all feel as smooth as a prom queen's thighs, while the other guys are still doing 6-speed trannys. The ride height is beautiful, and slightly higher than pretty much anything else in the same class. The interior is far more luxurious, useful (megatons of storage everywhere), and IMHO larger.

--

Now I won't lie to you - there are some things I wish the Ram would have done better - the stock tires are kind of craptastic (but serviceable), nerf bars would have been nice as a std. part of the 4x4 package (I'll be getting some steps), and having to get something (Pedal Commander) to compensate for the pedal lag is a bit of a thorn in my mind's ass sometimes. But all said and done, this is minor crap that I can rectify way cheaper (and better) than having the mfr. do it.

In the end, it's all up to you: What uses do you have for a truck? Why do you really want one? What is your overall situation? How much are you willing to spend, and how much can you spend w/o breaking the budget? Where do you think fuel prices will be in 5-10 years? How long do you intend to keep the truck? How many kids do you have?

These are questions I cannot answer... but you can.

 

[Dtobino]

I bought a 2018 2500 big horn. 2 weeks and 660 miles later the engine threw a rod. Needs whole new motor and intake. These things happen to any brand, any vehicle. Some of the parts are on back order. It has almost been a month, And the only thing Chrysler has offered to do is try and expedite the shipping.

Don't expect anything from customer service if anything happens to your truck

 

[Schultzestrength]

Convince yourself and drive one.

 

[Mopar man]

Bought my 2014 used. Crew cab 1500 4x4 big horn hemi. Four days after owning, 3/4 and 5/6 bearing journals were toast. Took about a month but received a brand new engine from fca. Old engine had about 60k on it. From my experience, fca will go out of their way to take care of an unhappy customer

 

[Mopar man]

Zero cost to me i forgot to add

 

[BillinNM]

Good stuff, guys.
Random, I lived most of my life in Oregon and always admired that upper Nehalem River Valley country. I know exactly how you are using your truck.
I am now retired, in a household of one and getting by on Social Security, so mileage is pretty important. At this point, any towing would involve a lightweight aluminum fishing boat -- or maybe a teardrop trailer, should I decide to build one. I am at 4,600 feet, but the mountains behind town are 9,000 and I can be up there in elk country in 25 minutes. I think a 4X2 will suit me fine, and I'll keep a set of tire chains handy. (I don't know if Ram offers an e-locking rear axle, or a limited slip differential.)
You fellas are right to suggest looking carefully at the service department. This is where customer service and satisfaction are made or broken.

 

[AFMoulton]

Don’t go to Jack Key. Time and money is better spent with the Desert Sun guys. Chuck at the Toyota dealer will go find you whatever you want. He’s an honest guy and if he can’t help you he will tell you.

The service dept at the Desert Sun dealer has a master Mopar mechanic working there now and he is awesome.

Only thing I go to Jack Key for is Recalls, only because I don’t want them to take my truck to Roswell for a quick recall. If I need warranty work done, I go to the Desert Sun Guys.


2018 2500 6.4 4x4 4.10 Amsoil SS 0w-40
2016 Durango 5.7 AWD 3.07 Amsoil SS 5W-30
1996 Nissan Altima 2.4 Amsoil SS 5W-30

 

[indept]

^^^^^^^ Like they said!

My reason is I think it's the best looking truck and best bargain. I am soon to be retired and for less than what I saved over buying an equivalently equipped Ford or Chevy I bought a lifetime extended warranty. The question you should as is How much does Ford, Gm, toyota, Honda, Subaru etc charge for their Lifetime extended warranty. Oh wait, They DON'T even offer one. If they're better than Ram, why don't they. I have the lifetime so I dont have to spend my retirement years working on my truck or paying out the ass to fix it. My friend had an 09 (or around that timeframe) F150 with the 5.4 triton v8. Evidentily there was a known issue with the timing chain breaking which Ford wasn't concerned about since it happened after all warranties expired (around 125k+ miles) so his chain broke totaling the engine. Not worth him fixing. Ford said "oh, what a shame, we'll fix it but it's going to cost you.