Hey all!
New to the forum. Been a Ford owner (don’t hate me - or do
).
Thinking about a 1500 - Rebel or Lariat Longhorn.
Welcome to this forum Bill.
I can tell you are coming from a Ford, RAM doesn't have a Lariat (they do have a Laramie) trim. The top trim is a Limited followed by the Limited Longhorn. The major difference is the interior colors and standard options but a Longhorn can include everything a Limited offers.
I prefer the Longhorn interior coloring, my 2022 was ordered with the black/cattle tan with wood accents. I also have a 2015 one-ton Longhorn with the Cummins powertrain I use for the RV and dump trailer.
Just over a year ago, I decided to replace my 2013 RAM Laramie so I went looking at the F150 as well as the Denali with the baby Duramax. Did not care for Ford's interior and GM's was even worst but I realize that is subjective. The most noticeable are the ride quality and interior road noise, RAM won both of those so a RAM I ordered.
I didn't have any issues with my 2013 RAM I drove for 9 years and 88,000 miles. Before the 2013 RAM, I was driving a 2003 Tahoe Z71 that I racked up 299,000 miles on with only front wheel bearings and a transmission rebuild needed.
I think reliability is a draw of the straw. If you think about how many RAMs are out there versus the number of people complaining and realize the vast majority do not participate on forums, the issues are likely minimal. If you want safe, RAM likely has the least recalls followed by GM, and then Ford's recalls are out of control, Ford is running a three times warranty cost per vehicle over their competitors.
If you go with RAM, investigate the Mopar Maxcare service contract. It really is good and I have them on both my vehicles. The biggest issue all makes have right now is if you break down, which is highly unlikely, replacement parts can be difficult to get from the supply chain.