Now buying 2018 RAM 2500 6.4L Hemi 81k with 4:10 gears

[kmbarreiros]

Hey People,
I currently own a 2003 Ford F350 180K miles 4door long bed 6.0L diesel dually RWD. Given to me and my wife by my father inlaw as package with there camper. Owned about 2 1/2 years gets very little use other then towing the camper. This truck is just too big, being a diesel it is hard for me to actually work on and being only rear wheel drive up here in New England it is basically useless during the winter. And the wife wont drive it either as it is just too big and to long.

The trailer is a 2017 Arctic Fox 25W has a dry weight of approximately 6,759lbs and a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of around 10,000 lbs.

I really like the RAM trucks and currently took the following for a test drive as it is within my price range.

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I have looked at 3 others one was a 2019 with much higher milage.
Can any of you guys give me some pointer on what to look for as ask about with it being a 2015. It is very clean single owner almost no rust. Couple of dings.

Really appreciate the input.

 

[mikeru]

Welcome to the forum. Do you have access to the maintenance history of this truck? One of the best things to do when buying a used vehicle is to have a pre purchase inspection done. You didn't say whether you're buying from a dealership or private party, as that can make a difference too. Some unscrupulous sellers might try to hide issues. Asking if they mind if you have it inspected and they say they'd rather you don't would make me walk away.

 

[kmbarreiros]

Right now no, this is from a small dealer.
Here is the link on there website:

https://www.039autosale.com/inventory/ram/2500-crew-cab/649673/

I took a picture of the vin and looked up the buildsheet.
3C6UR5CJ0FG649673
Carfax shows 53 records...i need to talk to them again about asking for a history report if not I will buy the report.

 

[jws123]

while it looks clean 20k for a 2015 base model is a bit high in my opinion It also has a 6 speed while thats not horrible 8 speed is better as mentioned above you need a good sevice history ect you will want to avoid fleet vehicles that have been idled alot ect. I had a guy recently spend 13k on a 2500 hemi with 70k yet it had the idle hours of a 250k truck and needed a cam.

 

[mtofell]

The reliability of the tranny in that truck isn't the greatest and the newer 8spd is quite a bit favored over the 6spd in that truck. I have the 6spd in my 2014 and have been through 2 rebuilds (38K, 90K). My engine also went at 120K. I realize my experience is an outlier but there are quite a few posts on here about cams and ticking with the engine and valve body problems with the tranny. I know, I know, no on comes on here to report their truck is working great but definitely check out the history and look it over carefully.

 

[kmbarreiros]

My hope is to get them to haggle the price down( I was thinking offer 17.5 or 18)....I was able to determine by the vin number it has been sitting in there lot since August and that it was at a dealer in Ohip listed for 19.5K

 

[olyelr]

I sure you have a price you are looking to stick with, but if you could find a ‘19 or newer in that range, even if it has more miles, i would do that for sure. Just to get the 8 speed trans.

 

[huntergreen]

I’d keep the diesel for towing. Look for an older Toyota/honda suv for your winter local driving.

 

[mtofell]

I’d keep the diesel for towing. Look for an older Toyota/honda suv for your winter local driving.

I agree.... although the 6.0 Furd diesels do have some problems.

Funny you mention the Honda - I'm actually shopping for a +/- 10 year old Honda Pilot to supplement my 2014 Ram 2500 Hemi. Better mileage, easier to drive daily (parking lots/spaces, etc.), I care for my elderly mom and it would be MUCH easier for her to get in/out of and it would just be nice to have a second vehicle for friends/family to use when in town.

Hondas are also just crazy reliable. I have a 2008 Odyssey that I've basically given to my teenager and the thing just won't die. In 17 years of ownership it's needed an alternator, a door handle cable and a VVT gasket ($25 part). That's it. My 6 year newer Ram? Uh......

 

[huntergreen]

I agree.... although the 6.0 Furd diesels do have some problems.

Funny you mention the Honda - I'm actually shopping for a +/- 10 year old Honda Pilot to supplement my 2014 Ram 2500 Hemi. Better mileage, easier to drive daily (parking lots/spaces, etc.), I care for my elderly mom and it would be MUCH easier for her to get in/out of and it would just be nice to have a second vehicle for friends/family to use when in town.

Hondas are also just crazy reliable. I have a 2008 Odyssey that I've basically given to my teenager and the thing just won't die. In 17 years of ownership it's needed an alternator, a door handle cable and a VVT gasket ($25 part). That's it. My 6 year

I agree.... although the 6.0 Furd diesels do have some problems.

Funny you mention the Honda - I'm actually shopping for a +/- 10 year old Honda Pilot to supplement my 2014 Ram 2500 Hemi. Better mileage, easier to drive daily (parking lots/spaces, etc.), I care for my elderly mom and it would be MUCH easier for her to get in/out of and it would just be nice to have a second vehicle for friends/family to use when in town.

Hondas are also just crazy reliable. I have a 2008 Odyssey that I've basically given to my teenager and the thing just won't die. In 17 years of ownership it's needed an alternator, a door handle cable and a VVT gasket ($25 part). That's it. My 6 year newer Ram? Uh......

If you can find a clean looking Honda element, it might be easier for your mother to get in and out of.

 

[Dean2]

You will never find as good a tow vehicle as the one you have now for 20,000, and I am no Ford fan, but that is a pretty good setup. Park it for the winter, take the insurance off and cover it. If you want a daily driver buy something small, AWD of FWD and enjoy WAY better fuel mileage, cheaper repairs and way easier parking.

I have a 2500 long bed crew cab. Love the unit for hunting, fishing, rough road or towing but also use it for long distance travel as we find it really comfortable if you are spending 8-10 hours in it, especially many days in a row. For daily driving around town, my wife has a Jeep GC and a I have an AWD car. The GC has the 5.7 and still gets double the fuel mileage of the 2500 around town and 60% better on the highway. In addition, is a whole lot smaller, so manuvers and parks easier for her.

 

[kmbarreiros]

I sure you have a price you are looking to stick with, but if you could find a ‘19 or newer in that range, even if it has more miles, i would do that for sure. Just to get the 8 speed trans.

so I did, I have been searching now for about 3 months.
I also looked at a 2019 RAM 2500 6.4L hemi 138K. But they are asking 24K for it.

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I did really like this one but others were steering me away because of the milage(those people were Ford fan boys so I think they are very biased).
This one did pass all the wife tests too, price, single owner, very clean, no smell.

 

[kmbarreiros]

To answer other questions I actually have other vehicles...I have a fleet right now.
My wife drives a Palisade, and I have a older outback that I use for my commute.
I also have a 98 Jeep TJ that sits in the garage and my daughter has a Tucson.

My current Ford is used very little. In the 2.5 years that I have owned it only put about 1000 miles on it(Mainly because I avoid driving it).
The only camping we do is local with the RV. Going to the cape.

Every time I get in that Ford there is a new problem. I haven't bothered to get it inspected as I know it will fail with the check engine light on. And if I take it somewhere it will cost a fortune to fix it.
I have worked on my cars all my life(43 right now)....but this Ford the diesel engine is so complex and difficult to work on I have no want or ambition to work on it myself.
I do use the truck when I go camping with the scouts so I do need something for the winter.

 

[Dean2]

It would have been useful to know about all the problems you were having with the Ford as that makes a HUGE difference. Given what you have now said, fix Ford so it passes, trade or flog it. From there, your budget dictates what other 2500 you can afford to replace it with but obviously, when I bought new I could have bought any 2500 gas job I wanted. I am very happy with the 2021 2500 6.4. It replaced my 1996 2500 V10 which gave me zero repair for 180,000 miles and is still in service with my nephew.

Picture taken this summer. Factory paint and eveything else. In the whole time I owned it from brand new, the only parts beside maintenance is; One set of brakes, one fuel pump, one power steering pump, one front end rebuild at 140,000 miles.

 

[Burla]

That Ford was the first year they got EGR coolers so it's a big pile a dog isht and you are smart to get rid of it, coming from a Ford guy. You are going to buy an RFE transmission, and they aren't as bad as stated but for towing they can fail early. Can you post the codes on that Ford?

The issues in RFE are in the video below, worth a watch. 66 or 68 same difference, has the same issues same with other rfe's as well.

Product Overview: ATS 68RFE Valve Body and ATS Co-Pilot

Clint Cannon, President of ATS, describes the inherent weaknesses of the 68RFE (545RFE, too) valve body. This is a comprehensive overview of the numerous pro...

youtu.be

 

[kmbarreiros]

It would have been useful to know about all the problems you were having with the Ford as that makes a HUGE difference. Given what you have now said, fix Ford so it passes, trade or flog it. From there, your budget dictates what other 2500 you can afford to replace it with but obviously, when I bought new I could have bought any 2500 gas job I wanted. I am very happy with the 2021 2500 6.4. It replaced my 1996 2500 V10 which gave me zero repair for 180,000 miles and is still in service with my nephew.

Sorry about, yes I should have stated that from the beginning.
Thanks for the feedback on yours.

I have been looking now for about 3 months and basically narrowed it down to the two choices I listed.
Did you have any opionion on a 2019 6.4L with 134K miles.
I was a little concerned about the milage but when we looked at it it is super clean, single owner, I do not have service history yet for either will look into that this weekend.

also...flog it? not sure what you mean by that.

 

[Dean2]

Sorry about, yes I should have stated that from the beginning.
Thanks for the feedback on yours.

I have been looking now for about 3 months and basically narrowed it down to the two choices I listed.
Did you have any opionion on a 2019 6.4L with 134K miles.
I was a little concerned about the milage but when we looked at it it is super clean, single owner, I do not have service history yet for either will look into that this weekend.

also...flog it? not sure what you mean by that.

Flog means sell it yourself. I would take the 8sp with the higher miles before a 6 speed with lower miles, assuming the 2019 has been well maintained. There are lots of 6.4s in this area with 400,000 miles on them in the oil patch, and those are not easy miles. Rarely does a motor or the 8 sp give any problems. Front ends need doing every 200K because the back roads they travel are so rough but the rest of the PU holds up pretty good.

 

[kmbarreiros]

That Ford was the first year they got EGR coolers so it's a big pile a dog isht and you are smart to get rid of it, coming from a Ford guy. You are going to buy an RFE transmission, and they aren't as bad as stated but for towing they can fail early. Can you post the codes on that Ford?

The current codes are as followed but change when actually driving it. I did reset it recently but haven driven much.
P0278 - Cylinder 6 Contribution/Balance
P0401 - Exhaust gas recirculation A Flow Insufficient
P132B - Turbo Charger Boost Control A Perf.

 

[kmbarreiros]

Flog means sell it yourself. I would take the 8sp with the higher miles before a 6 speed with lower miles, assuming the 2019 has been well maintained. There are lots of 6.4s in this area with 400,000 miles on them in the oil patch, and those are not easy miles. Rarely does a motor or the 8 sp give any problems. Front ends need doing every 200K because the back roads they travel are so rough but the rest of the PU holds up pretty good.

I really appreciate your feedback and really nice to hear about the 400K. I personally really liked that 2019 myself, planning on heading back on Sat to take it for a drive with the wife. That one I only gave it a quick once over and sat inside. I think I could talk the seller down as that one is being sold at a much smaller repair shop/dealer.

There are very few RAM 2500's for sale around here especially single owner ones.

 

[Burla]

That is what I thought, your egr is gummed and may have taken out turbo, more to fix it then value of truck if turbo is gone too. To be honest the fact it lasted over 20 years is amazing by itself, my guess lightly used or mostly freeway miles? Get whatever you can for it and play stupid. If you can drive it and have a long run like 100 miles or better, just maybe an additive with create enough flow to get rid of that EGR light, then if that helps the turbo cool, if not call the junkyard.