Potential Buyer

[HappyAccidents]

Just graduated college and start a new job on the 17th. Its a little under an hour drive each way. That being said, my current truck (2002 Tahoe with 270K miles) won't last much longer making that drive every day so I'm looking for something new. Was thinking of staying GM considering how reliable my tahoe has been, but for some reason silverado's hold their value really well (about 20k for a 2010 with under 75K miles). I've always been a huge fan of cummins and Dodge body styles, but I can't afford a diesel atm so a 1500 is what I'd get. The prices of 4th gen trucks are a few grand cheaper than comparable GM trucks, but I don't know much about them. Basically I just want to know how reliable these trucks are. I tried doing some research of my own, but most sites said something like "potential problems". So I figured it was best to ask the people who own the trucks. What are the most common issues you guys have? Would you recommend someone buy one of these trucks? Should also add that I went to school to be a diesel mechanic, so repair costs for me would only be the price of the part.

 

[tidefan1967]

Welcome! You will definitely get a lot more bang for your buck with the RAM vs a GM or Ford product. The vast majority of problems that I've seen are minor inconveniences for the most part. The biggest/worst thing I've have seen is/are cam and lifter problems at some point down the road not unlike those of the AFM 5.3 engines in the 2007-13 GM trucks. The guys on here have done extensive research and determined that running too thin of a motor oil is the most likely culprit. 5W30 Redline oil comes highly recommended to combat this problem. Not to say that it will ever happen to you because no one really knows what percentage of Hemi's that this has happened to.
I have owned many GM trucks and several Fords before I switched to RAM and I can say without a doubt that they are the best looking and best riding trucks on the road today. At least the 4th gen trucks are the best looking IMHO. As I'm sure you have read the previous gen of GM fullsize trucks has had many problems the most prevalent being vibration issues. I owned two of that body style before switching to RAM and both trucks were genuine POS. You might also consider a RAM with the Ecodiesel esp. since you are a diesel guy at heart. With a GDE tune to eliminate the EGR and cut way back on the regens they are good for a ton of miles. We have one member on here(Verndiesel) with 500K plus miles on an Ecodiesel truck although I think he did replace the motor at around 380K miles.

 

[HappyAccidents]

Welcome! You will definitely get a lot more bang for your buck with the RAM vs a GM or Ford product. The vast majority of problems that I've seen are minor inconveniences for the most part. The biggest/worst thing I've have seen is/are cam and lifter problems at some point down the road not unlike those of the AFM 5.3 engines in the 2007-13 GM trucks. The guys on here have done extensive research and determined that running too thin of a motor oil is the most likely culprit. 5W30 Redline oil comes highly recommended to combat this problem. Not to say that it will ever happen to you because no one really knows what percentage of Hemi's that this has happened to.
I have owned many GM trucks and several Fords before I switched to RAM and I can say without a doubt that they are the best looking and best riding trucks on the road today. At least the 4th gen trucks are the best looking IMHO. As I'm sure you have read the previous gen of GM fullsize trucks has had many problems the most prevalent being vibration issues. I owned two of that body style before switching to RAM and both trucks were genuine POS. You might also consider a RAM with the Ecodiesel esp. since you are a diesel guy at heart. With a GDE tune to eliminate the EGR and cut way back on the regens they are good for a ton of miles. We have one member on here(Verndiesel) with 500K plus miles on an Ecodiesel truck although I think he did replace the motor at around 380K miles.

Thanks for the reply. I agree these are the best looking trucks, that's what caused me to start looking, plus a few around town here sound pretty bada$$. I think the 07-13 GM body style looks awful even compared to other GM models, and Ford isn't even a consideration to me. I can deal with minor inconveniences here and there. I just wanted to see if there were huge issues like failing computer systems, fuel systems, or trans issues since dodge has a history with crappy transmissions. Not that the 4L60E in mine is any better. Is there a way to deactivate the MDS on the 5.7 to avoid issues with the cam and lifters?

 

[tidefan1967]

The MDS system is not the cause of the cam and lifter problems like it was with the GM's AFM system. It can be disabled by the +/- buttons on the right side of the steering wheel although it will have to be disabled each time you start the truck. The cam and lifter problems with the Hemi are caused from: possibly too low an oil pressure at idle, 5W20 being too thin an oil for the Hemi, possible defective lifters and defective cam cores, modern oils having too low a moly count, and a few other possibilities that I can't think of right now. The Rams 8spd transmission has a few problems but none that I've experienced personally. I think its the smoothest transmission that I have ever experienced. I'm sure some of the other members will chime in soon with plenty more information. Good luck!

 

[TexasDrone]

I had a 2003 Ram 1500 with heminwhich had 140k then I bought a 2007 3500 Mega Cab dually which had 296k miles when I got my 2016 2500 Megacab which has 59k miles already and ordered a 2019 on 4/30 and should arrive next 8-10 DAYS!! I have my 2016 listed on auto trader and this site for sale if interested. I take excellent care of my trucks and they last.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HappyAccidents]

I had a 2003 Ram 1500 with heminwhich had 140k then I bought a 2007 3500 Mega Cab dually which had 296k miles when I got my 2016 2500 Megacab which has 59k miles already and ordered a 2019 on 4/30 and should arrive next 8-10 DAYS!! I have my 2016 listed on auto trader and this site for sale if interested. I take excellent care of my trucks and they last.


Saw your post on auto trade, but it’s about double what I can afford. I know the trucks with a Cummins last, my dad had an 02 with 327k before he got rid of it and currently has an 07 with 150k. Both run/ran great. If I can find a 4th gen diesel for a good price I’ll get one, but all the trucks in good shape are over 20k and I’m trying to keep it under 20k. That’s why I’m looking at trucks with the hemi, just don’t know much about them and don’t know anyone who owns one.

 

[TexasDrone]

Sounds good. If I see one I’ll send a link.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[huntergreen]

Don't overlook the ram 1500 with the six cyl pentastar. Very reliable and you can save some dollars.

 

[quest1000]

I’m in a similar situation. I’m looking at a 2016 5.7 hemi. Was the cam/lifter failure issues fixed for this model year?

I’ve read they made changes and it seems the 2011 are commonly having the issues.

My other concern is the lunging forward while coming to a stop. Is this common with the a8 in 3.2 gears?

 

[Jessica Smith]

To answer the question first, while FCA has below average reliability as a brand, the Ram is one of their higher reliability vehicles and we've had very few issues over a decade and 130K+ miles. When shopping, just google common Ram problems and see if the one you are looking at has one of those issues like the slight ticking from the exhaust manifold (but even that is often more an annoyance than a real problem if its not an extreme case). I'd go with a 2013+ Sport if I were in the market.

The Ram is a great truck, but a truck isn't always the best commuter though as its quite large to park in a parking garage and fuel economy is middling.

Just graduated college and start a new job on the 17th. Its a little under an hour drive each way.

That's a considerable commute; how many miles are you driving per year on average?

If you have the parking space at home/apartment and low insurance rate bracket, have you considered just picking up a second commuter vehicle, as the hemi only does around 16mpg? Keep the Tahoe for heavy duty work, and pickup a used Fiat 500 Turbo for example as a fun little commuter, will net you 30's fuel economy even flooring it everywhere, super easy parking, excellent reliability, but really poor reliability reputation (from brand) so horrible resale value so could pick one up for $7K or so low miles. Turbos have tighter turn radius than Abarth (15', second only to the Smart fourtwo in the US) but identical powertrain, so can just run a quick OBD2 tune from eurocompulsion to boost the factory detuned 14PSI to 22PSI to give you around 190-200hp in a 2500lb manual transmission vehicle (gives you around 12.5lbs/horsepower, about the same as a Ram hemi, but with less wind resistance so highway passing is great). There are also Golf TDIs (post fix) on the market that get great economy and really poor resale value (especially manual transmission) as people are afraid of dieselgate. Cheap to buy and should be around low 40's MPG on your commute, but are a little slow.

 

[NapaRam]

Don't overlook the ram 1500 with the six cyl pentastar. Very reliable and you can save some dollars.

Right! That's what I have. Do you need all the power of a V8? If it's your commuter than the MPG of the v6 can look pretty attractive.

 

[HappyAccidents]

To answer the question first, while FCA has below average reliability as a brand, the Ram is one of their higher reliability vehicles and we've had very few issues over a decade and 130K+ miles. When shopping, just google common Ram problems and see if the one you are looking at has one of those issues like the slight ticking from the exhaust manifold (but even that is often more an annoyance than a real problem if its not an extreme case). I'd go with a 2013+ Sport if I were in the market.

The Ram is a great truck, but a truck isn't always the best commuter though as its quite large to park in a parking garage and fuel economy is middling.

That's a considerable commute; how many miles are you driving per year on average?

If you have the parking space at home/apartment and low insurance rate bracket, have you considered just picking up a second commuter vehicle, as the hemi only does around 16mpg? Keep the Tahoe for heavy duty work, and pickup a used Fiat 500 Turbo for example as a fun little commuter, will net you 30's fuel economy even flooring it everywhere, super easy parking, excellent reliability, but really poor reliability reputation (from brand) so horrible resale value so could pick one up for $7K or so low miles. Turbos have tighter turn radius than Abarth (15', second only to the Smart fourtwo in the US) but identical powertrain, so can just run a quick OBD2 tune from eurocompulsion to boost the factory detuned 14PSI to 22PSI to give you around 190-200hp in a 2500lb manual transmission vehicle (gives you around 12.5lbs/horsepower, about the same as a Ram hemi, but with less wind resistance so highway passing is great). There are also Golf TDIs (post fix) on the market that get great economy and really poor resale value (especially manual transmission) as people are afraid of dieselgate. Cheap to buy and should be around low 40's MPG on your commute, but are a little slow.

It’s about 35 miles each way. There is parking at the shop I’ll be working at so parking garages won’t be necessary. I’d love to have a truck and car but I need to keep my expenses as low as possible and with the job and hobbies I have owning just a car is not practical at all. I’m completely fine with low gas mileage as I’m averaging about 11mpg with the Tahoe. I’ve thought of keeping the Tahoe and getting a car but with so many miles and the age it’s starting to get to the point that I’m spending so much on it that it would be cheaper to have a payment on a vehicle. Just put a used transmission in it a month ago but who knows how long it will really last. The body is starting to rust in multiple locations and as I’ve stated the gas mileage is awful. It’s just a matter of time before something else expensive breaks. Also being 19 and living in Maryland, my insurance is pretty pricey so 2 vehicles would be too much. As for the mileage per year, I don’t quite know yet. This company I’m going to work for has a location only 15 miles away but they don’t have a position open right now, but it’s a fast growing shop and I was told a new position should open up in 6-12 months so, hopefully, I won’t be making that drive for more than a year.

 

[HappyAccidents]

Right! That's what I have. Do you need all the power of a V8? If it's your commuter than the MPG of the v6 can look pretty attractive.

Well I don’t NEED the power of a V8 but being a car/truck guy owning a V6 truck is something that I would not like to do. Nothing against a V6 but I love the sound and power of a V8. The combined 16mpg is a decent improvement of my current 11mpg combined.

 

[Jessica Smith]

If you're going to get a truck, and you want a V8, I think a 2013+ Ram 8spd is a no brainer then! The only other competitor I'd consider would be a 2015+ F150 w/ the 2.7L ecoboost, but if you're not into turbos, that's an obvious deal breaker.

 

[NapaRam]

Well I don’t NEED the power of a V8 but being a car/truck guy owning a V6 truck is something that I would not like to do. Nothing against a V6 but I love the sound and power of a V8. The combined 16mpg is a decent improvement of my current 11mpg combined.

I think that would probably be the answer of most guys and I totally respect that. If I was young and single I would probably have a v8 but I am old and married which means I have a v6 lol!

 

[22hemi13]

Wife just got a 17 5.7 with the 8spd. This is our 3rd ram. 13’ 5.7 6spd, 14’ 2500 5.7 and now the 17’ 5.7 8spd. We drove several including the v6 with 8spd. Only reason I got the 5.7 cause this truck had the overall options she was wanting. Had it have been a v6 I wouldn’t have hesitated. The 8spd makes it very drivable and quick if you’re not towing anything. Our new truck is a “car” so we really just needed the interior space of the ram. That said the 8spd with the 5.7 and drove both with 3:92 and 3:21 gears is fun

 

[eldo]

Regarding the transmission reliability, since you mentioned historic dodge/Chrysler issues, the 8speed trans is not a Chrysler product.

It's the zf8hp from a German company who supplied the transmission to a ton of automakers.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_8HP_transmission#applications

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[tomb]

Well I don’t NEED the power of a V8 but being a car/truck guy owning a V6 truck is something that I would not like to do. Nothing against a V6 but I love the sound and power of a V8. The combined 16mpg is a decent improvement of my current 11mpg combined.

There are owners with RAMs on this site that have had them for decades and still drive them and love them -that speaks volumes to me. Mine is 7yrs old with no issues at all-looks and drives as new--I would stay away from GM and Ford with the aluminum beds is crap as they say they wont rust-but aluminum actually turns into white oxidation-they actually dissolve into white powder and no one wants to weld aluminum anyway. Also with the Fords turbos they are having issues and are very expensive to fix-yes they do get much better MPG-and great towing numbers-but I would stick with the proven HEMI 8 cylinder -Its fast-strong -and if you should want to re-sell later it will be much easier-but you wont!!

 

[slacadjuster]

Just graduated college and start a new job on the 17th. Its a little under an hour drive each way. That being said, my current truck (2002 Tahoe with 270K miles) won't last much longer making that drive every day so I'm looking for something new. Was thinking of staying GM considering how reliable my tahoe has been, but for some reason silverado's hold their value really well (about 20k for a 2010 with under 75K miles). I've always been a huge fan of cummins and Dodge body styles, but I can't afford a diesel atm so a 1500 is what I'd get. The prices of 4th gen trucks are a few grand cheaper than comparable GM trucks, but I don't know much about them. Basically I just want to know how reliable these trucks are. I tried doing some research of my own, but most sites said something like "potential problems". So I figured it was best to ask the people who own the trucks. What are the most common issues you guys have? Would you recommend someone buy one of these trucks? Should also add that I went to school to be a diesel mechanic, so repair costs for me would only be the price of the part.

Really, it's like any vehicle. One person with the same type vehicle, same manufacturer could have zero issues, while the other person could have nothing but problems.
Case in point, I'm on my second Hemi Ram, fabulous trucks. The one I have now I bought new in 2015. Impeccable reliability.
My sisters friends husband on the other hand, bought a new hemi Ram, and it was a complete, piece of sh*t disaster.

 

[TomB 1269]

Regarding the transmission reliability, since you mentioned historic dodge/Chrysler issues, the 8speed trans is not a Chrysler product.

It's the zf8hp from a German company who supplied the transmission to a ton of automakers.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_8HP_transmission#applications

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

Actually this is not 100% correct any more. It is a german tranny, but the 8 speed behind the V6 is licensed for Chrysler to build in the U.S. The 8 speed behind the Hemi is all German, same tranny in Mercedes, etc. There are 2 different part numbers/codes for them 845RE or DFL and the 8HP70 or DFD.

OP - As for fuel milage, if you are doing 35 miles stop and go the Hemi will be rough on gas. However if you are doing 35 miles in smooth rolling or minimal traffic and can keep your speed down around 70 then you could see 20+MPG.
They were running really good deals in my area in March. Got mine, 2019 Classic with Hemi for $330/mo 3yr/36k lease with $20740 buy-out. Not sure what deals you can find