Should I buy a Power Wagon with high miles?

[Kco89]

Hi all,

I’m looking at a 2017 PW that has 158k miles on it. They are selling it for $27k USD out the door. I’ll be using it for some travel trailer towing, smaller jobs, but also around town here and there. It drives beautifully and looks very well-maintained. CARFAX seemed to have regular maintenance on it.

I’m really new to Ram trucks, especially newer ones. Should I even be considering this truck since the miles are so high? How long will a hemi 6.4 last? Will I be most likely running into too many issues?

I’m looking for all the help I can get.

Thanks!

 

[Bmags]

Thats not high miles at all, you have tons of life left. My last hemi was going strong at 300,000 but the body was getting too rusty.

 

[huntergreen]

PW are not the best tow vehicles. Softer suspension for off roading. Just be sure it’s up for whatever trailer you plan on towing.

 

[mrack]

Like bmags said that’s not high mileage at all. I wouldn’t hesitate if you like the truck and the price.

 

[mikeru]

Besides the suspension issue already mentioned, Power Wagons also tend to be more limited on payload, which directly affects towing capacity. I get the appeal of a Power Wagon. But since you said you're planning to use it to tow around your TT and didn't mention anything about off-roading, you might be better suited to look for something a little more geared towards towing than off-roading. Just my opinion of course.

 

[4xdad]

And a little much for a daily driver that being said I love mine. So if you don’t mind walking a little bit in the parking lot and can afford the fuel then it’s fine.

 

[62Blazer]

I know it's a Power Wagon but really no specific issues versus any other Ram 2500 truck. Guess there are a few more components you could have issues with like the lockers not engaging...but that's nothing that disables the truck or anything.
While I own a PW and love it, if you don't have any need for the off-road stuff I would make sure you aren't paying more money for that stuff. Point being, was is the cost of a similar age and mileage non-PW?
As mentioned, PW's are not the optimal setup for towing and hauling loads but they are capable of doing it. The rear suspension is softer than a regular 2500 so it will want to squat more...but not like it can't tow or haul anything! I've had absolutely no issues towing a 26' 7k trailer with 1k+ tongue load completely stock and no weight distributing hitch. I do run airbags but those are only "needed" for squat when you get up towards the 1,300-1,500 lb. + tongue weight range. I do put air in them for the smaller trailers because it does firm up the suspension some.

 

[nlambert182]

I concur with all of the above. The miles wouldn't concern me as much as the lack of payload.

 

[4xdad]

Exactly my pw friends I don’t tow or haul much but when we go camping I like to go to the end of the road. I bought a pw because it has the lockers and the other stuff. And then I built the stuff I couldn’t afford

 

[4xdad]

The pw kinda is it’s own thing they aren’t like regular trucks

 

[Kco89]

I really appreciate everyone’s input - very helpful. Man, I love the look and feel of the power wagon - maybe that’ll give me an excuse to go off roading. But I understand that it was meant more for being off road than for towing. It looks like the max payload is 1,510 towing capacity is 10,030 for the 2017.

How close can I get to those numbers and still be safe?

 

[mrack]

What kind of travel trailer do you have in mind, that will determine what truck you need. The power wagon capacities are equal to a 1500 and you should stay in that category if you buy it, but it’s worth mentioning the power wagon will definitely handle a trailer better then any 1500, just not as well as a regular 2500.

If your ok with a trailer roughly 20-25ft, 7000lb I’d jump on the power wagon, sounds like you really want it and would get a lot of enjoyment out of it, you only get to live once

 

[4xdad]

You need an excuse to go off- roading!!?? Wtf.

 

[nlambert182]

Realistically if primary duty is not a tow rig and your travel trailer doesn't exceed 7k lbs gross weight, you're likely fine with this truck. You just have to be realistic with your expectations. You can exceed payload by a degree if you must, as long as you never exceed rear axle weight ratings. I don't suggest it, but RAWR is more important than payload. mrack was pretty spot on with what he said with one caveat. 7k should be gross weight and not dry weight. If you want to stay within all the numbers there are tons of options.

If you have a trailer that's too large and don't mind changing it out for something that the truck will tow within its specs consider some of the following:

If you want a small trailer that you can take "off road" (and I use this term loosely):
No Boundaries
Ember Overland
Black Series

If you want a "regular" "on-road" travel trailer there are a ton of options depending on what you want and your budget:

Little Guy
Winnebago Micro Minnie
Lance
Forest River Wildwood
Coachmen Apex Nano
Cherokee Wolf Pup
Palomino Puma
Jayco Jayfeather
Rockwood MiniLite



and the list goes on and on.

 

[MattD2961]

I bought a 2017 ram 2500 Laramie with 94,000 miles on it. I was gonna buy a 1500 but it was the RV dealer that told me a 1500 would not handle a 34 foot RV. Plus you have to factor in when driving a 2500 will be more stable than a 1500 between the power and sway. I can go off Roading with his truck and I’m sure it would be fun but I think it’s going to get the **** beat out of it. Pulling this RV. Good luck with your truck. It looks really nice. I did a lot of research on these trucks and I really wanted a power wagon. I think they’re really cool looking but I think I got a good deal. Have a good day guys.

 

[62Blazer]

I really appreciate everyone’s input - very helpful. Man, I love the look and feel of the power wagon - maybe that’ll give me an excuse to go off roading. But I understand that it was meant more for being off road than for towing. It looks like the max payload is 1,510 towing capacity is 10,030 for the 2017.

How close can I get to those numbers and still be safe?

You can easily go up to the those numbers. There are safety factors built into the those ratings already. A manufacturer is not going to give an official rating of 1,510 lbs. payload if you can only "safely" go to something like 1,300 lbs.

From my experience a PW handles loads better than a 1500! A friend has a 1500 that is factory rated to tow 10,000 lbs. just like my PW, but my PW handles the same trailer WAY better than that truck.

The only real difference between a regular 2500 with up around 14,000 lb. tow rating and a PW with only a 10,000 lb. tow rating are softer rear springs and the D-rated tires. I know "legally" you can't change the capacity of the truck, but if you swapped springs and tires with a regular 2500 I really don't see what the difference would be?

 

[buckeyexx]

I don’t suggest going over tow rating but can add air bags to help if it’s an issue with sag. It helps a ton with squat and stabilizing everything while towing. Just add cradles for off roading.

 

[62Blazer]

I don’t suggest going over tow rating but can add air bags to help if it’s an issue with sag. It helps a ton with squat and stabilizing everything while towing. Just add cradles for off roading.

Agree with this statement. I added airbags to mine. Even though it's not needed for sag/squat on some trailers, it definitely feels more solid and stable going down the road.

 

[diymirage]

I bought my 2017 almost a year ago, slt so no frills, but half the miles and about 5k less

This truck seems a bit expensive to me

 

[nlambert182]

There's quite the cost jump between an SLT and a Power Wagon so apples to apples you probably got about a good a deal as the OP is looking at (maybe a little worse).

Everything is expensive right now. It is what it is and if you want it, you'll pay the price.

In 2015 I paid $35k for a 2012 Ram 2500 SLT with 50k miles.

Back in 2018 I paid $45k for a 2016 3500 DRW Laramie with 90k miles. One owner, MINT truck. I sold it with ~130k miles back in January of 2023 for $48k. I picked up the 2018 1500 in my sig with 65k miles for $28k. Sold it a year later for $28k.

Close to New Years I paid $48k for the 2018 2500 Laramie I have now with 118k miles. I had to drive 4 hrs away to get this deal. Most local trucks in worse shape were bringing mid $50k.

You have to pay to play (especially right now).