Thinking about a new Ram 1500 - Advice Much Appreciated

[archer75]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I may custom order a 23' 1500 crew cab with the long bed. Laramie. Loaded. I currently have a 15' Ram 2500 with the diesel and am currently pulling a travel trailer but we're planning on selling the trailer so I won't have any need for the larger ram with it's cummins. The only issue I had is the turbo actuator went out which was a $4k repair. A year later I got a letter in the mail saying they've extended the warranty on this part and wanted to refund me the cost of the repair. And they did. Never had any emissions issues with it. I've done all my oil and fuel filter changes myself.
I don't really need an ecodiesel though the mileage is nice. Not opposed to the 5.7 hemi. Also curious about the 3.0l 500hp hurricane next year.

I'm also considering an F-150. I have no brand loyalty.

 

[jimboschnitz]

For Mikeru, the 12 month or 10.000 mile that you quote as the recommended is actually stated, the 12/10K interval should never be exceeded, it is not the recommended interval. Actually I was incorrect however with the 5000 mile statement. Oil changes are supposed to be done when the change oil indicator lamp comes on.

 

[mikeru]

For Mikeru, the 12 month or 10.000 mile that you quote as the recommended is actually stated, the 12/10K interval should never be exceeded, it is not the recommended interval. Actually I was incorrect however with the 5000 mile statement. Oil changes are supposed to be done when the change oil indicator lamp comes on.

You're absolutely right. My bad for using the wrong word. The owner's manual states to never exceed 10k/12 months. My point was that the OCI is not 5k miles. I change ours once a year, staying within that 12 month period. Since we only put about 5k on our truck each year, we're well within the 10k mileage limit.

 

[ramffml]

Actually I was incorrect however with the 5000 mile statement. Oil changes are supposed to be done when the change oil indicator lamp comes on.

Personally I'd never ever wait that long. Best bet is at least once a year, or every 7000 miles (drop it to 5000 for heavy towing or lots of idling). The indicator is a formula that somebody else wrote based on a bunch of variables that the truck collects, it's not all that accurate as far as I know.

 

[CaliRamDude]

Greetings. I am new here and am a potential Ram 1500 buyer. I am posting here to learn a little from those that have come before me.

I am looking for a vehicle capable of checking off all my boxes, and I believe a smaller full-size truck is the closest thing available. I plan to use it to commute to work, transport the family around town, and go camping in the mountains on the weekends. I also would use it to haul plywood, sheetrock, and the occasional piece of woodworking machinery. I live in Colorado, so getting around in the mountains and light off-road ability is an additional consideration. I plan to install a cap on the bed to provide further flexibility while camping. Since I don't plan to do much towing, I am most interested in fuel economy and newer safety features. I am also considering the off-road package--most of my "off-road" use would be poor dirt roads over obscure mountain passes, not rock crawling or anything really serious. My only other truck experience is a 2013 GMC Sierra--I used it as a work truck where I put 250,000 miles on it. It appears that trucks have come a long way since then.

With this in mind, I went to the dealership the other day looking to test drive a 2022 Laramie with a 6.5' bed, only to be told that most people don't opt for the full-size bed in a 1500 and that the 2500 was a better fit for a full bed. The salesperson also recommended the ecodiesel over the 6-cylinder turbo powertrain. He claimed the smaller motor would be a dog in the mountains. I am curious if anyone else here has had purchased this truck with similar intentions and would like to learn about other's experiences. I also would like to know if the stock 1500 would suffice for my mountain needs, or if the off-road package is essential. Lastly, I have never owned a diesel vehicle before. Given my needs, would the ecodiesel be a good option or was the salesman just trying to sell me an engine I don't really need? Thank you all in advance for your thoughts!

I have a 17 1500 hemi and regret not getting the 2500. Then you can really tow some stuff. The 1500 is severely limited in its towing capabilities. You should never really go past 50% of GVWR. Which on any 1500 is basically lowest in its class. You’ll end tail wagging the dog. Or you’ll be the guy with his rear end half way to ground

 

[CaliRamDude]

well I'm guessing that no-one told VernDiesel's EcoDiesel that it can't tow. His has over 900K miles mostly towing Airstream trailers across the country and a buddy of his has an EcoD with over 400K doing the same.
I've had an 8K lbs 32' trailer behind mine several times and it does a great job towing. Two fingers on the steering wheel with the cruise set, stable as can be and lives up to it's "eco" moniker fuel wise. Pulled the trailer 250 miles and traveled back 250 miles empty on less than 26 gallons of fuel(capacity of my tank).

Wow man sounds super risky. Just saying

 

[CaliRamDude]

So you don't do any towing but you want additional cargo space with the longer bed. Good starting point so you can disregard Brian42 comment about needing a 2500 because the Ecodiesel isn't for towing. I don't live in Colorado, but I have put many miles in Western states with both my 2016 Ecodiesel and my current 2020 Ecodiesel. Comparing this Baby Diesel to the 6.7 Cummins with your current needs isn't even close. Both my vehicles average better than 25mpg highway and in the thinner mountain air I've gotten 28+mpgs. Best I've seen on this and the Ram Diesel Forum from Cummins owners is maybe 18 on the highway. As for the 5.7 Hemi, I have no experience with one personally but as this Forum can attest, very few Hemi's can even come close to the fuel economy of the Ecodiesel. Yes, diesel fuel is anywhere from $1 to $1.25 more expensive than gasoline but if you calculate the fuel cost over a long term of 50 to 100K miles, you'll save on fuel with the diesel. I calculated savings between a Hemi at 18mpg and an Eco @ a conservative 24mpg over 100,000 miles and came up with almost a $1000 in fuel savings. Other considerations are the maintenance costs, oil changes for the gasser at 5000 miles and the diesel at 10000 which are the recommended intervals. Don't know about the Pentastar but some friends have a Grand Cherokee with the V6 and make trips from MN to CO for sking and they are very pleased with it's performance and fuel economy. Good Luck. I agree with Mikeru, find a different salesman or different dealer.

Don’t forget to throw in the lifetime supply of rubber gloves you’ll need filling up!

 

[Stavinksi]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I may custom order a 23' 1500 crew cab with the long bed. Laramie. Loaded. I currently have a 15' Ram 2500 with the diesel and am currently pulling a travel trailer but we're planning on selling the trailer so I won't have any need for the larger ram with it's cummins. The only issue I had is the turbo actuator went out which was a $4k repair. A year later I got a letter in the mail saying they've extended the warranty on this part and wanted to refund me the cost of the repair. And they did. Never had any emissions issues with it. I've done all my oil and fuel filter changes myself.
I don't really need an ecodiesel though the mileage is nice. Not opposed to the 5.7 hemi. Also curious about the 3.0l 500hp hurricane next year.

I'm also considering an F-150. I have no brand loyalty.

May I suggest you look at a limited or longhorn. For the price of a fully loaded Laramie you are ~ price parity and all that comes standard. Interior is much nicer and resale will likely be higher. F150 interior, even platinum trim, just feels cheap even compared to a Laramie trim in my opinion.

 

[archer75]

May I suggest you look at a limited or longhorn. For the price of a fully loaded Laramie you are ~ price parity and all that comes standard. Interior is much nicer and resale will likely be higher. F150 interior, even platinum trim, just feels cheap even compared to a Laramie trim in my opinion.

I can't stand the longhorn interior. And I don't care for the limited interior either. The colors and stitching. Just not a fan. Otherwise i'd go for it.

 

[Wally Koeberl]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I may custom order a 23' 1500 crew cab with the long bed. Laramie. Loaded. I currently have a 15' Ram 2500 with the diesel and am currently pulling a travel trailer but we're planning on selling the trailer so I won't have any need for the larger ram with it's cummins. The only issue I had is the turbo actuator went out which was a $4k repair. A year later I got a letter in the mail saying they've extended the warranty on this part and wanted to refund me the cost of the repair. And they did. Never had any emissions issues with it. I've done all my oil and fuel filter changes myself.
I don't really need an ecodiesel though the mileage is nice. Not opposed to the 5.7 hemi. Also curious about the 3.0l 500hp hurricane next year.

I'm also considering an F-150. I have no brand loyalty.