Ram 2500 Questions

Jagiven · 12-16-2021, 04:56 PM

Going to look at a couple new trucks tomorrow or Saturday. The market around here is really bad to buy a truck right now. There are lots of 1/2 tons but very few HDs on the market. My preference would be a 1 ton gasser. There's a total of 3 for sale within a 100+ miles of me. So, I guess we are going to settle on a 3/4 ton. I am not brands specific, I have owned them all in the past. Rams are the most available in this area. DW and I spend a few hours at the local fair this summer, and I did like the Rams the most, but we did not drive any while at the fair. Anything we should look for or avoid?

I'm still working from home and I do not see that changing anytime to soon. So the TV does not move much, even when commuting I usually drive the car. We are still working for another 5 years. Typical year the TV goes between 5K-7K miles mostly towing, so I just cannot justify a diesel at this time.

What are people's opinions of the Rams?
Engine: 6.4L V8 Heavy Duty Hemi MDS Engine?
Transmission: 8 speed automatic (8HP75-LCV)

Below are the window stickers of the two we are leaning towards, the Big Horn is leading the pack as it has more features we suspect we would like when on long road trips. Bonus it also has 100 lbs more payload (not really enough to sway me).

Big Horn (payload 3230 lbs): https://www.chrysler.com/hostd/windo...YaAsdEEALw_wcB

Laramie (payload 3130lbs): https://www.chrysler.com/hostd/windo...YaAsdEEALw_wcB

Main thing I do not like for either truck: I would rather have 18" wheels verses the 20" wheels, to keep the overall height down.

We are considering a trailer change. But we need a new truck first. We are leaning towards the Jayco 27RL (10,500 lbs GVWR / 13,500 GCWR). Estimated pin weight 2100-2625 lbs. I doubt we will purchase it this year, but maybe next year.

Jayco 27RL: https://www.jayco.com/rvs/fifth-whee...h-wheels/27rl/

Happy Holidays

ARoamer · 12-16-2021, 05:33 PM

Always been a GM guy, can't comment on different brands. The only thing I can suggest is go with your preference...try to get a 1 ton! With a future potential pin weight of 2625# you may wish you had.

Rdogg · 12-16-2021, 05:41 PM

Rams are great so are chevys and ford's but it's a really crappy tome to buy any pick up truck where I am at if it's available it is outrageously expensive and pickings are slim I bought my ram 2500 with just a 5.7 hemi pre pandemic if I go to sell it now I could probably make money on it good luck on your search don't go with just anything because it's available and also happy holidays

Jagiven · 12-16-2021, 06:24 PM

I've had all the big brands, but never a modern HD. The 87 Suburban and the old International Travelal have been the best work horses. Best handling, was the full sized Jeep Wagoneer, but it was not geared for towing.

I am in no major hurry, but my Dakota is starting to have major mechanical issues and I am losing faith in it. I do not think we will trade it in, but will retire it from towing. It has a lifetime powertrain warranty, so it will be going in over Christmas break (kid is driving it to school right now).

Old and soft · 12-16-2021, 06:32 PM

Did I hear something about fca discontinuing gas v8's in passenger cars? The article I read did not mention trucks. The ram promaster 3500 my boss assigned to me has a little v6, but that's a story (or a rant) for another time.

Jacjayco · 12-16-2021, 07:07 PM

I don't have an opinion on the TV, but a question: are you able to buy either truck at or below sticker? Dealers here are adding a "market adjustment" of at least $5,000 over sticker price.
I'm in Central SC.

Bookemdanno · 12-16-2021, 07:18 PM

I'll add my $.02...I've owned at '14 Ram 2500 with a diesel and currently own a '16 Ram 3500 dually. I'm currently driving a '14 Chevy 2500 gas as my government vehicle...yes, I'm a Gov employee...and I'm the guy that deals with the new cars that come into our Division. I "like" my current Chevy with 96,000 miles, but I can tell that the transmission is nearing it's completion. We have several Ford, Chevy, and Ram's.

***My opinion*** with regard to the last 5 years is that we've had the least amount of problems with the 6.4 Ram's! Having said that...we've had the most problems with the 5.7 Rams, followed by the Chevy's, followed by the Fords. I will also say that within the last 5 years (with regards to HD trucks), we've purchased mostly Chevy's, followed by Ram's, followed by Fords.

The above is just what I've experienced within the last 5 years at my ofc for HD trucks.

Have a Merry Chirstmas!

spoon059 · 12-16-2021, 07:27 PM

Does the height change with the larger wheels? I thought the tires had less sidewall height on the larger diameter wheels.

If buying new, I would get a 1 ton and not have any concerns about your payload for a 5er. This is probably the worst time in our lifetime to buy a vehicle, let along TWO. Inventory is at record lows for vehicles and campers. You will be paying top dollar and likely getting lower quality.

If I were you, I'd be patient and wait for inventory to return and get THE truck you want, not A truck that is convenient. By that time, RV inventory should hopefully settle and prices for both should come back down to a more reasonable level.

Either way, Ram 6.4 is a stout engine but I don't know enough about that transmission. Make sure you research the trans AND rear axle ratio and get one that works for you. I had a friend who bought an early 6.4 with the 6 speed. He wanted 4.10 rears but ultimately bought one with higher rear ratio and wasn't happy with it in the mountains due to the way it shifted with that rear axle.

Scott · 12-17-2021, 08:11 AM

I work for a market analysis software company in the auto industry and I'm going to tell you if you can afford to wait I would do so. The experts I speak to keep telling me the new vehicle inventory shortage will continue through at least 2022. Prices will not stabilize until then.

Also, I would recommend getting a 3500. They are out there, but you might have to drive a ways to get one.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/new-invent...3500.2022.html

Jagiven · 12-17-2021, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacjayco

question: are you able to buy either truck at or below sticker? Dealers here are adding a "market adjustment" of at least $5,000 over sticker price.

I have no clue, this dealer does not list their prices online. I'm planning to print the window sticker for both and bring with me, and see what they have to say. My research stated nationally dealers are on average selling for 1.5% below MSRP, so I guess we will see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by spoon059

Does the height change with the larger wheels? I thought the tires had less sidewall height on the larger diameter wheels.

If buying new, I would get a 1 ton and not have any concerns about your payload for a 5er. This is probably the worst time in our lifetime to buy a vehicle, let along TWO. The Jayco can wait, but the truck, I don't know. It is still early in the winter. I am a tire kicker, and am well known for being cheap, and willing to wait for just the right item at the right price to come along. Need to do some research and understand what is right. When we bought the Dakota, the sales guy was being a stickler over a few things, I told the DW, lets go.
The dealer then was waaaay more willing to talk. I bought it when they could not sell a truck due to the gas prices were up around $5/gallon. I do not expect to be able to negotiate with this purchase.

If I were you, I'd be patient and wait for inventory to return and get THE truck you want, not A truck that is convenient. By that time, RV inventory should hopefully settle and prices for both should come back down to a more reasonable level. I agree, but I'm losing faith in the old Dakota, would like to travel more.

...I had a friend who bought an early 6.4 with the 6 speed. He wanted 4.10 rears but ultimately bought one with higher rear ratio and wasn't happy with it in the mountains due to the way it shifted with that rear axle. I too would like 4.10 gears, but I think that is a very rare item, and would have to be a custom order. I could only find 4.10's in Chassis cabs, and then only in regular cab configurations. I actually considered chassis cab to add move vehicle options. Personally I would rather have a flat bed, but the DW says NO.

curver900 · 12-17-2021, 09:46 AM

i'd be hard pressed not to go take a look at the new ford with the new 7.3 gas motor... i know they are proud of them.. and if you are not in a hurry i would see if i could get a test drive on one to see if it is worth the wait.. the new 6.6 in the gm is pretty good too...

I would drive all three with the rear end you are looking for there may be some used ones around to try out at least...

good luck with your adventure.

NVGun40 · 12-17-2021, 10:13 AM

Jagiven,
Like a couple others here and yourself. I am used to be a hard core GM fan. Yet, I have owned and hauled and towed with all the big three. I recently purchased a new truck this past June. I looked at all the main players. Like your area, inventory of the HD's was very poor. Yet, I still my homework. Like you my truck sits more than anything. It's primarily only used for towing or hauling. (I work a 2 week on 2 week off schedule) If I did drive the truck daily, my commute is only 15 minutes, on a bad day... So I couldn't justify diesel. Yet I still looked at few.
For my liking, I was not that impressed with the ride and handling of the GM's (chevy's and GMC's). I focused on the Ford's and Rams. I ended up with my 5th generation 2019 Ram 2500, LB, 6.4 Hemi MDS and 8 speed transmission (less than 20k miles and still under warranty). Payload 3K and towing 14.5k. Mine came with 18 inch rims.
It tows like a dream and handles the payload much better than I had imagined. I was expecting a lot of sag with the coil springs, but I was pleasantly surprised at how little it actually did. This past hunting season, I really put it to work. I had my toy hauler fully loaded down (102 gallons of water, 40 gallons of on board fuel, Argo 8x8) food and hunting supplies for two weeks, generator, plus spike out camp gear). Overall, I am knocking on the door of 11k pounds loaded for the trailer. In the truck I had an extra 25 gallons of water, 30 gallons of gas, the ATV meat wagon (two axle) trailer, plus the fire wood (with tongue weight plus the load in the truck I would estimate over 2k). We had several serious hills to climb on our way from 500ft elevation up to 4000ft elevation over a 172 miles. With all this, the truck performed well beyond expectations. Overall for the whole trip my gas mileage averaged out at 11.6 MPG (staying at or below 62MPH). The worst mileage I saw while pulling the grades was 7MPG, the best mileage I saw (on the trip home with the all the extra fuel and water drained) going back down those grades was close to 30MPG.
Things I came to really appreciate was the manual gear lockout which kept my speed down while going down hill, and allowed me to lock in a gear while climbing so the transmission didn't try to "hunt" gears.
Overall, I really enjoy the truck. I have still kept my old truck which I will use to haul wood and for dump runs and such.

Apologies for the long winded story here, I hope it provides you a good perspective.
Regarding you desire for the 18 inch wheels... Perhaps talk to the dealership and see if they will throw that in as a condition of the sale? The dealership can resale the 20s.
The deal I worked out had the dealer throw in: spray undercoating throughout, step bars, hood and side window wind deflectors, spray in bed liner, and the 50% cost for MOPAR extended warranty, all as a condition of the sale.

Jagiven · 12-17-2021, 03:19 PM

Stopped in and looked. Did not buy anything, at least not yet, maybe tomorrow.

The price is the window sticker is the price. The sales guy stated he can only get $500 off list, and has not seen anything better than that in the last couple years. The company I work for has had negotiated pricing with all the car manufactures. So I inquired. He looked it up and was shocked! He said my price was the dealer price. Not sure if that is true or not, but it was a little better than a 7% discount. I like!

I put $500 down (refundable deposit) and said I would be back tomorrow. The vehicle was fresh, and it still was still configured for transport, which turns off all the features to save the battery. So many of the features did not work such as the radio and cameras. Heated seats and steering wheel did work.

Playing hardball with him. I let him know I was more than willing to walk away. I let him know there was a few things I wanted or did not like.

Such as there is no USB ports in the back seat (really in this day in age, and on a Big Horn, really!). He could not secure a price, while I was at the dealership
DW will need a step ladder to get in, the floor is 29" from the ground, so it needs running boards. Quoted $999 (not sure which style)
I always want a spray bed liner, so I inquired. quoted $799
I also never buy a vehicle without three sets of keys. He could not get me the pricing on the spare key or adding USB power to the rear seat. again, he could not secure a price.

I mentioned after the test drive that this truck has all the trailering features, but does not have the 5ver/gooseneck hardware camper package. Another Really! It does have a hardwire camera port on the bumper for a remote camera on the trailer, that includes displaying on the rearview mirror (cool feature).

He did call when I got home and said he did get the pricing on adding the USB ports ($490). He also stated his "manager" would be willing to talk discount $$, so we will see what he can do.

It was a nice truck! It really did not feel any different than the Dakota, just a bit taller, and I only noticed that when crawling in. If we go for it, I will have the subwoofer removed from under the rear seat. It takes up way to much valuable under seat storage. Last item on the list that I did not mention to him was the need to remove all the excess badging. I like the cleaner look and it just makes washing and waxing harder.

This afternoon I will be pricing spray liner and a few other items.

goducks · 12-17-2021, 04:31 PM

As far as tires goes there's only a 1/2" difference in over all height between the two.
33.2 vs 33.7
That equates to only 1/4" higher. The 20" will tow better because the sidewall is lower.

Florida Ranger · 12-17-2021, 06:40 PM

Christmas 2020 I bought a Ram 2500 Bighorn 6.4 automatic, and could not be any happier. Before this truck for the last 29 yrs I only drove Ford F-250 XLT or Platinum models with Gas engines. I traded every 3 yrs because my job requires that I would travel 34,000 per yr. My New Ram rides better , quieter ,than any Ford I have ever owned. Boy have I been surprised. The 6.4 engine with 4:10 Gears pull my 35 ft goose neck equipment trailer with no problem.. And the interior is nicer than any of my Platinum Fords had…..Test Drive one and make up your own mind.. Also here in Florida there are plenty of Ram Trucks available, I am located on the Gulf Coast.

RedHorse1 · 12-17-2021, 11:09 PM

We tow a 5th with GVW of 12,700# and 3’000# on the pin. After a couple years of trips to HF and H Depot I figure we’re pulling 13k. Your numbers are close to ours and I’d say I expect you are in 3500 territory. We pull with an F350 that I love but has not been without issues.

Jagiven · 12-18-2021, 05:15 PM

Went back this afternoon. Had the DW drive it. I need to premise off with she does not like to drive. She thought is was very large. I thought if felt a lot like the Dakota, especially when I raise the seat. Its only 1 foot longer and about 10" taller (at the floor) than the Dakota.

We decided not to go with it. Last night I reviewed the payload numbers, felt it was a bit to close. If we go with the 5ver we are thinking about we would be well within the trucks capabilities. BUT, we do not own that 5ver yet and have not even looked at it. Salesman was clearly bummed, he kinda brought up ordering a truck, but did not push it.

I did find one major issue with the crew cab. I decided to sit in the back seat, the head height is to low. My son (high schooler) is the same size (6'1") as me. My head hit the ceiling, and when sitting next to either door my head hit both the outside, back wall along with the ceiling. Not very good, especially on a rough road.

I wont say we will go with the Ram, but we liked this the Big Horn, found the pricing for what we wanted to be better than on a Tradesman. One feature we both absolutely loved was the digital rear view mirror. I'm sold on that feature.

16WhiteColly · 12-20-2021, 04:40 PM

The last truck I had prior to my 2016 Colorado was a 2004 Ram 2500 5.9L H.O. Turbo Diesel. Was an awesome truck, had almost 240,000 miles when sold two months ago.

Charlie G · 12-22-2021, 01:11 PM

May depend on how much you drive truck without pulling anything. I have a 2500 6.4 Hemi. Driving completely empty it gets maybe 13.5 mpg. Worst in class. But it is great to pull with. I had a 2020 and got about 14.5 with it. Ram made me a deal on a 2022 I did not think I could pass up considering new warranty etc was included. But gear ratio is 4.03(?) which is supposed to be better for pulling but worse on Highway mpg.

Forestville · 12-22-2021, 01:19 PM

Why don't you consider ordering a new one? We ordered a 3500 Limited HO Diesel at the end of October, and we hope to have it end of February. I too highly recommend the 3500 because it won't limit you on your next camper purchase, or where you can go with it (cross country). I did a lot of shopping around within a 100-mile radius, and found a dealer that gave me $3,000 off MSRP and $2,000 more for my trade than the others. Plus guaranteed the trade value for when the new truck comes in. On an ordered unit they won't have any money tied up in it from sitting on their lot, and it's not taking away from their inventory that they could sell to someone that needs a truck right away. And you get to equip it just the way you want, and let the DW pick the color. Happy wife, happy life!

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