Ram Truck Purchase Decision - Need Someone to Kick Some Sense

[cofi]

im doing the 12v swap to DD

want to do a WVO conversion my buddie is using a pint of diesel ever 400mi!!!!!

[Dave]

Unless you are making biodiesel in your garage I'd go with the gas V8. The Hemi will still be able to get you and your kill back from hunts, you'll still be able to haul almost anything you would realistically need to. Long term, the savings in mileage will be reduced by higher fuel prices, maintenance and repairs.

[DangerLee_Industries]

Sounds like you need a Prius with a Yakima rack on top. That way you can strap a carcass down and call it good.......

[soldier-of-the-apocalypse]

get a cummins with a 6 speed I have 350,000+ miles on mine (speedo doesn't always work) and I get 21mpg with propane 17 without. Also it hauls ass and when I need to tow something it does it with ease. Also maintenance is cheaper IMHO since it hardly ever breaks and you can run the oil for 5,000 miles

[Bailey Guns]

My daily driver is a 2012 Chevy 2500HD gas. But I frequently haul heavy loads of firewood in the bed and bed/trailer.

My other truck is a 5-spd, 2WD, 94 F350 P-Stroke with 213k on the odometer. It's set up to haul a 4000lb Lance cab-over camper.

I love my diesel truck. They're just not the best choice for an everyday driver. Hell...no truck is the best choice for an every day driver unless you actually need a truck. But I don't do cars.

[dwalker460]

I have in recent years had:

99 Dodge Cummins dually
03 Ford F350 6.0 SRW CC
06 Ford F550 6.0 CC Dually
04 Chevy Duramax CC Dually
99 Chevy Tahoe (two of these actually)

By far the BEST milage has been the Chevy duramax. Loaded with two cars and equipment in a STEEL 40'f goose I averaged about 12.5mpg. Around town unloaded I got closer to 20-21, depending on how much highway I drove etc. Light or unloaded on the highway I would easily see 23-24mpg. The Dodge was OK, but it is an expensive bastard to maintain, and while the powertrain (5speed, not auto) was almost bulletproof, the rest of the truck is a POS. The two fords had good interiors, but the 350 rode like crap unless you had a very large load behind it, and the 550 never got better than 15mpg ever, unloaded, and about the same loaded.
The 99 Tahoes got 18 or so around town with me driving them, 16 when my wife drove, 9 to 11 when towing a 26ft enclosed trailer and one race car. However they were the easiest to park
The Dodge and Fords all had fairly consistent steering issues. Solid front end/kingpin arrangements mean ball joint wear and the need to be rebuilt/adjusted/etc. fairly often. The Chevys do not suffer this issue. With 280k on it the Duramax literally steers/rides like a brand new truck.

I would not recommend a diesel for an everyday driver, the cost involved is just not worth it. I would stick with a solid 1500 truck with a decent size engine- no V6- and suffer the milage penalty knowing that if you need to, you can drag a boat, camper, etc. behind you. The 99 Tahoe 4x4 was rated for 10,000lbs. The Cayenne (surprisingly) is rated for 7000lbs. Iffin it were me, I would purchase a single cab pickup if it was me and a hunting buddy, or a Tahoe/Explorer/etc. medium SUV and a small trailer if I needed to haul around more people on a regualr basis. Parking CC trucks- especially real trucks with a real bed- is not as fun as you might think it is.

As a sidenote my buddy just purchased a new Chevy extended cab fullsized truck and I think he is getting 22 or so mpg on the highway with the cylinder drop system, and another freind has the Dodge 1500 with the same sort of system and gets about the same milage, but they can both tow a reasonable amount.

[jrock]

Diesel is the only way to go! My 96 dodge 1500 could only do 50mph in some areas on I-70 headed to the mountains. Now my 7.3l powerstroke can do 80 mph the whole way there and get better gas mileage doing it. They are easy to work on and most of the expenses come in changing fluids and new tires. I change oil myself at 5,000 miles (compared to 3,000 with the dodge) and there are ways to go 10,000+ miles on an oil change. The diesel will last longer, retain more value and will have no lack of power whatsoever. Do as much maintenance as you can yourself and there will not be much more expenses in a diesel vs a gas motor. Also, you can look into making bio-diesel for around $1/gallon and save yourself a shit load of money.

[adamking84]

As a sidenote my buddy just purchased a new Chevy extended cab fullsized truck and I think he is getting 22 or so mpg on the highway with the cylinder drop system, and another freind has the Dodge 1500 with the same sort of system and gets about the same milage, but they can both tow a reasonable amount.

That's great to know. I've been looking at either a midsize or full size truck - if a full size gas is getting anything greater than 16-17 that's phenomenal.

[Tinelement]

Unless you are pulling., buy a gasser.

Straight forward.

[DingleBerns]

I was in the exact same boat in June of last year. I wanted to trade my 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited that was getting 12mpg. I too wanted a bed to haul my dirt bike (so i didn't have to get a trailer). I was weighing the gas vs diesel options and all the points stated above are valid. After a while, I set my sights on a 5.9 vs 6.7 cummins because I didn't want all the emission components and the 5.9 has been proven itself over the new 6.7. Then I wanted between years 2006 and 2007 (the first half of 2007 was 5.9's, the last half was 6.7's).

I know that the diesel will get better gas mileage, I can haul most anything, It will last longer, it will retain it's value, I've not heard of (and now experienced) any major issues, and the 5.9 only requires regular maintenance just like any other car (however it does require more oil). This is my DD too. In summer I get around 23-25 mpg (half city/half highway) and in the winter I'm around 20-22 mpg due to the cold and it not being able to warm up fast enough (I work nights and it sits outside and I don't plug the block heater in).

I'm very happy with my truck I don't regret anything. This truck is a blast and I will not be getting another truck until this dies.