New trucks

Wife is after me for a newer truck. Any opinions on the Ram 2500? Looking at getting the crew cab, hemi, 6'4" box. Right now they have 0% financing and some pretty good rebates. Truck would be a all around truck, farm, family,hunting. Have a 28' 5th wheel , haul some tractors and equipment, but mostly use it to haul 14 or 15 4x5 round bales. I am not brand blinded, but really like the dodge style and seems the hemi is a good engine, cant justify the deisel for my use. Any thoughts?

good truck, plenty of power, gaS is not real great on my 2006

We sell a lot of the used hemis, seem to be a good motor, can be a little hard on gas. Look at the tires and make sure they will do what you want. We see some with tires that can only be for looks, come from the factory that way

Not trying to start a war here, just am not!

However, just don't think your uses would fit with that 'daily driver' type of pickup. They are fine just running down to the post-office or grocery store.

Last time I rode in one of those pulling a 16' trailer with some calves, it was just this side of agonizing "painful". Very lame on power and it wouldn't even begin to tow your 5th wheel.

Not trying to start an argument, just saying......

Allan

I would not get the dodge with the hemi. Gas milage is not so good, doesn't pull like the diesel. If you can, diesel with a standard shift would pull best. Fuel milage would be better than gas also. My 2 cents worth

I am well pleased with my 2006 hemi

I"m thinking i"ve heard that standard shift trannies are a thing of the past in pickup"s.
The dodge guys with hemi"s seem to like them around here. Have a friend with a big GN camper who bought one and he"s a complainer. Haven"t heard it was short of power or poor gas mileage while towing! If i had a choice; i"d have a new 8.1 chevy for doing the stuff you wanna do BUT they quit making them about 6-7yrs ago...so i"m outta luck.

I've had both, I had a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 with the hemi engine, and now I have a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 with the 5.9 Cummims. I've pulled a 35' camper with both and had no problems. The gas engine had plenty of power but only averaged 10.5 mpg. The deisel does have a little more power and it gets 24 mpg. But if you weigh the cost of the diesel truck and fuel cost of diesel, it probably averages out. But I personally like the diesel better. Good Luck

For what you describe you do with the pickup, get a diesel. The hemi's get horrid fuel mileage, and are even worse when pulling them. Only gonna buy it once, so get the cummins. You can thank me later.

Allan, every dodge I'd ever rode in I swore would be my last, but my neighbor bought a brand new 2500 crewcab with a cummins, and I like it so much I may switch from the only brand I've ever had, FORD. Nice ride, love the interior, gets better milage than my 6.0L, and, it doesn't have a G*D DA*N (non 7.3L) POWERSTROKE in it...

(quoted from post at 09:40:23 08/19/11) Allan, every dodge I'd ever rode in I swore would be my last, but my neighbor bought a brand new 2500 crewcab with a cummins, and I like it so much I may switch from the only brand I've ever had, FORD. Nice ride, love the interior, gets better milage than my 6.0L, and, it doesn't have a G*D DA*N (non 7.3L) POWERSTROKE in it...

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ew Ford diesels are not IH/NAVISTAR Power Strokes....Ford designed & builds their own diesels now.

I'm in the same boat, I'd like a 3/4 ton diesel, but my wallet says 3/t ton gas. Look real close at the tow ratings between the 2500 and the 1500 in the crew cab configurations. You only gain payload capacity in the 2500, not towing capacity. Unless you get the 4.10 gears, then it goes up.

Dave, before I got my first diesel pickup I went through the same mental exercise as you. Liked the diesel concept but didn't think I could justify the cost. I did some homework and found out something interesting. At the time (this was in the 90's) a diesel engine cost about $3500 extra. I did some research and found the average resale value of a diesel pickup ran about $3500 more. In other words, the rest of the pickup would depreciate but the engine option apparently did not. I'm not sure of the difference now but I would guess this is still in play. I went ahead and got a diesel and have never been sorry. When it was time to get another one I didn't even consider getting anything but a diesel. Mike

Consider...It"s not really a "True Hemi" like
in the late 60"s. It"s just a plain Dodge engine
that Chrysler Corp Calls, a Hemi, because they
own the copyright on the name "Hemi", and
because they can name it anything they want to!
P.T. Barnum said: "There"s a Sucker born every
Minute", Chrysler Corp. said: "Lets call our
engine "Hemi", and see how many people will bite".

I hear ya,

I never thought much of the 7.3 either. Again, pretty darned lame engine I always thought.

However, still and all, it would pull rings around that hemi.

Allan

I've got an '04 2500 4wd,QC, long bed, Hemi, auto. Also have an '04 2500, 4wd,QC, short bed, auto. Both were bought new in November of '03. I thought my business would grow more than it has. I bought one of each to determine which type I'd buy for additional trucks I thought I'd be buying in the future. Then the economy tanked. Business has held steady, but not grown. I still have both trucks.

Both have gooseneck hitch. Both do a fair amount of towing. (usually around 8500 to 9000lb combined weight trailer/cargo) They're hooked to a trailer about 35 or 40% of the miles they log.

Diesel has an advantage on acceleration with load, and does better in hills. Gas will run right along @ 65/70mph. No complaints. I usually drive the gas and one of my employees drives the diesel.

From that point, I do like the proverbial constipated mathematician....I work it out with a pencil.

Initial purchase price is was $4400 more with the diesel. Routine maintenance is quite a bit more w/diesel. diesel gets better milage when towing. I've replaced batteries 2 times already on diesel, just did the FIRST battery in hemi. Repair cost has been quite a bit higher on the diesel. Filter & oil change cost is nearly double on diesel.

We log expenses in great detail, starting with purchase price right on through latest tax and license expenses. Mile for mile, the gasser has been LESS EXPENSIVE to own and operate per mile over the long haul, to the tune of roughly 10%. (Hemi has 177,000+ and HO diesel has 151,000+)

The hemi is quieter, and less trouble overall. Diesel wears tires faster (primarily FRONTS)

When the trailers get loaded to their maximum capacity, the diesel does shine a bit. Average driving, not so much.

Once you get beyond to engine/drive train, the trucks are essentially the same, so items like air conditioning, electrical systems, body and interior trim, ect, wear out at the same pace. No advantage to either.

I've considered trading both in on new trucks. (about a year and a half ago. Diesel has a SLIGHT advantage on trade value so long as miles aren't high. (under 150,000) Even with the diesels ability to run on past 250,000 and higher, the truck under the diesel is only worth so much. Not that many people go shopping for a truck with 300,000+ miles.

All things equal, I'd rather drive the hemi.

If you're made of money, tow every time the truck starts out the driveway, and trade trucks before they start to wear out, diesels are great. Otherwise, things begin to equalize between the 2 in short order.

greygoat, I don't drive a Dodge truck, but that was a really stupid comment. You obviously have something against Dodge, and have no idea what you're talking about.

We have an '07 Chevy with the Duramax at work and it is the best truck we have owned. Get the Dodge if you like it best but look around first. If you see an '07 or earlier Duramax check it out. After '07 they had to hang all the emission crap on them.

Ive had several diesel pickups and had one 3/4ton gasser. Always ben a ford guy till recently I got a dodge with a cummins. They are a bit more expensive to buy and fuel is a bit more expensive but the mpg on a diesel is much better versus gas and the engines last much longer. They are more expensive to fix but anymore they all are cuz there to complicated for the average guy to work on. As far as maintanince expenses I dont feel its anymore expensive than a gas due to you dont change your oil near as often as a gasser.You dont change air filters near as often or fuel filters.In my case any way i figured it up and to change oil and maintanince on my wifes car over a year period is about the same as what it costs me a year for routine maintanince on my diesel. Our partner farmer has a 3/4 ton with a hemi and myself I just wasnt impressed with it at all. They really talk it up at the dealers and on tv but it just doesnt pull near like my diesel does. Just my 2 cents.

(quoted from post at 10:18:50 08/19/11) greygoat, I don't drive a Dodge truck, but that was a really stupid comment. You obviously have something against Dodge, and have no idea what you're talking about.

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actually, he is correct, in that it is NOT a hemispherical combustion chamber (half a grapefruit) as was the "real" hemi from the years when the HEMI was born (it was too dirty emissions wise, so it is no longer hemispherical). Further more the wide included valve angle that gave the original Hemis such excellent breathing characteristics is also gone (58.5 degrees, now reduced to 34.5). All this puts the "new" hemi on equal footing with any other modern V8 which make equal or more horsepower per cubic inch. So, either greygoat knows more than you think or maybe you "know" less?

I do, and he's mostly correct, except "Hemi" is protected by trademark rather than copyright.

Dean

For the era of their availability,the 7.3 was a great engine as was the Ford 460.Fast forward to 2011,yeah they are dated but tons of them still out there and doing what they were designed to do.My "96 7.3T will still pull our 15K LB. 5th wheel over wolf Creek ,right in front of or behind a big MH belching smoke from the underpowered RV versions of basically big truck engines.On the Interstate it will keep right up there with any thing running the speed limit.Would I like to have a new Ford with the ,what is it ,a six litre V8,I don"t know.My getting a new truck with a new up to date power plant is basically non existant so ,Yeah I have to brag up the 7.3.It is a good engine and has served us well.

For what you are going to do, I don't think you need the diesel. Plus, this isn't a diesel debate, because you said you wanted a gasser. So, half of these posts are irrelevant.

That said, I bought 07 and 08 Mega Cab 4x4 rams for work. both with Hemis. They are both 1500's, but the MegaCabs for those trucks have the 3/4 ton chassis. I do not think a Hemi performs any better than a Chevy of Ford V8. In my opinion, it is a bit louder on the road, especially when pulling. We average about 11-12 MPG with these trucks. A lot of it is around town driving. We haul a 16' enclosed trailer with them about 40% of the time. It does downshift a lot and makes a lot of noise going up hill when pulling a decently loaded trailer. I wish the power was a little better. the cab is a little "tinny" and the MPG could be a little better...although that is a common complaint. for as high as mine sit up, they don't have any more ground clearance than other brands.

They may have improved things a bit with the new model line. The main thing is to not expect more from the engine because it is a Hemi. As long as you realize they are just like any other V8, I believe your expectations will be met.

Happy Truck Hunting!

"Mostly correct?" How so? The modern Hemi is nothing like any recent Dodge engine, certainly not a "regular Dodge engine". It's not an inline valve wedge design. So what would you prefer they call it? I don't believe I would want a 60's Hemi in any current truck- I have and do own them. I would not want to go back to that technology for a current driver, at current gas prices. The modern Hemi is no gimmick- it's very well designed, powerfull, and fuel efficient. My Charger gets 28mpg highway, and has more power that I can use. If you don't like Dodge, don't buy one, but it's very hard to discredit the modern Hemi.

Since I have replaced broken valve springs on the 5.7L hemi engine, my experience says Greygoat and Dean don't know what they're talking about...

dave, take a new ford 150 ecoboost out for a test. i just got one with the max tow and 8200hd packages. it pulls my tractor that weighs 9500 very good with a goose neck, it is rated @ 11500 on the bumper. the power will really surprise you. is getting 19+ mpg around home. chuck

(quoted from post at 13:53:02 08/19/11) "Mostly correct?" How so? The modern Hemi is nothing like any recent Dodge engine, certainly not a "regular Dodge engine". It's not an inline valve wedge design. So what would you prefer they call it? I don't believe I would want a 60's Hemi in any current truck- I have and do own them. I would not want to go back to that technology for a current driver, at current gas prices. The modern Hemi is no gimmick- it's very well designed, powerfull, and fuel efficient. My Charger gets 28mpg highway, and has more power that I can use. If you don't like Dodge, don't buy one, but it's very hard to discredit the modern Hemi.

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oolz & Jasper, they can & do call it anything they want, but it certainly is NOT a hemispherical combustion chamber as were the originals from which the name was derived. You fellows must not have ever seen the insides (the actual combustion chamber). It would more properly be called a "HINO", just as some politicians are 'RHINOs". Or maybe a "Bathtub", as in bathtub shaped combustion chamber.

A friend of mine bought a new 2011 F-150 with a v6 eco-boost engine. $25k with all the discounts.
He traded in his F-250 diesel with 100K miles and he got 12k for the trade.

I have 10K on a 2011 superduty with 6.7L engine. I LOVE the truck, we just came back from Lake of the Ozarks. The truck pulled the boat up the hills at 75 on cruise without shifting down.

There are two of people who drive pickups, those who drive diesels and those who wish they could. I've owned all brands and the last three have been Fords Power Strokes from the 7.3 to the 6.4. Keep the maintance up don't use programmers and they can't be beat. Bite the bullet spend the extra 4000.00 to 7000.00 depending on age. I guarantee you won't be disappointed

I love the 7.3 powerstroke. It's the new powerstrokes I hate.

(quoted from post at 23:01:52 08/19/11) I love the 7.3 powerstroke. It's the new powerstrokes I hate.

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hat is wrong with the new for 2011 6.7 L, designed & built by Ford, not IH/Navistar?
I haven't seen any published short comings on this new engine.

IF you are not running many miles then the gas is a fine choice. As far as brand that is really a personal feeling about what you like.

I have bought a few new trucks in the 1980s and early 1990s. I liked how the Chevy"s drove better than the Dodge but the Dodge with the 5.9 12 valve Cummins is just about bullet proof. I have the one I bought new, 1990 W350 4sp. 5.9 387,000 miles. I have since bought three others for the farm and my sons. They all are 1990-1992. They ride rough and the brakes aren"t the best but they go and go. Cheap trucks for the money.

I went from a '95 F150 302ci to a '96 F250 7.3ps and found no difference in fuel economy when run as a daily driver. Pulling a load 80 miles round trip, I would use around 3/4 of a tank of fuel with the gasser while the diesel would make two runs on the same amount of fuel and had lots more power.

dave,heres a pic of my new f150 3.5 ecoboost loaded and ready to go. good luck picking your new truck, chuck