'nuther pickup question...

Hey folks,
just stumbled across a 2008 dodge ram 1500 bighorn edition. 4x4 4.7 liter auto w/ 10k miles.
Price looks good and am waiting on pics/info so I can go look at it. MPG isn't as good as a diesel, but I think, for the amount of driving we'll do, gas is better and maintenance will be cheaper. Not a ford, but the price is comparable or less than I'd pay for an older one to ship over. It's a soldiers vehicle that was bought over here also, so normally has a pampered life w/ no work.

Any experience good or bad?

The 4.7 is a good engine, but it is a little light in power for that truck, particularly if you plan to tow. Also, that engine needs really regular oil changes. Hope this helps.

Hey Dave, Now your cookin!!If that truck has indeed been pampered, sounds like your on the right track. I'll bet you don't beat your vehicles so it should last you quite a while. Maintaince is always the awnser for longivity,Regular Oil Changes, Lube ,filters, etc.Gotta watch vehicles sold here . Lots of them were from New Orleans Flood. Cleaned up and sold. I would say to you , Drive it and see how it responds, sure don't want a MUDDER truck some kid had, and run it through a mud hole.
Luck to you.
LOU

to little of an engine if your planning on towing long hilly roads, I would really recomend a 2500 of f250 and up,

Not a lot of hills here and towing would be 3 or 4 times a year at most.
Got my little sportage for the dirty work.
Dave

thats fine then, plenty of truck for ya

(quoted from post at 09:18:49 11/06/09) Hey folks,
just stumbled across a 2008 dodge ram 1500 bighorn edition. 4x4 4.7 liter auto w/ 10k miles.
Price looks good and am waiting on pics/info so I can go look at it. MPG isn't as good as a diesel, but I think, for the amount of driving we'll do, gas is better and maintenance will be cheaper. Not a ford, but the price is comparable or less than I'd pay for an older one to ship over. It's a soldiers vehicle that was bought over here also, so normally has a pampered life w/ no work.

Any experience good or bad?

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It's not the mileage, it's the total cost per mile.

The bighorn edition is a rip off. The horns are the same size as all the rest of their trucks.

(
It's not the mileage, it's the total cost per mile.

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Never know if you're trying to dazzle me with brilliants or baffle me with BS.......

I have a co-worker whose dad had a Dakota with the 4.7 until a couple of days ago. I say a couple of days ago because the low mileaged truck shelled out the engine.
Have you priced a rebuilt 4.7 engine? Ouch.
I have no idea if it was maintained or not.

Dave, Don't ya know The truth lies between opinions and supposition.I'm sure you have a marvelious brain and a great sense of humor,so dont be led down the primrose path with either one or both. Your smart enough to go looking for what ya need, and like I said to you, GOD WILL PROVIDE whats needed.Now thats the whole truth of the matter. Lots of luck in finding the right vehicle. Warmest reguards,
LOU

It wasn't that long ago all we had to tow with was a pickup using stovebolt six with about 125HP. Or a small block V8 with about 150HP. How did we ever manage?

run at least midrange gas, hitest works better
run synthetic oil only with a good filter
change oil every 5000 miles and it will be a good truck
run regular gas and you will cuss it when pulling
Ron

2004 4.7, 4x2, 1500, 112,000 miles, Mobil One oil only every 5k( sometimes out to 7k then next at 3k, but every 5k on the odometer it gets oil changed)
Ron

I"ve got a 2005 1500 4x4 4.7 liter auto. I"ve got 67K miles on it. I wouldn"t call it a bad truck but I wouldn"t buy another one. Local driving to and from farms it get 10-11mpg. Highway driving it gets 17-18. At first startup or after setting for a few houres the transmission has a 10 second hesitation. The dealer has not been much help. On the good side the radio works. I"ll buy a Ford next time, my last 5 trucks were Fords and the least amout of miles that I put on one was over 250K. This Dodge will never make it that far.

Had a 4.7 '02 Ram with a 5spd stick. It had Gibson Headers and exhaust plus K & N intake. Still never averaged more than 15mpg. I believe you were speaking previously about towing with this truck. It is way under powered for what your looking to do. I thought it was a nice trucka and never had any problems with it.
But I got rid of it due to it's lack of hauling ability. Replaced it with a new '04 Hemi 3/4 ton. It will haul anything I need to. It's a 5spd too. Both are 4 X 4. So far it has been a great truck. I recently pulled a full sized school bus out of the mud with it. I honestly did not think it could do it but it did.
I got the Hemi because at the time diesel was alot more than gas. If I was buying one today and diesel stays below gas I would most likely consider a diesel now. The Hemi gets about 12 mpg on the average.

In my opinion, if you'll do any towing at all, you don't want that small displacement engine, unless it's an in line six cylinder, and I don't know that there's any of those left, in a newer pickup. In the fall of '96, I bought a '91 Ford F150 Super Cab Long Box 4X4. It had 35K miles on it then, beautiful pickup, captains chairs, rides like a car, still have it. 302 engine, big mistake. Use it like a car, it's fine. Haul or tow anything with it, that engine blows by oil like crazy, and mileage goes in the crapper. And I mean big time blow by. Never lacked for power, will pull a 6'8" X 18' stock trailer, full of cattle or horses, like a champ. But those small engines are just not made to be loaded, period. My Dad had a '72 Bronco with a 302 when I was a kid, and it was a POS. He traded a '67 Bronco with a 289, which was a great little truck, for the '72. I swore then that I would never own a pickup with a 302 engine, but fell so in love with this low mile '91 when I found it, I just had to have it. And it's still a very nice pickup, ideal for very light loads that won't fit in the trunk of a car. But the 302 is not a truck engine. That's my experience, for what it's worth. Good luck!! :wink:

(quoted from post at 15:56:48 11/06/09)

(
It's not the mileage, it's the total cost per mile.

Click to expand...

Never know if you're trying to dazzle me with brilliants or baffle me with BS.......

Click to expand...

Depends, it's either one or the other. And sometimes both.

b&d

(quoted from post at 16:38:44 11/06/09) run at least midrange gas
Ron

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a lot of stations stopped selling normal grade and only sell mid and plus.
Got the pics and talked to the kid yesterday. Looks nice, but he has replaced the original muffler with a glass pack so it souds cool, self installed a bed cover on it, and he and his wife both smoke in the vehicle.
It'll air out, but hard to tell how he ran those 13k miles with a "good soundin'" truck.... I can see a lot of pedal at start up (before it warms up) so the neighbors know he's around. Gonna think it over a little and maybe keep looking.


Dave