Most reliable diesel pick up?

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Originally Posted By: Smokescreen
Originally Posted By: Rand
ram eco diesel?


That is a Fiat engine. unproven in North America.


Perhaps, but VM Motori goes all the way back to 1947. They also have been owned or partially owned by others, including Detroit Diesel, Daimler, and GM.

They have a long and rich history of making fine diesels that are cutting edge tech. This one will likely be no different, even was listed in the top ten engines for 2014 per Wiki...
 
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...
 
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Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.

Ram has risen to the top of our list. One of my clients owns a Chrysler dealership and we are picking one up Monday for a 2 or 3 day test drive. Allegedly these trucks have the most car like ride in the entire segment, and that's huge for my Wife who spends all day long in her vehicle going from client to client.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.


Some of the Ecodiesels have under a 900-lb payload.
2cdc2h5.jpg

That's not much when you load you, wife, family, and junk and head out on vacation. Heck, 4 200-lb adult males would just about max that out.

The rest of the 1500 lineup is quite underwhelming when you consider Ford and GM's offerings with the "Heavy Duty 1/2 tons". Heck, the '15 F150 has a payload configuration that makes a 250/2500 blush.

You don't need that payload all the time but when you need it, it is nice to have. I've got 1875lbs on the F150. I can do most household tasks without worrying about payload and even get a scoop of dirt (~2k according to the landscape place) and be just a little over. Ride quality doesn't really suffer. It's a truck, not a car.

It all boils down to what you want to do with it. Want a "pretty boy truck", get a Ram 1500. Want a more truck-like vehicle that has decent capabilities, get a Ford or a GM. Need to move the Earth, look at a 350/3500 from Ford or GM.
 
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Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.


Don't some of the Ecodiesels have around a 900-lb payload? That's not much when you load you, wife, family, and junk and head out on vacation. Heck, 4 200-lb adult males would just about max that out.

The rest of the 1500 lineup is quite underwhelming when you consider Ford and GM's offerings with the "Heavy Duty 1/2 tons". Heck, the '15 F150 has a payload configuration that makes a 250/2500 blush.

You don't need that payload all the time but when you need it, it is nice to have. I've got 1875lbs on the F150. I can do most household tasks without worrying about payload and even get a scoop of dirt (~2k according to the landscape place) and be just a little over. Ride quality doesn't really suffer. It's a truck, not a car.

It all boils down to what you want to do with it. Want a "pretty boy truck", get a Ram 1500. Want a more truck-like vehicle that has decent capabilities, get a Ford or a GM. Need to move the Earth, look at a 350/3500 from Ford or GM.


You are correct regarding Ecodiesel payloads...1000 pounds is pretty standard for them. Troubling when you consider loading with even 2 people and their luggage and towing anything at all. Heck, tongue weight on my Jeep trailer is half the payload of the Crew Cab 4x4 Ecodiesel. Add my wife and I, any gear/equipment at all, and we are over. I couldn't take my brother (6'5", 350lbs) or dad (250lbs).

BUT, they get great mpg and look nice. Which is what modern truck buyers want, anyways.

No wonder I drive a 20 year old big block...


edit: Just saw your screenshot while I was digging around ramtrucks.com to find the exact same image... scary.
 
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It does seem ridiculous to have that low a payload rating? I'm not one to really worry about the odd "overloaded" trip, but it seems silly that I can't take my ATV in the back of a 5000lb+ pickup legally? I'd have to loose some weight even to travel alone!
Hopefully someone at RAM will do some recalculations and up the rating to something reasonable. Its almost like the silly low tow ratings we have here for cars... Just trying to sell you something more expensive.
 
no matter which diesel you go with, budget 10 grand for injectors/turbos and service within 5-7 years.
 
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Originally Posted By: GenSan
Those Ram 1500 max bed payload ratings are almost comical. Putting things in perspective, my Kubota RTV 1100 and many side-by-side utility vehicles have a greater bed capacity than the Ram 1500.

http://www.kubota.com/assets/product/comps/RTV1100/RTV900_1100comps.pdf


+1

...it is
crackmeup2.gif
when you look at the price......no...thanks.

My used truck is a much better value for the dollar.
 
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Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.

Ram has risen to the top of our list. One of my clients owns a Chrysler dealership and we are picking one up Monday for a 2 or 3 day test drive. Allegedly these trucks have the most car like ride in the entire segment, and that's huge for my Wife who spends all day long in her vehicle going from client to client.


I do! I'm one of those rare truck buyers that wants a truck as a tool to make money with, and generally I dislike them as the large poor driving vehicles they are. Drive a truck for fun with an empty bed? NFW.

If I only had to cart around groceries and needed AWD an Audi A6 for example would be a much better ride.
 
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I will repeat since so many here do not read.

This is my Wife's truck. It is not for hauling anything, just her and her therapy equipment. She drives rural roads a lot, some are quite rough and uneven.

No one in their right mind would buy a nice car and tear it up doing her kind of work!

Not everybody uses a truck the way you do. Perhaps a couple of you guys could stretch your mind a bit and realize that we could care less about payload or we would have something else.

And no diesel or awd either, it's a 5.7 liter with an 8 speed trans and 3.55 gearing...
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.

Ram has risen to the top of our list. One of my clients owns a Chrysler dealership and we are picking one up Monday for a 2 or 3 day test drive. Allegedly these trucks have the most car like ride in the entire segment, and that's huge for my Wife who spends all day long in her vehicle going from client to client.


I do! I'm one of those rare truck buyers that wants a truck as a tool to make money with, and generally I dislike them as the large poor driving vehicles they are. Drive a truck for fun with an empty bed? NFW.

If I only had to cart around groceries and needed AWD an Audi A6 for example would be a much better ride.



I agree with you. I drive my charger most of the time but I can't live without a truck. I'm hauling something with it,always,so it's definitely worked like a truck should be. And a job site is no place for an rt charger.
 
Originally Posted By: Stang40
I'm really just exploring my options...by no means do I "need" a diesel. I really just want one because I've always liked them. wouldn't be towing or doing much hauling. It would pretty much be a daily driver.


With the particulates and stench these things belch, at least convert it to run on natural gas.
 
Originally Posted By: Ed_T
Originally Posted By: Stang40
I'm really just exploring my options...by no means do I "need" a diesel. I really just want one because I've always liked them. wouldn't be towing or doing much hauling. It would pretty much be a daily driver.


With the particulates and stench these things belch, at least convert it to run on natural gas.

Why? They all don't. Diesel is pretty efficient.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I will repeat since so many here do not read.

This is my Wife's truck. It is not for hauling anything, just her and her therapy equipment. She drives rural roads a lot, some are quite rough and uneven.

No one in their right mind would buy a nice car and tear it up doing her kind of work!

Not everybody uses a truck the way you do. Perhaps a couple of you guys could stretch your mind a bit and realize that we could care less about payload or we would have something else.

And no diesel or awd either, it's a 5.7 liter with an 8 speed trans and 3.55 gearing...



^ opting for the STD 3:21 gears would save fuel. the new ZF 8 speed's 1st and 2nd gears are geared way lower than the previous 6 speed unit. the 8 speed with 3:21's is actually a lower ratio in first gear than the previous models 6 speed with the 3:92 gears. something to consider fuel wise. I test drove a 14 Crew cab 4x4 with the 8 speed and 3;21's a couple weeks ago and it felt so much more powerful than the 2012 6 speed with 3;55's i previously owned. Im sure your wife will love it. Ram's are awesome riding trucks, very powerful, and get great mileage with the 8 speed and MDS combo. I really like them a lot.
 
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I will repeat since so many here do not read.

This is my Wife's truck. It is not for hauling anything, just her and her therapy equipment. She drives rural roads a lot, some are quite rough and uneven.

No one in their right mind would buy a nice car and tear it up doing her kind of work!

Not everybody uses a truck the way you do. Perhaps a couple of you guys could stretch your mind a bit and realize that we could care less about payload or we would have something else.

And no diesel or awd either, it's a 5.7 liter with an 8 speed trans and 3.55 gearing...



^ opting for the STD 3:21 gears would save fuel. the new ZF 8 speed's 1st and 2nd gears are geared way lower than the previous 6 speed unit. the 8 speed with 3:21's is actually a lower ratio in first gear than the previous models 6 speed with the 3:92 gears. something to consider fuel wise. I test drove a 14 Crew cab 4x4 with the 8 speed and 3;21's a couple weeks ago and it felt so much more powerful than the 2012 6 speed with 3;55's i previously owned. Im sure your wife will love it. Ram's are awesome riding trucks, very powerful, and get great mileage with the 8 speed and MDS combo. I really like them a lot.


Thank you for your input.

But the one I am going to actually buy is 3.92 gears. It's a beautiful Black Sport model they had with everything on it, truly loaded up! And a super deal, too. Picking it up this AM!

Please note you are absolutely correct about the first two gears being much steeper than before. But the same thing goes for both overdrive gears, too. The 'short' rear is well compensated by having a super OD top gear, the truck will still get great mileage...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
The Ram diesel is a perfect truck if you never really need a truck to carry much...


Who does? Seems to me the overwhelming majority of pickup owners carry little besides their groceries. Even our fleet pu's are very rarely loaded anywhere near their full load rating.

Ram has risen to the top of our list. One of my clients owns a Chrysler dealership and we are picking one up Monday for a 2 or 3 day test drive. Allegedly these trucks have the most car like ride in the entire segment, and that's huge for my Wife who spends all day long in her vehicle going from client to client.

My F150 gets used for light farm duty. Hauling a tractor, a load of wood, or pulling a downed tree out of a brush thicket to make it easier to cut up. I wouldn't say I'm anywhere near pushing it's limits but I definitly use it as a truck.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: donnyj08
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I will repeat since so many here do not read.

This is my Wife's truck. It is not for hauling anything, just her and her therapy equipment. She drives rural roads a lot, some are quite rough and uneven.

No one in their right mind would buy a nice car and tear it up doing her kind of work!

Not everybody uses a truck the way you do. Perhaps a couple of you guys could stretch your mind a bit and realize that we could care less about payload or we would have something else.

And no diesel or awd either, it's a 5.7 liter with an 8 speed trans and 3.55 gearing...



^ opting for the STD 3:21 gears would save fuel. the new ZF 8 speed's 1st and 2nd gears are geared way lower than the previous 6 speed unit. the 8 speed with 3:21's is actually a lower ratio in first gear than the previous models 6 speed with the 3:92 gears. something to consider fuel wise. I test drove a 14 Crew cab 4x4 with the 8 speed and 3;21's a couple weeks ago and it felt so much more powerful than the 2012 6 speed with 3;55's i previously owned. Im sure your wife will love it. Ram's are awesome riding trucks, very powerful, and get great mileage with the 8 speed and MDS combo. I really like them a lot.


Thank you for your input.

But the one I am going to actually buy is 3.92 gears. It's a beautiful Black Sport model they had with everything on it, truly loaded up! And a super deal, too. Picking it up this AM!

Please note you are absolutely correct about the first two gears being much steeper than before. But the same thing goes for both overdrive gears, too. The 'short' rear is well compensated by having a super OD top gear, the truck will still get great mileage...



Congrats! The sports are my favorite Rams. The new ZF 8 speed and 3:92's will be one fun truck to drive!
 
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