Ford or Ram?

[IPA]

I'm probably no more than a few weeks away from pulling the trigger on a new crew cab, short bed 3/4 ton truck. It'll be used as my daily driver (26 mile roundtrip to work), for camping and beach trips a handful of times a year with my wife, 2 daughters and dog, and for annual-ish trips out west to explore some of the awesome places and trails that I read about on this forum. I'm very interested in a FWC or similar setup, but it'll probably be a couple of years before I do that. I live in western NC, for whatever that matters.

I'm 90% sure that I'm gonna go with a gas engine, but i haven't entirely ruled out spending the extra money on a diesel. I don't tow anything heavy, but I've always loved the idea of owning a diesel and I plan to have this truck for a long time and pretty much drive it into the ground, so I think that over the long term, I may be able to justify the higher cost. But I'm pretty sure that I don't want to spend the extra money on the bigger payment and higher maintenance/repair costs, even if it does pay off a little in the long run. I've just got to think that through some more and crunch some numbers before I make a definite decision on that.

I'm pretty sold on the F-250. I really like the interior and exterior styling of it better than the Ram, and the factory rear locker is a really nice option that I don't think I can get on the Ram. I test drove an F-250 yesterday and was very satisfied with the power, ride and handling. The Ram has the advantage of the coil rear suspension though, and the Cummins motor if I decide to spring for the diesel. I'm hoping to test drive a Ram 2500 next weekend. Quality/durability/reliability/performance is close enough between the Ford and Ram that I consider them basically equal in those areas. Not so sure about price.....there are a few large Ram dealers within driving distance that have "bottom line / no haggle" pricing on their websites and really reasonable prices, which of course is a big plus. The Ford dealers around here don't seem nearly as transparent, but I'm assuming that with some haggling I can get the Ford for about the same price as a similarly equipped Ram.

So I was just wondering if anyone has any input or advice. Are there any considerations I should keep in mind in making the decision?

 

[jmoney]

Had to make the same decision 2 years ago and it came down to one single part. I liked the space of angled crew can and the exterior looks by far. However, th4 ford uses a cp4 which can and does blow sending little shards into the fuel system and it costs about 20k to fix. Gms had the same problem, however they covered the repair under warranty, ford has denied it on numerous occasions. I do not know if the 2027 ford has the same cp4 pump, but after driving my ram for 2 years, I'm more than satisfied. The cummins is not as peppy as the ford , but it handles off road like a champ and continues to impress me day. Slap on some 35s and a small suspension kit and you will be in heaven.

 

[LimaMikeMike]

If you're sold on a gas 250/2500......Simply put if you can swing it look hard at a Powerwagon, you can get it stripped down no decal tradesman to a full load Laramie.

The f250 is awesome too we have a bunch of new 17s with the 6.2 at work, but I'd have to give the edge to the 6.4 hemi in mileage AND power.

 

[Sparse Gray Hackle]

My 2¢ worth, go with a 1 ton instead of a 3/4 ton. About $900 difference, bigger payload, better resale.

 

[IPA]

If you're sold on a gas 250/2500......Simply put if you can swing it look hard at a Powerwagon, you can get it stripped down no decal tradesman to a full load Laramie.

The f250 is awesome too we have a bunch of new 17s with the 6.2 at work, but I'd have to give the edge to the 6.4 hemi in mileage AND power.

I would absolutely love a Power Wagon, a dealer not too far away has many Tradesman models in stock and really good prices, but I've done the math a few times and don't see how i could fit my family, a FWC, and gear in one and still be inside the 1500# payload rating.

My 2¢ worth, go with a 1 ton instead of a 3/4 ton. About $900 difference, bigger payload, better resale.

I've thought about that a few times. I have yet to drive one, because the dealers around here don't have many on their lots. The ones they do have are mostly chassis cabs or duallys, which I don't want.

 

[straps57]

Look on Ebay. There is a dealer in Kernsville (sp?) NC that has great deals on trucks. Saw a new Ram 2500 4x4 crew cab gasser for $32,000 about a month back.

 

[IPA]

Look on Ebay. There is a dealer in Kernsville (sp?) NC that has great deals on trucks. Saw a new Ram 2500 4x4 crew cab gasser for $32,000 about a month back.

Yep, they are one of the dealers I was talking about. They and Steve White in Newton seem to have a big selection and good prices listed.

 

[Ramblejam]

Is the configuration you want recommended for slide-in camper usage? If so, what's the remaining cargo capacity?

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/bbg/pdf/2016/docs/ram/hdramcg.pdf

 

[IPA]

Is the configuration you want recommended for slide-in camper usage? If so, what's the remaining cargo capacity?

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/bbg/pdf/2016/docs/ram/hdramcg.pdf

Yep, that is exactly why I have not bought a PW already.

A pretty common option on the Fords is the "camper package", which includes slide-in camper certification.

 

[Regcabguy]

I rode in an F-250 6.2. Carli suspension including his rear leafs,coils,2.5 Kings the whole thing. 35's. Cab-high shell with an exterior contractor rack and rooftop tent.
Handled and rode like a dream. The only drawback,8mpg registering on the dash.

 

[toastyjosh]

I use chevy, fords and Dodges at work and beat on them very hard.. I just replaced my 05 2500 chevy 6.0 with a dodge 3500 diesel. They gave me the option and that is what I went with.

If you get a diesel go GM or Dodge. I will say the New fords are better than the old 6.0 and 6.4s. We have a 2011 f550 and will have a 2017 F550 real soon. We have had good luck so far with the 2011 but I dont really trust it. We have had other fords of the same year blow turbos, MAFs,etc.

We have a 2012 dodge 2500 and a 2015 PW that we use also both have the hemi, The 2012 had the entire drive shaft plus seals replaced at 500mi, same truck had a valve spring break. It has 75K on it now.
PW has been ok so far but only has 15K on it.

 

[p nut]

I was shopping for a 1/2 ton and it was down to ford and ram. Both nice tricks, but I chose the Ford for better MPG, bigger rear seat (although the ram 1/2 ton doesn't have a mega cab option, I don't think), aluminum body, and rear locker (not a deal breaker for me though). Then found afterwards F150 was tested to be the safest. But most of those don't translate to 3/4 ton trucks. I don't think you could go wrong as they're both nice. I do like the ford's new body style better.

In either case, I think gas makes more sense.

 

[chilliwak]

A dodge with a cummins diesel is probably the most solid truck on the market..:wings:

 

[OCD Overland]

I just read that Cummins was next up on the emissions scandals.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

Between the 2 I'd pick the Ford. The 6.4 hemi performs well on paper, but it doesn't translate in the real world, plus the g80 locker they put in them is a POS.