Help me spend my modey- Dodge 2500 choices

[Cummins_expo]

MONEY not Modey #### how do I fix my thread title

So I am looking to pick up a new truck. I have owned many Dodges and miss my 2003 Cummins 4x4. I drove it with no problem and sold it at 250,000 miles. ZERO problems and great MPG>

Option 1: 2005 4x4 Cummins Auto with only 86,000 miles long bed $24,000 ( crazy what these go for)

Option 2: New 2500/3500 Cummins

Option 3: New 2500/3500 Hemi ( I have read the Hemi vs Cummins thread) Not sure how I feel about a Hemi

This will be used to daily drive, and haul my Halmark pop-up camper ( 1800 lbs) On occasion it will be used to haul campers / trailers/ 5th wheel for work.

I will also haul a 2006 Jeep on occasion behind truck and camper.. The plan is also make a run a couple of times a year down to Mexico and possibly further south ( ULSD) ???

Ok- Lets see what you all have to say - Thanks

 

[Marine]

I vote option one.

 

[01BURB]

If you have towed with a diesel before, going to a gas rig is hard. I went from diesel to the 6.4 Hemi and it was ok until I had to tow my cargo trailer out to Boston for work I hated pulling a trailer with the gas rig after having diesel. Thats just my 2 cents

 

[js9234]

Option 2 seems like a no brainer. For the very small difference in price and huge difference in payload I would go 3500.

 

[drewactual]

mopar wouldn't cover this on a brand new truck though they couldn't find a cause pointing back to the owner or use. this is but one story out of Alaska, but the glaring one. the dealership (dealership ate it- Dodge/Ram corporate did nothing) in this instance worked it out with the guy and he got a new rig, but it is enough to cause pause when considering a new Ram. he didn't penetrate his frame with any new taps, he wasn't anywhere near the limits on weight, and there was nothing exceptional about the use... it's a fault in the steel itself, is the conclusion of the many people in the industry that have been tracking this, and it's more than likely it has been addressed- but that's a LOT of $$$ for something that literally breaks doing what it is 'sposed to do.

I love the Ram's as much as anyone- but tales like this one give me great pause... it's a problem that is recurring and being ignored by corporate, and no doubt because of the financial implications of remedy. proceed at your own risk, Sir.

 

[js9234]

What does a one time thing have to do with his question even if it's true? I have never heard of that happening. It is not a recurring problem so go brand bash elsewhere.

mopar wouldn't cover this on a brand new truck though they couldn't find a cause pointing back to the owner or use. this is but one story out of Alaska, but the glaring one. the dealership (dealership ate it- Dodge/Ram corporate did nothing) in this instance worked it out with the guy and he got a new rig, but it is enough to cause pause when considering a new Ram. he didn't penetrate his frame with any new taps, he wasn't anywhere near the limits on weight, and there was nothing exceptional about the use... it's a fault in the steel itself, is the conclusion of the many people in the industry that have been tracking this, and it's more than likely it has been addressed- but that's a LOT of $$$ for something that literally breaks doing what it is 'sposed to do.

I love the Ram's as much as anyone- but tales like this one give me great pause... it's a problem that is recurring and being ignored by corporate, and no doubt because of the financial implications of remedy. proceed at your own risk, Sir.

 

[drewactual]

it's a friggin' problem with the BRAND. I'll friggin' bash where i want to, and it isn't slander if it's true... now listen up- brand loyalty is for fools. are you a fool 9234? There are all kinds of issues with all the major brands, but this one? it's not an inconvenience, it's a game stopper. it's also being held tightly to the vest by mother mopar- and it stands to great reason it's something they've addressed or they are addressing.

read up on the subject and think for yourself before your starry little ram eyes fill up with tears and you react with such a stupid reply. the man is about to spend some serious coin- and coin he likely earned the old fashioned way, and if not for forums such as this one these things would go wholly unnoticed- especially in the corporate controlled media who totally ignore issues like this.

 

[js9234]

I don't think you took your medication this morning. Take your tin foil hat off and go chill.

it's a friggin' problem with the BRAND. I'll friggin' bash where i want to, and it isn't slander if it's true... now listen up- brand loyalty is for fools. are you a fool 9234? There are all kinds of issues with all the major brands, but this one? it's not an inconvenience, it's a game stopper. it's also being held tightly to the vest by mother mopar- and it stands to great reason it's something they've addressed or they are addressing.

read up on the subject and think for yourself before your starry little ram eyes fill up with tears and you react with such a stupid reply. the man is about to spend some serious coin- and coin he likely earned the old fashioned way, and if not for forums such as this one these things would go wholly unnoticed- especially in the corporate controlled media who totally ignore issues like this.

 

[drewactual]

better yet, stick to the subject of the thread, son, and stop trolling with your emotional outbursts.

 

[js9234]

Emotional outbursts? ******** Have you not read anything you wrote? I'm just sitting back laughing and watching you flip out.

better yet, stick to the subject of the thread, son, and stop trolling with your emotional outbursts.

 

[drewactual]

whatever childish one whom I will make every effort to ignore from this point forward...

anyway... OP: check out the subject yourself before pulling the trigger. I had a 94 ram i beat the crap out of, and an 02 that was not used gently- and an 07 that was a good rig but had fuel delivery issues in it's later stages i got tired of messing with... i saw nothing wrong with those rigs at all... i've a close friend with a fairly rare '15 long box he ordered from the factory with a manual transmission and he has no issues using it as it's intended.... but this frame thing- it is a quietly known fact. my bud bought his before anything about this was widely known and he's watching that junction closely- but it IS a thing you'd be better off knowing about than finding out about after dropping coin.

 

[driller]

Option 3: New 2500/3500 Hemi ( I have read the Hemi vs Cummins thread) Not sure how I feel about a Hemi

This will be used to daily drive, and haul my Halmark pop-up camper ( 1800 lbs) On occasion it will be used to haul campers / trailers/ 5th wheel for work.

I will also haul a 2006 Jeep on occasion behind truck and camper.. The plan is also make a run a couple of times a year down to Mexico and possibly further south ( ULSD) ???

I went through the same dilemma last year. Ended up with a 2500 ram with the 6.4 Hemi, Changed the gears out for 4.56's. This thing pulls like a beast. I pull a 10000lb Fifth wheel with a rzr and trailer behind it. I also run with a northstar TC850SC camper pulling a 17' boat. I still have my 2000 dodge cummins and what really surprised me was the mileage and power really wasn't that far apart. Granted the cummins makes its power lower in the rpm range but once you learn the new hemi it runs down the road so much nicer than the older cummins does. Now this is just my opinion on owning both, I'm not afraid of the Hemi for medium weight duties.:ylsmoke:

 

[2025 deleted member]

I vote option 1. Can the bipolar guy that posted the broken ram truck please give links to more broken trucks since it's a recurring problem?

 

[Dalko43]

mopar wouldn't cover this on a brand new truck though they couldn't find a cause pointing back to the owner or use. this is but one story out of Alaska, but the glaring one. the dealership (dealership ate it- Dodge/Ram corporate did nothing) in this instance worked it out with the guy and he got a new rig, but it is enough to cause pause when considering a new Ram. he didn't penetrate his frame with any new taps, he wasn't anywhere near the limits on weight, and there was nothing exceptional about the use... it's a fault in the steel itself, is the conclusion of the many people in the industry that have been tracking this, and it's more than likely it has been addressed- but that's a LOT of $$$ for something that literally breaks doing what it is 'sposed to do.

I love the Ram's as much as anyone- but tales like this one give me great pause... it's a problem that is recurring and being ignored by corporate, and no doubt because of the financial implications of remedy. proceed at your own risk, Sir.

I've not heard of this as a recurring problem either. So yeah it sucks that it happened, but to use it as a reason to avoid a certain brand is a bit immature. And I'm not saying that because I think Ram is without problems; their vehicles have their share of issues for sure. But I highly doubt every Ram 2500/3500 is at risk of cracking in half like this one did. With all the Ram's being used to tow and haul gear around for commercial and private applications, you would expect to see a lot more examples of this popping up if it were truly some design flaw.

Also, would you mind posting a link to the story or source of the picture? I hadn't even heard of this particular incident.

 

[js9234]

I don't see how that could physically happen really unless it was being jumped. I'm far from an expert though. Even if one side cracked for some crazy reason, these frames are so heavy duty and there is so much more under there that would have to break as well. I'm not saying it's photoshopped but I don't see how this can happen. I tried googling and didn't find anything like that on any brand.

I've not heard of this as a recurring problem either. So yeah it sucks that it happened, but to use it as a reason to avoid a certain brand is a bit immature. And I'm not saying that because I think Ram is without problems; their vehicles have their share of issues for sure. But I highly doubt every Ram 2500/3500 is at risk of cracking in half like this one did. With all the Ram's being used to tow and haul gear around for commercial and private applications, you would expect to see a lot more examples of this popping up if it were truly some design flaw.

Also, would you mind posting a link to the story or source of the picture? I hadn't even heard of this particular incident.