'12 Ram 2500, good buy or no?

[JR]

I used to agree on the gearing, but not anymore. I fully agree on the emissions.. which also aligns with the MUCH better frame/suspension of the '14+ 2500.

Having had the 3.42's now for 15K miles I am very happy with them even at low speed semi-heavy towing (up to 24K). Direct and 3.42's is a much better highway towing gear than direct and 3.73's, so for me 3.73's are now the least desirable ratio offered.

Really the advantage to the 4.10's is in 1st gear, especially on a 68RFE truck. Above that the gear spacing is adequate for 3.42's.

So @NIsaacs I wouldn't hesitate to get 14+ and if you need the low speed improvement then get 4.10's installed, but I bet you'd be quite happy with 3.42's.

For me it's not just first gear it's all of them, yes you can hold the gear to run the rpm up but on the other end 6th is all but useless once you get up over about 10-12k and get into the bigger hills. I find myself locking out 6 quite a bit to eliminate the shift hunting. Lower gearing would help this as well as increase the retarding power of the exhaust brake through all of the gears.
As much as I'd like to change them out the system admittedly does work well enough it's not worth the investment to make a change, at least for me. But I fully understand why someone would change them, especially like in Nick's case where he hauls alot of local loads at lower speeds.

 

[Tuesdak]

Not quite feeling your pain for a 1 Ton, but, I only used 3/4 Tons commercially back in the day. For hauling an RV my 2003 1 Ton was fairly cheap. My 2018 is a hit on the VLT (Tax) portion only. Due to the emissions testing area we mostly only get 1 year plates and another fee to test it.

 

[Killer223]

at least the tax is deductible on our income taxes.

 

[snadamo]

My 3/4 ton gasser is also forced to get registration and emissions annually; I was told because of the vehicle weight.

Thankfully it's tax deductible; or at least the big portion.

Tuesdak, I’m looking at similar years myself. Looking at your registration cost turns my stomach a little. Oh well, Gotta love Maricopa County!

 

[AHutson]

And I thought Wyoming had high fees for registration.... I will no longer ever complain about it in the slightest.

 

[gtoli]

Note the weight fee, that is for 16k and motor carrier fee.

View attachment 118696

Well Nick, I'll find out next month what the fees look like

 

[NIsaacs]

Well Nick, I'll find out next month what the fees look like

gt, it will be painful

 

[JR]

Registration fees for my 14 3500 totaled $75 on the year.

Not rubbing it in or anything, just sayin'

 

[NIsaacs]

Registration fees for my 14 3500 totaled $75 on the year.

Not rubbing it in or anything, just sayin'

ohhh, you asked for it....at least us Arizona guys can't hear our truck rust on a quiet night

 

[p-Bar]

Registration for my 04.5 2500 in Cali is 387.00

 

[AH64ID]

I’m around $135 in Idaho for 26K GCW and $25 of that is for the wildlife plate.

 

[snadamo]

In AZ I believe it’s based on initial price of the vehicle and then some math formula to account for cost and then depreciation. My 2000 Cherokee is like $30/year. Which is funny, because the “fees” cost more than the actual registration.

I may have misspoke in an earlier post stating it was county-related; ADOT is a state department.

 

[NIsaacs]

which also aligns with the MUCH better frame/suspension of the '14+ 2500.

Is the new frame and suspension really that much better than '13 and down? The '14 is not any more money than most 12-13's, especially in the lower grade models. This '14 Tradesman is $22k, wrong color, but....

https://www.fairwayautosales.net/ve...n--4x4-truck-b86672f7f78daf47a53d3478082eb1e5

 

[gsbrockman]

Take a peek under the front end at the more robust front end parts @NIsaacs

 

[JR]

Rubber floors? I'm jealous! In the year + I looked I didn't find one truck with rubber flooring. I also wanted the work grade vinyl seats.

In my opinion the biggest change in frames is in the front end. Ram went from a 5 link to a more simplified and robust 3 link front end. They are stout. They also tout higher strength frames, but I don't know that the older frames were ever an issue.
2014 2500 also has rear coil suspension instead of leaf springs.

 

[AH64ID]

Is the new frame and suspension really that much better than '13 and down? The '14 is not any more money than most 12-13's, especially in the lower grade models. This '14 Tradesman is $22k, wrong color, but....

https://www.fairwayautosales.net/ve...n--4x4-truck-b86672f7f78daf47a53d3478082eb1e5

I think it is. It’s amazing how much more solid my stock 18 is when loaded than my modded 05. Same loads and same roads. There is less roll, better feel, and a more comfortable ride.

The 10-12 suspension/frame are relatively unchanged from the 03-09 frame/suspension.

What you’ll have to think about is if you want a coil sprung rear suspension or not, since you’re 2500 shopping.

 

[TFucili]

If you go coil sprung 2500, use Airlift 7500 bags. They mount outboard and require lower psi to level the same load than the smaller bags. I scaled at 8,120 lbs on the drive axle on my 2500, and it went down the road with no wallow, and no drama whatsoever. Not endorsing overloading, just saying the coils are not a big issue for toting a load. They are definitely more prone to axle hop, though. A heavy, high CG truck camper may be another story.

 

[dieselshadow]

How is a coil spring rear end more prone to axle hop? Mine was very well planted, far superior to leaf springs due to the 5 link suspension.

 

[TFucili]

How is a coil spring rear end more prone to axle hop? Mine was very well planted, far superior to leaf springs due to the 5 link suspension.

The suspension geometry is less than ideal, and I experienced violent hop pulling a mildly stuck chevy out of the sand, where my leaf sprung '05 did no such thing, and walked right out while pulling someone else out in the same general area when I had it.

On Edit:
It is not just my opinion or personal experience. I had read about it prior to buying the truck, and figured it was internet lore, but it's for real, and others on TDR have reported it.

 

[AH64ID]

I’ve read about the hop too, but it still seems odd even with less than ideal angles. I’ve had several rigs with 5 links and never experienced any hop.