Buy New or Keep the 07?

[RGH43]

I'm looking at 2 Rams 1 a 3500 SLT & 1 a 3500 Laramie. Both are SRW & have 3.42 axle ratio, 1 has an Aisin the other 68RFE, to Hi for pulling a future 34' 5th wheel? Both are loaded. My current Ram is a
2007 3500 DRW 5.9L & it is just over 40K total Miles. The newer ones have a lot of stuff on them but on the other hand the money not spent on a new one could be used to add many things to the current
Ram and have probably quite a bit left over. The 07 is an automatic with 4.10 gearing so I thought about going to 3.73 to improve the mileage, gets around 14 on the freeway unloaded, Upgrading the front
seats as these are to hard & a new radio with a screen for navigation etc. Trading sound like a dumb idea with all the ECG stuff on the new ones. Any ideas or thoughts.

 

[RGH43]

This is a 2007 5.9L not a 07.5

 

[RVTRKN]

Save your money, get EFILive and rebuild your trans, keep the 4:10's. Also get better filtration for your fuel, and an exhaust brake.

 

[lpennock]

Keep the 07.

 

[jgillott]

I've been going round and round with this for the last year or so. I go look at the new ones, even came real close to pulling the trigger once. But, I still have my 07. I think what holds me back is that I know I just can't replace it once it is gone.

 

[MichaelOverfield]

You only have 40k miles.. the new ones are outrageously expensive. You can do massive upgrades on current truck and still be under cost of a new one. Also, the 07 should be pre emmisions and no DPF.. that is a huge plus. If you do go with a large RV, those 4.10 might be what you want. Do a spreadsheet of the cost of every option you want added to current truck, the new truck.. it won't be close. Also OEM built-in Navigation is not worth it, get a Garmin with lifetime map updates, and or use Google maps for free. One of my cars came with built-in Navigation and we almost never use it, Google maps in our phones with a $10 air vent phone mount is FAR better. With the money you save you'll be closer to the future 34'. Good luck!

 

[xcc_rider]

^^^^. What Michael said... Plus I like the DRW for hauling a large 5th wheel.
One more thing to check is the towing weight for the 34 footer. Make sure your 07 is rated for it. Also makes deciding on diff ratio easier. IMHO 3.42 is too high for a heavy 5th wheel but the actual weight needs to be verified.

The Aisin would be nice but in another 70-100k miles when your transmission goes out you'll have plenty of $$$ saved from not buying a new truck to put a bullet proof transmission in.

 

[RVTRKN]

Save your money, get EFILive and rebuild your trans, keep the 4:10's. Also get better filtration for your fuel, and an exhaust brake.

I was referring to an upgraded trans rebuild.

 

[RGH43]

I do have a Jacobs Brake but don't really like it as well as my PacBrake or BD Brake on my older Rams. What is EFILive? Would the Transmission upgraded & rebuilt make it a much better as in Beffier transmission along with smother shifting. Thanks

 

[RVTRKN]

The stock Jacobs EB has some flaws, but it's adequate. EFILive is a custom tune that can be tuned by yourself (not recommended, unless your fluent in EFILive) or by a professional. The link I'm posting is who I bought mine from, but many others are just as good. With the proper trans upgrade (Goerend comes to mind) and the proper EFILive tune, it'll put you close in HP/TQ to the new trucks. But it's a lot cheaper. I love mine, and I'm still able to keep the stock smog crap intact. The CSP5 switch allows you to switch on the fly with 5 different tunes. It's fully reprogramable via email.
http://atptrucks.com/efi-live-autocal-cummins-2006-2009-5-9l-6-7l.html

 

[jgillott]

I'm not sure what your plan is for your truck, but let me share just one more thing with you. I pulled our trailer in to the campground we are staying in last evening in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm. A couple of miles of dirt roads on the way in that were all but mud holes by the time we got to our site.

This is what my '07 looks like today.

I'm pretty anal about my trucks and this certainly is only a little bit of mud that will wash right off. But, I'd be sick to my stomach if I would have put a new $50+K truck through what I put my 10 year old truck through last night. I know people do it all the time, but I'd be sick over it.

 

[DavidC]

I'm not sure what your plan is for your truck, but let me share just one more thing with you. I pulled our trailer in to the campground we are staying in last evening in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm. A couple of miles of dirt roads on the way in that were all but mud holes by the time we got to our site.

This is what my '07 looks like today.

View attachment 99305

I'm pretty anal about my trucks and this certainly is only a little bit of mud that will wash right off. But, I'd be sick to my stomach if I would have put a new $50+K truck through what I put my 10 year old truck through last night. I know people do it all the time, but I'd be sick over it.

Wonder if you are as OCD as I am. Hell, I clean mine after a rain and there is no way I am driving a dirty vehicle.

Dave

 

[Flopster843]

Keep the 07. I've seen far too many 4th gens in the shop for lots of emissions problems. One of my co-workers had a 13 that was in the shop 19 times for emission related issues with less than 30k on the truck. It's gone now.

For your current truck: 4th gen seats are a super easy swap, EFI Live will bring a little more life into that older engine, and a decent Nav radio will give you the fancy electronics you want. You'll have the benefits of a 4th gen, without all of the associated problems, for much cheaper.

 

[wantabe351]

wow, my 05 has 92k on it now and I mainly use it to pull our RV. Problem its just a bit over 16,000lbs and thats a little over what it should pull. Now a new one would be very nice but thats 75 to 80 Thousand Dollars! (My wife and talk about this on every cross country trip we take chatting about a new truck and then I think about the Def fluid and other stuff for emissions, to much to go wrong on our vacations). Now That is alot of upgrades and money for fuel to travel with..So at only 40K its not even broken in yet.! Now take about 5 to 10K$ set it aside and do those upgrades you always wanted to do to your truck to make it yours- upgrade the 48re trans is the best for towing, read up on other upgrades that others do for a nice towing machine.. plus the seats on a trip are need of a upgrade so replace or have them fixed to your bottom end and the other seat for the wife and she'll be a happy wife...

 

[jgillott]

Wonder if you are as OCD as I am. Hell, I clean mine after a rain and there is no way I am driving a dirty vehicle.

Dave

Yes, I probably am. After we get home tonight, the truck and trailer will be washed. Likely, I'll do it before I go to bed. I will not be able to relax until I get them clean.

 

[SnoKing]

I'm looking at 2 Rams 1 a 3500 SLT & 1 a 3500 Laramie. Both are SRW & have 3.42 axle ratio, 1 has an Aisin the other 68RFE, to Hi for pulling a future 34' 5th wheel? Both are loaded. My current Ram is a
2007 3500 DRW 5.9L & it is just over 40K total Miles. The newer ones have a lot of stuff on them but on the other hand the money not spent on a new one could be used to add many things to the current
Ram and have probably quite a bit left over. The 07 is an automatic with 4.10 gearing so I thought about going to 3.73 to improve the mileage, gets around 14 on the freeway unloaded, Upgrading the front
seats as these are to hard & a new radio with a screen for navigation etc. Trading sound like a dumb idea with all the ECG stuff on the new ones. Any ideas or thoughts.

I am confused why your sig line says 07.5, which are 6.7L Cummins, and have the 68RFE, yet you in the thread state 2007 3500 DRW 5.9L. Which is it? I think you need to fix your sig line. SNOKING