On the fence - help me decide

[Moose]

Ok, here is the situation.....I currently have a 2001 2500 QC 4x4 and it was honestly never realistically designed to comfortably house 2 full figured adults, 2 kids (11 and 3) and assorted stuff for long trips (or even just running around the state). With that said I have been planning to sell the 01 very soon and get a nice used 3rd gen. I do not NEED the 4x4 and I have honestly grown weary of dealing with the 4x4 front ends over the last 12 yrs so I am looking at a 2wd. I don't tow often but every time I have hooked up it has been more then 10k for both goose necks and bumper pulls. For safety and peace of mind 10k is the max I am comfortable with on a SRW, I dont care what brand or generation truck it is, so a DRW is on the list as well. I would also like to point out that my wife greatly prefers the look of a DRW, which is fine by me.

My intentions have been to find a nice 100k-ish mileage 04.5-07 QC LB 4x2 DRW, fix the trans issues (be it clutch or sloppy TQ and VB), add a Smarty Jr to get her moving nicely, better fuel filtration and just run with it.

Last night my wife told me that the husband of her friend at work has very strong dealership connections and can get me an obscene discount on a new truck, and only a new one. I had not considered a new truck until this point, have not done any real research on them and am woefully unprepared for negotiating with her on the subject. I have not yet been able to bring myself to so much as even sit in a 4th gen yet because I know that once I do the decision will be made by default. I actually found myself trying to talk her out us of getting a new one before I realized what I was doing.

My POV is as follows:
I can get a very decent 3rd gen truck for around 20K and do a hell of a lot of mods and repairs to it before I reach the cost of a new truck. The 3rd gens are actually quite easy to work on and parts are plentiful and relatively cheap these days.

Her argument is that I wouldn't have to do a thing to a new truck to get it to work like we want and it will have a fully warranty. I cant think of anything that really NEEDS to be done to a 14' or 15' to get them to be a great truck, and we all know that the 3rd gens have more than a few short comings that need to be addressed sooner or later (auto trans, vent doors, TIPM, etc).

With all that said, and not factoring in cost; is a new 4th gen truck really that much better than an intelligently modified 3rd gen as to make it the more appealing long term option?

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I sold my very well equipped third gen and added about $25k to get into my 2013. I would not go back even if I could. There are so many parts, and eventually every one will fail. With an old truck having miles on it, you are constantly chasing that situation, trying to predict what will fail and change it before it leaves you at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Bob V]

I had a '97,'05, and a '11. the 4th gens have a lot more room and the brakes and steering are much better. If the discounts are that good, you might be into a decently optioned truck for under $40,000. figure in better financing (if you borrow on it) and nothing to work on for the first few years it might not be that much more than you might have into a 3rd gen. Remember, the 3rd gen injectors can go bad and they $3,000-4,000, not including installation. You really need to go drive one, the more informed you are the better decision you will make. I also think you will find the NICE 3rd gens are not cheep.

 

[CHinton]

I just recently traded my 04 QC SB SRW 2WD truck for a 14 CrewCab LB DRW 4x4. I'm not 2nd guessing the decision so far.

 

[ToddGeisler]

Years ago when I was looking for my first Dodge diesel (back in 2003/2004), a 2wd truck in our area was a very rare find. I only saw one or two. I think this may be a regional thing. We get some harsh winters and 4x4's have become the standard now.

I had a 2003 3rd gen from 2004 till this past fall. Just traded it for a 2015. While I missed my old truck at first, I love this new truck. I only have one major complaint and that is I'm having a hard time getting used to the new tow mirror layout. The spot mirrors are in a different spot and I feel like I can't see as good as I could with the old truck. This is a small complaint and overall it's a much better truck than my old one. More rear seat space being a crew cab, rides a little smoother, much more power especially when pulling the trailer (10k#), and the integral brake controller and exhaust brake are a welcome addition.

 

[mpaulson]

You could get a 2 wheel drive Mega Cab dually as well and have an insane amount of interior space as well if you go new. I went from a modified 07.5 mega cab dually 4x4 and this new truck if way more truck, smooth, quite, more powerful and has full warrantee. You won't regret the lack of stress from wondering what will need to be fixed next! These new trucks don't leave you feeling like you want or need to modify them, they have it all already!

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Greg Lugo's 2WD dually was on the previous TDR cover. He notes that it doesn't sit much lower, and the front end is the same as a 4x4 except being a straight tube instead of a tube with a diff in it.

 

[Moose]

Y'all aren't making this decision any easier for me..lol. I was not aware of the change in the 2wd front suspension and ride height, that might be a deal killer because my wife has very bad knees and struggles to get into my stock height 01 4x4 even with the side steps. Look like I am going to have face the music and actually go put my hands on one of these beasts, closest 2wd is about 100 miles from me unfortunately. I'll let y'all know when I place the order

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Greg said his seems to be 1.5" lower than a 4x4. My wife is "vertically challenged" and really likes the "wheel-to-wheel" side steps that were a $600 option in 2013. Of course, they can be added after purchase. They are low enough to help her. The 3500 front suspension is strengthened to allow the high tow rating that the duallys get.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Yes sadly the new 2wd HD Rams no longer have independent front suspension. That being said, a couple years after the 4th Gens came out Ram made major suspension and frame changes across the board. Many of the issues plaguing 4x4s have been improved considerably. The trucks look the same but in 2013 everything underneath is a lot different. There was a good writeup about it in one of the TDRs a few issues ago, I don't know if there's an e-version on this site. This article from AllPar has some highlights http://www.allpar.com/trucks/ram/2013-heavy-duty-pickups.html

I don't know what year of 3rd Gen you were thinking but the emissions system on 2013 up Rams is less complicated than all earlier 6.7s. Sure you have to add DEF occasionally but fuel economy is very good on these latest trucks.

 

[Moose]

As I said, the wife and i will have to track down a 2wd and see for ourselves, she might be fine with the height, might not. My original plans were centered around an 06 or 07 so I could utilize EFI Live for fuel economy tuning.

Any of the 6.7's before the 2013's are off the table as far as I am concerned as I will NOT be dicking with any emissions stuff to get a truck to run the way it should. The only reason the 13's and up are viable is because of the upgrades Ram has made to the engine systems. I am very well versed in the differences between two emissions systems as they are extremely similar function wise to the ones Caterpillar is using on their Tier 4 equipment.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I had an early 2004, reputedly the best for mpg of the Third Gens. I used stock and Stage 1 DDP injectors, and also the TST Powermax-CR and later the Smarty for timing to maximize mileage. It was SRW, 4x4, 3.73, and got the same or poorer mpg than my bone stock 2013.

 

[Bug Out]

Go new if you can. You wont regret it. My only gripe is the 68 RFE trans shifts like "Carlos from DELL tech support" programmed the shifting. Get a Aisin transmission. Drove one recently and will be pushing to get one soon.

 

[Cummins12V98]

My 68RFE shifts great very solid towing 29K combined.

 

[Newsa]

I wasn't looking for a 4x4, but happened on a 2500 CT that I liked. Glad I got the 4x4 because on a steep, wet parking garage entrance ramp, that had concrete paint on it, I lost traction and couldn't get up. All the weight over the front axle. Had cars behind me and a busy road behind that. Actually more than one situation made me happy with the 4x4. Others were towing a bumper pull.

 

[Moose]

Just got back from doing a test drive on the only 2wd within 100 miles of me which turned out to be a bare bones tradesman with a 68rfe. Still a nice truck inside and out, the wife likes the interior and says she could live with the height if it had steps which are a $500+ option now. Her only complaint was the base model seats which I wasnt really a fan of either. Are the premium cloth seats any better or do you need to get the buckets to have a nice place to rest your rump?

The truck only had 40 miles worth of fuel in it so I didn't get to drive it that much but I could tell that the 68 had kind of odd shifting even being brand new. I really want to find an Aisin truck to see how it drives and if it really is worth the extra 3k since I really do not tow all that often.

I have been driving 4x4's for 12 years now and I can count on one hand the number of times that I have honestly NEEDED it. I just cant justify the extra 4k and 100's of extra moving parts and seals for something that im prolly not gonna use

I dunno, time will tell. I have a few months before I get my current truck sold and a few other things sorted out before I would be ready to buy.

 

[moparnut72]

When I bought my new truck I wanted to order a 2WD but the dealership wanted to sell what they had on the lot, no 2WD's. They wouldn't deal on anything that had to be ordered. One of the reasons for a 2WD was for a lower height to make loading a slide in camper easier. The salesman told me the 2WD's were basically the same height. I have always felt he was feeding me line to sell me one of the 4WD's in stock. Now I realize from this thread that he was right. I don't really need a 4WD but it sure gives me piece of mind especially since California throws up the chains or four wheel drive required sign as soon as the first snow flake hits the ground.

I agree, get the new truck. I went in to prove to myself that the new ones weren't all that much better than my old 12V. I sure enjoyed the drive home in my new one.
kk

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Moose, go onto www.ramtrucks.com and build & price what you consider essential, then check inventory, 200+ miles. Click on the VIN at the right column and you will see the dealer's page and what discounts he will offer. I'd do this for 2014s and who knows, there is probably one with an excellent discount out there to suit your needs and maybe have more stuff on it essentially for free.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I've been hitting the net hard, searching for that perfect Ram without much luck. I know at this point, I'll either have to be patient and custom order or I'll be traveling many miles to acquire that perfect Ram.

 

[Bug Out]

Cummins12V98, my 2012 shifted great and i loved it..But like I said, "Carlos" got ahold of the shifting program for 2013 and messed things up.... My 2012 shifted like the Aisin...

I've been told several times by someone that works with "Carlos" a update was forthcoming... not yet.