Opinions on 2008 3500 Laramie Dually

[RGH43]

I'm looking at a 08 Laramie 3500 DRW Automatic. Miles: 40,235 I have to drive 170 mi to see it other than pictures, looks good in the pictures, it's a dealer trade in Portland who according to my Nephew is reliable. Nephew buys at auction or online for a major dealer in my area so he is reliable also.

The price was $40,995 and I got them down to $36,800, sound good



My questions, it has a 4. 10 gearing. I had 3. 73 in my “03 Dually. Will I like this & what about mileage versus the 3. 73. Any estimates on converting back to 3. 73 gears?



Overall any opinions on the 08 versus other years with that have the new 6. 37L?

I have neogated them down to $36,800 for 41K, sound good?



I would like a 5. 9l but every time I get a lead on one it has a lot of mileage & many are close to the same price of this one.

 

[LBARTLETT]

I would buy a 4:10 rear end, I think you would be very disappointed with the mileage



our 08' megacab dually Laramie sits alot due to the mileage compared to my 5. 9, both have 3. 73 gears and my 5. 9 consistently beats our stock 6. 7 by 4 to 6 mpg



we may do the dpf delete when we hit 100k miles just so that we can get some decent mileage out of the 6. 7

 

[Simplysmn]

Well 1 I still say there high on the price you could get a 11 for pretty close to that price and as for the 410's how often do you tow ? if you plan on towing alot then stay with the 410's they make a great pulling gear . as for MPG all the 6. 7's are going to get less then the 5. 9 no matter what you do but then again you didn't buy a truck to get 40 mpg the difference isn't going to kill you in fuel Buy it to use it n enjoy don't sweat over a couple miles per gallon.

 

[KLauber]

Thats pretty good mileage for an 08. If you are going to tow a lot with it, then thats a good setup. Not great mileage with all the filters and coolers choking the engine. A one-owner truck would be a good buy. Price seems kinda high? I paid a little less for a 08 with manual and same mileage last April. Is this a long bed? 4 wheel drive? SO many things to worry about, but mine has been a work horse gem and worth every penny.

Drive it around until it does an engine re-gen, maybe takes half an hour or more, see if the overhead display tells you the story, mine never did.

Ken

 

[RGH43]

My intent is to use it for a Tow vehicle (5th Wheel) yes it is a 4X4. It is a 1 owner as I have checked car Fax, bought in Virginia 10/07. Price wise an '11 3500 SRW SLT w/ the Big Horn package is 44,500 in Idaho. Cheapest price in the Pacific N. West or most of the country. 3500 SLT for 42,612 no Big Horn, I can get a Dually ST for 39,910 but that doesn't have much on it. So this 3500 is at least $6000 less than a new one but actually it is at least 8K less than any new '11 SLT I would actually buy. The truck has everything but the kitchen sink and I'm approaching 68 so I would like a few of the nice things as my 03 had most of this same stuff.

Now for my other question on the 4:10's, I don't use the truck for a daily commute, I drive locally very rarely. I have a Durango for that so this would be used most often for “pullin” an RV around the country. I had absolutely no trouble pullin my 36 ft Fiver with the 3. 73 gears the 03 but I did have a 6 spd manual in the '03. Any idea how much it would cost to replace the 4. 11 with the 3. 73 gears & would it would be worth it in improved gas mileage? I appreciate the information & feedback.

 

[Simplysmn]

To be honest I would stay with the 410's I have had 3 truck's now with 410's and wouldn't change a thing the difference you might see won't matter it's going to cost way more then your going to save if any in fuel go drive it you will agree to just keep the truck the way it is .

 

[Grizzly]

Buy a new 2011 and get the gearing you want. I agree a that the 3. 73 is the best all around ratio, unless you are towing a 16K 5er fulltime.



Everyone deserves to buy a new truck and pick the color and equipment you want, not what someone else wanted. Call Dave Smith Motors, 1-800-635-8000, in Kellogg, Idaho.

 

[HBarlow]

With the ISB6. 7 and six speed overdrive automatic the 4. 10 is by far the better choice of differential gearing. If you doubt me consider Ram's tow ratings for 4. 10 vs. 3. 73. The truck equipped with 4. 10 gears is rated to tow an additional 3,000 lbs.

Read all the earlier posts on this subject. With the 4. 10 gears and sixth gear engine rpm will be very low at highway cruise speeds with a heavy trailer in tow. With 3. 73 gears you will be forced to downshift to get engine speed up to peak torque rpm.

An ISB6. 7 will deliver about 2 or 3 mpg less than a 5. 9 when running unloaded, about the same mileage as a 5. 9 when towing heavy.

I too would buy new instead of used but that is a personal choice that only you can make.

 

[Hoefler]

I bought my 2010 for what they are asking for on that 08. My 05 and 08 had 3. 73 gears. My 2010 has 4. 10's. My mileage when this one was new and pulling the same trailer, mileage was down about . 3 a gallon. Now with 26,000+ miles on it, it is . 2 better and seems to be stronger. The new truck will have a warranty as the 08 will not. For the money, get the new one!

 

[Grizzly]

With the ISB6. 7 and six speed overdrive automatic the 4. 10 is by far the better choice of differential gearing. If you doubt me consider Ram's tow ratings for 4. 10 vs. 3. 73. The truck equipped with 4. 10 gears is rated to tow an additional 3,000 lbs.



Read all the earlier posts on this subject. With the 4. 10 gears and sixth gear engine rpm will be very low at highway cruise speeds with a heavy trailer in tow. With 3. 73 gears you will be forced to downshift to get engine speed up to peak torque rpm.



An ISB6. 7 will deliver about 2 or 3 mpg less than a 5. 9 when running unloaded, about the same mileage as a 5. 9 when towing heavy.



I too would buy new instead of used but that is a personal choice that only you can make.

With an ISB6. 7 and a 68 RFE or a Aisin 6 speed, is the 4. 10 still better than a 3. 73 if you tow lighter? Say 10K lb, 5er about 20 to 25% of the time.

 

[HBarlow]

Yes. IIRC, with the 3. 73 gears the ISB6. 7 trucks have to be running 70 mph or better to even get into the torque band which begins at 1500 rpm.

Rusty has calculated and posted samples of engine rpm vs. road speed with his 4. 10 gears several times.

 

[Wertles]

I give my vote to keep the 4. 10's whether or not you go new or used. You are buying a truck for towing, not commuting. In no way can you compare a 5. 9 to a 6. 7 just by looking at the rear end gearing. The 68rfe has a double overdrive keeping the RPM's much lower which the 48re simply did not have. IIRC, 60 mph only turns around 1600 rpm with the 4. 10. Your current trailer may only be 10k but the trend currently is towards heavier and heavier trailers. You just might find yourself on this forum in 3 years asking how to regear because your truck is struggling with your new 5th wheel. As Harvey correctly stated above, from the factory, the 4. 10 is capable of pulling 3000 more pounds than the 3. 73.

 

[Grizzly]

Well, I'm certainly getting a good education here. I'm not planning on a new truck yet. I typically get a new truck every 10 years. Got 3 years to go, but I'm thinking about which transmission and gearing I'd want.