Help me decide, 3 trucks I need to pick 1 from.

[newbury]

Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.

So I've narrowed my choices down to 3 vehicles.
2023 Ram Bighorn with /edit- 6.7L
diesel < 300 miles ~53K
/EDIT -- THAT IS < 300 MILES, NOT TO MEAN 300K MILES
Warranty mostly used up sitting on the lot
2024 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~56K
2025 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~60K

To me the 2024 is the sweet spot.
/edit - what would you pick?

 

[duffer]

I agree with your assessment of the '24 F-250 being the sweet spot. But I'd search for a low mileage one from a private party before I'd buy a '24 from a dealer. You'll get a much better deal, and still have full warranty on it.

Also, pulling a 10k# trailer will require a "bump up" in suspension I would think, unless it's a 5th wheel. Then you may still need a beefier suspension. And I'd also check the load rating on the tires.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Is the Ram a 1500 or a 2500? I think the 2500's come with a 6.7L diesel engine. If it's a 1500, it would be too small for your trailer.

The '24 F250 is probably your best choice, but I would attempt to negotiate a better price, since it is a '24 and has been sitting on their lot for a long time.

 

[bmaverick]

Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.

So I've narrowed my choices down to 3 vehicles.
2023 Ram Bighorn with 5.7 diesel < 300 miles ~53K
Warranty mostly used up sitting on the lot
2024 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~56K
2025 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~60K

To me the 2024 is the sweet spot.
/edit - what would you pick?

The choices are not all that good really.
The RAM is interesting, but nearly 300K on miles is a turn off.

Both Fords worry me. Son has gone thru 3 engines under warranty for his 2022 F250. He married into a Ford only family, now he is regretting getting a Ford. Ford has had so many recalls, it's been such a turnoff too. He liked the Ford for an aluminum body too, will not rust out. But, if you can't have a working engine, then it's useless.

I don't know what to tell you to choose.

 

[Torvy]

I think that said 300, not 300k. That fits with "sitting on the lot". I'd be wary of that because 2 years is a long time to not move off your lot. I'd guess it was sold and returned. Someone else's lemon.

Personally, I'd really evaluate the trailer. Is it a hauler or an RV? 50-60k can pay for a lot of housing options. If it's to haul your tractor, you could get another tractor and keep one in each state. Worst case, pay to have it hauled.

Unless you really enjoy driving on highways with a load, I'd think outside the box, especially since you said this will otherwise collect dust.

It's your money, but I'd go none of the above.

 

[Cycledude]

The choices are not all that good really.
The RAM is interesting, but nearly 300K on miles is a turn off.

Both Fords worry me. Son has gone thru 3 engines under warranty for his 2022 F250. He married into a Ford only family, now he is regretting getting a Ford. Ford has had so many recalls, it's been such a turnoff too. He liked the Ford for an aluminum body too, will not rust out. But, if you can't have a working engine, then it's useless.

I don't know what to tell you to choose.

Wow three new engines under warranty ? What happened to cause that ?
I am currently a Ford f150 owner with 10 speed automatic, very often hearing of folks having problems with them but so far mine has been flawless.

 

[Rvrrat14]

I bought a 2024 2500HD w/ 6.6 GAS, Allison 10 speed. It replaced my older 2015 2500HD 6.6 DIESEL w/ Allison 6 speed. My diesel NEVER went back to dealer/service and I did all the maintenance on it. Best truck I’ve ever owned. But service and fuel prices as well as service on DIESEL priced it out for me.

I pull a 10K trailer with my new truck (gas) with zero issues; plenty of power. Extra cost of fuel consumption offsets maintenance and fuel costs of diesel.

 

[dodge man]

Don’t buy the Ram, not because it’s a bad truck but because it won’t have the payload to pull your truck.

Will you be happy with the XL trim level. They are nice trucks but pretty bare bones compared to even an XLT. I’d be happy with one but my wife wouldn’t. I’ll agree with you the 2014 might be a good buy, I wouldn’t be afraid of a truck sitting on the lot for a couple of years.

 

[Tomtint]

Im not a big fan of the idea of 10K behind a 150.....Can it do it.. yes. But the driving would be stressful and that alone would be enough for me to move up to a 250 or more. Even a 350 as those are 1500 or so more and have better resale. Getting a 23 or 24 as long as its full 5/100K warranty.. Really splitting hairs, They are basically the same truck with no significant differences. If paying cash.. Buy the cheaper one.. If financing,, Buy the one with the best rate. .. And financing it allows you to deduct the interest because of the BBB that was signed yesterday.

 

[deserteagle71]

Don't pick an F150 to tow a 10k trailer! I've owned an F150 for 8 years now, along with a 3500. The very thing that makes the F150 a pleasure to drive compared to a 3/4 or 1 ton, that compliant suspension, is what makes it less desirable as a tow vehicle. Too much of "the tail wagging the dog". Plus, there's a reason that Ford gives you a 3.5 Ecoboost engine when you spec the max tow package - more torque at lower rpm than what the 5 litre has.

Go with one of the diesels - over twice the torque of the F150 engine, and an exhaust brake for going back down the mountain! Actually, almost twice the torque of your old 7.3 diesel also!

 

[newbury]

Sorry should have written 2023 Ram Bighorn 4wd with 5.7 diesel.
Looking it up it has a 19,980lb towing capacity link .

liked the Ford for an aluminum body too, will not rust out. But, if you can't have a working engine, then it's useless.

That's what I'm afraid of.

Thanks for the input.

 

[dodge man]

Newbury the link you provided is for a 2500 Ram. I’m pretty sure you maybe are making a typo and mean 6.7 diesel??

 

[dodge man]

Tow capacity and payload listed are a joke. It’s for a bare bones regular cab 2 wheel drive to get those numbers. Towing your trailer with a diesel won’t be a problem but I would look at the payload of any truck you are ready to buy, it’s on the door jamb sticker for the way that truck is actually equipped .

 

[Hay Dude]

Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.

So I've narrowed my choices down to 3 vehicles.
2023 Ram Bighorn with 5.7 diesel < 300 miles ~53K
Warranty mostly used up sitting on the lot
2024 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~56K
2025 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~60K

To me the 2024 is the sweet spot.
/edit - what would you pick?

From post #1 description, the Ram is a 1/2 ton small block diesel and the other 2 Fords are 3/4 ton bigger block diesel trucks. Also the ram has 300 miles. We don’t know the miles on the Fords.

Try comparing more comparable trucks.
Or, just buy a Ford.
A 6.7L Cummins is probably a bit too much truck for you.

Honestly, from the description of what you use a truck for, you’d be better off with a gasser.
Today’s diesel trucks, with their DPF & DEF systems need to be driven often and pushed hard, or you could have emissions problems.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm a long ways away from making a similar decision. I need a bigger truck, but it's not something that I'll use every day, and it might sit for a month or more without being started.

Modern diesel engines scare me because of how expensive they are to repair, and how often I hear about DEF issues. Just finding a mechanic to work on them can be challenging.

The other issue, and something that I'm worried about with a new diesel engine is what happens if it sits for long periods of time? Does the DEF go bad? Does it have to be run on a regular basis to keep the fuel fresh? Just keeping it connected to a trickle charger is all I want to do when parking it. Anything else seems excessive.

My current dream truck is a F350 dually with the Godzilla gas engine.

From what I'm reading and watching on YouTube, it gets about the same mileage as the diesel does when empty, but really goes through the gas when loaded heavy. For the few times a year that I would be hauling a heavy trailer, I can deal with the cost of gas to get it done.

 

[newbury]

Newbury the link you provided is for a 2500 Ram. I’m pretty sure you maybe are making a typo and mean 6.7 diesel??

Yes, sorry, at least I put the link in.

 

[Hay Dude]

I'm a long ways away from making a similar decision. I need a bigger truck, but it's not something that I'll use every day, and it might sit for a month or more without being started.

Modern diesel engines scare me because of how expensive they are to repair, and how often I hear about DEF issues. Just finding a mechanic to work on them can be challenging.

The other issue, and something that I'm worried about with a new diesel engine is what happens if it sits for long periods of time? Does the DEF go bad? Does it have to be run on a regular basis to keep the fuel fresh? Just keeping it connected to a trickle charger is all I want to do when parking it. Anything else seems excessive.

My current dream truck is a F350 dually with the Godzilla gas engine.

From what I'm reading and watching on YouTube, it gets about the same mileage as the diesel does when empty, but really goes through the gas when loaded heavy. For the few times a year that I would be hauling a heavy trailer, I can deal with the cost of gas to get it done.

Diesel trucks with DEF/DPF that sit long periods or used for short trips without pulling a trailer, tend to get soot build-up in the DPF.

I think you are on the right track with the gas engine, but remember the Cummins 6.7L gasser is on its’ way. If they put it in the 2500-5500 trucks, it’ll revolutionize gas engines. It will consume less gas, run at lower RPM while providing similar torque to the gas guzzling V-8’s.

 

[EddieWalker]

I forgot about the Cummins gas engine that's coming out. I saw a few videos talking about it, but since it's not available yet, I haven't put any thought into it. Fortunately, I'm in no rush to buy anything yet, I just enjoy learning as much as I can before I make a decision to go into debt.

 

[Hay Dude]

Background:I'm retired. I've been going through the process of trying to determine what truck to add to my fleet. The truck will be used in Virginia and Mississippi. It's prime purpose will be to gather dust and suck up parking space. Occasionally, maybe 5 times a year I'll drive it from Va. to Ms. towing a 10K trailer down I81, I40, I75 and getting to northeast Ms. and then after a month or three, drive back. It will carry 2 passengers, me and my wife.
I've been making this trip with about this frequency since 2011 mostly with a 2002 Ford F350 7.3, CC, dually and it's crazy I know.
But the dually is getting "long in the tooth" and I'm concerned about it breaking down.
I missed out on the deals last January and the Tariff threat kicked in and prices jacked up. But now they have come back down slightly.
Also I looked at 5L F150's and they cost almost as much.

So I've narrowed my choices down to 3 vehicles.
2023 Ram Bighorn with /edit- 6.7L
diesel < 300 miles ~53K
Warranty mostly used up sitting on the lot
2024 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~56K
2025 Ford F250 XL w/ 6.7 0 miles full warranty ~60K

To me the 2024 is the sweet spot.
/edit - what would you pick?

Not sure what the warranty situation on Ford is today, but in 2020, when I bought my Ram, Ram had full 5yr powertrain warranty on ALL driveline components. Ford only had 5yr engine warranty on powerstroke engine. Rest of drivetrain was 3/36. That was a huge difference in the confidence Ram had on their powertrain compared to Ford.

That may have changed.

300,000 miles on a 2 year old Ram means there’s no warranty left.

 

[Hay Dude]

I forgot about the Cummins gas engine that's coming out. I saw a few videos talking about it, but since it's not available yet, I haven't put any thought into it. Fortunately, I'm in no rush to buy anything yet, I just enjoy learning as much as I can before I make a decision to go into debt.

6-cylinder turbo charged gas engines are going to render the V-8 gas guzzlers impractical and obsolete.
They will make better torque at lower RPM and consume less gas.
Turbochargers last a long time and require little maintenance.