2014 Ram 2500 Cummins - my last hesitation
I'm sure this question has been asked and answered a 100 times here, so sorry in advance. I've been soliciting opinions on some of the various vehicle forums and thought this looked like a great place to get non brand specific advice.
Here's my situation. I am in the market for a new truck because I'm planning on selling my little pop-up trailer and moving into a larger travel trailer. I don't want anything massive because I want to be able to get it into some of the tighter mountain areas, but loaded with water, gear, toys and the seemingly limitless other items necessary to keep my wife and children happy, I'd expect this trailer will weigh in around 10,000 lbs, give or take. I live in Idaho so the mountain passes I'll encounter regularly are significant.
Initially I was thinking of a Ford Ecoboost, which is rated to handle the above trailer. But in the mountains with my family on board, I'm not so sure the margin of error with that kind of vehicle is enough to make me comfortable. Plus the payload on those trucks in a crew cab + 6.5' configuration can be challenging.
This string of logic led me to 3/4 tons, and I'm pretty sold on the Ram. The suspension setup seems perfect to me with coils and solid axles on both ends. And I like the engine options better than the Ford or GM, both gas or diesel. It may be silly but I'm also not a fan of the IFS on the GM. And pricing wise, the Dodge dealerships seem to be more willing to come down off sticker (perhaps the Dave Smith effect - I'm not sure).
Of the Rams, my natural inclination is the CTD. I've been around diesels a lot, and I love the way they drive and pull. I do a lot of my own maintenance so the extra costs can be minimized. I can get a Tradesman level truck with all that I want amenity-wise for around 37k or thereabouts. But my hesitation is I live a little over five miles from the office, and this truck will be my daily driver. A 6.4 obviously won't tow as well or get the MPGs, but it would be around $6k less up front and would likely work better as a daily driver.
Does anybody here have long term experience with a diesel as a short distance daily driver? I would use it on longer drives as well, in addition to the trips I'd take with the trailer, so it isn't like it would only be doing the short 5 mile drives. But it will be a daily fact of life.
I generally keep vehicles for quite a few years so I'm putting a lot of thought into this (or obsessing about it, if you listen to my wife).
Here's my situation. I am in the market for a new truck because I'm planning on selling my little pop-up trailer and moving into a larger travel trailer. I don't want anything massive because I want to be able to get it into some of the tighter mountain areas, but loaded with water, gear, toys and the seemingly limitless other items necessary to keep my wife and children happy, I'd expect this trailer will weigh in around 10,000 lbs, give or take. I live in Idaho so the mountain passes I'll encounter regularly are significant.
Initially I was thinking of a Ford Ecoboost, which is rated to handle the above trailer. But in the mountains with my family on board, I'm not so sure the margin of error with that kind of vehicle is enough to make me comfortable. Plus the payload on those trucks in a crew cab + 6.5' configuration can be challenging.
This string of logic led me to 3/4 tons, and I'm pretty sold on the Ram. The suspension setup seems perfect to me with coils and solid axles on both ends. And I like the engine options better than the Ford or GM, both gas or diesel. It may be silly but I'm also not a fan of the IFS on the GM. And pricing wise, the Dodge dealerships seem to be more willing to come down off sticker (perhaps the Dave Smith effect - I'm not sure).
Of the Rams, my natural inclination is the CTD. I've been around diesels a lot, and I love the way they drive and pull. I do a lot of my own maintenance so the extra costs can be minimized. I can get a Tradesman level truck with all that I want amenity-wise for around 37k or thereabouts. But my hesitation is I live a little over five miles from the office, and this truck will be my daily driver. A 6.4 obviously won't tow as well or get the MPGs, but it would be around $6k less up front and would likely work better as a daily driver.
Does anybody here have long term experience with a diesel as a short distance daily driver? I would use it on longer drives as well, in addition to the trips I'd take with the trailer, so it isn't like it would only be doing the short 5 mile drives. But it will be a daily fact of life.
I generally keep vehicles for quite a few years so I'm putting a lot of thought into this (or obsessing about it, if you listen to my wife).
