You're going to regret buying that RAM. Last year I bought a new 2015 2500 Big Horn with the 6.7 Cummins and have ended up putting about twice the normal miles on it because I can't stay out of the darned thing! Most comfortable vehicle I've ever owned and a joy to drive.
The RAM also got me in trouble with my wife last year. There was a young punk with a hopped up Honda with a wing on the back and a fart/buzz muffler who was weaving in and out of traffic cutting people off. We ended up sitting side by side at a light. When it turned green, he punched it and so did I. Outran the little bugger and had my 27' TT hitched to the back. When we got to the farm where we were going to boondock, everything was piled up in the back of the trailer and my wife let me know that it won't happen again.
And then there's that little issue right after I got it when we were at a restaurant and I was playing with the newly-installed smartphone app and accidentally sent a start command to the truck and didn't know how to cancel it. I ran out to the parking lot and turned the key on and off thinking that it would cancel it. Right after I got back in the restaurant and unbeknownst to me, it turned on the lights and started itself up and sat out in the parking lot running for the prerequisite 15 minutes before it shut itself off. At least it was nice and warm when we got back into it after dinner. Needless to say, I now know how to work the app.
I drive charter buses for a hobby and this winter I was driving an older bus and the heat in the front wasn't working. When I was about 30 minutes out on the way back to the garage, I pulled over and used my cell phone to send a start command to the RAM so it would be warmed up when I got back. The bus cleanup crew happened to be outside near the RAM when it flashed the lights, beeped the horn and started itself up. They spent 20 minutes looking for me and I was nowhere to be found because I was still over 15 miles away.
An then there's those couple of software and security updates. I had to download them to a thumb drive and then go out and stick it into the USB port on the truck so that it could update itself. Because of this inconvenience, I'm unable to know the RAM dealership mechanics on a first-name-basis like I did with my Fords. The only time I get to see them is when I take it in to have the oil changed.
And then there's that DEF stuff you have to dump in every couple of thousand miles. Other than when it's doing a regen, there's absolutely no exhaust odor and, after 23,000 miles, I can wipe my finger in the tailpipe and it will come out clean, no soot. What kind of diesel truck is this? It should smell, sound and make soot like a diesel. Also, you're really going to miss the fun of purchasing as much fuel as you did for that 6.4.
And then there's that cab noise. The thing's so quiet and smooth that it feels like you're doing 35 when you're actually doing 60. It's a speeding ticket waiting to happen.
And on the rare occurrence that you might need any kind of engine work, they don't have to pull the cab. While not nearly as interesting as getting to see your truck with the cab jacked off of it, at least you'll save at least an hour or two in labor.
Congratulations on your new purchase. I hope you "hate" it as much as I do mine! :)
Bill J.
Lexington, KY
MSGTRETIREDCSP wrote:
Well after all the trouble I had with my 6.4, I retired my 2008 Ford. It was a good looking truck and did well towing my 5th wheel. But after it started puking coolant, and Ford could not figure out the problem, it was time to say goodbye.
Ford had raised the cab, replaced the left side had gasket. After that didn't fix the problem, they raised the cab again and the Ford tech suggested replacing the right side head gasket, the vertical egr cooler and the horizontal egr cooler. This would raise the total cost to over $8000.00. Needless to say, I told them to button it up and I drove the truck home to retire it. I was able to get away with a $3700 bill!
I'm now the proud owner of a 2016, Ram, Tradesman. I just came home yesterday after driving back to New Mexico to bring the fiver home. The truck towed like a champ. It has the 6.7 diesel, Aisin transmission, 3:73 and a newly installed B & W hitch.
It might not have all the eye candy that my Lariat had, but what a towing machine!
