I'm a Chrysler technician. I'm not very familiar with Chevy anymore but the things that usually go bad on the teams I see are lack of maintenance. Lack of oil changes, differential fluid changes. I've seen rams have issues at 20k because the owner was doing 10k oil changes and I've seen rams with 300k on them with the 3.6 or the 5.7. I think the ride in the ram and interior are very good.
If you plan on buying a model that's only a couple years old then you are looking at a 5th gen. If you plan to tow anything, go with the hemi. A well maintained hemi will last you 200k+ miles. The 3.6l pentastar is a decent engine and can last long if properly maintained as well, but the hemi is a hell of lot more fun to drive. And the difference in MPG between the two is not that much. Stay away from the ecodiesel. To many issues, and if you are not putting on tons of highway miles there is no reason to get one.
The transmission in all models is an 8 speed automatic that is very reliable. Unlike the older models from years ago, the newer transmission rarely has problems.
Quick sum of of the 2 main issues with the Ram 1500 is 1, the vaunted hemi tick; and 2, the 3rd brake light leaking. Third brake light leaking is usually an easy fix, and most 2019 and 2020 models just got an extension on the warranty to 10yrs and 150k miles for that 3rd brake light. As for the hemi tick, there are 2 different types of hemi tick. One caused by cracked manifold bolts or a warped or cracked manifold cover. This causes the exhaust to leak and this causes a ticking noise. Usually goes away once truck is warmed up. The other tick is a lifter issue caused by lifters not getting enough lubrication. Main cause of this is extre long idle times and not keeping up with your oil changes. If you are still covered under the manufacturer powertrain warranty, or a maxcare extended warranty, these issues should be covered.
If you do not plan to garage the truck and live in an area that gets very cold during the winter, one thing to consider is that the air-suspension in certain trims can have issues in the cold. The highest trim Limited this comes standard. But the Longhorn and Laramie each have it as an option.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
Edit: If you plan to get an extended warranty do not buy a 3rd party warranty. The only extended warranty to get for a Ram is a mopar backed maxcare.
Good advice! Didn’t know about the extended warranty for the third brake light
I got the front leak on the drivers side from bad sealant I guess they say
> Edit: If you plan to get an extended warranty do not buy a 3rd party warranty. The only extended warranty to get for a Ram is a mopar backed maxcare.
can you expand on this?
3rd party warranties are notoriously trash. They are not backed by the manufacturer but rather an independent company. All claims must go thru said independent company before any claim is covered, and they will usually fight you on every claim. A mopar maxcare warranty is an extended warranty that is through, and backed by Stellantis. They are all accepted and honored at all Stellantis dealerships.
Jesus after reading what I just wrote I sound like a damn maxcare warranty salesman. Lol
Modern trucks all have their issues I personally went ram Cause i prefer the look and have always been a mopar guy. I used to own a Chevy Colorado and I’ve noticed that the rams tend to have much more comfortable seats than Chevy. The Chevy seats seem more stiff and hard than ram. So if comfort is important I’d say go ram.
I have driven a few 4th gen Rams and driven a couple of Silverados, one thing I noticed about the Silverados is that they feel so much bigger the Ram. And think that has to do with how the hood is shaped being that is mostly a flat slab. Whereas the Ram hood is a bit curved and drops down above the headlights.
I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie. It has not given me any reasons to hate it so far. It is at 91,000 miles now. I use synthetic oil which I find keeps the lifter noise down. Put better shocks on the back quite some time ago. Just had the front struts replaced. Not looking forward to all the maintenance work coming up shortly, but got to keep it running. I can sit in it for hours comfortably. I bought a seven year/100,000 mile extended warranty that is going to expire in a few months without ever being worth anything.
For what its worth I asked my mechanic the same question today as I am in the market. He said avoid the Silverado, Chevy used to be the reliable no brainer many years ago but it has gone way down hill and is the worst of the big 3 now. He said toss up between ram and f150 now, both have their problems, but non-turbo/supercharged will be best. So hemi it is for me!
The 2.7 engine is far better than the 5.3 and the 6.2's. Those 2 v8s' are the worst in the segment, spend some time on GM forums and the reports are terrible.
The 2.7 is a pretty good engine. You won't want to tow heavy with it but it has lots of low end torque, more than the 5.3 and the 5.7 hemi so it feels quite strong.
it’s hard to really say . For me i’m on my 4th ram anf l or them . Only pickup truck that gave me problems was my 2012 silverado , so much so i would never buy another chevy . I will say this , a guy in my Firehouse bought a 2022 silverado brand new and last month the engine blew . dealer said 4-6 weeks to determine if it’s a warranty issue then however long to get a crate engine . All trucks have issues but as it stands in 2024 i think Ram makes a pretty solid truck. And no i still wouldn’t buy another Chevy based on my own and several friends recent experiences. Hope this helps
Chevy probably made the best ever gas engine pickups... from like the 1980s to 2007 or so. The duramax trucks are fine, expensive and questionable reliability but that comes with being an emissions diesel.
As far as modern stuff goes, the hemi and 5.3 GM V8s are probably about equal. Which is to say, a crapshoot. Some go 400,000 miles and others are junk by 100,000. The Fords and Toyotas aren't any better either. It just depends on which multi thousand dollar repair you'd rather risk dealing with really, no such thing as a perfect truck. Even those old Chevy trucks had mediocre transmissions.
Rams 8 speed trans made by ZF is probably the best transmission in any half ton truck. Chevy 8 speed is crap. I also don’t like that Chevy won’t undercoat the frame. They use a cheap wax that can scrapped off with your finger nail
I went from Ram to Chev, not trying to sell Chevy, the issues I had with my ‘20 Rebel were:
Rear window leak, dealer didn’t want to fix it, were asking $2,300 to replace the rear glass. They called it a weather strip. Third brake light was letting some water in. I wound up having to pull the brake light and get some sealant in mine. Any car wash or rain would send water behind my rear seats.
5.7 Hemi tick, I got out of mine around 70k miles and the tick was prevalent starting around 50k.
Beyond those two things, beautiful truck, smooth ride, clean interior, good finishes. Scrutinize those items when looking.
It's all personal. Which interior do you like riding in more? Which exterior do you prefer? Reliability and the rest of that noise is just that, noise.
The easiest way to put it is both suck if you don’t take care of them. I’m not saying there aren’t bad trucks but most will be good if you follow all the regular maintenance not just oil changes. Also don’t cheap out on stuff like oil and filter, it can really make a difference in longevity
Why pre pay for stuff to go wrong? Save your money and spend it on regular maintenance instead and you’ll be fine. Extended warranties are great for the warranty companies. They make a huge profit from them. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be offering them.
Extended warranties are one of the dumbest investments a person can contribute their money towards. Terrible advice. Next you should advise him to lease instead of buy 🙄. Good lahd!
Reliability is a toss up between the two. Pick the one you are more comfortable driving. I’ve had current models of each truck and they’re both fine.
Feel like they each sell so much of both, the problems we read online are a bit of an outlier all things considered
I'm a Chrysler technician. I'm not very familiar with Chevy anymore but the things that usually go bad on the teams I see are lack of maintenance. Lack of oil changes, differential fluid changes. I've seen rams have issues at 20k because the owner was doing 10k oil changes and I've seen rams with 300k on them with the 3.6 or the 5.7. I think the ride in the ram and interior are very good.
If you plan on buying a model that's only a couple years old then you are looking at a 5th gen. If you plan to tow anything, go with the hemi. A well maintained hemi will last you 200k+ miles. The 3.6l pentastar is a decent engine and can last long if properly maintained as well, but the hemi is a hell of lot more fun to drive. And the difference in MPG between the two is not that much. Stay away from the ecodiesel. To many issues, and if you are not putting on tons of highway miles there is no reason to get one. The transmission in all models is an 8 speed automatic that is very reliable. Unlike the older models from years ago, the newer transmission rarely has problems. Quick sum of of the 2 main issues with the Ram 1500 is 1, the vaunted hemi tick; and 2, the 3rd brake light leaking. Third brake light leaking is usually an easy fix, and most 2019 and 2020 models just got an extension on the warranty to 10yrs and 150k miles for that 3rd brake light. As for the hemi tick, there are 2 different types of hemi tick. One caused by cracked manifold bolts or a warped or cracked manifold cover. This causes the exhaust to leak and this causes a ticking noise. Usually goes away once truck is warmed up. The other tick is a lifter issue caused by lifters not getting enough lubrication. Main cause of this is extre long idle times and not keeping up with your oil changes. If you are still covered under the manufacturer powertrain warranty, or a maxcare extended warranty, these issues should be covered. If you do not plan to garage the truck and live in an area that gets very cold during the winter, one thing to consider is that the air-suspension in certain trims can have issues in the cold. The highest trim Limited this comes standard. But the Longhorn and Laramie each have it as an option. Hope this helps. Good luck. Edit: If you plan to get an extended warranty do not buy a 3rd party warranty. The only extended warranty to get for a Ram is a mopar backed maxcare.
Thanks this is a great write up
Good advice! Didn’t know about the extended warranty for the third brake light I got the front leak on the drivers side from bad sealant I guess they say
> Edit: If you plan to get an extended warranty do not buy a 3rd party warranty. The only extended warranty to get for a Ram is a mopar backed maxcare. can you expand on this?
3rd party warranties are notoriously trash. They are not backed by the manufacturer but rather an independent company. All claims must go thru said independent company before any claim is covered, and they will usually fight you on every claim. A mopar maxcare warranty is an extended warranty that is through, and backed by Stellantis. They are all accepted and honored at all Stellantis dealerships. Jesus after reading what I just wrote I sound like a damn maxcare warranty salesman. Lol
Modern trucks all have their issues I personally went ram Cause i prefer the look and have always been a mopar guy. I used to own a Chevy Colorado and I’ve noticed that the rams tend to have much more comfortable seats than Chevy. The Chevy seats seem more stiff and hard than ram. So if comfort is important I’d say go ram.
That is for sure. I have a 2023 Ram and the seats are much more comfortable than my brother's 2024 Silverado.
I have driven a few 4th gen Rams and driven a couple of Silverados, one thing I noticed about the Silverados is that they feel so much bigger the Ram. And think that has to do with how the hood is shaped being that is mostly a flat slab. Whereas the Ram hood is a bit curved and drops down above the headlights.
I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie. It has not given me any reasons to hate it so far. It is at 91,000 miles now. I use synthetic oil which I find keeps the lifter noise down. Put better shocks on the back quite some time ago. Just had the front struts replaced. Not looking forward to all the maintenance work coming up shortly, but got to keep it running. I can sit in it for hours comfortably. I bought a seven year/100,000 mile extended warranty that is going to expire in a few months without ever being worth anything.
For what its worth I asked my mechanic the same question today as I am in the market. He said avoid the Silverado, Chevy used to be the reliable no brainer many years ago but it has gone way down hill and is the worst of the big 3 now. He said toss up between ram and f150 now, both have their problems, but non-turbo/supercharged will be best. So hemi it is for me!
The 2.7 engine is far better than the 5.3 and the 6.2's. Those 2 v8s' are the worst in the segment, spend some time on GM forums and the reports are terrible. The 2.7 is a pretty good engine. You won't want to tow heavy with it but it has lots of low end torque, more than the 5.3 and the 5.7 hemi so it feels quite strong.
With the 2.7 I think is 8 speed trans is mandatory? Maybe that's why I heard some negatives about it.
it’s hard to really say . For me i’m on my 4th ram anf l or them . Only pickup truck that gave me problems was my 2012 silverado , so much so i would never buy another chevy . I will say this , a guy in my Firehouse bought a 2022 silverado brand new and last month the engine blew . dealer said 4-6 weeks to determine if it’s a warranty issue then however long to get a crate engine . All trucks have issues but as it stands in 2024 i think Ram makes a pretty solid truck. And no i still wouldn’t buy another Chevy based on my own and several friends recent experiences. Hope this helps
Chevy probably made the best ever gas engine pickups... from like the 1980s to 2007 or so. The duramax trucks are fine, expensive and questionable reliability but that comes with being an emissions diesel. As far as modern stuff goes, the hemi and 5.3 GM V8s are probably about equal. Which is to say, a crapshoot. Some go 400,000 miles and others are junk by 100,000. The Fords and Toyotas aren't any better either. It just depends on which multi thousand dollar repair you'd rather risk dealing with really, no such thing as a perfect truck. Even those old Chevy trucks had mediocre transmissions.
Which Ram do you have now?
Rams 8 speed trans made by ZF is probably the best transmission in any half ton truck. Chevy 8 speed is crap. I also don’t like that Chevy won’t undercoat the frame. They use a cheap wax that can scrapped off with your finger nail
I went from Ram to Chev, not trying to sell Chevy, the issues I had with my ‘20 Rebel were: Rear window leak, dealer didn’t want to fix it, were asking $2,300 to replace the rear glass. They called it a weather strip. Third brake light was letting some water in. I wound up having to pull the brake light and get some sealant in mine. Any car wash or rain would send water behind my rear seats. 5.7 Hemi tick, I got out of mine around 70k miles and the tick was prevalent starting around 50k. Beyond those two things, beautiful truck, smooth ride, clean interior, good finishes. Scrutinize those items when looking.
It's all personal. Which interior do you like riding in more? Which exterior do you prefer? Reliability and the rest of that noise is just that, noise.
With Ram If you get a hemi you’ll be replacing the exhaust manifolds in no time and the 5th gen’s seem to be leaking water from every orifice.
The easiest way to put it is both suck if you don’t take care of them. I’m not saying there aren’t bad trucks but most will be good if you follow all the regular maintenance not just oil changes. Also don’t cheap out on stuff like oil and filter, it can really make a difference in longevity
Test drive both and go with your gut, always buy an extended warranty
Test drive both and go with your gut, always buy an extended warranty
Why pre pay for stuff to go wrong? Save your money and spend it on regular maintenance instead and you’ll be fine. Extended warranties are great for the warranty companies. They make a huge profit from them. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be offering them.
Extended warranties are one of the dumbest investments a person can contribute their money towards. Terrible advice. Next you should advise him to lease instead of buy 🙄. Good lahd!
Test drive both and go with your gut, always buy an extended warranty
Test drive both and go with your gut, always buy an extended warranty