Pick my next 1/2 ton pickup

[rootacres]

I am proudly still running one of those rams with the 5.7. it's been trouble free less the manifold bolts and cv boots. 220k and I am intently following this thread as I am probably looking to upgrade soon. Too bad the 5.7s are a thing of the past. It seems to get that reliability in a ram a guy will be stuck with the Pentastar V6 which might be good enough for most.

My brother has a 5.7 Ram, 2014 I think. Powertrain wise I think his has been good. My business is on the refinish side of the auto industry. Rams just scare me with the rust, coatings issues among a few other things. A friend of mine bought a 24' with the Penistar after riding around in my brothers. So I'll have a couple samples to go off of here over the next year.

 

[2ski]

Well when you buy your next truck let us know how the Hennessy R is lol.

Had i wome the mega millions(i only buy a ticket if it's a billion $ jackpot) i was gonna buy 5!

 

[rootacres]

Had i wome the mega millions(i only buy a ticket if it's a billion $ jackpot) i was gonna buy 5!

I'll cut you a deal. If I win the mega millions I will buy you one. If you win the mega millions you buy me one. lol

 

[kpk]

I wasn't a Ram guy until I drove one. If comfort is high on your priority list, you should at least spend some time in one. I did several 6-13 hour drives this year and put on 20k total and neither me nor my friends complained about comfort once (friends coming from a Sierra and Silverado). Everyone thought the Ram was the most comfortable of the bunch after riding in it. I'm told it's not as good as the Yukon Denali though.

As far as repairs, almost every used F-150 I looked at had mile long issues reported on Carfax which surprised me and scared me off. Tailgate opening, window motors, and parasitic battery drain - stupid stuff but saw it frequently and the battery drain issues would be very alarming (I know a guy that traded one in after fighting this for over a year). I saw more issues on Fords in my area than probably everything else combined when looking at vehicle histories - and I was set on a Ford when I started shopping.

Ultimately, I ended up buying a Ram after looking at and driving everything else. I bought a CPO and will likely trade it off when that's up. I don't know if I trust any of the new powertrains to not have a warranty on it. I'll either buy new or another CPO when the time comes.

 

[2ski]

I'll cut you a deal. If I win the mega millions I will buy you one. If you win the mega millions you buy me one. lol

Deal!

 

[rootacres]

Bump

 

[HuntHarder]

Bump

You gonna poop? Or get off the pot. I too drug out buying a new pickup. I think it took me almost 6ish months to finally pull the trigger.

 

[rootacres]

You gonna poop? Or get off the pot. I too drug out buying a new pickup. I think it took me almost 6ish months to finally pull the trigger.

Eventually, back to the OP, I mentioned in the next 12 months I’m likely to be shopping a new truck. So I’m a little ways out yet.

 

[Blueman75]

For what it’s worth, I’ve now had my 2024 GMC At4 with the 3.0 Duramax for 7 months. Wife and I took it on a road trip to Yellowstone, where it averaged over 25mpg. I often average close to 29-30mpg on trips to the Oregon and Washington coast. I’ve towed my 21ft Alumaweld Columbia boat several times and the truck does great, averaging 15-16mpg. I would buy this same truck again if something happened to this one.

 

[TimberRunner]

Rumor going around EPA is going to eliminate all the DEF rules on diesel. If that comes to fruition, I might consider a new diesel, manufactured under the new (or i guess old) guidelines.

 

[Perrin713]

Well my new 3.0 Duramax with 2,600miles is still at the shop going on 45 days? Still cannot figure out the fuel issue. They even brought in a tech from GMC and he was confused. Last I heard a week ago they are debating on replacing the entire fuel system on the truck. They gave me a new 5.3 loaner to run around. Not the greatest on fuel mileage compared to the 3.0 but very pleased with the engine.

 

[rileybassman]

Rumor going around EPA is going to eliminate all the DEF rules on diesel. If that comes to fruition, I might consider a new diesel, manufactured under the new (or i guess old) guidelines.

This would be cool if so. I’d worry that manufacturers would likely not action on this tho in the next 4 years. I went back and forth between the 3.0 and the 6.2 AT4 and ended up staying with the 6.2. Cost of ownership even with premium pencils out close or a hair better and not having to deal with an EPA neutered engine is appealing.

OP, whatever you get, I’d recommend a good warranty as they all seem to have hit and miss issues anymore.


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[tdhanses]

This would be cool if so. I’d worry that manufacturers would likely not action on this tho in the next 4 years. I went back and forth between the 3.0 and the 6.2 AT4 and ended up staying with the 6.2. Cost of ownership even with premium pencils out close or a hair better and not having to deal with an EPA neutered engine is appealing.

OP, whatever you get, I’d recommend a good warranty as they all seem to have hit and miss issues anymore.


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I have a 3.0 in my pickup and a 6.2 in my wife’s Yukon, the 6.2 is much more expensive to own.

 

[Scale]

I have a 2008 sierra 5.3L with 150k miles on it. had zero problems with it. If I were to buy a truck today I would probably go 3.0 duramax LZ0.

 

[rileybassman]

I have a 3.0 in my pickup and a 6.2 in my wife’s Yukon, the 6.2 is much more expensive to own.

Good to know… I don’t have a long commute and from my research, they don’t really recommend the 3.0 for short commutes and coupled with DEF and emissions stuff, it pushed me towards the 6.2.

How’s the response between the two motors?


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[LFC911]

I have a '22 LM2 with a 3-4" Ready Lift and about 62k miles. The only major issue I've had is the coolant control valve (well known issue) went out on me last Sept during elk season at around 54k miles. I drove it out to ID and back to KS w/o it going into limp mode. GM replaced the part when I got back and covered it under the powertrain warranty.

 

[tdhanses]

Good to know… I don’t have a long commute and from my research, they don’t really recommend the 3.0 for short commutes and coupled with DEF and emissions stuff, it pushed me towards the 6.2.

How’s the response between the two motors?


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The 6.2 will blow it away off the line but the 3.0 will tow without breaking a sweat. The 6.2 just eats fuel while the 3.0 sips it, the 3.0 definitely is not a rocket off the line but it has plenty of go to pass.

Our 6.2 eats almost 2 quarts of oil if we go the recommended time between oil changes, GM says it’s within spec, the 3.0 level never changes. Neither have had any issues, our yukon is a 2022 with 49k on it now and my Sierra is a 2021 with 70k on it, both bought new.

We seem to fill up the Yukon once a week and the Sierra every other on avg, my wife drives around 300 miles a week and I drive 250 miles a week on avg.

Def is cheap and if not towing I fill it probably every 6000 miles for around $18. Fuel filters are cheap and easy to replace, I do this every 25k for around $25.

Oil changes, transmission oil drop and filter replace, front/rear differential and transfer case all cost the same in maintenance.

The diesels have an 8yr 80k emmsions warranty and 5yr 100k power train while the gas only has a 5yr 60k power train. Both had 3yr 36k everything warranties.

Penciling it out, the 3.0 has been cheaper to own and held its value better, our Yukon is the Denali and it has tanked in value.

The 3.0 gets to operating temps quick, it seems fine for city driving.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I would wait till the NHTSA has completed their investigation on the 6.2 before I would buy one. Looks like 877K GM 6.2 motors will be recalled.

I have been in all 3 offerings of the F150 in the last month, tranny is getting replaced under warranty on my 250,
2.7 sucks looks like a truck only
3.5 is ok..
the new 400hp 5.0 hauls the mail...

All 3 were '25 STX 4x4 with less 800 miles. Stickers were in the glove box...3k difference between 3.5 and 5.0...get the 5.0

 

[rileybassman]

The 6.2 will blow it away off the line but the 3.0 will tow without breaking a sweat. The 6.2 just eats fuel while the 3.0 sips it, the 3.0 definitely is not a rocket off the line but it has plenty of go to pass.

Our 6.2 eats almost 2 quarts of oil if we go the recommended time between oil changes, GM says it’s within spec, the 3.0 level never changes. Neither have had any issues, our yukon is a 2022 with 49k on it now and my Sierra is a 2021 with 70k on it, both bought new.

We seem to fill up the Yukon once a week and the Sierra every other on avg, my wife drives around 300 miles a week and I drive 250 miles a week on avg.

Def is cheap and if not towing I fill it probably every 6000 miles for around $18. Fuel filters are cheap and easy to replace, I do this every 25k for around $25.

Oil changes, transmission oil drop and filter replace, front/rear differential and transfer case all cost the same in maintenance.

The diesels have an 8yr 80k emmsions warranty and 5yr 100k power train while the gas only has a 5yr 60k power train. Both had 3yr 36k everything warranties.

Penciling it out, the 3.0 has been cheaper to own and held its value better, our Yukon is the Denali and it has tanked in value.

The 3.0 gets to operating temps quick, it seems fine for city driving.

Love the write up - thanks for taking the time!!

Do you live in a cold climate? I'm in NW Montana and have heard from guys that their DEF consumption goes up to almost 1/4 to 1 ratio with fuel in the winters.

I'll watch for oil consumption... I have read that this can be from the DFM system - do you have a DFM disable in your yukon or do you just drive it normal? I'm considering doing a DFM disable and if the headers go, a long term delete. I usually drive it in M and set the transmission to "9" to stay in V8 mode. Mixed commute driving I'm seeing around 15.5-16 mpg with the 6.2. Haven't taken it on a road trip yet but based on the MPG estimates for quick highway jonts, looks like it will be around 20-21ish.

 

[rileybassman]

I would wait till the NHTSA has completed their investigation on the 6.2 before I would buy one. Looks like 877K GM 6.2 motors will be recalled.

I have been in all 3 offerings of the F150 in the last month, tranny is getting replaced under warranty on my 250,
2.7 sucks looks like a truck only
3.5 is ok..
the new 400hp 5.0 hauls the mail...

All 3 were '25 STX 4x4 with less 800 miles. Stickers were in the glove box...3k difference between 3.5 and 5.0...get the 5.0

This literally came out the week after I picked up my 2019 with the 6.2 lol. I work at a credit union, and we offer good extended warrantees... so I have a 6-year 120k mile warranty. Will be curious to see if GM responds and is able to find a fix... I hope so!

I'm curious how many of the issues seen are "covid cars" with out of spec parts etc.