Hunting trucks ford 150, dodge ram or???

I have a 2008 Dodge RAM 2500 with diesel. Fuel economy is better than a comparable gas engine for the same power. However as soon as it starts pulling then the delta becomes even greater so the extra cost of diesel fuel is offset by less fuel burn.
As to maintenance... well other than filters I don't do anything to mine. It has been trouble free.
The other advantage is low end torque. When hauling and pulling it is much easier to manage since there is rarely a need to do other than release the brake and allow the engine to simply move the vehicle ahead on its own. There is no wheel spin or need to drive up the rpm to make it pull.
If I didn't have need to pull heavier loads I would opt for the Dodge 1500 with the Fiat marine diesel. It is a proven engine and will require less maintenance in the long term. If you buy and sell vehicles on a 3-5 yr cycle then a diesel isn't for you. Just go buy a disposable truck.
I agree that the Dodges especially need care for the body but it comes with most trucks if you are using them like truck. If you use your truck like an urban grocery wagon and expect it to look pristine throughout it's life then maybe you shouldn't be thinking of buying a truck. It may be you just need a cross over or SUV.

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Originally Posted by DGearyFTE

I have a 2008 Dodge RAM 2500 with diesel. Fuel economy is better than a comparable gas engine for the same power. However as soon as it starts pulling then the delta becomes even greater so the extra cost of diesel fuel is offset by less fuel burn.
As to maintenance... well other than filters I don't do anything to mine. It has been trouble free.
The other advantage is low end torque. When hauling and pulling it is much easier to manage since there is rarely a need to do other than release the brake and allow the engine to simply move the vehicle ahead on its own. There is no wheel spin or need to drive up the rpm to make it pull.
If I didn't have need to pull heavier loads I would opt for the Dodge 1500 with the Fiat marine diesel. It is a proven engine and will require less maintenance in the long term. If you buy and sell vehicles on a 3-5 yr cycle then a diesel isn't for you. Just go buy a disposable truck.
I agree that the Dodges especially need care for the body but it comes with most trucks if you are using them like truck. If you use your truck like an urban grocery wagon and expect it to look pristine throughout it's life then maybe you shouldn't be thinking of buying a truck. It may be you just need a cross over or SUV.

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The other expense to consider is when you get into the larger diesels (like you have) you could be looking into annual safeties for the truck and any trailer you haul (other than an RV).

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Originally Posted by DGearyFTE

If you use your truck like an urban grocery wagon and expect it to look pristine throughout it's life then maybe you shouldn't be thinking of buying a truck. It may be you just need a cross over or SUV.

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I don't expect a truck to look pristine, but what I've seen Chrysler products ( and a few GM as well) look like at the end of 6 years, is pretty poor in some cases. That extends to parts in the engine bay etc. Let's not get into fit and finish in the cabin spaces.

I'm a Ford F150 fan.....

From a recent Globe and Mail article:

The Canadian numbers for 2014: Ford sold 126,277 F-Series pickups in Canada, while GM sold just north of 90,000 Sierras and Silverados and the Ram pickup came in just shy of 90,000. Toyota sold fewer than 10,000 Tundras, Nissan just more than 3,000 Titans. Ugh.

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Originally Posted by last5oh_302

The other expense to consider is when you get into the larger diesels (like you have) you could be looking into annual safeties for the truck and any trailer you haul (other than an RV).

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Cost me about $125/year for the truck and $50 for the trailer.

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Originally Posted by Species8472

Cost me about $125/year for the truck and $50 for the trailer.

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yup and got that with my 1500 series so dosent really matter with a bigger truck or not...

as for diesel option in the 1500 series, i do like the idea, but it really gains you nothing in the end... i know before on the dodge website, when it first came out, they showed a comparison of fuel savings over all the other engines, so with the $5700 option it would take me 9.6 years to break even over my 5.3L, and now the cost of gas is well under diesel... and the towing is rated less then my gas engine... yes the diesel will tow "better" than my gas, but i havent had a single complaint on towing from my truck, so the diesel option dosent really interest me...

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Originally Posted by fishy steve

yup and got that with my 1500 series so dosent really matter with a bigger truck or not...

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I don't have one on my F150. Am I illegal?

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Originally Posted by last5oh_302

I don't have one on my F150. Am I illegal?

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sorry shouldve specified, truck is under my part time business, so is commercial and trailler is a tandem, with dual 5000 lb axles, so requires yearly safetys...

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Originally Posted by fishy steve

sorry shouldve specified, truck is under my part time business, so is commercial and trailler is a tandem, with dual 5000 lb axles, so requires yearly safetys...

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:goodstuff:

Has nothing to do with whether its registered to a business btw. It's only based on weights or MGVWR's, and yes, once you hook up that size trailer to even just a half ton, you need the stickers.