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Who cross-shopped a F250/350 and why did you go RAM?

23K views 179 replies 70 participants last post by  EO2Seabee 
#1 ·
I don't want to start a brand loyalty discussion, but I've mostly been a Ford guy (previous: '77 F150, '82 F150, '96 Bronco, '03 F250, '05 F250). Although I briefly had a Dakota 4x4 that my wife wrecked. I'm getting the itch for my first new truck instead of buying 10 year old ones with 100,000 miles on the clock.

This will be a fairly low mileage, daily driver, do-it-all like my previous trucks. Kids to school, pulling future toys (boat, RV, or whatever toy we decide to buy in the future), hauling stuff, off-road, snow, etc.

I'm nearly set on a '15-16 F250 6.7 crew cab lariat. But I can't dismiss the RAM yet. My brother has had a couple, my good friend has an '11 mega cab 6.7, father in law is a ram guy. I really like the looks, interior, and Cummins engine much better than the Ford. I'm scared of the 68RFE transmission in the 2500 (I blew the 4R100 in my '03 F250). The Aisin is a $3000 option only on the 3500. On the Fords, I like the power fold mirrors, keypad on the door, and other little "superduty" features better than the RAM. Plus all my accessories will transfer over (subwoofer, weathertech mats, tonneau cover, du-ha storage bin, etc) which is a minor plus when spending $60k on a new truck.

I read just as many horror stories of things going wrong on the cummins forum as I do on the ford forums so that seems a wash.

I'm not too concerned with max towing, but more having a "hot rod" 3/4 ton truck that gets up and goes like my modded '03 7.3 did. I plan to level it and run 35's, a tune, and when the warranty is gone, full delete.

Thanks.

EDIT: On page 7 of this thread I posted this link to the fordtruck.com forums with the same question posted. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...500-3500-why-did-you-pick-your-superduty.html
 
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#2 ·
My family has tended to own Fords so that's what I thought I'd buy, but several things pushed me towards the Ram. One, I just don't trust the Powerstroke in general. Ford has a terrible track record with their diesel engines and while I think the 6.7 has been an improvement, my trust level isn't where it needs to be, especially with Ford's reputation with warranty issues. The second big thing is that Ford chassis is an old dog that really needs to be updated. Drive them back to back and the Ford frame feels like a step back in time (because it is). The interior in the Super Duty sort of blows too but that wasn't a very big deal to me.

As far as the Ram goes, I love the Cummins and the high torque (low rev) nature it has. Great interior, great exterior style, awesome ride/handling for a HD truck, and great fuel economy. These trucks feel solid as a rock going down the highway. It also has the best exhaust brake in the business, and the control you have towing is second to none.

Just about all of the problems I've read about on the 68RFE have been on tuned trucks - at stock power they seem to be really reliable. If you want to tune a Ram, your best bet is probably a 3500 Aisin. I still don't understand how people think any of these modern diesels don't have enough power stock but I guess that's for another thread.

Edit - Ram has a power fold mirror option now too.
 
#12 ·
One, I just don't trust the Powerstroke in general. Ford has a terrible track record with their diesel engines and while I think the 6.7 has been an improvement, my trust level isn't where it needs to be, especially with Ford's reputation with warranty issues.
I owned a 2008 6.4L F350. It was an awesome truck! I loved the TorqShift Transmission and when I didn't have problems, it was the second best truck I ever owned and I've had many. I was one of the many people who had emissions problems on the 6.4L. It cost me $4500 when the EGR cracked and Ford wouldn't cover it (it's a long story). The F350 was awesome, the engine and transmission were awesome, the emissions and warranty sucked.

I disagree with what the above poster said. Ford (Navistar) came out with the 7.3L which is one of the best diesel engines out there. I'd take an old 7.3L truck if I ever got rid of my Ram.

The best truck I've ever owned is my current ride. It's over 4 years old, and has only been to the dealer for routine maintenance and 3 recalls. It's used as a daily driver, towing, grocery getter,etc. You get the picture. It has never failed to exceed my expectations. I would call that a reliable truck. Is it the fastest? Nope. Will it out pull a GM or Ford up a big grade pulling my trailer and toys? Nope. However, it is a workhorse of a truck that actually feels like it runs better when towing. It doesn't slow down up hills and the tow haul/ exhaust brake combo rocks.

I would never tell somebody not to get a Ford or GM. The Scorpion 6.7L is a huge improvement over the 6.0L and 6.4L. I don't go on the Powerstroke websites much but I believe Ford's gotten most of the bugs out of the 6.7L engine. The only thing I would warn somebody considering buying a Ford is they did not honor the warranty on the 6.4L engine. They did everything they could legally do to get out of paying for the emissions problems on the 6.4L

I swore Ford off just because of how badly they treated me and my family when my F350 left us stranded when the EGR cracked. I bought my current truck and don't have one single regret. Ford, GM, and Ram all make a good truck. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. It's up to you to find the truck that works best for you. I don't think you'd be wrong purchasing any of the 3 mentioned truck brands.

Lastly, there are alot of Ford bashers on this site and most have probably never even owned a Ford truck. This is a Cummins site and of course the opinions are going to be skewed to Cummins. I can tell you this, my Ram/Cummins is easily the best truck I've ever owned and have no plans on getting rid of mine.
 
#3 ·
Im a chevy fan but bought the dodge because of the motor. Both dodges have been work trucks so the bells and whistles aren't a deciding factor for me. Also Im a big fan of a manual trans for towing. Only tranny issues Ive had was the clutch wouldnt hold after power was added. I would buy a dmax before a pstroke. Just my .02
 
#4 ·
I'm probably going to get flak for this, but with what is offered and through my experiences, I'd have to choose the Ford Super Duty.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Ram for the looks, interior, the manual trans and Cummins 6.7

Ford just has a better built overall truck. The suspension components, transmission and electronics especially. Built in USA is a big thing to me also.

Until Ram can offer a truck with a BASE trans that isn't crude and suspension components that don't wear and/or fail within 50k miles, I'm out.

Again, I know this is a RAM forum, I hope other members here are mature enough to respect my opinion.

Thank you and good luck with whatever truck you choose.
 
#5 ·
I am driving a 2015 F250 with the 6.7 until my truck gets here (a 16 Ram 2500). I drive roughly 90 minutes one way to work with a mix of highway and city. I drive the custom trucks I build home at least one time before they are delivered to make sure they are tight. All the custom trucks are Rams and generally 2500s. I just delivered a custom jeep on a flatbed last night in the Ford. Here is what I have seen in roughly 10k of personal seat time in the Ford......

It rides like an unsprung log wagon - I hate the ride. The custom Rams ride like a car with big tires. The mileage on the Ford sucks and it regens at least 3 times a week. My average right now is 13.7 and I have been working to get mileage. I don't like the way the engine feels. It's "clattery" if that makes sense. Can't stand the dash or the radio.... I'm not a brand guy at all. I manage the truck department at my Ford store too. But if asked my opinion I will tell the person that asks - my garage will have a Ram in it. At least this year.....
 
#6 ·
I cross-shopped between an F250 and a Ram 2500 in 2014 and tested a King Ranch, Platinum and a Laramie. I ended up picking the Ram partly b/c the Laramie felt much more like a $60K truck than the F250 King Ranch or the Platinum; better interior with better materials, better ride, better infotainment, etc.

That being said, the Ford's 6.7 Powerstroke will give you more of that "Hot-Rod" feeling vs the Cummins (heck, they clocked a 2015 F350 4x4 DUALLY at 8.17 seconds 0-60).
 
#8 ·
I had a 2006 F350 powerstroke that I loved. I still miss the power and sound that engine had but I was exhausted trying to keep up with the repairs on it. There came a point where I fixed it enough to trade it in and thats when I decided to go with a more dependable cummins.

I love that the ram still offers a manual transmission which was another selling point for me, the uconnect with the huge screen is amazing. All around a better vehicle and more dependable with the cummins
 
#9 ·
I looked at all of the HD trucks back in 2013. This was my PERSONAL observations of the three:

Ford:
-I love the look of the truck on the exterior. It looks the most masculine out of the three. That's where it stopped for me. The interior looks terrible and dated. Too boxy and it didn't seem to flow. The seats weren't very comfortable. I read about all of the horror stories with the trucks and talked to a couple of my diesel mechanic friends and they told me to stay away. I didn't want the problems and headaches down the road. The other thing that killed it for me was the height of the truck. Because I park in the parkades downtown, the Ford wouldn't fit. Its almost an inch+ taller than the Ram.

GMC
-I liked the exterior styling and the motor and trans, but the interior was horrible!!! It was like getting into a cavalier. For 80K, it was very disappointing to say the least.

Ram
-I loved everything about the truck especially the motor. I have no regrets and absolutely love this thing.

R.K.
 
#10 ·
In the summer of 2013 when I was shopping for my new truck I looked at Super Duty's also. I was not impressed with the Fords. The ride was not as good, I did not like the gauges/dash, the price was way more for the same options on both, and the build just seemed to not be as good on the Fords. Before this truck I owned a 99 F350 and then a 04 F250. My Ram is better than both. I also drive a '11 F350 and '13 F550 at my local firehouse and would much rather drive my Ram, way better.
 
#15 ·
Cool story, thanks for the link. I'm leaning more towards RAM now that I've been reading more. Plus I think I'd really like a manual... if I can sneak that past the wife. She's driven my F250 probably 3 times in a year, so I should be able to get what I want.
 
#13 ·
Price. I went into the diesel market unbiased and first went to Ford (as my dad is a for man) and looked the 2014 F250 over, engine, interior, ect. Then to GMC/Chevy, then Ram. Went home and researched what I could on everything. Decided since they all need the DEF system, Ram has the better setup.

So I went to Ford and was quoted $51,xxx out the door. Went to GMC and was quoted $47,xxx out the door. Went to Ram and was quoted $41,xxx out the door. I went to Ford (just to see what I could do) and told them what Ram was quoting me. They said, "Oh no, we can't go that low!" I said, "If you could go 45,000, you got a deal." and they said, "Sorry, we can't do that."

So the next day, I drove away with a 2014 2500 Tradesman 4x4 68RFE 6.0L CCLB (with mild interior upgrades, back up camera, ect. Not the base base Tradesman) for $41,687 out the door.

And a note to add, love the thing! Not a single problem yet in 12,800 miles.
 
#22 ·
Price. I went into the diesel market unbiased and first went to Ford (as my dad is a for man) and looked the 2014 F250 over, engine, interior, ect. Then to GMC/Chevy, then Ram.
When I got my first diesel truck in 2008 we wanted the Dodge. Larry H. Miller Ford was giving $15k off MSRP on the FX4 6.4L diesels. The Ford was a nice truck and with the $15K incentive, we bought the Ford completely based on price. We got burned and my wife always reminds me of it. We should have followed our gut and got the Dodge but coulda-Shoulda-woulda.

I did learn a lesson and that is to never buy anything again based on what is the cheapest. We would have ended up saving alot of time and money had we just bought the truck we liked the best which was the Dodge.
 
#16 ·
On the Fords, I like the power fold mirrors, keypad on the door, and other little "superduty" features better than the RAM. Plus all my accessories will transfer over (subwoofer, weathertech mats, tonneau cover, du-ha storage bin, etc) which is a minor plus when spending $60k on a new truck.
I cross shopped. Not sure why you like the keypad on the door personally I thought it looked very 80's and that was my general complaint with the ford. The styling looked dated. The general body I liked everything else I though needed an update about 10 years ago to catch up with current times.

60k truck and a plastic dash........ no thanks.

The ram you can have the touch and go option. No key needed just have the dongle in your pocket. Impossible to lock your keys in the car the doors wont lock from the outside if you leave the dongle in the truck. If you managed to lock the door before you got out touch the door handle and it unlocks. I have power folding mirrors so those options are equal. Stereo in the Laramie is damn impressive I don't know why you would need to add an additional subwoofer. I'm into stereo's or at least I used to be in my youth. Also drive a range rover and the ram stereo blows it away. Now the head unit mmmmeeehhh. Not horrible not fantastic but neither is the ford. GPS might actually be better in the ford the rams kinda sucks its basically a tomtom.

I also liked the Cummins motor better than the ford although I don't think you can go wrong with the ford. The ford is quieter.

At the time I was shopping the Ford also wasn't competitive price wise. It was more and IMO offered less per $ spent. I think I have seen lately the Fords are more competitive right now so that might have changed.

For me I really liked the interior and options offered by the ram over the ford. But I don't think you could go wrong with either truck. Both have their plus and minuses. Good luck with your decision I went back and forth a few times.


I have always been a Ford fan but after finding out that lot of the times the cab has to be removed to do engine work,
This also scared me because I like to do a lot of my own work. I would have no way of easily removing the cab. Seemed to me a way for ford to push more dollars into the dealers pocket and require stealership service.

So I went to Ford and was quoted $51,xxx out the door. Went to GMC and was quoted $47,xxx out the door. Went to Ram and was quoted $41,xxx out the door. I went to Ford (just to see what I could do) and told them what Ram was quoting me. They said, "Oh no, we can't go that low!" I said, "If you could go 45,000, you got a deal." and they said, "Sorry, we can't do that."
Same thing played out with me except GMC was never an option. The Ford guys didnt want to get near Ram pricing for a comparable truck. They were always about $3k-5k more.
 
#17 ·
I owned a 99' F350 7.3 for 14-1/2 years and had all intentions of buying a new F350 in 2014.

But after driving and looking closely at the new F350, I was very disappointed. So many things on the F350 had been cheapened up over the years. From a toughness standpoint, it was very lacking. Sad Really.

Our 14' RAM 3500 CTD is the polar opposite and has exceeded all my expectations. It is one tough truck. Light years ahead of the 98' RAM 3500 I had before the Ford.
 
#20 ·
I chose the Ram because I'm more comfortable with the overall durability of the Cummins than the powerstroke and the amount of truck I was able to get at a particular price point.
 
#21 ·
I had a 2011 F250 6.7 PSD 4x4 CC until buying a Ram 2500 6.7C 4x4 Mega. Couple things Ford (and GM) can't touch:

Mega cab - Far and away more useful and more comfortable than a regular CC and I never realized until having it.

Suspension - I prefer the solid front axle so GM is out and the 5-link coil sprung Ram 2500 rear suspension absolutely kills the other two in overall ride quality, especially unloaded but loaded or unloaded there's no comparison IMO.

Frame - Ford's open channel frame is simply not comparable to Ram or GM fully boxed frames and that just enhances Ram's suspension advantage, better ride quality, solid feel to cab.

Beyond that I think everything else is subjective or minor.
 
#23 ·
I cross-shopped both domestics but decided the Ford's interior was ATROCIOUS and the GMC dealers weren't discounting the (at the time) "new" 2015s hardly at all. Love the RAM interior and I knew about Cummins engines. SOLD.
 
#25 ·
I've crossed shopped in the past, and owned my fair share of bowtie 1500s. But when it comes to a diesel I'm a cummins guy through and through. Inline cylinder configuration, solid front axle, and a manual transmission, no one else offers it. I have friends with Dmaxs and all different ford diesels and while some of their trucks are quick off the line they all have had major issues before 200k rolled across the clock.

I'm a gear head and I'm beyond meticulous about maintenance plus enjoy parts interchangeability so all my trucks are cummins powered whether in the 3.9, 5.9, 6.7, or 8.3 liter variations.
 
#26 ·
I drove a 2012 F350 Lariat before buying my Ram 3500. The Ford was quiet. Unreal how quiet it is at idle. Acceleration was great, handling was nice, braking was competent. I disliked the low bed walls as I had gotten to love having the taller walls of my Tundra. I loved the tail gate step...but there was no draw to the truck. My wife and I walked away shaking our heads for the second time when we shopped for one. I looked at a 2012 Chevy D/A, but couldn't get over the dash, and the lack of back seat room.
Out of desperation, and on a whim, I stopped at the Dodge dealer on the way home. I was blown away. I picked up my wife and took her down to the dealer. Ram not only upped the game in our opinion, but put it on a new field. Buttons were in the right place, seats were designed well, options were what we wanted. We spec'd one out with the sunroof, Aisin (to counteract the 3.42 gears), everything we wanted. I'm at 49,000 miles now, and I think I have a ball joint going on the drivers side and my windshield washer is pathetic. My truck is as tight otherwise as the day it rolled into my life. It is an amazing truck.
 
#27 ·
I had a 2003 f250 with a 6.0 power stroke for about 5 years. Was a nice truck, crew cab 4x4 ect. I took good care of the truck, regular servicing, etc.

There where times when I paid more for repairs than I owed on the truck. Sneaky EGR delete, and 4 inch turbo back were the only mods. No tunes.

I replaced a high pressure oil pump, the sensor / pigtail to the high pressure oil pump, 3 injectors, fuel pressure regulator ( I think, my wife had it done because it died on her while I was deployed ) 2 different alternators, and the last straw was a blown intercooler. The end caps of the intercooler were PLASTIC from the factory. Truck left me with 0 boost and minimal power in the mountains outside raystown PA with a trailer loaded with 4 jet skis.

I installed a banks intercooler, sold it, took a break from trucks to build my 500awhp Audi B5S4 and when the truck bug bit again I test drove a Chevy and bought a 15' megacab ram. I never even considered ford.
 
#28 ·
I always had Chevrolet gas trucks in the past. When I decided I wanted a diesel, I did my research and the cummins won hands down. I bought my first one in 06 and never looked back.
 
#30 ·
Essentially the same here. Always had GM or Chevrolet Trucks. When I got a large enclosed 28' trailer, I needed something way more practical to tow it with. Plus (at that time) in '05, Diesel was less than $2.00 a gallon (way cheaper than gas). Checked out a Ram for the first time, and bought two of them (a Hemi for my son as well). Still own it today. Have never owned a Ford. Nothing really against it. Just prefer the Ram styling, overall build, and wanted the Cummins. :thumbsup:
 
#29 ·
First 5 topics on the Ford 6.7 forum:

1. 2015 F-250 Not Starting
2. Truck Shut Down While Towing
3. Cleaning Exhaust Filter Rough Engine/Noise
4. Trading my F150 for a 350
5. 2011-13 Runs Rough/Misfire During Regen (21 pages long)

First 5 Topics on the Cummins 6.7 forum:

1. Look What I got for $30k
2. 2013+ EFI Live
3. Front Suspension Help
4. *this thread
5. Deals on Oil Filters

If you had to base your decision on just what you saw in the forums, you'll make the switch from Ford to Ram like I did. I spent 12 years with my Ford and I'm certain I made the best choice.
 
#36 ·
First 5 topics on the Ford 6.7 Problems forum:

1. 2015 F-250 Not Starting
2. Truck Shut Down While Towing
3. Cleaning Exhaust Filter Rough Engine/Noise
4. Trading my F150 for a 350
5. 2011-13 Runs Rough/Misfire During Regen (21 pages long)

First 5 Topics on the Cummins 6.7 General Discussion forum:

1. Look What I got for $30k
2. 2013+ EFI Live
3. Front Suspension Help
4. *this thread
5. Deals on Oil Filters

If you had to base your decision on just what you saw in the forums, you'll make the switch from Ford to Ram like I did. I spent 12 years with my Ford and I'm certain I made the best choice.
*fixed that for ya. :thumbsup:
 
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