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want to trade my tacoma for ram, everyone says ill regret it

16K views 36 replies 28 participants last post by  Ramsh70 
#1 ·
Hi every one I joined this forum in hopes of learning more about the ram.
I currently drive an 08 Toyota tacoma.had it for five years and never had
any problems with it.I've always liked the look of the ram1500 and know
They came out with a v6 I'm very tempted to trade my taco..all my friends and
Coworkers tell me the ram doesn't hold its value like the tacoma and that
Their not reliable. Two of my coworkers owned rams and their telling me
I will regret it if I go ahead with the trade. Guys in all honesty is the ram 1500 really
That bad.why do they have such a bad reputation?
I need a full size truck that's good on gas so it will be between the ram with the v6 or the
Ford.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Well your friends are probably right about the resale value of your Tacoma. They are renown for holding their value, and justifiably so. I sold my Taco for $9000, and it had 180k on it. Matter a fact I had 4 people call me up the first day the ad was posted, and one guy offered me full price, sight unseen! He hopped on a bus the next day to come pick it up. Obviously I undervalued it... lol. But at the time there were hardly any Tacomos for sale comparable to mine so I had no idea of the value. I had a number in my head that I was going to be happy with and I ended up getting more than that, so I wasnt too upset.

They are awesome little trucks though. The thing is, they are little trucks. The Ram is a full sized truck with a lot more power. Its like comparing apples to oranges IMO.

You wont be disappointed. I sure wasn't.
 
#3 ·
Rayne is correct ...

Taco's hold their value incredibly well. Outside of that ~ The Ram shines in every other avenue. I traded in a Tundra for my Ram, and have no regrets.

Once you move up to a full size, its a huge wake up call :)
 
#6 ·
What you plan to do with the truck?? The Tacoma is a 1/4 (Compact Truck) ton truck and it is among the best in it classes. Now the Ram is more in the class of the Tundra 1/2 ton truck mean to tow heavier load and stuff. I never test drive a V6 Ram so I can't not really tell you how it feel, but I truly believe a Ram is more V8 kind of truck, unless the V6 is supercharged or twine turbo like the Ecoboost. Ram is a bigger truck hence use more gas but gave more power also less reality then a Tacoma. So if a city person and do not need to tow heavy load or climb out a mud hole then stay with the Tacoma, you will be much more happier. Hope this help.
 
#8 ·
as others have said..make sure you have a good understanding of what you need the truck to do. depending on which Taco you have, and which Ram you want..the specs can be pretty close wrt capabilities.

the '08 Taco can max out at ~6500lbs towing, and 1200lbs hauling. depending on the trim, and the gears..a full sized Ram (v6) can max out at ~4500lbs towing, and ~1500lbs hauling.

you can get a much bigger bed in a Ram..but if that isn't required for you, then you might be happier keeping your Taco.
 
#10 ·
Guys in all honesty is the ram 1500 really
That bad.why do they have such a bad reputation?
In the past, Dodge has had a few ... issues ... But recently RAM has really worked their asses off to straighten out the brand... Look at the reliability ratings for 2013:

http://www.cars.com/go/advice/Story.jsp?section=buy&story=topDependBrd&subject=most_depend

Um, Yeah, You're reading that right. RAM is top 10. Above Ford. Look who is at the Bottom, Dodge. Why is this? Well, RAM has been reinvented from the ground up. Jeep and Dodge are still weeding out some of the old models, and once everything is refreshed -- those brands will catch up, but it'll take some time.

Sometimes Stereotypes die hard. I know people who think VW's are greatest most reliable cars on the road. But they are right there on the bottom.

I need a full size truck that's good on gas so it will be between the ram with the v6 or the Ford.
The F150 doesn't have a "True" fuel sipper. The Ecoboost is built to compete against V8's not the Pentastar. The Pentastar will beat any ecoboost any day of the week in MPG. It's just not super 'peppy' in the butt dyno arena.

The problem with RAM (And all American manufactures) is they dilute their values with big holdbacks, rebates, and incentives. Resale on 1500's has been Dismal in the past, but it is slowly increasing to match market for full sized American trucks. If the 4th Gen RAM keeps reliability up, you'll see a drastic swing in resale, since right now it is indeed, pretty low.

Taco's are a bit of a rare breed. Since there really isn't much competition anymore for the Tacoma, resale stays pretty good on them. But for the most part, that market was hit hard by the SUV. But, the reason why Tacoma's sell so well, are Teenaged Boys. They are Good Cheap reliable trucks for that kid who wants a truck. Period. Go to any high school parking lot and you'll see 15 of them. Parents trust them since they are "Toyota's", and kids love them since they are cool trucks. (Honestly, if my kid was turning 16 today, I'd buy him a Tacoma)

Dude, so, stop listening what people say. Go drive one and make up your own mind.
 
#11 · (Edited)
No question Tacoma's hold their value very well and are a solid truck, but as others have said you have to define what you want in a truck and how you will use it. If re-sale value is the most important factor for you, go with a Tacoma. A Tacoma would also be a good choice if you do not need a lot of truck, want one that is easy to park and if garage space is an issue. Other than that, fuel mileage is about the same or maybe only slightly better in a Tacoma vs a V8 Ram, yet with a full size truck you have considerably more room, power and overall capability. Then there is the V6 flavor Ram which returns excellent fuel mileage and yet you have the capacity of a full size truck.
 
#12 ·
If you need to haul or tow a lot
stay away from anything with Coil Springs
Leaf springs are needed for those heavier loads
 
#13 ·
I sold my Taco and bought a '13 Ram, haven't regretted the decision. More room, capacity and the gas mileage is on par with what the Taco was getting. Did I mention the extra power!!! The only problem I had was getting used to fitting it in parking spots, it is wider!
 
#14 ·
But if you are going to tow within your prescribed manufacturers limits, the coil suspension will be fine. There's always using a utility trailer in tow that can handle the payload so the bed of your truck doesn't have to. And I know GT means well (sorry GT), and probably hates his smooth riding coil suspension but if you consider a Nissan Armada and it's coil suspension, my wife, and six grown adult kids with a 6500lb Pontoon in tow, handled it just fine for two years worth before downsizing. Of course the Armada has a 5.6L V8 to boot.
 
#15 ·
What are your frieds smoking? I'm on my third Ram because they have been very good to me and by far the best looking truck made! And that's coming from mostly a Ford guy. As far as holding their value the dealer gave me $1,500 over book value for my 05. I dare you to go test drive one that should make your decision easy.
 
#18 ·
If you need more:
Towing power
Room to stretch
Comfy road trips
Larger bed

Then get the Ram. If not refer to the following-> "If it ain't broke don't fix it"
 
#19 ·
I have had three Rams....2003, 2007 and now a 2013. My wife has had four Tacomas ...1992, 2002, 2005 and 2011. Guess I am qualified to share my opinion. The Tacoma is a better truck as far and fit and finish. I have had paint problems on all of my Rams, especially my 2013. None of the Tacomas had any paint issues...none! The Tacoma has a better interior. My 2013 Ram with a Hemi and 3.92 rearend gets almost as good mileage as my wife's 2011 Tacoma Sport with a V-6. I get about 17 mpg under regular driving conditions with my Hemi. My Ram is a Quad Cab and it has considerably more interior room than the Tacoma Crew Cab. It also has a much bigger box. My Ram has a much more comfortable ride than the Tacoma. Over the years, my wife's Tacomas have been in the shop less than my Rams. All of our trucks have been driven over 100,000 miles before trading. We live in the country but drive frequently in a city of over 200,000. The Tacoma is a heck of a lot better in tight places. Again my major complaint about my Ram centers around fit and finish. Chrysler needs to get with it. If they don't, I'll be buying a Tacoma next time around. Both are very handsome trucks and I think that I look darn good in either and I am not a teenager....far from it at age 70. :)
 
#20 ·
I just traded my '10 Taco TRD (21k mileage) for a Ram 1500 4x4. I thought the same thing when I was looking at the RAM. The Taco just did everything I needed and was 100% reliable with none of the small piddly-s#t that goes wrong to bother me. The only thing wrong with the Taco's are they are way looooong in the tooth in design. Another Taco (2006, 2010) would have meant just a color change for me, and that's it. Why change a good thing I guess?

I keep my stuff super-clean and the dealer gave me a lot more than I thought for the Taco. They knew it wouldn't be a hard sell. I was initially going to do an Express and add the hood, tires, etc... but went for the Sport loaded up. The RAM truck is awesome to look at. Been so busy adding and modding I owe the forum some pics. I did notice some things already thought that may be signs of things to come (my overflow cap doesn't stay on). OK, so I'm picky....

I do have to say one thing... even knowing resale value may not be be what the Taco was,...

I don't regret trading for the Ram Sport! It is a nice looking, powerful truck... fingers crossed for reliability.

Matt
 
#21 ·
I looked hard at Toyota back in 2008 when I bought my first Hemi. The rebates available from Chrysler were a deal breaker for the Toyota. A well equipt Ram was less money than a stripped 2007 Toyota.

Recently I traded a 2010 Ram Big Horn for a 2013 Express for $6k plus the trade after three years and 32,000 miles. Driving a new Hemi for $2k/year seemed like a good deal for me as far as resale value.
 
#22 ·
Hey guys thanks for all the replies.I'm gonna go for a test drive tommorow and I see were ill go from
Their. By the way my taco is a crew cab sr5. So far it seems the intelligent thing to do is to wait for the 2014 models. From what I've read here ,the 2013 models are showing up with a lot of problems. But lets see how the test drive goes tomorrow.
 
#24 ·
Willy, I've been looking for REAL problems with the 2013. I don't rate a uConnect issue as a REAL problem, although I can see a lot of folks on here do and I can empathize. What's VERY important to me is the drivetrain reliability. Are there problems with this? I saw one report on here (I know, not EVERYONE owning a 2013 is a member here) of a bad valve on a hemi (correct me if I read wrong).

I still own a 2003 Tundra SR5 stepside 4x4 that had and still has two issues that Toyota corporate refused to address, weak LEAF springs that just lost their capacity inexplicably, and a front end "clunk" that just won't go away. I took it to 3 dealers over the 7 years I had it under warranty and all of them tried, and failed, to rectify these 2 issues. It wasn't a case of lazy dealers either, they ALL did a lot of part swapping (for the front end)...interestingly NONE of them did anything for the rear (per corp. Toyota lack of interest).

Good thing my wife LOVES the Tundra and has claimed it as hers, and I have confidence in the quality of the drivetrain of this truck to last 300k or more the way we take care of it. Since she won't be pulling trailers with 9000# across the state of Texas like this Ram will, it's a great truck for her and the 3 kids left in the house to go run errands and bring home some feed and hay for the livestock from time to time. This Ram is going to do some heavy pulling for a few times a year, so I'll be giving everyone here an earful if/when (heaven forbid) problems surface. Hint: the Toyota fanboys of tundrasolutions.org weren't very fond of my posts exposing the problems with the beloved Tundra, but they tolerated it and I think in an indirect way Toyota was reading them since EVERYTHING I had a problem with was completely redesigned in the next generation of Tundra's: weak rear suspension, troublesome brake warp-age(although mine had the upgraded brakes), etc.

So Willy (or anyone reading this), please do me a favor while I'm in my 30 day window to cancel my contract and help me find all those problems I can't seem to find. P.S. I'm not being a smart-*ss at all, please don't think I am, I'm just wanting to be a fully informed consumer, that's all.:4-dontknow:
 
#25 ·
I have to admit I like Tacoma's. The guy I work with had one with a small lift and some bigger tires. Was a good looking truck and held it's value when he traded for the Tundra he has. My problem is for a small truck his gas mileage was terrible and to me it just felt cramped inside. I had a 2009 Ram Crew and now a 13 ram crew so I like a big interior. The 12 Tundra 4x2 he has is really nice but it has less options and cost more than my 4x4 Ram Lone Star/Big Horn
 
#27 · (Edited)
I think the answer is simple, if you ask yourself the right questions.

Do you need/want a bigger vehicle? Either to tow more, haul more, or carry more people.

Can you afford a new truck payment?

If you answered yes to both, then get the Ram. If not, you will be fine with the Taco.

As for reliability. The Ram will have a warranty. Weather or not it has problems is to be seen, but any problem that does happen, is fixed for free. Any problem the Taco has, however infrequent, will come out of your pocket.

Dodge had a checkered history of reliability. Look at an 06 or older truck, nearly all of them have rust above the rear wheels on the bed, all of them have had some front end problems, and generally were not reliable overall. Chrysler knows this, which is why they've gone to great lengths to fix it. It's also why the brand is now called Ram, and not Dodge anymore, to distance themselves from the old reliability issues. Chrysler really has fixed it's quality issues, and is now making a reliable and competitive product.
 
#28 ·
To add, I get 17mpg with the Ram 1500 (@500mi so far) and with the Taco, I got 17mpg (18mpg after changing to Synth Oil).

The Taco does have issues too. Rear drums clunk at a stop sometimes, blower fans make noise, frame rust, spare tire mount issues, etc... The forums are a place that seems to funnel any problems to one area... I don't see a lot of "drove my truck the last 6 mos without issues" posts... I'm not knocking the forums BTW, they are a GREAT place for a wealth of useful info and for us to share experiences!

Just my $.02
Matt
 
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