[Alente]

Hi, Im new to the truck wold and Im hunting for a used one for 14kish. Ill be selling my mustang and financing on it.
Anyways im on a fence of the 2, I love both but have never used either truck.
Ive found most 03+ rams to be cheaper than 04+ f150s, any reason to this?
And what are reasons I should get a ram? Ive asked at an f150 forum and am interested on what both owners input is on this.
Im looking for 4x4 and room in the cab with a strong v8.
With an f150 I have to choose 1 of the 2.
With a ram I can get a quad and 4x4 it seems.

P.S. gfs a ford fan but screw her input=P its biased.

 

[CdnoilRAM]

I drive lots of rental trucks for work, as well as own both a F-350 and a Ram 1500. I like to think I'm fairly impartial on the matter.

When it comes to the 1/2 tons, the 04+ Ram with either a 4.7L or a 5.7L win me over everytime, and I don't include the 03 because that hemi is bastardization of the magnum and hemi with very little support for the year. Ford builds a solid truck, they have a lot fewer issues overall, compared to all the manufacturers, it's just their engines that really lets it down. The 4.6L Triton was a decent motor for very light duty work, but the 5.4L was disappointing when it came to actually doing anything with. They were very poor on fuel mileage, I know, I had an '06 for a year from work... averaged 13mpg mostly highway. One thing it did do well though was haul weight, it had 365ft-lb of torque, and the cam was geared towards torque, no so much towards economy or speed. That said, I personally found the 3rd gen MDS hemi (06-08) to give the best of both worlds when it came both power and fuel economy. I average 17mpg on 87 through the winter with a very heavy foot, 19mpg in the summer, but when I put the MDS back on with the programmer and run 91 for long trips I've managed 21mpg with a quad cab short-box 4x4.

The 3rd gen rams tend to be less money because the ford has always had a higher resale value based on their known durability. I'm not saying the Dodges are unreliable, I'm just saying that after being the #1 selling truck in north america for 24years, they've got a good thing going on. It will be hard to find a F-150 that's got the club cab and is 4x4, they are not common, so if you particularly NEED the cab room, then you're better off looking at a Ram for those given years. They finally wised up in '07 and started putting longer cabs on the 4x4 frame, but sadly most ended up with the 5'4" bed, which is almost useless if you haul anything large.

I hope this helps.

 

[ArmyofOne]

If you are looking to spend 14k, you are pretty much restricted to 3rd gen, those trucks depreciate like their value has lead weights attached to them. The ONLY reason I went with a dodge was because the 4th gen's are so much better than anything else on the road. Their resale value seems to hold steady once it hits about 20-25k. In 2010, my truck was a year old. I got it used, with 42k on the clock, for $21,000. Has every option I thought was possible to get in a truck at the time, except for leather, which I did not want anyway.

Here are some good looking 3rd gen's to get you started:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4-Low Miles

 

[huntergreen]

if you can find a 3rd gen with the 5.9 diesel, 48re trans, 2500, you have found one of the most durable trucks made. great mpg and longevity. just make sure it wasn't chipped. i can't give an unbiased opinion between dodge1500 and f-150. just research the 5.4 engine as i "think" they were the most common.

 

[ArmyofOne]

The thing about diesel's though...if you dont USE them like they are designed to be used (towing, hauling heavy), you will "wetstack" the engine, causing oil blow-by...or worse.

 

[huntergreen]

The thing about diesel's though...if you dont USE them like they are designed to be used (towing, hauling heavy), you will "wetstack" the engine, causing oil blow-by...or worse.

mine were daily drivers and never towed near their max, never any issues. in his price range he won't be looking at at the 6.7s in which i would agree with you.

 

[snrusnak]

There's several things to consider IMO.

I'll say first of all, just about any new truck is a pretty good truck (even ford, chevy, nissan, toyota) even though I would never buy some of them and I "hate" them lol. Vehicles now a days have great quality and all perform well.

Sounds like you'll be looking at trucks about 5 years old give or take with your price range.

The hemi blows the 5.4L away both torque and hp. It also gets better mpg and is equally reliable. If you want a really strong engine I'd shy away from the ford 4.6L v8 in the ford and also the 4.7L v8 in the dodge(unless it's a 2008 and newer 4.7L, although that still may be "weak" for you, depends what you want). I will say that I have the newer 4.7L in my quad cab, and my father in law has the 5.4L three valve head in his late model F150 ext cab, and mine can pull just as much(although not rated for it) and is faster.

Both the fords and dodges have great transmissions during those years.

Both have good differentials, I will say that I think most if not all the fords had LSD, where many dodge's did not. Also though, with that "new" differential ford came out with they had many issues with them.

The dodge's are more comfortable and roomy inside. Also have larger brakes.

The rest is mostly opinion, appearance, options, etc...

The dodge is a much better value.

 

[Bikenut]

The thing about diesel's though...if you dont USE them like they are designed to be used (towing, hauling heavy), you will "wetstack" the engine, causing oil blow-by...or worse.

I agree! I lived through this and sadly, I caused over $10K in damage to my Duramax by NOT driving it enough :158:. Diesels are great, but they MUST be worked. ~ "Use it or loose it" fits diesels to a T

 

[huntergreen]

maybe i was lucky as i drove 65 miles round trip to work, like i said mine were dily drivers and grocery getters.

 

[bighorn 08]

ive owned both I owned a 05 supercrew and a 08 ram with the hemi. the ram had way more power than the 5.4. but the ford was way roomier. if you want power and probly a little cheaper price look at the dodge. but if you want more room look at the f150 it just all depends on what you want. believe me the backseat was not very comfortable in my 08 dodge quadcab. there just wasnt a whole lot of room not compared to the f150

 

[huntergreen]

dodges resale value is always less than ford, maybe more truck for the money by choosing dodge.

 

[CHVYKLR]

ive owned both I owned a 05 supercrew and a 08 ram with the hemi. the ram had way more power than the 5.4. but the ford was way roomier. if you want power and probly a little cheaper price look at the dodge. but if you want more room look at the f150 it just all depends on what you want. believe me the backseat was not very comfortable in my 08 dodge quadcab. there just wasnt a whole lot of room not compared to the f150

the ford is pretty roomy but it sounds like you are comparing it to a quadcab when Ram also offers a crewcab.

 

[snrusnak]

^I agree. The front room in the dodge definitely has more room.

 

[Bikenut]

Nothing has more rear seat room than the Dodge Megacab

 

[dodge man]

I agree with the person that said you really can't get a bad truck these days from the big 3. We have had a lot of GMC's, Chevys and Fords over the years at work. Its a little hard for me to compare because my work always buys 2 wheel drives and mine have been 4 wheel drives. Just my personal opinion, but I've always like my Dodges best, the Chevys and GMC's next and the Fords last.

The Fords 5.4. Is that the engine with plug problems? I know Ford had a lot of problems with spark plugs in the 5.4. Did they fix it for the years you are looking at? I'd research that before buying a Ford.

You have to work a Diesel to make it last? I can't agree with that, and I think its a myth. Its easy to say after you have problems that was the cause. Maybe this is true on the newer DPF vehicles.

 

[snrusnak]

The Fords 5.4. Is that the engine with plug problems?

Yes it is. Huge issues with broken plugs stuck in the heads on the 5.4L's.

If you have this engine in a F150, get the plugs done AT THE DEALER, otherwise you'll be pulling your heads off to tap the plugs out.

 

[RamManCan]

I had a '04 Ford FX4, extended cad with the 5.4. Not a bad truck. As far as the plug issue, I have heard some horror stories. I had mine changed at 110,000km when it was 6 years old with no problems. I have never rode in the '04ish year Dodges but I know my Ford seats were not really comfortable. The driver seat was OK 'cause it was power, but the passenger seat was not, and with the extended cab the back seat wasn't very roomy or comfortable compared to the crew cab Ford.

Currently I drive a 2010 Hemi Ram quad cab, and as far as fuel economy, both trucks average the same, maybe the Ram is slightly better but its also new. The Ford had more consistent fuel milage of about 17-18mpg. I find the Dodge averages the same but the range varies much more(much better on the highway, but much worse in town) Also, my dad has had the 4.6 and we had them at work and they tow just fine, if you are towing frequently, and max. capacity loads then maybe not, but for everyday use it is a fine engine.

Either way you go Ford or Dodge, I don't think you can go wrong as long as the truck is in good shape and it meets your needs!

 

[snrusnak]

^I agree with you, but you were lucky getting 17mpg, that's very good for the 5.4L. All the 5.4L F150 owners I know get like 12-14mpg.

 

[Wandell]

I'm following this thread because I'm researching for a future truck purchase. Trying to choose between the Ram 1500 or 2500 or another F-150. As a former F-150 owner (2001 Supercrew 4x4) I can tell you it was a great truck. As for the plug issue in the older 5.4 engine, there were a couple common issues. First, it was not uncommon for a plug to shoot out of an engine. This was caused by there not being enought threaded surface in the head. The second issue was plugs breaking off when being changed. This was caused by galling of a steel spark plug in an aluminum head. It's so common that Ford made a special tool to remove broken plugs from 5.4 engines. It's very common for a couple plugs to break during a spark plug job. I guarntee every Ford dealership has dealt with these two issues.

 

[ramsport62]

^I agree with you, but you were lucky getting 17mpg, that's very good for the 5.4L. All the 5.4L F150 owners I know get like 12-14mpg.

17 miles per imperial gallon = 14 miles per U.S. gallon!