Hey guys, new to the site and was hoping to get some of your advice. So I am considering trading in my '04 Bonnieville GXP for a used '09 Ram 1500 with 43k on it.

I was just wondering if you guys could give me some pointers of what to look for when I'm taking a look at it. I read an issue pertaining to bolts breaking off in the heads, is this common? This will be my DD and work truck so I would need it to be rather maintenance free (which i know is a goal for everyone), but I am also currently working on a project car of mine.

Also, what kind of MPGs are you guys getting? It's not a huge concern really but i would like something that gets close to my GXP which for me is around 16-18 combined MPGs. Do the '09s have the MDS?

So far I narrowed it down to either the new Ram or a F-150, but I prefer the styling of the Ram.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Not sure what bolts that you are referring too. I have owned both and prefer my Dodge over the F150 that I had.

 

Bolts breaking inside the heads? Are you referring to the somewhat common exhaust manifold bolts, there have been complaints with this occurring.

Yes, MDS is available on all 4th generation Hemi's.

Gas mileage will "strongly" depend on driving habits, plus the vehicle setup, gears, 4wd/2wd, city/highway driving, weight of truck, reg., quad, crew, etc... Mileage threads are all over this forum, so it's a rough question to get an adequate answer to your personal expectations.

I've been extremely happy with my crew-cab sport, owned over three years now. I can say however, it does better mpg's then my '07 Ford Explorer Ltd. with 3V 4.6 V8.

 

Most of the issues I would think would have been taken care of by now. That being said, is this purchase from a dealer? If so they can see if all the RRT's and recalls have been done. My truck gets 18-20 on the highway at about 70 mph. Towing, I'm looking at around 12-16 mpg. All of these numbers depend on wind speed and direction and your foot. I've gotten up to 22 mpg with my truck.

 

First of all it is a truck with 42k miles on it. Just like any truck with 42k miles I would first check the brakes and rotors for wear. Also try to get a log of all the work that has been done on it, RRT's as mentioned and recalls.

Hopefully it has all the scheduled maintenance at decent intervals. Check every feature, air and heat all positions, windows, power seats, mirrors, every option it has multiple times. Get a car check to see if it has been in any accidents, take it for a spin, city and highway. Run the trans through its gears. Kick the tires just for fun.

Look for body rust on the lower portions of the truck, don't worry to much about the drive shaft and differential if it is rusty, it is normal after awhile.

Check the manual so you know what maintenance will be coming due in the near future.

Finally try to get a decent warranty from the dealer, 90 days at the least, hopefully more.

I have 42k on my '09 and have had one problem, a motor for the HVAC blend door went bad and I was able to fix it myself. Other wise mine has been trouble free and a pleasure to drive since I have owned it.

 

See if spark plugs replaced at 30k as called for. You can use a 100,000 plug in it instead of the cheap nickel tipped ones from the factory.

 

I just bought a 2009 Ram 1500 crew cab big horn hemi 4x4 with 90,000 miles right after Thanksgiving this year. It did have broken bolts causing an exhaust manifold leak on the passenger side. This is a $5-700 repair if it's just replacing the bolts/gaskets. If they have to remove the head its easily in the $1,000+ mark. Per side! Reason I know this is because mine just got repaired. So if it sounds like a bad donut gasket during cold start up and goes away be sure to have them fix it before you sign the dotted line. It then comes with a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty after repair. Another thing to look for is that all the power locks work and go up and down like they're suppose to. These trucks have a big problem with the rear doors breaking the wiring causing the locks not to function properly and sometimes the speakers make no sound as well.
I averaged 14mpg on my first fill up on a tank of gas by tripometer miles/gallons. When I was driving on the highway I seen it hit 20.0mpg, and average 16-17 on the dash display. However I drive only 6 miles to work everyday and a lot of running around town. Seems the longer you drive and maintain your speed the better it gets. During Stop and go your gauge will drop from full to E rather easily. A lot depends on driving style. This truck has A LOT of power. It is responsive, fast, fun to drive. But its costly. Its going to take some time to become a conservative driver to get good fuel economy.
On the FORD F150 note. Leave it where it sits. The 3 valve 5.4L Triton engine spark plug design is absolute rubbish. When it comes time to do a tune up the plugs break off in the head. The plugs cost $12-18 EACH and when they break off in the head it costs you per plug x amount (either a half hour or full hour labor) to remove them. You need a special tool to remove them that costs $100 to do it yourself. The room is limited and it is not an easy fix. All the F150s with the 5.4 do it. No matter how careful you are the tune up will cost $500 yourself or dealer cost about $1,000. No thanks. The power difference is night and day. The RAM is has so much more than the Ford. Especially an 09 or newer Ram with 390hp stock. The Ford just didnt do it for me. Left something to be desired. The only thing it has going for it is the look. But IMO the newer Rams have it beat now with the newer body style. These trucks aren't really meant to get fuel economy. I did drive a 2011 quad cab 4.7L flex fuel ram 1500 for a few days. That truck got high teens and low 20mpgs all day no matter how you drove it. It was still powerful enough to do "truck" stuff. So if you want a full size with mpg go for flex fuel. MDS does not do enough to get the mileage a car will ever get.

 

If you're going to haul or tow heavy loads, RAM coil springs aren't as strong as Ford leaf springs (but the DD ride is much better).

Add TLC™ Total Load Control™ air suspension and your truck will always be level

 

I hit 173,000 this weekend on my 09 .... Great truck
The exhaust bolts, The A/c door , wind sheild washer plug, the rambox door adjustment , these were all done on RTT's or recall
Have them print out all the records they have

the only other real replacement was the thermostat and water senser, covered under max care 100.00 deductable


09 with 43,000 ... DD for sure , Transmission fluid , sparkplugs , air filter [changesd mine to K&N] tires should have been replaced

 

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the help! I just wanted to show the 2 Rams I'm considering and see what your thoughts are. The silver has the 4.7L while the red one has the 5.7L Hemi. I won't be doing much towing/hauling so I think the 4.7 would be fine, but I am still interested in what you all have to say since you know more about these trucks than I do.

Here they are:

1) The Red one: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...s=%5BTRUCKS%5D

2) The Silver One (4.7L): http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...s=%5BTRUCKS%5D

Thanks again!