[norfla71]

I've been researching this truck for a while, and am in a quandary about choosing the ED over the Hemi. I don't put over 1,100 miles a month on my cars, but I do plan on pulling both a 7k RV and 20' center console boat. I also live in Florida, and have no plans on pulling over anything higher than Tallahassee hills.
The biggest concerns, so far, seem to be related to the CCV system, and a lot of owners are putting in catch cans; though I plan on leaving my next truck pretty much stock, this is one mod I feel would be worth the time to complete. Fuel prices used to play into it, but diesel is now actually cheaper in some places around here than gas, or very close in others; this means a much longer payback than before gas started dropping, which for me will be negated, somewhat, by the fact I keep my vehicles for a long time. Another consideration I'm reading about are parts costs, specifically the oil filter and Dodge spec oil (if you use it rather than going Rotella T6 or equivalent).
For the sake of honesty, what are the costs owning these trucks adding up to? Can anyone compare ownership costs between the Hemi and ED?

 

[CJnOC]

I can't speak to the ownership costs between the Hemi & EcoDiesel, and I don't know how anyone will since the 3D is so new. But in regards to oil & oil filter, I would imagine that it's about the same. Remember that the EcoDiesel oil change is at 10k intervals. I did mine close to the 10k mark. Call me nuts, but the 3D didn't burn a drop of oil, and didn't have a bad smell, and mileage was good, so I trusted the manufactures recommendations. Also when you are towing the 7K RV the 3D will be in a lower part of the rev band since it generates its torque at a lower rpm, so you should have less droning in the cabin. Don't know if that bothers you or not.
Either way, it's nice to know that you settled on a Ram. I think they are well thought out, nice styling (inside & out), and the rear coils provide a great ride. Good Luck!

 

[norfla71]

Driving a Laramie for the night and, yes, this truck is amazing. It's a 4x2 short box; I wanted the standard bed until I realized the short bed barely fits into my garage, so it's a good thing I'm waiting to order one, as I would have needed to completely gut the garage to fit it in.

From my research, you have to read between the lines to figure out most issues. An example is some trucks using a lot of oil; those guys seem to always have theirs either loaded or idle a lot, and I don't plan on doing much of either. I am worried a bit about the emissions related issues and longevity; however, most of the bugs should be worked out by the time I actually get around to spending the cash. As it is, I'm really amazed with the mileage (29.6 after mixed freeway and town, 40 miles). The ride is awesome, and it's quieter than my Buick. Fit and finish are positively Rolls Royce like compared to my 08.


As for maintenance costs, I asked the dealer how much an oil service is for the ED, and get ready: $275 just for an oil change! ($75 for the filter, plus $15 for each quart and the labor/disposal/taxes and other inspections are included). I didn't ask about the Hemi, but I'm quite certain I can do 5 services for that. Understanding these are dealer prices, they are fairly marked up. As time goes on, though, I'm also certain the price of parts will drop.

 

[CJnOC]

When you are ready to buy your EcoDiesel, make sure you ask them to throw in a couple of free oil changes. I asked for one and got one... I should have asked for two!

 

[StanLaurel]

When you are ready to buy your EcoDiesel, make sure you ask them to throw in a couple of free oil changes. I asked for one and got one... I should have asked for two!

Exactly. I got 5, and with the extended warranty package I get another 5 or 10.

 

[norfla71]

Drove another Laramie today. Dealer seemed to think the first couple were covered by Dodge, but he wasn't sure. I remember getting 3 years of services covered on my 04.5 for pretty cheap at purchase time, compared to normal costs.

 

[Chief Poncho]

True cost of ownership over 18+months and 30k miles.

Two out of pocket oil changes. First oil change was covered by dealer, last two dealer charged me $128 per oil change. Expensive, but also covered 10k miles before each change. If you changed your oil every 5k on a hemi, that would equate to $64.00 per oil change.

Three DEF tank fillups.
Two at the truck stop for $30.00 for both, the other at Walmart for $40.00. Sure is a lot cheaper at the truck stop.

Had the dealer replace the fuel filter and flush the injectors at the last service at just over 30k miles, that ran another $150. I could have done the fuel filter myself and saved $100 bucks, but I had it in for the oil change and didn't want to mess with it. In the process they found a coolant leak at the thermostat and fixed that under warranty.

Average fuel economy since purchased 26mpg, with the exception of towing my trailer when the mileage dropped to 13.5mpg. During that time I had about 26k miles normal driving and about 4k miles towing.

1000 gallons of diesel for the 26k miles and 296 gallons for the 4000 miles of towing, for a total of approximately 1300 gallons for 30k miles.

Average cost of diesel over the last year and a half approximately $2.50/gallon for a total fuel cost of $3250.

Fuel $3250.00
Oil $ 264.00
Filt $ 150.00
Def $ 70.00
Total $3734

Operating Cost per mile 12.4 cents

Typical Hemi gets approximately 15mpg average under the same driving conditions. Gasoline is probably 20 cents less a gallon over that time. That equates to approximately 2k gallons of gasoline at $2.30/gal or $4600 Oil changes would have been 1/3 the price but twice as often so figure about $200 for oil. Approximate total cost for operating a Hemi over the same period would have been about $4,800 or 16 cents per mile.

First 18 months of ownership saved me about $1,100 over a Hemi. It actually could be even more than that since fuel cost was probably higher than I estimated given that when I first purchased the truck gasoline and diesel were over $3.00 a gallon.