An opportunity may be presenting itself, so I'm trying to get read-up on the EcoDiesel as fast as I can.
I haven't been in a rush, but loosely researching 1/2 ton crew cab trucks to replace my fullsize van (sold) and a VW station wagon. Long ago I was interested in the RAM EcoDiesels, but then the emissions lawsuit happened and I forgot about them. My attention has mostly been focused on Ford F150s with crew cab, 4x4, 6.5' bed, 3.5L EcoBoost, and Heavy Duty Payload Package.
The opportunity is a friend is helping another guy sell his 2015 RAM 1500 4x4 Outdoorsman EcoDiesel. The owner has left the country for work, has a loan on it, and we are told he is motivated (he is in Toronto paying on a truck that is sitting in rural Michigan). The truck checks a lot of boxes:
- Outdoorsman package
- Front bench seat
- 6.4' bed
- Bedliner
- other upgrades
- have liked the interior of the RAM truck better than other makes I've been in.
- supposedly near 30MPG highway
- asking price is in line with other EcoDiesels of similar age and mileage
Three things do give me pause:
- EcoDiesel engine - Have never owned a diesel. I've read that the fix for the emissions was a software update, and some owners have complained that this caused their trucks to be sluggish after the fact. Has anyone experienced this?
- Mileage - Odometer is at 100,000 miles. Now that these engines have been in the wild for a long time, are they proving to be reliable? Usually diesels have a long life span, and 100,000 miles is just getting broken in.
- Payload - according to the VIN decoder, payload is about 1700 lbs. This crushes any hope/dream I had to put a shell camper in the back for family camping versus the 2600 lb. payload of an F150 with HDPP. A shell FWC Hawk is ~900 lbs. Based on comments from this forum and elsewhere, sleeping 2 adults and 2 young kids in a camper like that may have been a pipe-dream anyway.
I know the maintenance costs tend to be higher for diesels, but I work from home, so I won't be using this to commute.
I'm hoping to hear from existing EcoDiesel owners regarding what your experiences have been after the settlement and software fix, and general comments on ownership.
Thanks!
I haven't been in a rush, but loosely researching 1/2 ton crew cab trucks to replace my fullsize van (sold) and a VW station wagon. Long ago I was interested in the RAM EcoDiesels, but then the emissions lawsuit happened and I forgot about them. My attention has mostly been focused on Ford F150s with crew cab, 4x4, 6.5' bed, 3.5L EcoBoost, and Heavy Duty Payload Package.
The opportunity is a friend is helping another guy sell his 2015 RAM 1500 4x4 Outdoorsman EcoDiesel. The owner has left the country for work, has a loan on it, and we are told he is motivated (he is in Toronto paying on a truck that is sitting in rural Michigan). The truck checks a lot of boxes:
- Outdoorsman package
- Front bench seat
- 6.4' bed
- Bedliner
- other upgrades
- have liked the interior of the RAM truck better than other makes I've been in.
- supposedly near 30MPG highway
- asking price is in line with other EcoDiesels of similar age and mileage
Three things do give me pause:
- EcoDiesel engine - Have never owned a diesel. I've read that the fix for the emissions was a software update, and some owners have complained that this caused their trucks to be sluggish after the fact. Has anyone experienced this?
- Mileage - Odometer is at 100,000 miles. Now that these engines have been in the wild for a long time, are they proving to be reliable? Usually diesels have a long life span, and 100,000 miles is just getting broken in.
- Payload - according to the VIN decoder, payload is about 1700 lbs. This crushes any hope/dream I had to put a shell camper in the back for family camping versus the 2600 lb. payload of an F150 with HDPP. A shell FWC Hawk is ~900 lbs. Based on comments from this forum and elsewhere, sleeping 2 adults and 2 young kids in a camper like that may have been a pipe-dream anyway.
I know the maintenance costs tend to be higher for diesels, but I work from home, so I won't be using this to commute.
I'm hoping to hear from existing EcoDiesel owners regarding what your experiences have been after the settlement and software fix, and general comments on ownership.
Thanks!