Anyone have a Ram 2500 6.4L?

[sourdough]

I'm looking at upgrading my TV to a Ram 2500 6.4L. Does anyone have any experience with this truck as far as towing, gas mileage etc? The numbers as far as HP and torque aren't much better than my 5.7L but I will go with a 4.10 rearend vs the 3.92 I have now plus I will gain the beefier suspension which is primarily what I'm after. Thanks.

[fla-gypsy]

I don't have one but have seen many good reports on it. Decent power numbers and a 4.10 rear with the 6 speed will make it a good tow machine. Payload could be an issue if you are looking at a 5th wheel so be sure you have enough. The new Ram trucks are nice looking and appear to be very capable.

[teamr6]

I nearly bought one, however I went for the 6.7L CTD. The set-up sounds good but gas mileage and reliability swung me to the CTD. The dealership did offer a life time warranty with the 6.4L around $3k if I recall. Not sure of the gas mileage however historicaly gas is not as good diesel. Hope this was somewhat helpful.

[Timon]

The Mopar Lifetime Warrantee is currently about $3415. Basically it's the same warrantee you have when you get a new truck but it lasts for life. I assume there are no exclusions for towing but I've not checked.

I figure if you're traveling all over the country it's worth it. Just one failure of the electronics after 3 years can cost you thousands.

[BirchyBoy]

Wow, Chrysler must really trust that motor to put a lifetime warranty on it for so little.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

Wow, Chrysler must really trust that motor to put a lifetime warranty on it for so little.

If you run the actuarials on it, Chrysler is the big winner here. It's almost the same as an "add on insurance policy" sold by RV dealers as an "extended warranty". LKI investment group is the underwriter for Chrysler's plan.

Typically most owners keep a vehicle for 3-7 years. Vehicles normally have very little go wrong with them after the first year until well after the 100K to 150K time frame. Then, the cost of repairs is such that it would take a pretty significant "breakdown" to use up all of the $3500 initial investment in previous year money. LKI requires the owner to have the vehicle undergo a pretty extensive service examination every 5 years (at owner expense) and reserves the right, at their option, to "write off" the vehicle at current appraised value at any time. So, when (if) your 12 year old vehicle with 80K miles on it blows a head gasket and the cost to repair is $1400 in 2026 dollars, LKI reserves the right to use the "blue book wholesale value" for an inoperable 12 year old vehicle and write you a check for that amount and send the vehicle to the junk yard.

As I understand it, the warranty is not transferrable, so if you decide in 6 or 7 years to trade the vehicle, you're out the investment.

And, even though the cost is $3400, shop around online at competeting Chrysler dealerships. Like Ford's Extended plan, there is a pretty substantial markup in dealer profits and some dealers will sell the $3400 plan that cost them $1800 to the general public for $2000. Their logic: It's better to make $200 than to not make anything while another dealer makes $1600. So do like I did, get online, shop around for the best purchase price and buy the plan from them rather than paying full retail at your dealership. The plan is not backed by Chrysler, it's an insurance policy backed by LKI, so where you buy it makes no difference in service years from now when it does "kick in"....

Do some research on the Chrysler Lifetime Warranty before you plunk down your cash. For some people it may be a wise investment, but for some, it could be a very expensive option that never gets used. That's a lot of gas and a lot of miles.....

Oh and the plan is not available on diesel vehicles.