Ram 2500 Limited Non-Project

[HAULN-SS]

Posted in the groupme a few pics, but thought I'd post a few more. Finally pulled the trigger on a new to me truck. 2019 Ram Limited 2500 with the Cummins 6.7 diesel.

I had been searching on and off for about 6 months, but I finally got my 1999 F250 cleaned up and sold about a month ago so my search got a lot more serious. I ended up buying this truck used in Johnson City Tennessee after giving up on trying to find a brand new one for a price I wanted to pay. Most all the Corona incentives didn't apply to the 2500 trucks, and while they were mostly coming in around 10k under MSRP it was still too rich for me. Add on top of this, my credit union offering LOWER rates for financing a used truck (1.54%), it made me look more seriously for a used truck. Unfortunately, the used car market is bonkers and there is jack shit for inventory. This truck popped up after I missed a deal on another similar truck. It had 34000 miles on it when I picked it up. My only other contender was a couple grand cheaper, but had a few less options, and was at 25k miles. I discovered you pretty much have to jump in the car and go buy a truck if you find one you like, because used trucks in particular won't last long on the lot if they are priced decently. Ended up getting this truck with 34k miles at about 20 grand off MSRP from when it was new. You can still buy a brand new 2019 and they are all over the lots, but dealers are stuck on their prices and no one wanted to make a deal which seems crazy to me when 2021 are about to drop.

The truck literally looks like it had every option box checked, and after traditionally being a GM guy, RAM is way ahead of GM and Ford on interior design and thought-out niceties. Lots of storage inside and out, and the massive screen which controls most everything about the truck. It's not quite as advanced on the camera system as the GMs, and I wish it had a heads up display, but neither were deal killers.

Anyway, highlights:
Ram 2500 Limited in Delmonico Red, Frost Interior (blue and off-white)
Mega Cab
Power Running boards, sun roof, Rambox bed, Anti Spin differential, Snow Chief package, Air Level suspension, 3-fold tonneau top

I wasn't sure if I wanted Rambox, but it has come in handy already, and has a power outlet in it. Wife loves the rear reclining seats, and there is plenty of room for what seems like the super common 5 hour trips we make to our hometowns. We took it to the beach, and it was very comfortable, and I got 21MPG calculated on the highway.

I believe the previous owner was a business owner, as it had a commercial registration. This guy also had some straight terrible wheels and mud tires on it. Made the dealer swap on stock rims/tires, and CPO it. I also bought an extended RAM warranty for another $2500 because all of the electronics and air level shit scares me. Should be good to go for 7years/100k miles now.

The previous guy, I believe, also made sort of a home-made "Night Package", or at least, I could never figure out how to option it like this on the builder. The grill is blacked out, and the mirrors and trim have some sort of semi-transparent black film over the chrome badges and window trim, etc. It also has no Cummins badging.

No mod plans on anything yet set in stone, but I would like to find a roll-up aluminum tonneau that works with the rambox system. My friend had one on his GMC, and that thing was real nice and way less of a pain than the folding versions. I also want to get the front end touched up and put on a clear bra. Anyone have any suggestions on those? The paint does seem fragile as it has quite a few rock chips for not that many miles.

On to the pics...

[Sijray21]

that's a lot of truck; looks really nice, too. glad you found a Mega Cab since if i were in the market for something like that i wouldn't want to settle for anything other than what i wanted.

21mpg is amazing if that's accurate. i recall the Ridgeline getting that in actual mpg when i calculated it on my WI road trip last winter.

[Senor_Taylor]

This gets me going. Love the Ram Boxes.

[Kaan]

AISIN trans swap ... i've been following some hot shot trucker youtube channels and the Aisin trans are holding up for a LONG time in some rough working conditions.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I had a Retrax MX on my long bed diesel and loved it. But after ~4-5 years the plastic started cracking. It was parked outside all day and I think just dried it out and it fell apart. When I contacted Retrax, they were no longer making the "MX" version for my truck and allowed me to upgrade (for a not cheap price) to the Pro. WORTH IT. The aluminum replaces the plastic and also just felt "nicer".

When I went to get a cover for my Raptor, I got another Retrax Pro. One popped up for 40% of new within days of deposit on my truck; otherwise I would do the XR. The XR is a Pro just with "T-slots" already built in for racks. Pretty awesome, and some day ill pony up the $400 to replace my Pro rails with Pro XR rails and add a rack.

I love that its solid, lockable, can be opened with the tailgate closed (HATE tri-folds for this), can be closed in any position, and doesn't block rear visibility when closed. It does take a little room which is horrible on my short bed, but has been worth it.

[Jake]

Congrats!! Love Delmonico Red and the Indigo/Frost interior is the only one worth having, IMO. It's really nicely done. I didn't know the seats folded the way yours do in the rear of the Mega Cab. All of the smaller cabs fold up against the back of the cab wall instead.

I have a 1500 Limited w/RamBox this week on loan, and I'm unsure how much I like them so far (granted, they dropped it off at 11 AM today). They are super neat, but the bed is narrower as a result. I am curious if I could fit 8 wheels/tires back there and close the tonneau or if it's too narrow. I can do it on my 2016 Ram 1500 (no RamBox) but barely.

21 MPG out of something this big is amazing, too. I had a 2500 Cummins earlier this year and didn't measure unloaded MPG but mine did 14 MPG or so towing my enclosed trailer.

[HAULN-SS]

@dj - that is the brand of roll up my friend had. I didn't pay attention to the rails but good thought.

@kaan the aisn is only in the 3500a stock. I have heard a few rumbles about the trans in the 2500s but mine will have a relatively easy life and I guess I'll have that figured out in the next 70k miles. You can get a 3500 for about the same cost, but they have a leaf spring rear and supposedly ride a lot rougher unloaded.

@jake yeah the mega cab seats reclining, extra storage, and fold flat without that plastic table in the floor sold me in that. You definitely lose room with the rambox, especially trying to stay under the cover. That's part of the reason I want a roll back cover. You also get a pretty nice cargo manager and rail tie downs with the cargo management kit though. The rambox does hold a decent amount of stuff though and I had both sides and the bed pretty full for the beach trip. They have water drains so could even be a cooler/ice holder in a pinch.

Computer MPG was .3mpg better than my hand calculation, so fairly close. My first trip was more like 19.6 all highway relying on computer, but maybe it was more downhill to OBX

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I'll be towing my ATS from Roanoke to great falls on Sunday so I'll try to remember to calculate my mpg using the open uhaul trailer I rented

[Kaan]

you can get a lot more truck in the 2500 vs. the 3500 for the same money. the 2500s, you can get a diesel for the same price you can get a Tundra... and since the 3500/Aisin combo is so rare, the 2500 might be the way i go in the future anyway.

[HAULN-SS]

Yeah - I don't know how to even search for the AISIN combo on most sites. Would be a pain in the ass to find. This truck is a 3500 that is listed a little over what I paid out the door, only missing the auto level suspension I think, but no AISIN https://www.cclassicdodgechryslerjeep.co...cf5707.htm

[Deceus]

I hate my trifold. It's broken on one corner and won't clamp on that corner. I've just chucked it into the garage where's it sat the past few months. Definitely need something new but been putting it off, just might have to invest in one of these and a compatible ladder rack.

[Senor_Taylor]

I hate my trifold. It's broken on one corner and won't clamp on that corner. I've just chucked it into the garage where's it sat the past few months. Definitely need something new but been putting it off, just might have to invest in one of these and a compatible ladder rack.

+1 My Trifold is wack and it's falling apart.

[HAULN-SS]

Trifold definitely sucks. Noticed today the thing has at some point rubbed up against the back of the cab and knocked some paint off. Fuck that thing.

Towed the ATS back from Roanoke on an open uhaul car trailer. I'm guessing around 5500 lbs? Got 15.4 calculated MPGs with cruise set around 75. Had to load the car backwards because of clearance issues, but it felt fine. Transmission never felt like it was hunting for a gear even though there's quite a few elevation changes.