Well earlier this year Wifezilla decided that we needed a camping trailer so we could take the dogs camping. I bought a small single axle trailer and then fixed up the 2004 GMC Z-71 4x4 (5.3 L engine) with 150,000 miles on it, with new tires, battery, hoses, belts, sparkplugs, etc. Pulling the grade over to the coast the truck wouldn't hold 50 MPH with the 4,000 Lbs trailer but it was OK.

Well last month the instrument cluster went out and it was $500 to fix that, then last week my remote door openers quit working, the shop says that it's a computer problem, then the A/C compressor decided that it won't turn off, one of the switches is bad but the shop doesn't know which one, one is $250 and the other is $300, then, last Saturday I noticed an oil spot on the driveway and it right at the transmission/engine joint so it looks like a rear main seal, (The dealer says $2200 and my other mechanic says $1,500). I was looking at spending between $2,000 and $4,000 in maintenance on a 14 year old truck so I decided to trade it in on a 2019 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.7L Hemi. I go from 300 Ft-Lbs of torque to 410 ft-lbs and get better gas mileage to boot.

Good luck with your new truck.

No matter the brand sooner or later the time comes to decide whether to continue to fix it is the best option.

You will love that Hemi!

A Dodge is what I’ll be buying if my EcoBoost nightmare is ever resolved. Nice looking truck and I’ll bet you like the performance.

Fjold, is that Ram a 4x4?

Yes, a 4x4

It's got some weird options on it.

It has a little dial on the dash for the transmission (Park, Rev, Neut, Drive) instead of a lever on the column.

There's an electric rear window over the bed.

If you leave it running in park to go open the gates, the electric parking brake comes on automatically.

The engine shuts off at stoplights and restarts automatically. You can't shut this function off permanently, you have to turn it off every time you start the engine and it stays off until the next time you start the engine.

I've only got 60 miles on it so I haven't tested the Hemi yet.

Wifes new Grand Cherokee has that auto shut off feature, drove me nuts. I read the manual and it told of four or five conditions that bypass that abomination. One is that if it detects the hood is not completely latched, it will not do the auto shutdown. If you disconnect the connector under the hood, looks like a black plunger/pin light switch, it will defeat that feature and cause no problems other than turning on a small warning light in a gauge pod that is almost unnoticeble. No downside and no more shutdowns. Give it a try.

Motortrend truck of the year! Good trade.
Scott