Another Potential Wagon Buyer

[TheWorstKind]

Hi Folks,

I did not want to hi-jack bvpw's thread about buying a PW, so I'm starting my own.

I had decided to buy a Wrangler, then I discovered the PW. Soooo....I am now deciding WHICH PW to buy. My wife wants the Laramie version, and having seen the Laramie 2500 (non-PW), I have to say, it is really nice. It is also at the very high end of what I am willing (can) spend. I am leaning towards the Tradesman model, keeping the vinyl interior. The SLT model is nice, too, but I am just not thrilled about cloth interior (maybe somebody here can make a pro cloth argument?). Whichever way I go, I will order the vehicle vice buying off a lot.

A few weeks ago I actually located a brand new Tradesman PW about an hour and a half away. Promptly drove down and test drove the thing. Loved it, except the terrible, and I mean terrible, vibration present. Clearly, the tires/wheels weren't balanced correctly. Dealership balanced the tires, I went back for another drive, less vibration now, but still totally unacceptable. Dealership does not have a Road Force type balancer and told me the vibration is just the way these trucks are.

So, that brings me to my first question. Those of you that have the '14s and '15s that come stock with the Duratracs, do you have any wheel/tire vibration?

I have located another '15 Tradesman PW 110 miles away, and I am working on freeing up my time to go drive - I am hoping for a vibration-free ride.....

[05PWrockcrawler]

I have an 05 no vibrations too bad lol even with non balanced 40" tires. But I have driven a 2014 and thought it rode like a dream. So I say there must have been something wrong with it. PW over a Jeep any day. I like Jeeps but aren't very comfortable on long trips, can't haul much in them and can't tow. win Win on a PW. Good luck finding one and welcome to the family hopefully real soon.


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[TheDirtRoad]

We have a 2014 PW and there is absolutely no vibration, Like 05 said "Rides like a dream"

[adeluca73]

8K mikes, rides line there's a road tire underneath, not big meaty off road tires.

I like the SLT, Laramie too, but all dependsson what options you want/need should dictate which trim line you get. Good luck in which PW, not JEEP, you choose!!!

[TonkaPW]

I have a 2012 and love it. Rides nice but its still a truck and not a Cadillac so don't expect to smooth.

[04Ram2500Hemi]

I have a 2012 SLT with the cloth interior and I love it. New for 2014 is the heated cloth and heated steering wheel, both which would be awesome (I added heat to my 2012 seats with an aftermarket setup). I'm not a big leather fan, and I have been nothing but pleased with my cloth seats. I hunt and fish, and doing so takes you to some muddy and sometimes bloody locations if the hunting season has been awesome. These seats clean up really easy and have shown no wear at all. If I was buying a Power Wagon today it would be the SLT with heated cloth seats, heated steering wheel, the Ram Box, and I'd have the graphics removed and the truck would be either silver or max steel color.

[Bluchalk]

Agreed. I also have a 2012. Smoothest riding truck I've ever owned but still a truck. On a factory setup it shouldn't vibrate. With worn out mud tires maybe. If cloth seats are and issue get some CoverKing leatherette seat covers.

[old sole mopar]

Got a 2014 slt. Don't miss leather but did put wet okala seat covers in it. No vibration. Will salesmen say anything to make a sale? Can't believe they would tell a customer that how the power wagons ride!

[olyelr]

If you want factory leather you will need to get the laramie. Thats the only way to order it, unless you have the dealer (or someone else) install afterward.

Ram must have changed their fabric for the cloth seats from the 2006 3/4 ton I had. After putting up with those worthless fricken seats I have sworn I will never go back to a cloth seat again. Hated them!

When building a new power wagon online I had noticed there are a few different cloth seat options, with one being "premium" or something like that.

[Graveltravels]

I have a '15 Laramie, and have played with several sets of tires and wheels. I have a bit of a wobble right now, but it's strictly a balance issue. I know, cause I had no wobble or goofy stuff with the first 3 set ups. As for the ride, no one who hasn't got the 14-15 truly understands how smooth it is. I experienced the same revelation driving an '09 1/2 ton, vs my '08 1/2 ton. The coil rear end is amazing.

As for a wrangler, I have an '08 as well, and love it, but no way I want to road trip it!! The truck is first choice of my boys and me when it comes to a drive!!


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[Timgco]

'14 Laramie here. I only had the Duratracs on for 2 days before I upgraded to a larger tire. No vibrations.
For me, the leather was a must! I wanted the heated/ cooled seats, heated steering wheel, etc. I'm glad I went this route.

If you want the leather, you'll have to get the Laramie or add Katzkinz leather to it for around $1400.00. If you feel a new one is too high priced, maybe you can find a lightly used Laramie.

I know they are hard to find, but they are out there. I put mine up locally for $55K with 5,000 miles on it, to see what kind interest it would generate. 2 days on CL and had over 30 emails to go through. Quite a few were for trading their current truck plus cash, etc. Only had two "serious" buyers, both were from out of state. One is trying to sell his truck first. The other, not sure on. If I got $55K for mine with everything on it, I'd sell it. If not, I'd keep it. You may find that being the case for the ones you do find for sale. I'm betting a slightly used one will range from $45K and up depending on options.

Good luck on your search.

[cory1337]

I have a 15 Tradesman Power Wagon with cloth. I had a 2011 tradesman 3/4 with cloth. I only had 25,000 miles but a lot of those miles were very short trips with my dump trailer around town. I get in and out of my truck a lot. The seat showed no signs of wear, my dad's ford also a 2011 has had the seat foam and cloth replaced twice. Dodge has does an excellent job on the cloth. If I had ordered my truck I would have went with an SLT with a few more creature comforts. I didn't want to wait to order, and I'm not that picky so I was able to find one on a dealer lot that I can transform into what I want. In your situation I would suggest the SLT or Laramie. If the wife says to buy a Laramie that is what you do.

As for vibration, I have found this truck to be the smoothest 2500 I've ever drove. Goodyear has does an excellent job with these tires, quite as the BFGs I had on the last truck but go in the mud/snow a lot better.

Happy truck hunting!

[14PowerWaggy]

I too have a 14 SLT... It has the premium cloth and it is very durable and cleans easily... My kids have gotten all kinds of crap on the rear seat and backs of the front seats and I can just clean it right off... I think RAM did a great job with the cloth in these trucks... I have never had any vibrations from mine but will say it rides even better with the 35" Nitto Trail Grapplers than it did with the factory Duratracs... Like others have said it rides like a truck but is one of the best riding trucks I've ever been in... I had a 13JKUR (heavily modified) that I sold to get the Power Wagon... I loved having the Jeep, and will get another one day, but I love the Power Wagon...

[TheWorstKind]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I need to be more open-minded to the cloth. Weather permitting, I may have an opportunity to test drive a Tradesman PW tomorrow. After reading the comments from you fine folks I am expecting a vibration free ride!

[MSCH2112]

a new pw should NOT wobble or vibrate! stupid salesmen.

be sure to test sway bar disconnect and lockers in the dirt too.

mike

[R0NAN]

As Cory 1337 said:
"If that is what the wife wants then that's what you do". I agree ! Doesn't mean you're whipped . It's great that she wants to be involved so let her have her say. I bought a '13 Laramie and it drives like a dream. No vibration at all. The 14/15 should be even better. My wife wanted the Laramie because of the luxury, leather heated seats. There are other benefits such as interior accent lighting, memory seat, sunroof, premium stereo... Ect. Just the other day she restated that she "really likes the comfortable seats". Not sure where you live but the heated / cooled seats are awesome. You can't get cooled seats in cloth. Leather looks nicer, is more durable and is easier to keep clean. When she's happy you're happy. With such a big purchase, she should have some say.

Rule # 1 . Keep the wife happy.
Rule# 2. Don't underestimate rule #1

[TheWorstKind]

[coder]

x2 on the SLT PW best bang for the buck IMO.

[TheWorstKind]

Well, no test drive yesterday. Schedule and weather nixed my plans. Saturday, though, things should work out.

Clearance lights, do they add wind noise? Leaks? I like the looks, but what benefit do they add?

[04Ram2500Hemi]

Well, no test drive yesterday. Schedule and weather nixed my plans. Saturday, though, things should work out.

Clearance lights, do they add wind noise? Leaks? I like the looks, but what benefit do they add?

Clearance lights are just an appearance thing. I personally really like them. My 2004 HD Hemi did not come with them so I had them added aftermarket and never had a wind/water issue, and I haven't had any issues with my 2012 either.

[TheWorstKind]

Thank you.

Yeah, I really do like look of the clearance lights. Just might give in a little to the "vanity side" of me

[Stickman]

I also made sure mine had clearance lights when I bought it. Something about growing up on a farm and seeing them on all the badass big rigs like my dads Pete and Freightliner we had just makes me want them. I've also never had issues with them. I had a problem with the 3rd brake light on the back of the cab leaking a ton of water inside and all over the backseat and underseat storage area.

[nightstalker]

i've got 800 miles on my 15 tradesman. no vibration on my truck yet. My 05 wagon had 35s and some bumpsteer and wandering even after upgrading the front end. This new truck drives like a dream. So far.

[nightstalker]

i've got 800 miles on my 15 tradesman. no vibration on my truck yet. My 05 wagon had 35s and some bumpsteer and wandering even after upgrading the front end. This new truck drives like a dream. So far.

[TheWorstKind]

Undertook a 6-hour round-trip today to test drive a new '15 PW Tradesman. I am absolutely delighted to report that the truck performed as I had hoped: no crazy shaking! Is it as smooth as a Lexus LS 460? No, of course not. It is, after all, a Ram 2500 heavy duty truck with big all-terrain tires. However, it rides as good as my '03 F-350 Powerstroke with all-season Michelins. I am really happy to know that the massive vibration experienced during the test drive of the first PW I drove appears to be an anomaly.

I tend to hold on to my trucks for a long time, and I suspect I will keep the PW for at least ten years, maybe even longer; who knows. With that in mind, and reading the excellent info on here regarding the life time max care warranty, I am leaning towards purchasing the max care lifetime warranty.

What do you all think about undercoating? Is the "rubberized" coating worth it? Spray everything else down with Fluid Film? Any pros and cons would be much appreciated.