Hemi, Hurricane, or keep my current Ram

[pensfan]

I have a '16 Ram Hemi with 87K miles on it. The truck runs great, looks fine and no rust after 10 years. I have the lifetime unlimited miles Max Care warranty. The warranty people sent me a certificate for $5000 good towards any model Mopar. I need to decide by 1/5 if I am going to do this. the certificate is on top of all available incentives.
I drove a '26 Ram with a Hemi. I think the GT exhaust would grow tiresome over time, especially in the warmer months with the windows open. The eTorque scares me to no end. If replacement units were readily available, then I would be ok with it. However there is a months long back order of over 5000 units, so many trucks are sitting disabled and not driveable.
I also drove a Hurricane. The engine is smooth and quiet. Transmission shifts great. Overall a very nice experience. If I do buy the Hurricane will be my choice.
My other option is keep my current truck since it still looks and runs great, and has the warranty. It has tires and brakes with only 6000 miles on them.
I am torn as to what I should do.

 

[mikeru82]

They’re trying to get rid of all the lifetime warranties out there so they’re trying to pay you off. $5k is nothing to scoff at, but now is the time that you can really see returns with that warranty. 87k miles are low miles for a ten year old truck. If you’re happy with your 4th gen I’d keep it. If you want some of the newer tech you can get with a new truck then trade it in. It’s really that simple in my opinion.

 

[BowDown]

If you had a 5th Gen HEMI truck, I'd say no, keep your truck.
Going from a 4th gen to 5th gen with a hurricane is a nice and notable step up provided it makes financial sense for you

 

[SteadyRed]

I have a '17 1500 Laramie with Lifetime MaxCare. Any way to solicit for the $5,000 certificate? I'd be interested in trading mine in.

 

[1791]

lifetime warrantee! yeah i'm keeping it if i'm you. why get a new truck that has electrical issues? newer is not always better if you get a 5th gen i think in the long run you will be sorry. lol i'm 56 if i had a lifetime warrantee i would keep it for the rest of my life.
2026 you do get a 10 year 100k mi warrantee.....which is pretty much what you paid for if you trade it now.
if you get 5k and good money for the trade you might get 20k towards the new truck but have a 600 dollar plus payment that is if you get a Laramie.
take the future payment money and just upgrade your rig.

 

[HemiDude]

It is great to have a nice truck and no payments. Having said that, are you planning on keeping that truck forever? If not, now seems to be the time to take advantage of choices. Trade-in value will not increase over the next few years
On a 10-year-old truck. Sounds like a good problem to have

 

[moosem]

I traded in my 2019 Bighorn on my 2022 Laramie 3 years ago and regretted it almost immediately. Don’t get me wrong, I like my truck, it’s just the payment that I don’t like! At this point in my life, paid off is really appealing! Having a new truck is great, but it wears off pretty quickly! I would keep the 2016 if it were me.

 

[Full Throttle Dad]

The hurricane is a great step up from a 16. That said, it really depends where you are in life. I say as long as you can afford it financially without burdening yourself or your family then go ahead and do it. I wouldn’t let the warranty handcuff me to something I no longer enjoyed or was open to getting out of.

Sometimes you get that new truck itch and it’s ok to scratch it if it doesn’t put you in the poor house.

 

[pensfan]

I have a '17 1500 Laramie with Lifetime MaxCare. Any way to solicit for the $5,000 certificate? I'd be interested in trading mine in.

I received the 1st certificate last year but wasn't ready to do anything at the time . We were trading my wife's Charger for a Durango so it was worthless.
Maybe you will get an offer this year as you hit the 9 year mark.
The certificate is tied to your VIN, so there is no way to transfer it to someone else. Also, it has to be a trade at the dealer, to get the 5k. You cannot sell it on your own.

 

[pensfan]

They’re trying to get rid of all the lifetime warranties out there so they’re trying to pay you off. $5k is nothing to scoff at, but now is the time that you can really see returns with that warranty. 87k miles are low miles for a ten year old truck. If you’re happy with your 4th gen I’d keep it. If you want some of the newer tech you can get with a new truck then trade it in. It’s really that simple in my opinion.

I paid 2300 for the warranty. I estimate that I have over 5000 in work done through it. I will not have lost anything if I trade.

 

[pensfan]

It is great to have a nice truck and no payments. Having said that, are you planning on keeping that truck forever? If not, now seems to be the time to take advantage of choices. Trade-in value will not increase over the next few years
On a 10-year-old truck. Sounds like a good problem to have

I usually keep vehicles 8 to 10 years. I am not one of those who chase the latest fad or restyle.

 

[mikeru82]

I paid 2300 for the warranty. I estimate that I have over 5000 in work done through it. I will not have lost anything if I trade.

Like I said, if you're happy with your current truck you might just keep it (emphasis on the bold part). If you're tired of your current truck, or just want new technology, then trade up. I didn't imply you have lost anything though. What I meant was regardless of how much you've used the warranty in the first then years, it's vehicles ten years old and up that will likely see the majority of issues that would be covered by this warranty.

 

[pensfan]

Like I said, if you're happy with your current truck you might just keep it (emphasis on the bold part). If you're tired of your current truck, or just want new technology, then trade up. I didn't imply you have lost anything though. What I meant was regardless of how much you've used the warranty in the first then years, it's vehicles ten years old and up that will likely see the majority of issues that would be covered by this warranty.

I am still happy with my current truck. It just runs without any issue every time. However the prices will continue to increase and my truck value will decrease although I don't see it getting below 10K if it is good shape.
I am getting 15500 to 16 on a trade. We buy any car offered me 16800 as I used their site as a comparison. Since a trade reduces the 7% sales tax paid in PA, in the end I trade is about the same as selling to we buy. Retail on 15 - 17 Ram crew cabs under 100k miles and in good shape runs 18 - 23.
My only fear on the new Rams are the electrical and battery issues, along with uConnect 5. I watched the video from Mark Dodge last week. It sounds like the Hurricane thermostat problems are over, batteries are doing better with some software changes and maybe a new source for batteries, and electrical problems have decreased.

 

[Teeps NE]

Went from a '17 hemi big horn to a '25 HO hurricane Tungsten. Main reason I made the move was for all the bells and whistles that it comes with(never bought myself anything luxurious before). I'm enjoying all the tech upgrades. The heated/cooled seats with massage, the carplay on the uconnect, the adjustable ride height, retractable running boards, etc are all nice. The hands free driving is awesome on long trips but I don't use it on my daily commute.

Slight regrets are that I miss the sound of the hemi. This Hurricane engine is so quiet. Although it's quite a bit snappier and definately more powerful. Biggest regret is that I went from having no payment to having a payment again. Nothing was wrong with the old truck and I miss having that extra expendible income. On the flip side, as long as it stays working the way it has so far, I'll probably keep this truck forever. I do have worries with all this new tech as there are still missing features(smart phone as a key) and I always wonder what happens when they come out with the next new thing and some software update bricks my truck. Wasn't possible with the old truck as it wasn't as dependent on the computers to operate.

 

[Oldphart]

I am still happy with my current truck. It just runs without any issue every time. However the prices will continue to increase and my truck value will decrease although I don't see it getting below 10K if it is good shape.
I am getting 15500 to 16 on a trade. We buy any car offered me 16800 as I used their site as a comparison. Since a trade reduces the 7% sales tax paid in PA, in the end I trade is about the same as selling to we buy. Retail on 15 - 17 Ram crew cabs under 100k miles and in good shape runs 18 - 23.
My only fear on the new Rams are the electrical and battery issues, along with uConnect 5. I watched the video from Mark Dodge last week. It sounds like the Hurricane thermostat problems are over, batteries are doing better with some software changes and maybe a new source for batteries, and electrical problems have decreased.

You are costing them $$$, and they want you to start paying them instead of them honoring the warranty. That's why they are offering you the additional incentive. Your truck is paid for and the value loss will start to slow down. Not to mention new truck payments and insurance that will probably double with a new truck.

 

[Ramintime]

Psh thats a hard pass. Keep it...especially with that warranty. There will be plenty of deals later on down the line with good trade in values. No reason to rush into anything. If you already know you really like the Hurricane, then just hold onto the thought a little longer and enjoy that warranty until you're really ready for a new truck.

 

[pensfan]

Psh thats a hard pass. Keep it...especially with that warranty. There will be plenty of deals later on down the line with good trade in values. No reason to rush into anything. If you already know you really like the Hurricane, then just hold onto the thought a little longer and enjoy that warranty until you're really ready for a new truck.

I keep going back and forth on keeping or going new, especially with the truck running good and the warranty.
That being said I think I would be getting a decent deal on a new ordered Laramie.
The sticker will be about 73. The current incentives and the extra 5000 total 8500 off. I am getting 1% under invoice which is about 5500. With 16K for my trade,. That brings me to an amount due of around 43K before state taxes. I have a resource that increased in value substantially in the last 3 months for a substantial down payment, leaving me with a monthly payment of around 300.
With the truck order only happening early next week, I'm hoping it doesn't come in for almost 2 months as the incentives tend to increase starting in January or February. If they do the 10% off sticker they did for a few months this year, that would give me another 3500 off.
It is a hard decision, If my truck was a rust bucket piece of trash, it would be a lot easier.

 

[BowDown]

I keep going back and forth on keeping or going new, especially with the truck running good and the warranty.
That being said I think I would be getting a decent deal on a new ordered Laramie.
The sticker will be about 73. The current incentives and the extra 5000 total 8500 off. I am getting 1% under invoice which is about 5500. With 16K for my trade,. That brings me to an amount due of around 43K before state taxes. I have a resource that increased in value substantially in the last 3 months for a substantial down payment, leaving me with a monthly payment of around 300.
With the truck order only happening early next week, I'm hoping it doesn't come in for almost 2 months as the incentives tend to increase starting in January or February. If they do the 10% off sticker they did for a few months this year, that would give me another 3500 off.
It is a hard decision, If my truck was a rust bucket piece of trash, it would be a lot easier.

Are you happy with your current truck?

 

[Namelama]

I have a '16 Ram Hemi with 87K miles on it. The truck runs great, looks fine and no rust after 10 years. I have the lifetime unlimited miles Max Care warranty. The warranty people sent me a certificate for $5000 good towards any model Mopar. I need to decide by 1/5 if I am going to do this. the certificate is on top of all available incentives.
I drove a '26 Ram with a Hemi. I think the GT exhaust would grow tiresome over time, especially in the warmer months with the windows open. The eTorque scares me to no end. If replacement units were readily available, then I would be ok with it. However there is a months long back order of over 5000 units, so many trucks are sitting disabled and not driveable.
I also drove a Hurricane. The engine is smooth and quiet. Transmission shifts great. Overall a very nice experience. If I do buy the Hurricane will be my choice.
My other option is keep my current truck since it still looks and runs great, and has the warranty. It has tires and brakes with only 6000 miles on them.
I am torn as to what I should do.

There's something to be said about having a paid off dependable vehicle that you're content with and does everything you want. New vehicle smell is nice, as is a new vehicle, but you never know what you're gonna get, it's like a box of chocolates. I sold a perfectly running Silverado w/76k on the clock because I was trying to avoid any of the common breakdowns (lifters, trans, etc.) However, you have a warranty which would have made me sleep better knowing that if anything happened, I wouldn't be throwing money into an older truck. That being said, I purchased a 26 BH with the Hurricane, my 1st MOPAR product ever (40+ years), and thus far I feel like I should have done this long ago. Only 1600 miles in and it's by far the best driving truck I've ever had. Long story short, if you feel like you want to get a new truck, go ahead and treat yourself because tomorrow is never promised. Happy 2026!

 

[pensfan]

Are you happy with your current truck?

Yes I am. The extra 5000 incentive is pushing me to do something. I have until 1/5 to decide.
If I didn't have the warranty it would probably have been traded in the last year.