Dodge Ram 5500 or Sterling 5500?
 

I understand these are basically the same truck. I need the heavy duty model to put a service bed on to haul around roughly 5000 lbs of equip and payload.

Are there any benefits to going with sterling over dodge or vice versa? anyone have any ideas on the prices?
any info would be greatly appreciated..

I would think it would boil down to service. A Sterling dealer is all commercial trucks. Do the Sterling models get serviced there or are they sent to a dodge dealer? Dealer locations?

i would think the sterling would have better support than dodge but then again you are probaly going to be able to take your dodge to the sterling dealer...

Not all Dodge truck dealers can sell the 4500/5500 's as Dodge is requiring the HD dealers to have the tooling to work on the trucks.

As for Sterling I don't think they can be any worse than Dodge. besides they will probably have a better appreciation for the working class truckers..

here is the pricing from an email I received from Dodge:

2008 Dodge Ram Chassis Cab 4500 – MSRP* starting at: $34,050
2008 Dodge Ram Chassis Cab 5500 – MSRP* starting at: $36,050

and a link to the truck info:

http://www.dodge.com/en/08chassis_ca...bcheckthemout#

That is kind of what I was thinking

Where I live there is a Sterling dealership like 3 miles from a Dodge HD truck dealership
I wonder if I can get them to compete to get a good deal on the truck?

I'm "leaning" towards the 4500 as i think the 5500 might be to big for the mud I get to play in at times.

be different-get the sterling.

The 5500 is the same as the 4500 with heavier springs like a 2500 and 3500. I would go sterling because I would think the dealers would be more helpful and quicker than dodge as well as the required tooling at the dodge dealerships being limited.
-Eric

Dodge dealers are not authorized to do any repairs on the sterling and vise versa. The benifit is that the Sterling shops have long hours and are usually open on the weekends to help reduce your down time and your truck is not waiting in line for the tech to complete repairs on a neon. Commercial dealers work on diesels for a living. Also, the sterling dealers have concessions if the customer wants to order 3 or more units, dodge don't. They are the same truck, it comes down to customer service and service department hours to better serve you. as far as pricing, they are VERY close to the same. I have a buddy who works at a sterling dealer and he said that they have some promos right now and it killed like $4000 off the msrp and that their dealer has very little markup on them. The same dodge truck msrp was like $51k and he quoted a guy $43 (customer wanted cab and chassi since he is doing his own body upfitting) out the door and was a 5500 with the super heavy front springs.

great info..thanks
I am going to call up sterling tommorow and see what they can do for me.

Here is the link to sterling trucks:

http://www.sterlingtrucks.com/Sterli.../Features.html

Financing by Chrysler financial ![laugh]

Sounds like a quad cab 4x4 5500 from me..

Now do I put 2 10K HD or 2 12k axles under the gooseneck i'm building

sterling
 

I thought Sterling was in with Ford. Some look very similar to F650/750's. Do they work with both?

they look nothing alike. Sterling got bought out by freightliner about 12 years ago.

I should say- today they look nothing alike. a few years ago they did.

sterling has several classes of trucks from class 4 to regional class 8

And Chrysler owns Freightiner.. that is why they offer Chrysler financing.

The Dodge 4500/5500 and the Sterling "bullet" 4500/5500 is built at the same factory.