dieselnewbie

Hey Folks,

I'll be buying a 2005 CTD diesel Ram next September and am wondering why would someone buy a 2500 when the 3500 is only ~$400.00 more?

Either truck I buy is going to have a single rear wheel, so there's no difference there.

I'm thinking the 3500 may have a better resale, and maybe the 2500 gets better mileage?

I've heard they both have the same ride.

Anyone know why?

This truck is going to be my daily driver.

Thanks!

DT.

bulabula

Why did I buy a 2500 vs a 3500? Mine was sitting there waiting for me to drive it home & I don't have cab clearance lights. The little extra GVWR of the 3500 wasn't a factor for me - it could be a factor when pulling larger trailers/5er's with higher pin weights.

Don't know about resale differences (both are great compared to a gasser), and they both have a nice firm ride. Mileage differences aren't really a factor. If mine wasn't sitting there, I was going to purchase an SRW 3500.

This topic has been pretty well covered in the past, and has covered everything from springs, frames, brakes, tires, cablights, axle ratings, to probably the phase of the moon. Try a search in the last few months.

They all make great daily drivers. I like the short SRW for parking ease, but the 4x4 height limits me in some underground parking garages.

Either way, these trucks put a smile on your face thats hard to remove.

MikeyB

Well, I wanted a 3500 SWB SRW but this dealer has a 2500 exactly the way I wanted it. Dealer made me a heck of a deal and so I bought it.

MikeyB

TXRAM2

Let me say that there is a huge difference in ride between the 2 trucks in my sig. I still like the duals for carrying a little more weight.

wayne

dieselnewbie

Thanks for the info.

You say there's a huge difference in the rides of the trucks in your signature.

Which would you say is less stiff/smoother?

The 2500 or the 3500?

Thanks again!

DT.

TXRAM2

Comparing the drw 3500 to the srw 2500, definately the 2500 wins for riding comfort. Takes a pretty goog load to settle down the dual wheeled truck.
jmho
wayne

BensBud

dieselnewbie - welcome. It's a great question. I never even looked at the 3500 - just assumed it was enough more expensive that it wasn't worth the time. If it's only $400 or so, the difference is worth considering. I'll be using it as a daily driver but I need the beast for horse trailers. My trailer is 2-horse xwide/xtall bumperpull. ...but I'm no fool, if my daughter decides to continue with the horses, and my son joins in, then there's three of us... and maybe I'll get myself a road cart at some point.... well, you get the idea.

So, what's the answer folks, how's the ride compare between a 3500 SRW and a 2500 SRW? (4X4, QC, CTD, Shorty, no other options - makes it easy to compare)

[edited for sloppy typing.]

dieselnewbie

Hey Ben,

I did a search on thsse three words at the same time:

2500 3500 difference

and came up with alot of pretty good posts.

Go to the "forum jump" pulldown menu and select "Search Forums", then you can plug insome key words to search for.

Me, I haven't decided on either truck yet.

I like the 3500 but I'm not to excited about the cab lights on the top of the cab.

Some people like them and some don't. I'm kind of in the middle.

They're optional on the 2500 but standard (meaning you can't not get them) on the 3500.

Good luck and let me know what you decide, or what you think of the two after you test drive each.

Thanks!

DT.

alltork

I gotta agree with TXRAM2 on the ride difference between drw 3500 and srw 2500. I owned a 2003 drw 3500 and it definetly rode alot stiffer unloaded. I think the srw 3500 has the same leaf spring pack setup as the drw 3500. If your never gonna pull a 5th wheel then I'd definetly consider the 2500. I thought retail price difference was about $600 bucks maybe less. Plus I didn't care for cab lights.

TomW

As much as I love my truck, there are days when my teeth ache, especially on rough back roads. Since I don't pull the trailer any more, my next truck will be a 2500.

converteddzlr

My current rides an '03 2500 4X4 SB, and the other night the dealer gave me an '04 3500 DRW to try out. Biggest differences I found are the 3500 sits a bit higher, smooths out some of the bumps (longer wheelbase), but catches a lot more road bumps because of the DRW. The front springs seem to be a bit stiffer too. The short version is that my wife (7 months pregnant) much preferred the ride of the 3500 so guess what my next truck is?! You don't have to tell me twice dear

dakar

In '01 i test drove the 2500, 3500 SRW, and 3500 DRW... the SRW's were pretty much the same in ride... the DRW I found was a little stiffer, but she also had the tow/plow pkg with the extra leaf springs. Liked them all.. But the final deciding factor was pretty much the way i decide anything, testosterone determining factor....

I want the biggest one i can get! sooooooo... if DC makes a P/U bigger than the DRW 3500 that'll be my next truck.

Mcmopar

They sell a 4500 in Mexico, I've seen it with my own eyes!!!!

jrs_dodge_diesel

The roof top clearance lights are a DOT requirement. Any vehicle over 80 inches wide must be equipped with these lights. Duallies are required because of thier width. I am not sure about the new SRW 3500's though.

BensBud

an incredibly stupid question...

I know a 1500 (or F150) is 1/2 ton, and a 2500 (or F250) is 3/4 ton etc.

Why are they called 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, etc? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with payload or weight... or does it and I'm just not seeing it? Or is it some hold-over from the good-ol-days?