Are you looking for used full-size half-ton pickup trucks? With an available HEMI V8 and four-corner coil suspension, a used Ram 1500 is an excellent choice. But it is far from your only option. Here are four alternatives to buying a used Ram 1500 pickup truck.
Nissan Titan
RELATED: 2018 Ram 1500 vs 2019 Ram 1500: Two Very Different Beasts
The Nissan Titan is an excellent bargain in the used pickup truck market. On the one hand, Nissan offers only one powertrain: a 390 hp 5.7-liter V8 with automatic transmission. On the other hand, Nissan engineers have had years to work out mechanical problem areas. As a result, the 2019 Nissan Titan achieved an industry-leading predicted reliability score of 89/100 from JD Power.
According to US News, The Titan tends to lag behind its major competitors when it comes to technology and interior comfort. For example, a 2019 Nissan Titan only came with a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, and some trucks still came with a two-door regular cab. But you can find some embellishments already in 2019 with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. You can also find used trucks with the larger club cab or even the “King Cab”.
Finally, if you need a bigger payload, you can hunt for a heavy Titan XD with its sturdier rear springs and available Cummins V8 diesel engine – the same brand you’d find in a used Ram heavy pickup.
Chevrolet Silverado 1500
One of the most popular Ram 1500 alternatives is General Motors’ half-ton Chevrolet Silverado 1500/GMC Sierra 1500. While you can find this truck with a GMC or Chevy badge, the mechanical underpinnings are identical. The GM truck is immensely popular with commercial fleet operators. This means that you can find almost any configuration on the used market, many experienced mechanics who have worked on it and easily available spare parts.
MotorTrend’s experts called the 2014-2018 Silverado/Sierra the ideal place for affordable reliability. This would be the third generation of the Silverado nameplate and the fourth generation of the Sierra. I’d like to add that the top finish of the 2016 and later trucks – which had an 8-inch touchscreen – also came with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, which goes a long way towards a more modern used truck look .
Toyota Tundra
Toyota has built a strong reputation for reliable pickup trucks. One reason why is how long Toyota has been using its powertrains. Like Nissan, Toyota has plenty of time to fix mechanical issues between model years. Toyota built the second generation of the Tundra from 2007 to 2021.
If you opt for a pre-facelift second-generation Toyota Tundra (2007-2013), you may be able to find an underrated full-size pickup with a relatively modern powertrain. You could order the second-generation Tundra every year with the 380 horsepower, 5.7-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission that Toyota continued to offer until 2021. If these numbers look familiar, maybe it’s because they’re very similar to the HEMI powertrain you’ll find in used Ram 1500 pickup trucks.
Find out which used Toyota Tundra got the lowest reliability score.
Ford F-150
If you’re interested in a used Detroit full-size pickup truck, the Ford F-150 is worth a look. As the most popular pickup model, you can find virtually every configuration on the used truck market, from efficient EcoBoost turbo engines to traditional V8s. For the 2015 model year, Ford split from Ram when it chose to build its truck bodies out of aluminum.
While an aluminum body helped the 2015 F-150 shed hundreds of pounds, some used truck buyers are still waiting to see how it can withstand long-term corrosion. If you want a more traditional, steel F-150, consider the 2009-2014 (12th generation) trucks.
Find out what high mileage is for a Ford F-250.
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