I paid a deposit on a Ram in May. Got in a few days before the price rise. It is due for conversion in December and delivery in January.

I bought the Ram as I tow. There was nothing else available that fits the bill for me for $72k ex GST or less, especially if you want a decent auto box. I still have my supercharged Hilux which I also bought to tow, the final selling point for me with it was the A750F auto which is the 100 Series Landcruiser box but only the V6 Hilux got it until late 2013 when the diesel did too. That 4spd auto in the diesel is an awful box and yes they cost a fortune to fix as they are so fragile which makes them very expensive as a used box too. Used A750F are a dime a dozen as they rarely fail.

You could buy a 79 series but they are way overpriced and factor in another $35-40k for an auto conversion and aftermarket seats as they are very uncomfortable.

Or buy a Y62 Patrol and also wait until mid next year.

The biggest problem with the Ram is limited aftermarket bits here. 12 week wait for a Snugtop canopy from the USA. About $6500 with all options and free fitment. I have to order a Rhino front bar by November 1st to get it here in March. Very limited choice of wheels especially if you don’t want Mardi Gras float type wheels (fake bead locks, shiny bits, have to be cleaned with a toothbrush). I have found some very plain black 18x9 in 18P and some AT 295/70/18 tyres in LT sidewall but not many choices. I don’t want 20” wheels which is standard on them, sidewalls are too small.

Any of the toy diesel utes have engines that are too small for lots of towing, and some of them have weaker boxes. I did drive a few of them though. The engine in the Dmax and the BT50 is a good one, reasonably good for around town. It isn’t boosted up within an inch of its life to get a dick-in-hand peak torque figure. I wouldn’t want to tow long distances at highway speeds with one, not enough power or torque. The box in these is the same as the Hilux Aisin box I think. The Triton uses the same one too I believe. I did look at buying a V6 2016-17 Hilux to replace mine and the word from transmission specialists was the Aisin 6spd was a decent box, just needs an aftermarket cooler.

I also looked at lots of used USA trucks but the prices don’t stack up, they are way too expensive and lots of dodgy conversions to be careful of. The 2003-7 F250 that were sold new by Ford (RHD converted in Brazil) are getting too old and V8 petrol ones are only 2WD. People pay $75k still for 7.3TD ones with 125,000km on them. Most of the less than 10 year old Chevy and GMC trucks are at least $45k and that is for a high km one. Then you have to walk the conversion tightrope. Good ones are well over $65k. Same with Tundra, Titan and newer F150. They all make a new Ram1500 Express look cheap at $80,000 drive away. Well $88500 now.

Hope that helps!

There is two Express vehicles you can buy as well. They are optioned up differently by ASV before they come here.

The cars we are talking about are called a Ram 1500 Classic in the USA, series code DS.

The base vehicle (the Quad cab) has a 6'4" tub. It starts off as a Ram 1500 Classic Express Quad cab 4x4 (three levels are Tradesman, Express and Warlock with three different cabins: Regular, Quad and Crew). Optioned with:

5.7L Hemi V8. (Standard is the 3.6L V6). Which also upgrades the transmission to the 8spd 8HP70 transmission.
3.92:1 rear axle (std is 3.21).
Express value package (20x8 rims, 275/60/20 tyres, carpet, cloth trim, 40/20/40 front seat, dual exhaust, remote keyless entry.
Trailer Tow group (hitch and integrated brake controller) minus the tow mirrors.
Useless plastic tubliner (throw in the bin style).

In the USA that comes to $US41860 plus taxes and on roads. Roughly $AUS60,000. Shows you that at $80k including the freight, conversion and on road is pretty good.

The next Express is the Crew cab. The crew cab uses the Ram2500 cabin so the rear seat area is huge, and as a result the rear tub drops by 9" to 5'7". In the USA that is the only difference but ASV options it differently for Australia.

Starts as a Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab. Optioned with:
5.7L Hemi V8. (Standard is the 3.6L V6). Which also upgrades the transmission to the 8spd 8HP70 transmission.
3.92:1 rear axle (std is 3.21).
Express value package (20x8 rims, 275/60/20 tyres, carpet, cloth trim, 40/20/40 front seat, dual exhaust, remote keyless entry.
Black Ram 1500 Express Group (black wheels, dual zone climate, 8.4" screen with Apple Carplay, Android, Satnav etc)
Trailer Tow group (hitch and integrated brake controller) minus the tow mirrors.
Rhino spray in liner in tub.

USA cost $43905 plus taxes and on road. These are about $98k here driveaway.

I wanted the dual zone climate and the 8.4" screen but didn't want the bigger cabin (lose 9" of tub). I couldn't get them to get me a Quad cab optioned with the Electronics Group which was $US595 and would have got me dual zone and 8.4" screen like the Crew cab. So what I've done is ordered all the bits from the USA to convert it to an 8.4" screen, and will wait until I can buy the dual zone HVAC unit out of a wreck locally.

I'm getting the Snugtop canopy, Rhino front bar and winch, upgraded springs for the extra weight, 18x9 rims and 295/70/18 tyres, lambskin seat covers for the front plus a pair of AMP research motorised side steps (Express has no side steps and hard to get into if shorter than 6'). Plus the display and surround change with associated wiring. Have to buy an Android tablet to run the AlfaOBD software to change the vehicle ECU options to make the different A/C to operate plus the side steps to work right. Also ordered a replacement steering wheel back with radio volume buttons on the back of it.

If you get one I'll send you links to all the stuff I have found and where to buy it if you need anything.

Here is the prices for the two

https://www.carsales.com...4x4-my20/OAG-AD-19796243

https://www.carsales.com...s&id=OAG-AD-19793900

If I wasn’t getting the $8000 on roads free I would have paid the $10k extra to get dual zone climate and the 8.4” screen but only wanted it as a Quad cab. Wasn’t interested in paying $18k more to lose 9” of tray space! The back of the Crew cab is huge, but I have little use for it. You should see the back of the 1500 DT, the back door is longer than the rear door- like a limo. I think it is another 8-10” bigger again than the DS Crew cab.

I ended up getting one through Central Coast Ram. They can get me a Graphite Crew Cab Express with standard box by mid November. It was pulling teeth trying to get anywhere with the other local dealerships for some reason.
Just got to find a second hand transmission for the Hilux so I can get rid of it. I got offered 13K for it as is.

Thanks for that.

Thanks. Think I will just try and sell it as it is.

The Hilux has gone to some bloke in Sydney. Advertised it on gumtree and Facebook. Fairdinkum I had about 40 calls in 15 minutes. Just ridiculous. Obviously plenty of money to be made in old Hiluxes. I advertised it at 8:15 this morning and they sent a tilt tray up this arvo.
Now just waiting for the Ram to turn up. My old WB has become my daily driver once again. Have been enjoying driving it again. It sure gets plenty of waves on the road these days. Plenty of people have fond memories of a V8 WB with bull bar and loud pipes still out here!!

Edited by user Wednesday, 20 October 2021 5:56:56 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified