Should I buy a Power Wagon with high miles?

[olyelr]

The power wagon package, at least when i bought mine in 2016, was an $8000 option.

 

[62Blazer]

I bought my 2017 almost a year ago, slt so no frills, but half the miles and about 5k less

This truck seems a bit expensive to me

Just to put it in perspective, even a "base" Power Wagon is typically well optioned. These are base MSRP's off of Ram's website (all 4x4 crewcabs with 6-4 box):
Tradesman = $51,800
Big Horn = $56,340
Laramie = $64,050
Power Wagon = $68,470

I believe the SLT was an equivalent model to the current Big Horn. The base price of a Power Wagon is over $12k more than the base price of a Big Horn. Point being the Power Wagon is generally a much more expensive truck than an SLT.

Not saying your opinion is wrong or anything, just stating that comparing an SLT to a Power Wagon isn't necessarily apples to applies . I do think your point is valid and something I stated in a previous post, which was asking how much a non-PW version would cost. I would definitely think hard about whether I would really want a PW versus buying a truck with half the miles for less money, regardless of the difference in the trucks.......

 

[nlambert182]

If it were my money and I wanted a PW, I might consider a BigHorn to get the better payload and then add some of the options that make it equivalent to a PW. You could certainly give it some of the characteristics of a PW for far less than $18k. That is... if I wanted the looks and most of the PW functionality but maintain the suspension. If the PW suspension is THE selling point, then the OP will have to be more realistic in terms of the limited towing capabilities.

 

[diymirage]

Just to put it in perspective, even a "base" Power Wagon is typically well optioned. These are base MSRP's off of Ram's website (all 4x4 crewcabs with 6-4 box):
Tradesman = $51,800
Big Horn = $56,340
Laramie = $64,050
Power Wagon = $68,470

I believe the SLT was an equivalent model to the current Big Horn. The base price of a Power Wagon is over $12k more than the base price of a Big Horn. Point being the Power Wagon is generally a much more expensive truck than an SLT.

Not saying your opinion is wrong or anything, just stating that comparing an SLT to a Power Wagon isn't necessarily apples to applies . I do think your point is valid and something I stated in a previous post, which was asking how much a non-PW version would cost. I would definitely think hard about whether I would really want a PW versus buying a truck with half the miles for less money, regardless of the difference in the trucks.......

Sure, that's why I mentioned mine is an SLT

But what does the OP really got for the power wagon package ?

So cool wheels, hot wheels style stickers, lower payload and less seating capacity

Seems like a no brainer to me

 

[olyelr]

Sure, that's why I mentioned mine is an SLT

But what does the OP really got for the power wagon package ?

So cool wheels, hot wheels style stickers, lower payload and less seating capacity

Seems like a no brainer to me

Less seating capacity? My power wagon laramie seats six…no less than any ram pickup can seat.

What does it have over a non power wagon? Front and rear lockers, sway bar disconnect, a winch, taller/softer more off road oriented suspension…to name a few

 

[diymirage]

Less seating capacity? My power wagon laramie seats six…no less than any ram pickup can seat.

What does it have over a non power wagon? Front and rear lockers, sway bar disconnect, a winch, taller/softer more off road oriented suspension…to name a few

Yours does come with the front bench ?

That's cool
I thought they all came with those silly buckets

 

[tron67j]

I really appreciate everyone’s input - very helpful. Man, I love the look and feel of the power wagon - maybe that’ll give me an excuse to go off roading. But I understand that it was meant more for being off road than for towing. It looks like the max payload is 1,510 towing capacity is 10,030 for the 2017.

How close can I get to those numbers and still be safe?

I really, really wanted a PW when I bought my 2018 2500, but that payload was just a deal breaker. I have almost same truck with stock suspension and 3,000 pounds payload capacity. Two people I know have them, really enjoy but each has another truck for towing. Something light is okay but they just feel like it is a bit squirrelly when trying to tow more.

 

[Airmousam]

I didn't even know I wanted PW until I drove one...drove a 2021 2500 tradesman after driving Ford and GM HDs..went back to the Ram dealer and they had a fresh PW on the lot...drove it, and that was it.. in love right away..ordered mine that week..I tow a 4 position enclosed snowmobile trailer with 3 of my portly friends with ease...trips are 4 or 5 hours...trailer with sleds fuel etc just under 10k...drives like a dream compared.to my 2018 chevy 1/2 ton I traded..winch comes in handy 2 or 3 times a year, but for sure im not using it to it full potential...to the OP, numbers don't look terrible on that one, but I'd prob keep looking for one with lower miles...one will come around...good.luck

 

[olyelr]

Yours does come with the front bench ?

That's cool
I thought they all came with those silly buckets

You couldnt even get a power wagon with a center council until the 75th anniversary edition came out in 2021. Its an option now, but the flip up center seat is still standard.

And of course, with that option it has to do away with the manual tcase lever and go to the push button 4wd.

While i have used the center seat several times in the last 8 years, i think i would rather have the center council like in my half ton. And lets face it, that center seat has to be uncomfortable as hell to sit in for any amount of time. Its also uncomfortable as a driver to have someone there and not have an arm rest. To each their own i guess.

 

[Airmousam]

Some good points..doubt I would have bought a PW without the buckets and center console...I can see the extra seat front seat coming in handy once in a while tho

 

[Docwagon1776]

You couldnt even get a power wagon with a center council until the 75th anniversary edition came out in 2021. Its an option now, but the flip up center seat is still standard.

And of course, with that option it has to do away with the manual tcase lever and go to the push button 4wd.

While i have used the center seat several times in the last 8 years, i think i would rather have the center council like in my half ton. And lets face it, that center seat has to be uncomfortable as hell to sit in for any amount of time. Its also uncomfortable as a driver to have someone there and not have an arm rest. To each their own i guess.

I could count the number of times I used the flip up front seat in my 1500 on one hand in over a decade of use. All when my son was fairly young and visiting family upped the passenger count to 6. I wouldn't put anyone in that seat, even kids, for longer distances or on the interstate. No airbag or shoulder belt combined with the shape of the dash means any front impact has a strong potential for their head bouncing off the radio.

It was nice to have the few times I used it, I suppose, but I definitely prefer the center console.

 

[nlambert182]

I didn't even know I wanted PW until I drove one...drove a 2021 2500 tradesman after driving Ford and GM HDs..went back to the Ram dealer and they had a fresh PW on the lot...drove it, and that was it.. in love right away..ordered mine that week..I tow a 4 position enclosed snowmobile trailer with 3 of my portly friends with ease...trips are 4 or 5 hours...trailer with sleds fuel etc just under 10k...drives like a dream compared.to my 2018 chevy 1/2 ton I traded..winch comes in handy 2 or 3 times a year, but for sure im not using it to it full potential...to the OP, numbers don't look terrible on that one, but I'd prob keep looking for one with lower miles...one will come around...good.luck

You can do that with a trailer where you can adjust the weight distribution by moving the equipment around, but the OP wants to tow a camper. The problem with campers is a large portion of the weight is static and can't be adjusted back to remove some weight from the tongue. A WDH will shift the weight to a degree, but likely not enough for anything over 7k lbs.

 

[4xdad]

My little pit dog loves the centre seat. I flip it up when I want to them in the back. Humans need not apply

 

[diymirage]

You couldnt even get a power wagon with a center council until the 75th anniversary edition came out in 2021. Its an option now, but the flip up center seat is still standard.

And of course, with that option it has to do away with the manual tcase lever and go to the push button 4wd.

While i have used the center seat several times in the last 8 years, i think i would rather have the center council like in my half ton. And lets face it, that center seat has to be uncomfortable as hell to sit in for any amount of time. Its also uncomfortable as a driver to have someone there and not have an arm rest. To each their own i guess.

I bought the dodge to replace my plow truck , which I knew was on its way out (rusted out from underneath me)

What I didn't know was that my family hauler (3 row vehicle) was also on its way out

When the family hauler died I decided to replace both vehicles with the one, and since I have 3 kids and a wife, a truck with buckets would be at capacity just with my family

So not having a front bench would have been a deal breaker for me

I think the week after I picked it up, we went on spring break and brought one of my daughters friends with us

For 1500 miles, someone was in the jump seat


I'll readily admit I wasn't as comfortable as I could be, but having that seat available was worth it to me

Plus, when it's just me and the wife, there are certain other advantages to having a bench

 

[4xdad]

This is the best one for in the other seat

 

[olyelr]

Plus, when it's just me and the wife, there are certain other advantages to having a bench

Ohhhhh yeaaa, completely understand lmao

 

[62Blazer]

Sure, that's why I mentioned mine is an SLT

But what does the OP really got for the power wagon package ?

So cool wheels, hot wheels style stickers, lower payload and less seating capacity

Seems like a no brainer to me

Is there a reason you are not mentioning the most expensive and unique features of a PW? A PW has selectable front and rear lockers, disconnecting swaybar, winch, raised suspension, and slightly bigger tires. It also comes standard with 4.10 gears, which are available as an option on a regular 2500 but from my experience 3.73 was more common.
Now granted most people who buy a PW will probably never "need" the lockers, swaybar disconnect, or winch...and many will never even use them. But if you added all that stuff to a regular 2500 it would cost a lot of money, especially if you hired a shop to do it. I would say just in parts (front and rear lockers, a set of tires, winch and mount) you would easily have at least $5k-$6k in it. Double that if you had a shop do the install.
However I think I know where you are coming from. For most people who don't need all of that stuff you could take an SLT/Bighorn/non-PW truck and make it "look" really good by doing some suspension work and a set of tires and wheels. You could do a full Thuren mid level suspension for $2,500 (front and rear coils, shocks, trackbars, etc...) and throw on a set of tires which rode great on the road and look just as tough cruising the mall parking lot for a lot less total money. I seriously considered doing this as I didn't "need" a true PW, but found a great deal on a very low mileage PW.

 

[HaraldHardrada]

Is there a reason you are not mentioning the most expensive and unique features of a PW? A PW has selectable front and rear lockers, disconnecting swaybar, winch, raised suspension, and slightly bigger tires. It also comes standard with 4.10 gears, which are available as an option on a regular 2500 but from my experience 3.73 was more common.
Now granted most people who buy a PW will probably never "need" the lockers, swaybar disconnect, or winch...and many will never even use them. But if you added all that stuff to a regular 2500 it would cost a lot of money, especially if you hired a shop to do it. I would say just in parts (front and rear lockers, a set of tires, winch and mount) you would easily have at least $5k-$6k in it. Double that if you had a shop do the install.
However I think I know where you are coming from. For most people who don't need all of that stuff you could take an SLT/Bighorn/non-PW truck and make it "look" really good by doing some suspension work and a set of tires and wheels. You could do a full Thuren mid level suspension for $2,500 (front and rear coils, shocks, trackbars, etc...) and throw on a set of tires which rode great on the road and look just as tough cruising the mall parking lot for a lot less total money. I seriously considered doing this as I didn't "need" a true PW, but found a great deal on a very low mileage PW.

I think RAM eventually realized there was a piece of this pie for them with new truck buyers that want a PW look and that's how we in the HD segment finally ended up with an HD 2500 RAM Rebel. Sans the winch it looks just like a Power Wagon. You can get the Cummins and keep the PW look if you need to primarily tow.

I still think PW is a great value, we are now at a time when mid-size truck top trims like the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro are approaching $70k+, but pre-Covid it was even more amazing value to get all those unique features AND have a factory warranty on all of it.

Edit: Tradesman Power Wagon if you really do just care about the 4x4 features , although I just went on RAM site and tried to configure one and don't even see the package as an option so maybe they removed it?

 

[mikeru]

Edit: Tradesman Power Wagon if you really do just care about the 4x4 features , although I just went on RAM site and tried to configure one and don't even see the package as an option so maybe they removed it?

Yeah I noticed that yesterday. Looks like they took it away for 2024 models.

 

[62Blazer]

I think RAM eventually realized there was a piece of this pie for them with new truck buyers that want a PW look and that's how we in the HD segment finally ended up with an HD 2500 RAM Rebel. Sans the winch it looks just like a Power Wagon. You can get the Cummins and keep the PW look if you need to primarily tow.

I still think PW is a great value, we are now at a time when mid-size truck top trims like the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro are approaching $70k+, but pre-Covid it was even more amazing value to get all those unique features AND have a factory warranty on all of it.

Edit: Tradesman Power Wagon if you really do just care about the 4x4 features , although I just went on RAM site and tried to configure one and don't even see the package as an option so maybe they removed it?

Agree with the comments on the 2500 Rebel. The Power Wagon is just like the Jeep Rubicon...the vast majority of people buy it just because it looks really cool. There is probably only a small percentage of people that even understand what the lockers and stuff really are, and I'm sure some people like to brag about having them even if they don't ever need or use them. I can't even count how many people I have seen get stuck on wet grass or in a slightly snowy parking lot because they are still in 2wd and either don't know you have to manually shift to 4wd, or don't know how to. One of my wife's friends drove a 4wd SUV, a style that was 2wd until you shifted into 4wd, for 5-6 years. She was in a snowy parking lot and couldn't back up. She knew it needed to be shifted into 4wd but had to get the owner's manual out to see how you did it........and it was as simple as pulling the lever from 2wd to 4wd.