This is the question our used desk fields more than almost any other, and it usually comes from somebody who already knows what they need the truck to do. Farm buyers, trades, guys pulling a big trailer every week. They are not asking whether a Ram 2500 is capable. They are asking which years are worth the money and which ones to leave alone.

Shopping already? Browse our new Ram 2500 inventory in Portage la Prairie.

The short version is that there is one line that matters far more than the rest, and it sits at 2019. Have a look at the used trucks on our lot as you read, because this is exactly how we sort heavy duty trades when they come in.

Everything with a number attached below is checked against Ram and Stellantis announcements. Where the sources do not line up cleanly, we say so rather than pick the flattering number.

Key Takeaways

• 2019 is the generation line. The 2019 Ram Heavy Duty was a complete redesign. A 2019 and a 2018 are different trucks, and the gap in ride, interior and technology is large enough that it should drive your budget.
• 2014 is the step up inside the older generation. That year brought the all new 6.4 litre HEMI V8 at 410 horsepower and 429 lb ft, plus factory rear air suspension offered on the 2500.
• Know which Cummins you are looking at. For years the 2500 carried the standard output 6.7 litre Cummins while the big torque High Output version was a 3500 story. Ram now advertises available base diesel torque of 1,075 lb ft on the 2500. Confirm the engine and rating on the specific truck rather than assuming from the year.
• The gas 6.4 litre HEMI is an underrated used buy here. If you are not towing at the top of the rating every week, a gas heavy duty costs less to buy, less to maintain, and starts easier in a Manitoba January.
• Condition beats model year on a work truck. A 250,000 km Cummins with full records and a documented emissions system is often a better truck than a 140,000 km one that was run hard and serviced when somebody remembered.

2019: The Line That Matters Most

Ram redesigned the Heavy Duty completely for 2019, and the announcement figures tell you why it is the dividing line.

The 6.7 litre Cummins High Output arrived at 400 horsepower at 2,800 rpm and 1,000 lb ft of torque at 1,800 rpm, backed by an Aisin AS69RC six speed automatic. The standard output Cummins was rated at 370 horsepower and 850 lb ft at 1,700 rpm behind an upgraded 68RFE six speed. The gas 6.4 litre HEMI carried 410 horsepower at 5,600 rpm and 429 lb ft at 4,000 rpm and moved to a TorqueFlite 8HP75 eight speed automatic. At the top of the lineup Ram quoted 35,100 pounds of towing and 7,680 pounds of payload.

Two things there matter for a used shopper. The eight speed behind the gas engine is a genuine daily improvement over what came before. And the interior of a 2019 and newer heavy duty is in a different class than the outgoing truck, which is the thing most people notice first on a test drive and the reason the price gap between a 2018 and a 2019 is as wide as it is.

Later in the generation the High Output Cummins moved up again to 420 horsepower and 1,075 lb ft. If you are shopping a newer used truck, that is worth knowing, and it is worth confirming on the specific truck.

The Cummins Question, Answered Honestly

Here is the part that gets muddled in every forum thread.

For most of the older generation the big torque Cummins was not the 2500 engine. Ram's own 2014 Heavy Duty announcement put the 2500's 6.7 litre Cummins with the automatic at 370 horsepower and 800 lb ft at 1,600 rpm, while the High Output version making 385 horsepower and 850 lb ft went in the 3500. Going back to 2013, that High Output Cummins with the new Aisin six speed was likewise a 3500 item.

So if somebody is selling you a 2015 Ram 2500 as a thousand pound foot truck, that is not what it is. Ask for the build sheet.

What changed is that Ram now advertises available base diesel torque of 1,075 lb ft on the current Ram 2500 in Canada. That is a real shift in what a three quarter ton can be ordered with. Between the older split and the current advertising there is a stretch of model years where the honest answer is that it depends on the exact truck and how it was built, so we look it up rather than guess. Bring us a VIN and we will tell you precisely which engine and rating that truck left the factory with.

For the broader engine decision, our post on the Ram 2500 diesel versus gas question goes through the ownership math in detail.

2014: Where to Start in the Older Generation

If your budget puts you before 2019, start at 2014 rather than reaching further back.

That is the year Ram introduced the all new 6.4 litre HEMI V8 at 410 horsepower and 429 lb ft, which gave the heavy duty a modern gas option instead of the older V8. It is also the year Ram offered exclusive factory rear air suspension on the 2500, which is a genuinely nice thing to have on a truck that spends part of its life loaded and part of it empty. Ram quoted the 2500 at up to 17,970 pounds of towing that year.

A 2014 to 2018 Ram 2500 is a lot of truck for the money right now, and for a buyer who tows a few times a month rather than daily, it is frequently the smart purchase. Just go in knowing you are buying an older interior and an older cab, and spend the savings on an inspection rather than on options.

What a High Kilometre Cummins Is Actually Worth Here

This is where a national buying guide will lie to you by omission, so here is the local read.

A Cummins can go a very long way. That is real, and it is why these trucks hold value. But the engine is not the expensive part of a used diesel. The expensive parts are the emissions system, the fuel system, and whatever the previous owner did or did not do.

What we look at on a trade, in order. The service records first, because a diesel with a documented history is worth genuinely more than the same truck without one, and we price it that way. Then the emissions system, because a truck that has had repeated trouble there is telling you something about how it was driven. Short trips in cold weather are hard on these systems, and short trips in cold weather is exactly what a lot of Manitoba trucks do. Then the fuel system, then the usual suspects of turbo, injectors and the transmission.

The Manitoba specifics matter too. Look hard at the underside. Salt and brine over ten winters does real damage to frames, brake lines and fuel lines out here, and that is often what decides whether a truck is worth buying at all. Check the block heater cord, because it is one of the most common damaged items we find and it matters more on a diesel than on anything else. And on a cold start, a healthy diesel should not be a drama. Our post on warming up a diesel engine in the cold covers what normal actually looks like out here.

On kilometres, our post on what counts as good mileage on a used truck makes the case better than we can repeat here, but the short version is that highway kilometres on a maintained diesel are cheap and city kilometres on a neglected one are expensive, and the odometer does not tell you which you are looking at.

Do Not Skip the Recall Check

Run the VIN before you buy, on any used truck, from anywhere. It takes two minutes and it is free. Our walkthrough on checking recalls on a Ram or Jeep by VIN shows exactly how.

If a truck has open recall work, that is not automatically a reason to walk. It is a reason to know, and to get it scheduled. Our service department handles recall work, and we will inspect a truck you are considering even if you found it somewhere else.

When a New One Is the Better Answer

Sometimes the used truck is not the better buy, and we would rather say so.

The current Ram 2500 in Canada offers the 6.4 litre HEMI HD rated at 405 horsepower and 429 lb ft with an eight speed automatic, and Ram advertises available base diesel torque of 1,075 lb ft. On a heavy duty that gets worked, full factory warranty on the emissions and fuel systems has genuine dollar value, because those are precisely the components that cost the most when they let go on a used one.

The way to settle it is with real numbers rather than opinion. Get a value on your current truck with our instant cash offer tool, then compare that against our new Ram 2500 inventory and against the used trucks on the lot. Pricing and incentives move every month, so check our current pricing here for the most up to date pricing information, and we will lay both payments side by side. If the used truck wins, we will tell you it wins.

FAQs

What is the best year for a used Ram 2500 Cummins?

The most important line is 2019, when Ram completely redesigned the Heavy Duty. A 2019 or newer truck is a substantially better vehicle to live with than a 2018. If your budget sits below that, start at 2014 or newer, which is when the 6.4 litre HEMI arrived and factory rear air suspension became available on the 2500. Past that, the specific truck's history matters more than the year.

Did the Ram 2500 come with the 1,000 lb ft Cummins?

Historically the highest torque Cummins was a Ram 3500 engine while the 2500 carried the standard output version. Ram's 2019 announcement put the High Output at 400 horsepower and 1,000 lb ft and the standard output at 370 horsepower and 850 lb ft. Ram now advertises available base diesel torque of 1,075 lb ft on the current 2500. Because this changed over time, confirm the engine on the specific truck by VIN or build sheet rather than assuming from the model year.

Is a gas 6.4 litre HEMI 2500 a mistake?

Not at all, and it is often the smarter used buy. If you tow a few times a month rather than every day, the gas truck costs less up front, costs less to maintain, has no emissions system to worry about in the same way, and starts more easily in deep cold. The diesel earns its premium when you tow heavy and often, or when you rack up highway kilometres.

How many kilometres can a Cummins go?

A maintained one can go a very long way, which is why these trucks hold their value. The engine is rarely what ends a truck's life out here. Corrosion, emissions system repairs and fuel system work are the costs that matter, so buy the records and the underside rather than the odometer reading.

What should I check on a used Ram 2500 in Manitoba specifically?

The frame, brake lines and fuel lines for salt corrosion, the block heater cord, the cold start behaviour, and the service history on the emissions and fuel systems. Then the normal items of tires, brakes and transmission. We will put a truck you are considering on a hoist and go through all of it with you.

Should I buy a 2500 or a 3500?

It comes down to payload and how you tow. If you are running a heavy fifth wheel or carrying serious weight in the box regularly, the 3500 is the honest answer. Our post comparing the Ram 2500 and 3500 goes through where the line actually falls.

The Bottom Line

If you take one thing away, take 2019. That is the redesign, and it is the biggest single jump in what you get for your money across the whole used range. Below it, 2014 is where the older generation stopped being a compromise.

After that, stop shopping years and start shopping trucks. Bring us a VIN and we will tell you exactly what engine and rating it left the factory with, put it on a hoist, and give you the straight answer on whether it is worth what they are asking. Or come look at what we have on the used lot and we will start there.

Tyler Dunn, Dunn Ram Trucks, Portage la Prairie