Honestly your buddy might be right if you are looking at a new GM, it might be better to roll the dice on a new powertrain but that hasn't always been a good idea in the past 😃. I do think they are putting a lot of engineering work into DFM fixes in the new models, time will tell if they are reliable or not.

With GM, it worries me that the 6.2L, the 3.0L are both having issues that feel very...QC related. I'm not sure who is manning the ship in their engine plants but feels very bizarre the quality just keeps going down hill. The 5.3L can be OK, but I still see a lot of folks with 60-100k miles and lifters go. Some have impeccable maintenance, they still go.

I would say to go drive them all, if you aren't towing and really like the GM maybe consider the Turbomax as odd as that might sound. if you are only keeping them through warranty or a little bit past, the 5.3L might be fine...but there's still that chance of lifter issues.

I haven't had really that many electrical issues other than Apple Carplay on my Ram, and it seems that's hit or miss. Currently mine is working as expected, carplay connects wirelessly and works. When I plug in with USB, it's working. Sometimes it does not, requires full reset of the infotainment. The 2025 Rams were an all new electrical platform and they had a lot of bad batteries from the factory, some folks had two bad batteries. I've read many stories of folks just buying two new batteries (larger and aux battery), and having no further issues come up after that. Voltage is a lot bigger deal in modern vehicles, it's not just Ram.

I think Ram has the most solid engine/transmission combo, and best interior/quiet ride and cab. I would go drive them all...see which one resonates most with you, still considering the powertrain issues. And consider how long you plan to keep it.

Ford was my runner up when I test drove all of them, I did like the functionality of the dash/infotainment, I liked the vision and the ride in the Ford, and their powertrains seem to be holding up OK. Same transmission that GM has, but they seem to have a lot fewer engine issues overall. I personally wouldn't get a powerboost, the less complexity the better.

Thanks for the response. Really appreciate the help. Have been watching a bunch more content on your channel. That and some others (Getty) have been especially helpful getting my bearings in all of this.

Good to know GM makes at least one truck engine that's reliable. Too bad there's now way I'd go with a TurboMax! I'm good with either a V8 or a boosted-6, but a 4-banger is a bridge too far. I'm of the same mentality, and have to have a reliable powertrain combo. I think I'm going to want to make a move before enough is known about the new GM 5.7, so I guess it will be a hard pass on another GM and will go with a Ford or RAM. No idea if new or used, or if I'll go V8 or boosted-6. Yes, will have to test drive when I'm ready. Thanks again. Keep up the great work!

If you do consider used and reliability is your number one thing I would take a look at the second generation tundra. There really isn’t a more reliable platform on the planet, but they cost more than gold at this point… as you are probably aware 😃

I did take a peek at used 2nd gen Tundra prices, and yes they're completely ridiculous. The last three vehicles I've bought have all been used. I like to pick up 1-3 year old vehicles with as low miles as possible. Save a whole ton of money and have a basically new car. For used, I'd be looking at 23-24 RAM HEMI's before the refresh, or a similar year F-150 either 2.7EB or Coyote. But that 100k mile warranty on the new RAM's is certainly compelling!