Many here will praise the Hemi, mostly due to people swapping them into A bodies. That said, they are not the most reliable engine in a truck. Lots of lifter problems as well as piston issues. they didnt coin the term "hemi tick" for the lifters being quiet. They do eat ps pumps, my buddys has both hemi tick and ps pump howl at 140K. My 03 Ram diesel doesnt have any issues at 160K. The death wobble is mostly bs, it can be cured if you have a brain. Most that have it have huge tires. If you want a good truck for occasional use, look for an 02-03 with a 5.9 in it. Last forever, easy to squeeze a few more ponies out of it and no hemi tick or other bs. They are also super cheap, less than $7K on west coast compared to hemi at $10-12K. Just my $.02 after 35 years as a professional wrench.
