That's why I have a 4.7. Of course I went in looking for a Hemi and I walked out with a 4.7 b/c I got such a deal. As much as I still want a Hemi, I don't really need it. My truck will still get up and move (I can only imagine how the Hemi moves) and it still pulls nicely. I never have a problem going up grades at full speed. So, though I wish I had a Hemi, my 4.7L is more than sufficient.

 

I got the 4.7L on my '04. I kick myself in the pants every day of my life. STUPID decision. The 5.7L gets the same fuel economy...identical fuel economy. Except the 5.7L also has a LOT more power. My 4.7L is underpowered and drinks gas. If I could do it over again, I'd pay the extra $900 for the Hemi in a heartbeat. The 4.7L is a great engine for it's size, but doesn't belong in a 5,500 lb. truck.

 

I got the 4.7L on my '04. I kick myself in the pants every day of my life. STUPID decision. The 5.7L gets the same fuel economy...identical fuel economy. Except the 5.7L also has a LOT more power. My 4.7L is underpowered and drinks gas. If I could do it over again, I'd pay the extra $900 for the Hemi in a heartbeat. The 4.7L is a great engine for it's size, but doesn't belong in a 5,500 lb. truck.

If it was really a $900 difference, I think everyone on this site would have Hemi or better. But the reality is, the 4.7s are marked down so much (mine was $10,000 under MSRP). I wish I had a Hemi but my 4.7 isn't a slouch. It is enough to move the truck nicely and tow without any problems.

 

Well I paid $26,400 for my truck in September. Last week the same dealer had my same truck, in a '05 model, with 20s and the Hemi for $26,500. That made me sick to my stomach.

My 4.7L can't even hold a 1-2% grade in 5th gear at 65 mph. I really wish I could do it over again and get the 5.7L. I agree the 4.7L is a good engine. It whips the crap out of the 4.6L Ford I test drove at the same time I bought mine. But it still isn't enough engine for these big trucks IMO. If I was this guy, I'd get the 5.7L even if it costs a little bit more. Then you'll never have to say "I wish..."

 

Its a truck folks, a lot gets posted about the low output of the 4.7 but its not that bad. If you want sport car performance like the SRT-10 then the 4.7 would be a mistake to buy. But for an everyday driver there a lot of guys happy with a smaller engine.
I have the Hemi in a 7,200 truck and it works for me. I can smoke the tires in three gears and still get 14.9 miles to a US gallon.
Just make sure you get a standard tranny. Look up "Air-Ram" on this site, his 4.7 will keep up with most Hemi's. Bigger is not allways better.

 

I think a lot depends upon what you're accustomed to driving. I drove a 4.7 QC Ram rental for a month when my 4.7 Dakota was in the body shop. Since I was accustomed to the acceleration in the lighter vehicle, the Ram seemed like a dog. I traded the Dakota two months later for the hemi Ram I have now. There is only about $1,000 difference in the dealer invoice price between the hemi and 4.7. Since neither are in short supply, you should be able to get either at or below the dealer invoice.

 

Do I need to repeat my "I love my 4.7" remark?

 

When I bought the truck, it was the first year of the Hemi. I test drove both and I can honestly say that I did like the Hemi better. I'm not one to order a vehicle so I picked off the lot. I knew I wanted a QC. The only color Hemi that was left was the bright silver and it stickered $4,000 more than my truck. I don't like silver and this had a few goodies on it already. I thought that the 4.7 would get better gas mileage and my wife said that I didn't need all that power. Even though I disagree with that, I did get the 4.7. It was a good motor in my Durango and if I knew then how much would come out for the 4.7, I probably would've kept the Durango. I love my 4.7. With a few mods, I can move pretty well. But with a few mods, the Hemi will move better also.

If it's not that bad of a price jump, go with the Hemi. Or go with the 4.7 and mod it up. I still haven't spent the $4,000 in performance parts so I guess I'm still in the green.

 

I had a 4.7, now have a HEMI, and its awesome, get the HEMI!!

 

Get a HEMI.

 

When I bought my 01 Ram, I had the same debate between the 5.2L 318 and the 5.9L 360. I mistakenly chose the 318 thinking it would be plenty powerful and get a little better gas mileage for a cheaper price. WRONG. I hated that engine almost from the get-go. I had to mod the heck out of it to get enough power, and it got about 11 MPG. When I finally sold it a couple months ago, I did not even conside the 4.7L ... a $900 ad-on for the HEMI is a bargain and a no-brainer to me.

 

I Have 10 04 New Hemis Still Here On The Lot

 

My landlord has a 4X4 '01 with the 318. He's always griping about the crappy mileage, especially, he says, since it's the smaller motor. But when we talk about my '02, especially since it gets roughly the same mileage as my 3.9L '97 Dak, he just shakes his head....

 

I love my 4.7 and personally wouldn't even consider trading for a hemi right now.

14-15mpg 90% city driving, 0 problems to speak of in almost 34,000 miles, 15.3 in the 1/4 mile... Works for me.

The hemi wasn't an option in 2002 otherwise I would have got one without a doubt. Though the 4.7 really is a great engine.

 

I traded a 2002 4.7 heavily moded for a 5.7 2004 that is now getting heavily modded and apples to apples or stock to stock the 5.7 is worth the money. I get 1-2 miles/ gallon better milage plus you can pop it in cruise and not have it kicking down a gear on hills. The 4.7 is cheaper but if you put on 20,000 miles a year the 5.7 will pay for its self if you keep the tach under 3500 rpms.

 

Go with the HEMI 5.7 You wont be sorry!!! :rck:

 

Go with whatever works best for you man. You gotta look out for your pocketbook too. I assume this is a leftover '04 new on the lot thats why they are dealing it so greatly. I had a regcab '02 with a 4.7L and I loved that truck. However because of a growing family I needed a QuadCab and I wasn't gonna settle for less than the 5.7L in a bigger truck. The 4.7L is a great engine, but the 5.7L gets the same and even better mileage in some cases ('02 RC 4.7L 13.8 - 14.4mpg avg vs '04 QC 5.7L 13.2 - 13.8 mpg avg).

The power is nice, but if going with the 4.7L is gonna save you a bucket load of money, you gotta consider it. Its still a Dodge either way and I'm sure you will be happy regardless man. Just don't settle, get what you want.

KB

 

I am yet another of those guys who kick myself inthe butt everytime I walk outside and look at my truck. Bought the 4.7 to save money for mods, and my boat. Ironic that I spent alot more than $900 in performance mods to the engine, and it is still not a Hemi!! LOL, Summer, and my new truck are soon approching though!!!

 

Anyone who paid only $900 less than an equally equiped Hemi for their 4.7 paid way way too much for their 4.7. On paper a Hemi is only $900 more but in reality a 4.7 is significantly less.

 

I bought my truck last April, when the dodge salesmen were running out of time to use their employee discounts (they get one per quarter I think). At first I thought this was just a sales tactic, but as I visited more and more dealerships, I realized this was actually a company truth. Don't know if every dealership chain has it, but I got an awesome deal on my Hemi. I got a Hemi QC, 20" rims, sport group, bedliner, leather seats, tow group, Infinite sound and a lot more for $28,000....then I put $2500 down on top of that. Trust me, you can get a Hemi for a decent price, so go for it. You won't regret it!!!

 

A wise man once said " There's no replacement for displacement". If your like me this is a major investment, but you have to ask yourself is this really what I want. If not save up and wait. Just my .02. but I am rather biased.

 

Please get the Hemi...You can thank us later..

 

Please get the Hemi...You can thank us later..[

Agreed - It's a buyers market for gas guzzling trucks. There is no reason you can't get a hemi for less than a grand more.

 

You really need to ask yourself what you are going to do with the truck. Are you going to be towing a lot of stuff? Do you want to try to make a hotrod out of it? I went with the 4.7 because they didnt offer a hemi in 2002. I went to look at the hemi when they came out, but couldnt see paying 9000 dollars more for the same truck with 100 more horse power. If you have the money to blow get the hemi. If you want a great deal on the same truck with a 100 less horse power get the 4.7. Also I have 53000 miles on my truck and there has been no problems at all with it.

 

When I bought my '97 Dak. I wanted the biggest engine available so I got the 318. Then in '98 they came out with the R/T 360! :banghead: I hate it when I see another truck like mine, with a bigger engine!
I would almost bet money they will put the 6.1 Hemi in the 1500 soon! :nutkick: