Dodge trucks

[twodko]

Top 'o the day gang! I'm shopping for a new pickup. I've always been a GM guy and have never had any problems with any GM product I've ever owned. Unfortunately GM has decided their poop isn't offensive and priced their trucks accordingly. I like the look of the Dodge truck the last couple years. I'm hearing these have problems with their "drive by wire" system. What's the real deal about this and/or any other comments about these trucks? Thanks guys.

[Troy]

You think a Dodge truck is cheaper? I think they're all way up there! I didn't have any issues at all with my 2006 Tahoe and would buy another Chevy in an instant if I were in the market. My last experience with a Dodge truck was horrible and costly. I am interested to know if the MDS on the Hemi is finally getting decent mileage because that's another reason the Rams dropped off my list of contenders. If I were buying anything these days I'd probably end up with a Ford though.

Troy

[1970Moparmann]

I went down this road a year ago.   I was a diehard "daily driver" Ford guy, then went to Dodge (major bad experience), then Chevy for 10 years, and now back to Ford.   Last year I looked at the Chevy, Dodge and Ford - all half tons.   Chevy was way too expensive..................  At this time last year, and now, it is the end of the current year models.  Chevy didn't want to budge on anything.  Dodge and Ford was very close to each other, but the Dodge had more options included in the price - leather versus cloth seats.    I drove both and am happy with my decision with the Ford.   It's been the best truck I've ever owned.   I have some friends with 2001 - 2006 Rams, and frankly they have had a bunch of problems.  I know the newer ones are much better, but I had such a bad experience years ago and Dodge didn't back up the product they sold me, I went back to Ford.

I got a great deal and very happy with it.

I never looked at the Nissan or Toyota because I personally won't ever buy one of them.

Good luck!

[Musicman]

I have an 85 D100 that's pushing 400,000 miles on the original Slant-6... It's never been to the shop, starts at the turn of the key every day. I used it for years hauling forms and steal for concrete work with my brother-in-law, so it has seen many days of Actual Labor. My daughter drives it all over hell these days... she just drove it up to NH on a camping trip.... Not much compression left in it, but it refuses to die.
Wouldn't give ya 2 bits for one of the newer ones however... I think they stopped making real trucks years ago. I also have a 93 Dakota 4X4... Haven't really had any real trouble with it, but it's not much of a truck either. I think they built these things with young kids and yuppies in mind. All Show and no Go in my opinion.

[chargerboy69]

As I am getting ready to buy a new tow vehicle, I will jump in with my opinion. I looked at diesels, not sure what you are looking for in a truck.

Dodge- A good diesel engine built around a fair truck at best.  Plus their so call Crew Cab is extremely small.  Unless you go with a Mega Cab, interior room sucks.  But then you can not get the long bed with a Mega Cab, so that kinda sucks too.  Did not look at 2008 and up as I did not want to spend that kind of money.

GM- Once again did not look at 2008 and up.  I drive two GMC trucks, one for my business, and one for my daily driver.  I love them. My Yukon is pushing 250,000 miles and runs and drives like the day I bought her.  Regular maintenance like exhaust, brakes, tires, ect. is all she has needed. However, the Duramax engine is not quite as good as Fords 7.3.

Ford- I have decided to go with a Ford this time around.  As much as I would like a newer Ford truck the 2004-2010 diesels are junk.  I am going with a 1999-2003 Ford F-350 with the 7.3 Powerstroke.  A fantastic engine around a great truck.

If you are going with a gas engine I would hands down go with a Ford.  Their gas engines are good, they look good on the outside, very well built, and their interiors are far superior to anything else. Best of luck on your purchase.

[twodko]

I knew I could count on youse guys.  I haven't bought a new truck since my current 97 Chevy so the new and new-er truck prices were an eye opener. I don't have anything to tow but I want the option. I'm going to stick with gas too. I've read good things about Ford's F150 so I'll give one of those a spin as well as a Silverado. It will be a search to find the right truck for me........always is. 

[vancamp]

i have owned multiples of every body style ram made currently have two 2010 models one 4.7 one mds hemi 4x4 gas mileage on the 2wd 4.7 is around 25-26 the hemi 4x4 is right at 18-19 if i keep my foot out of it, only issues i have is with the suspension and towing it feels a bit mushy when when towing, i have never been a fan of chevrolets especially after taking them apart, the bodys arent real structurally sound in my opinion if was buying other than a dodge it would be a ford.

[krug69]

the new ford trucks are supposed to be pretty good but ive seen a few f150s around here years 04 to 08 that had issues with the variable cam or something with the timing. my girlfriends parents had that problem twice with theres and its a $1200 fix. a guy i work with knew one that had 30k miles on that the motor blew up because something was out of it. a friend of mine has a new f150. i do really like the styling of the interior and it has plenty of power for a half ton. but i love and drive a dodge. always have and always will

[Chryco Psycho]

I have owned 2 GM trucks , my first & my last both were total Junk & broke down / left me stranded on a regular basis & cost a fortune to keep on the road
I drove a new 2011 SD for 3 months this year , in that time the trans lost 3rd gear , the transfer case quit shifting into 4x4 , the radio went intermittent & I completely lost the power steering , it was a brand new truck & I turned it back in with 12,000 miles on it 3 months later . the killer was the steady 7 MPG at best unloaded .

[mpdlawdog]

a good friend of mine ownes a repair shop here in my town....he just pulled up a list of all repairs he did in the past year....I went through it and saw a mostly dodge and chevy trucks.... only a handful of ford trucks....

[DC_1]

a good friend of mine ownes a repair shop here in my town....he just pulled up a list of all repairs he did in the past year....I went through it and saw a mostly dodge and chevy trucks.... only a handful of ford trucks....

So assuming there are equal amounts of each brand sold in your area and that the Ford owners don't drive their trucks like pussies while the Dodge and Chevy guys use them as trucks, that could have merit. However, I see potential flaws in your empirical data.

Sorry, I'm a Dodge guy and think the new ones look and perform great. The interior is much improved over the previous generation and the Cummings diesel is the best power plant available for diesel pick up trucks, IMO.... hell, it is like having a small Semi. The Hemi engine on the gas side is proven to be top of it's class in terms of power, torque and reliability so if it eats $5 a week more in gas then it's worth it in my opinion. If your top priority is fuel mileage then you really don't need a truck, buy a 4 cylinder car and rent a truck the 3 times a year when you actually need the capacity, you'll be further a head.

Not knocking the other brands, I think they are also very good. If I was into Chevelles Or GTOs I'd lean toward Chevy, if I had a Mustang then a Ford....... I'm not into those and therefore a Penastar guy all the way!
 

[Chryco Psycho]

What is the statistic again 95 % of all ford trucks are still on the road
only 5 % made it home 
After the new one I drove this winter that seems about right

[Musicman]

What is the statistic again 95 % of all ford trucks are still on the road
only 5 % made it home

[GPULLER]

I'm a die hard Dodge guy, wouldn't have anything else.  Have a '98 12V Cummins, been an excellent truck.  So were my '80 with a /6 4spd and '90 with 318.
GM's to me are cheap rattle traps..."bottom feeders" as we call them at work.
Fords are better but the last good diesel they built was the 7.3 and the gassers are anemic.
The more I see any new vehicle and how difficult they are to work on it makes me want to buy up all the NOS sheet metal parts available and drive my '98 until all parts are depleted.


 

[Troy]

Well, back to the original question... I was ***assuming*** that we weren't talking about diesels (see reference to price). I have no experience with the Hemi drive-by-wire stuff but I know it was crap on my 1999 Cummins.

Troy

[73rallye440magnum]

Ever wonder why Ford puts Cummins motors into their medium duty trucks?

I've spoken to two individuals with over 1.5 million miles on there 12 valve Cummins Rams. Motors untouched, hauling campers around the country.

[TK73]

Got a question on my '86 /6...

Isn't the oil supposed to be on the inside of the engine?


As far as new Rams... RALLYMIKE, where y'at??

[RallyeMike]

71 Dodge Shortbed 225 4 speed: Best truck I ever owned, but it couldn't pull a car trailer.

76 Power Wagon Shorty 4x4 360/727: The truck that constantly broke something, but was a hell of a lot of fun.

89 2500 Regular Cab 360/727 2wd: The truck that even the Dodge dealer could not fix the fuel injection system on. Converted it to a Carter carb.

07 Ram CTD 6-speed crew cab 4x4: ENGINE LIGHT ON EVERY 3k MILES UNTIL IT ATE ITS TURBO AT 13K. THIS TRUCK IS NOW CHRYSLER's PROBLEM. I got my money back!

05 Ram Hemi Regular Cab 2wd Stripper: Great truck so far (59k miles)


After the 07 CTD, I swore never again Dodge. They talked in circles and denied any problems until I got loud, then they actually stepped up to the plate. The last I heard Chrysler still denies that there is any significant problems with these trucks, but a lot of people ARE having problems with them. I believe there is now a class action lawsuit starting up. I'm not paying too much attention nay more since I dumped mine back on Chrysler. I drove a couple of old Chevy's for awhile, but could not pass up the deal on my current 05 Hemi, and have been very happy with it.

[1970Moparmann]

Ever wonder why Ford puts Cummins motors into their medium duty trucks?

I've spoken to two individuals with over 1.5 million miles on there 12 valve Cummins Rams. Motors untouched, hauling campers around the country.

When I had my Duramax Diesel I was on Dieselplace.com and there were some "camper haulers" on the board.   When their Chevy's hit around 150k - 200k they were running into component failures.   One guy traded in for a Dodge, and he said those that pack on the miles the Cummins is the best.  The Cummins is  a beast!

A friend with a 2002 Ram 5.7 just called yesterday and said he blew a bearing.  It has 120k miles and is a rust bucket! 

[Cooter]

Well, since we are talking bout the GAS F-150 Ford truck here and most seem to like? this thing, Leeme fill you in on the $1000.00 tune-up on a couple years of the 2004-05 Fords with the 5.4 triton V8...Two (2) piece spark plugs that break off in the cylinder heads. Special tool to get EACH and EVERY one out...


Wonderful Ford engineers....Two piece spark plugs? Really? Seriously? What was wrong with one piece? Were two piece cheaper?
Thank God the aftermarket has stepped up with Accel ONE piece replacements, but you still have to get plugs out that have been in the engine for well over 100K miles.....Then there is the newer 6.0 liter Diesel...Junk IMO...The older 7.3 was a better engine, although it had it's share of problems due to the valve cover gasket having the wiring harness inside of it.


GM trucks..100K mile coolant? Dexcool? Seriously? yeah right..Leave that sh*t in there for over 3 years and see what you will have to replace...
Allison trannies in the new Diesels...Yeah, good tranny...Till it breaks...Just like a BMW, MErcedes, Lexus, etc....
1997-2000? 6.2 Turbo diesel engine? Injection pumps from Stanidyne, junk...I used to install these on a monthly basis. Horrible engines that look like olds V8's.

Dodge trucks...Cummins diesel. Great engine till they redesigned it....The older 1997 style engine with rocker boxes was the best one.
Auto trannies? Junk....Even the diesel version won't hold up..Diamler got cheap here.
Rearends? Not bad, but still junk if you actually use the truck...

Bottom line? Nothing today will hold up to consumer's expectatons...

[xpbprox]

Let me set the record straight about the 6.0 it ain't junk. It's much better than the 7.3, BUT only if you stud and delete it. Mine is a beast, I'm getting a lot of power out of it with my tuner, for the 7.3 to get as much power as a stock 6.0. It would take new injectors, turbo, & tunes. The 6.0 tranny is also better and more efficient than the 7.3. I used to think the 6.0 was junk too when my head gaskets blew on it at 8X,XXX miles but I educated myself all about the 6.0 and realized that I could of even prevented the problem by. Something as simple as changing the coolant.
I've fallin in love with this motor, I'm about to start a new project with one. I'm gonna put one in a 90-91 bronco.

[Chryco Psycho]

stock the ford 6.0 l gets approx 1/3 of the milage of the Cummins & about 1/2 what the 7.3 l got , I have seen to many 6 lt blocks split in 1/2
I have owned 9 Dodge trucks in a row all have been reliable & cheap to maintain
78 360 4 spd 4x4 short box
80 Ramcharger SE 4x4
78 Warlock 360 4 spd 4x4
78 W150 converterd to Dana 60 front & rear , lift kit 440 4 spd long box
82 Miser /6 4 spd OD milled the head & installed a holley 2 bbl , 26 mpg & put 60,000 miles on ti
89 W250 Cummins converted to NV4500 , lifted long box 660,000 on it , 26 MPG
99 W2500 Cummins Nv4500, lifted, long box, chipped, CAI ,Exhaust Stupid powerful ,24 MPG
03 W3500 Cummins 6 spd Laramie 330,000 ,24 MPG
06 D3500 cummins 6 spd SLT long box , 36 MPG
I will nto be going to another brand anytime soon

[xpbprox]

I do have to admit I'm not to happy about the mpg but I have a heavy foot. I get about 13 mpg on avg, mostly city

[Cooter]

Let me set the record straight about the 6.0 it ain't junk. It's much better than the 7.3, BUT only if you stud and delete it. Mine is a beast, I'm getting a lot of power out of it with my tuner, for the 7.3 to get as much power as a stock 6.0. It would take new injectors, turbo, & tunes. The 6.0 tranny is also better and more efficient than the 7.3. I used to think the 6.0 was junk too when my head gaskets blew on it at 8X,XXX miles but I educated myself all about the 6.0 and realized that I could of even prevented the problem by. Something as simple as changing the coolant.
I've fallin in love with this motor, I'm about to start a new project with one. I'm gonna put one in a 90-91 bronco.

Kind of a moot point when the average public actually buying these things aren't gonna "Upgrade" what should have been an "Upgraded" engine from the 7.3....Nope, don't buy it...YOU might be cool with it, but the average guy/gal ain't gonna be...Hell, I'd be cool with a small block 318 LA motor if it got 50 MPG, made 750 HP realiably, and made it to 300K miles without any forced induction, but that isn't the case...

[RallyeMike]

06 D3500 cummins 6 spd SLT long box , 36 MPG
I will nto be going to another brand anytime soon

You got in before the shit hit the fan with the 6.7 with the 2010 compliant emission sytstem. Never sell your old 5.9!!!