Dodge Ram 1500 Trucks | Vans
Dodge Ram 1500 Trucks | Vans
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[Jul 11, 2001]
Jon
Model Reviewed:
Ram 2500HD W/ Cummins/5 spd
Strength:
fuel economy,trailer tow capacity(14K),cargo cap.comfortable seats & interior,high ground clearance,great looking,the most fun to drive,smooth shifting 5 speed manual,Cummins version has the best dollar for dollar value going.
Weakness:
Quad cab has less cab room than I would like,engine noise slightly louder than others,but that's ok,It doesn't bother me that much.I like hearing the turbo spool up,and the mello drone of that Cummins purring.Automatic transmissions are weak. Overall,the main reason I chose the Ram over everything else(I'm not brand loyal)is, it has the Cummins in it,and higher tow capacity than Ford or GM at the time. It also has bigger rear axles,extremely dependable engine(10yr/100K warr),Best economy(Cummins diesel models),and I recieved the best deal on it versus the other 2 fullsize brands. This truck would probably pull/haul or carry just about anything your'e crazy enough to hook up to it!!! Plus it has a "Jake-brake" on it too!(dealer installed). I am truly amazed that such a huge truck can get such consitant mileage(19-23MPG empty/11-15 W/loaded trailer)Probably due in no small part to the Cummins under the hood.I love seeing the look on other people's faces as I pass them going up steep grades, empty or full,this truck presses on without missing a beat. I am also impressed with the bed capacity rating(3800LBS).I have carried full loads of sheetrock,gravel,firewood & many other heavy things in the back before,like a joke! I plan to have this "supertruck" for a while.This is truely "a real trucker's truck", steer clear if you are looking for a nice family car, as this vehicle was designed to work hard,not just carry the groceries home. Word of advice if you decide to buy one: DON'T GET THE AUTOMATIC,(47RE)they are weaker."Dodge Different" really applies to this one. Similar Products Used: '79 Chevy C-30, '00 "Toy"ota Tundra=my wife's(car). |
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[Jul 05, 2001]
Nicholas D'Aiello
Strength:
The power and efficiency of the Cummins engine is remarkable, as is the comfort for such a working vehicle.
Weakness:
The Cummins is a bit pricey, but designed for 400k miles before its first rebuild, so more than worth it. I have the 2500 4X4 Cummins turbo diesel. To date there has not been a single repair required, and I have put 35,000 miles on the truck. The ride is very good for around town. I do take it to Maine (3+ hours), and that is about the ride limit. Compared to other trucks of this size, the ride is great. The truck has handled everything I have thrown at it, and has done so admirable. A little on the noisy side (due to the diesel), but with the windows closed, cellular communication at highway speeds works just fine. I get ~20 MPG around town, and have had over 25 MPG on the highway (with speeds under 70). OUTSTANDING truck, with by far the best diesel engine available. Similar Products Used: Older Dodge and Ford trucks. |
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[Mar 12, 2001]
bill C.
Model Reviewed:
RAM 1500 SLT
Strength:
LOOKS GREAT, UM LOOKS GREAT
Weakness:
PAINT!!!!!! TRANNY!!! ENGINE!!!!! REAR END!!!!! DID I MISS ANYTHING? 2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT I HAD RUST ON THE HOOD, BUMPER, BOTH ROCKER PANELS, BOTTOM OF DOORS, AND THE GAS DOOR AREA.. I WAS TOLD BUY THE DEALERSHIP "ITS ONLY A TRUCK" THEY FORGOT TO TIGHTEN THE BUMPER AFTER THEY REPLACED IT AND HAD TO REPAINT THE HOOD 4 TIMES.. VALLEY PAN IN MOTOR REPLACED ONCE, SOON TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. REAR END MAKES MORE NOISE THAN MOTOR. TORQUE CONVERTER RATTELS AND DOES SOMETHING DIFFERENT EVERY DAY. Similar Products Used: ANYONE WANT TO BUY A NICE LOOKING DODGE |
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[Mar 10, 2001]
Eric
Model Reviewed:
Ram 2500HD
Strength:
150K plowing/working miles. 360 motor has plenty of power. Mileage with racks,boxes etc. is around 11mpg. Quiet comfy ride. Better than my Ford or GMC. !!!!!!!!!Original motor and Trans. NO WORK DONE!!!!!!!!Running strong. Just had new fuel pump installed at 148K.Oh well
Weakness:
Front brakes wore every 5000 mi. up to 90K. Changed twice since. Paint delaminating after 5 years on hood, will repaint truck. No real weakness on this truck. My experience with this truck is pretty good. Aside from some early problems like a leaky window and various other small items have had very little work done to this truck. I'll have some minor dings fixed and have the truck repainted. Mechanically i'll fix it if it blows up. For 10G I can restore it to new. Beats 35G for a New one. Next truck will be a dodge for sure. Hope to get 200K out of this motor and trans. Will think of new Dieslel 300K. Hope to make it.... Almost traded this truck in in 1997 amid horror stories of problems i.e. Tranny's. If you drive the truck with respect and maintain it it should last a long time. I've had two Chevy k10's one GMC3500 and one ford350 all 4x4 and this truck has and is outperfoming all. Cost to operate and repair the dodge is far less. Similar Products Used: !989 Ford 350 dually diesel |
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[Aug 15, 2000]
Adam
Model Reviewed:
Dodge Ram 1500
Strength:
I can not find one thing that I don't like about the 1997 Dodge Ram. I really get a kick out of the styling and seeing it in magazine articles because it always wins against the other trucks produced by chevy, gmc, ford, and toyota. The interior is very comfortable and fits perfectly with my needs. The truck blows the s**t out of fords and eats the rust off of chevy's when it comes to racing, believe me I have raced a few. My 5.9l v8 1997 Dodge Ram kicks.
Weakness:
There is nothing that I don't like about my truck it fits my every need. I bought mine used so i paid 22,000 but when new it was worth 26,000. I would recommend this truck to any one who had previously owned a ford and chevy and it didn't last. I would also recommend this truck to any one with a family because my family loves it especially on trips and we go on trip abbout every 2-3 weeks during the summer. I love my truck it is great in every way for work or play Similar Products Used: I was previosly a longtime user of chevy and before that ford. I whiched from ford to chevy for truck because it could handle my line of work and i finally had to which from chevy to dodge because the chevy could stand going on trip especially up hill like in the smokey moutians. The dodge ram has never broken down and has handled my line of work and vacations were the other companys trucks have failed. |
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[Aug 17, 2000]
Ken Cotter
Model Reviewed:
Dodge Ram. 1500 4x4
Strength:
Love the Ride and the power in the city. I get 18 miles to the imperial gallon in city driving and 24 on the highway.As for the back roads the ride is not good in gravel the truck tends to fishtail and for heavens sake lookout for the washboard on corners !!
Weakness:
I bought this vehicle last year in Aug. it had 38,000 Klicks on it and i have been in to the dealer more times than i can count. Transmission,AL Brakes (new drums),stearing shaft controll rod(replaced),Cruse Controle not fixed yet 8 times in to shop. Now they tell me it needs a vaccum reserve chamber??? but " THERE IS NO LEAK IN THE VACCUM LINES" then why does the heater default to the defrost??? And I checked the service record Warrantee the previous owner had internal engine work done and trans. replaced, the list goes on and on !! OH YES and the PAINT!! chips and scratches "!!! GRASS!!!" Dealer says paint is within specs. but every Body Shop I take it to says there is not enough hardener in the factory paint so the chips occure almost by looking at it!! Two years old I payed 27,500.00 and then with the Ext. warrantee another 2,000.00 And no I would NOT recommend a Dodge or chrysler product!! Unless I get a new paint job and could have the truck for a full month without having to worry about the next thing that is going to go wrong!!! I think I should have had this vehicle checked over by a Govt. Inspection fac. Similar Products Used: Ford 1980 F150 paint good, Bush ride and steering good, no maj. repairs or warrantee work . 1982 GMC 1ton 4x4 PU great bush basher (I WAS LOGGING) and the paint did NOT do what this chisler is doing.. |
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[Jan 30, 2001]
Mark Morellato
Model Reviewed:
Job Rated (Regular Cab, Sportside Short Box)
Strength:
1. Really nice body. Looks good. Good for pimping.
Weakness:
1. No windshield washer fluid reservoir. *This truck is good for farming and pimping. Similar Products Used: NONE WHATSOEVER |
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[Feb 11, 2001]
Dan
Model Reviewed:
Dodge ram 1500 Quad cab 4x4
Strength:
The truck looks very rugged, but appearance only goes so far. The ergonomics of this truck are excellent. The guy that designed the cup holders is a genius, so he should be able to find another job when chrysler goes under.
Weakness:
The quality of the power train is by far the worst I have ever experienced. The dealer service is equally bad. The truck (5.9L) has been through two engines in 11,000 miles. The first engine dropped a rod through the oil pan, after repeated trips to the dealer for engine knocking and pinging under load. Dealer replaced the intake manifold gasket but that did not correct the problem. Took truck and dealer claimed the noises were attributed to spark knock. Needless to say the engine let go one month later. The dealer took 32 days to repair the truck. After telling me they were going to put a long block in, they put a short block in. I expressed concern that other components like the heads might have been damaged and the service guy said "it is under warranty and if something else breaks we will fix it". This second engine lasted 4,000 miles before it overheated and ruined the block. The dealer now tells me it needs a new block and I am 75th in line on the national backorder list (hint hint this should tell you something). This repair took 50 or so days. The dealer never said what caused the engine to overheat, but I suspect there were metal fragments in the cooling passages of the heads and some got into the water pump and damaged it causing the pump to fail. At this point I am in arbitration with chrysler and they have offered to buy it back. Unfortunately they were trying to cheat me and only give me half the money they owed me per VA Lemon LAW. So I was forced to get a lawyer and sue the under the lemon law. Currently they are fighting me, which seems silly since they already offered to buy the truck back during arbitration. Please heed my hard lesson and never by a chrysler product. P.S I owned a 1998 dodge ram 1500 club cab and it caught on fire and burned up with only 15,000 miles on it. Oh well live and learn. Similar Products Used: 1984 nissan 2wd pickup, 1986 nissan 2wd pickup, and 1994 toyota 4x4 excab pickup. |
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[Feb 11, 2001]
Scott
Model Reviewed:
1500 Quad Cab 4x2
Strength:
Looks & Style, acceleration and towing. With it's size, I feel safe in case of an accident.
Weakness:
Gas mileage, Cruise controls is rough change from downhill to uphill. Values knock with 87-octane gas... Use mid-grade at least to eliminated that problem. I was reading some of the reviews on the Ram and guess I've been lucky. The paint looks just as good as the day I bought it and she looks brand new when cleaned up. Not bad for 3 years and 47,000 miles. The only time my truck has been back to the dealership for a repair was the first year I owned it (1998) to fix the plastic flip-up knob on the rear door window glass, and to replace the black trim under the front bumper. Other than those 2 minor issues, I have no complaints. Well there is one compliant... when shifting into the D for Drive on the column, the red needle does not line up every time and the transmission might not go into gear at first. Then try it again and it finds the gear. I have gotten use to that and would take it back to be repaired if it were still under warrantee. Similar Products Used: Chevy C/K |
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[Feb 09, 2001]
Joe M.
Model Reviewed:
Dodge Ram 5.2L Quad Cab 1500
Strength:
Good power for 5.2L; roomy cab.
Weakness:
Would like more power (then I should have bought a 5.9L!)
Similar Products Used: 96 Toyota Tacoma; '79 Ford F-150 |


