I am almost afraid to buy a Dodge

[MidwestMotorman]

complete faith...

Have complete and total faith in the Ram. Of the 42000+ miles on my Ram, I probably have only put 5000 miles on it. My wife gets credit for the rest, almost always with my two little girls, under three, in it. The truck gets awesome mileage, is comfy, and dependable. It is our family vehicle, and I use it to tow a heavy car trailer.



I was a former GM service manager and I gave GM about three seconds of my time when contemplating a truck. I pissed off my GM boss when I bought the Ram, but I told him " When GM can make a real truck, let me know. "



The Ram is the vehicle of choice for me, and I am 100% happy. Where else can you get this heavy diesel, solid axle front end, and great styling.



To each his own, and my own is the RAM!!!

 

[KWIKKURT]

MR V, One point that I've Haven't seen mentioned is the Dodge Ram has a straight axle on the 4x4's. I think most or all of the steering complaints are 4x4's. The straight axle setup does not drive like the independent IFS style suspensions. I have owned many different trucks as well as being fleet / maint manager for two different companys and also worked in the service depart for a shop that had the repair contract for a railroad company (NO BODY Abuses thier Trucks like the RR). Am I right KatD?



So IMHO.



The Ford Ibeam style: Tough, Lasts for ever, Nearly impossible to break BUT!! Follows the cracks and crests in the road from day one! YUCK!



The Chevy IRS Style: Drives the best out of all. (almost like a car) BUT! Will not stand up to Hard abuse. Once you start working the front suspension hard you start replacing parts.



The Dodge (Dana) style. Tend to be a little stiff / slow response wise. And if you are used to 2x4's or Chevy style steering you will not be as happy with the steering. The straight axle setup will tend to have a little wander compared to independent front suspensions. But they are much more reliable / durable then the IFS and if you keep the tires at the proper Psi for your Use/weight and add a better than stock stabilizer this setup is the best of all.



My last straight axle dana... ..... Jeep Cherokee 360,000+ miles (4 years)many of them Off road (Rock Crawling to Jumping Sand dunes and WayOver GCVW towing and the ONLY repair was a stabilizer and one axle seal. )



My current Straight axle Dana... ... Ram 2500 65,000 miles (13 months) about 15% Off Road (Censored, Censored, and Censored ) and at 28,220 lbs GCVW with tandem trailers even in cross winds it drove like a dream. (for a straight axle!)

 

[Partyat33]

Don't be Afraid

These trucks are great. ALL vehicles have minor problems here and there, thats gonna happen. One of the many nice things about the Dodge/Cummins is you can make it fly like a corvette for not that much cash. Costs much more to do a Ford. Can't speak to the Duramax yet.



Go Big, Go Dodge, Go Cummins





Dennis

 

[wyosteve]

Mr. V Have to add my . 02 to the above. I'm on my 5th Dodge/Cummins. '91,'92,'95,'98,'01. All except the current have had over 100k when I sold them. My current ETH has 57k since 4/01. None of the trucks has been back to the shop for anything. Oh I take that back, my 95 broke a clockspring. I did put a Borgeson steering shaft on my 91, but all have been trouble free and reliable. Granted, you can get a lemon with anything mechanical, but as mentioned above, the ones with problems are a small minority. I will keep driving Dodge as long as the Cummins is available.

 

[ftb87]

I have one of those trucks with the pull to the right. However, It was corrected with an offset ball joint and all is well.



I WOULD NOT TRADE MY TRUCK FOR ANY OTHER ON THE MARKET. I'm that pleased with it.



Frank

 

[chuck3]

I bet if we had a poll on the number of trucks that have had no proplems, you would be surprised !

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

*I* strongly view this as a "troll thread!"



BY all means, buy the Duramax!



BUT, all who read here, and make comparisons between Dodge/Cummins and GM/Duramax based on what they find posted over in the GM Dieselpage should be FULLY aware of the extreme CENSORSHIP in that group, and the tight CONTROL maintained by the moderator, the site administrator, and several heavy contributors there closely associated with GM and Duramax! Unfortunately, those WITH close ties to GM do far more to hide and distort problem issues with the new truck than actually HELP those with questions or problems.





You will immediately notice FAR fewer posts in their Duramax furums than here - There's a REASON for that, and THAT is because they have aggressively attacked and driven off any appearing there who DARE display criticism of GM or the Duramax - they have REPEATEDLY deleted posts of those who have brought problems with the Duramax to their board, or criticism, and will quickly BAN posters who display what THEY consider as a "critical attitude".



Talk about FEAR and insecurity!



ARE there problems with the GM Duramax? Sure - here's one that DID manage to make it to their forum -



http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/001090.html



and be SURE to notice the posters there with "max" as part of their screen names, and references to them being associated with GM and Duramax - THOSE are some of the guys who attack and shoot down critics of the Duramax in order to control and censor input to the group...



Go ahead, read their group "info", buy the Duramax - THEN get back to us in a year or so to tell us what you think of your truck - and ALSO, get bacK to us as soon as you DO buy one and let us know what you PAID for it...

 

[NVR FNSH]

I've spent at least 25k miles in 3 2nd gen Dodge 2500s - '96 CTD w/5spd, '96 360 V8 w/auto & '00 CTD w/6spd all 4wd. The gasser had the most 'problems' do search on my user name and you can read about the front end shimmy that DC chased/shotgunned by installing new parts. I fixed it with a little additional caster. There were a few minor problems with the truck while my dad had it - throttle position sensor type stuff. The '96 CTD has only had a new track bar at ~60K miles. The '00 CTD has had a AC pressure switch replaced.



The only other vehicle in my extended family that has required fewer repairs is the '85 Toyota 4x4 PU.



Brian

 

[K_Arts]

I have had a total of 4 dodge trucks and have only had a problem with 1.



I had a 98 Dakota that was having brake issues. Traded that in for a 99 1500 gasser... no problems. Traded the gasser in for a 2500 24valve... . no problems... except for a bad lift pump and a broken starter solenoid fuse in Montana. Also bought the wife a 2500 24valve... no problems



Would I buy another Dodge? Ohhh Yeahh... but only if it comes equipped with the Cummins!!!!



Kev

 

[Alan Reagan]

No problems on the Dmax, huh? Check out the Diesel Central website where censorship is a four letter word.



http://www.diesel-central.com/forums/thread.asp?ForumID=16&TopicID=791

 

[forr]

Buying a truck (and I mean something over 1/2 ton) is going to be a significant investment regardless of the manufacturer. We've owned Ford's Chevy's and now Dodge's on our farm. Personally, I favor sitting down before you shop and writing down the three most important things you want your new truck to do. Then go find/order it.



Here's my 2 cents... . If you want a luxorious interior with a smooth unloaded ride, boy is it hard to beat Chevy. If you want to visit the dealer's shop often and you're not worried about the ride, buy a model 'F'. If you want a mechanically bullet-proof 3/4 or 1 ton to tow 20k, CTD & Dodge make a great truck. Let's face it- every vehicle, no matter what the make, needs some TLC from a mechanic every now and then. Mechanically, the question is, do you want that TLC to include a new short block, transmission. etc. In the end I suggest you buy the truck which you feel will meet your needs and with which you will be happy.



Like Batman said, after buying my 3500 4x4 ETH over a year ago, I can't seem to get the grin off my face.

 

[TMc]

Mr. V

All of the big 3 will have their problems there's no way around it, but the wonderful thing about the dodge CTD and this site is that if by chance, and I consider it to be a very low chance, you do buy a Dodge and start to exhibit any problems, you will know exactly what it is and how to fix it, you won't have to wait for the dealer to figure out the problem and have it drag on for months or longer. Everything can be addressed during the warranty period, that is the advantage you now have over a duramax owner who must rely on the dearler to figure out new and undocumented problems. Any and every little thing is already known about the current Dodge. To me thats peace of mind.



I currently own a 96 2500 CTD with 105k on it, I've replaced the driver side rear axle seal twice and the front driver side axle u-joint because of no zerk fitting ( dried out ). On the engine I expeirenced a low power problem at about 90k, from this site I knew immediately it was the overflow valve with out even doing any trouble shooting, took it to dealer told them what it was, they confirmed it and replaced it ($65 part) under warranty. My front end is just now showing play ( ball joints, tie rods, etc ) To me this has been a great truck, very low problem to fun ratio. By the way I previously owned a Ford.



Good luck in your decision !!





P. S.

After owning my truck for 5 years I still find myself sometimes sitting in it listening to it idle and giving it the occasional goose on the throttle to watch the whole truck rock to the right from the torque. What a wonderful sound !!

 

[JLinder]

Tough decision....

The main reason I bought a Dodge was a neighbor up the road that bought a '94 new. Now, us farmers are a little hard on equipment to start with, but this guy was way beyond that. He drove the heck out of this truck hauling loads that where way to heavy, and I'd say half of the 180,000mi he put on where towing miles. He had absolutely no problems with his truck. I also know a farmer that is a die-hard chevy man. Needless to say when he was driving across and alfalfa pivot and the front end fell out of his truck, he changed his mind on brand loyalty. You really need to look at how you will use your truck. In my opinion, it you are looking for a HD work truck the Dodge and Ford trucks are hard to beat. Both engines are proven over the years. On the otherhand, if your truck is mostly a commuting vehicle your best bet may be the Duramax. It's quieter and a smoother riding truck than the live axle trucks. I do agree with the earlier posts though, it's not a good idea to buy an all new vehicle before the factory has had a change to work the bugs out. Sorry for my rambling...

 

[Morphious]

Want to hear my ordeal?

Where to start... .



at 10,000 miles: Alternator

Cruise Reprogrammed

Front end aligned



at 15,000 miles: Fuel Sending Unit

Trackbar - was bent

Shocks worn out, tires warped due to front end

problems.

Front end aligned



at 20,000 miles: Fuel Sending Unit

Trackbar - was bent

Front end aligned



at 37,000 miles: Crank position sensor

Trackbar - this one was worn out.

Fuel Sending Unit again.

Ball Joints on the driver side

Front brake pads.

Front End aligned

That was my last trip to the dealership, truck came back with a dent in the door and the emergency brake handle broken.



at 40,000 miles: Clutch

at this point, I started bombing the dog, was

either that or set it on fire. Added gauges and

found out that the fuel pump was out and had

probably been out for a long time.



Replaced stock lift pump with a Mallory 4150

Marine grade pump.



Replaced stock banjo bolts with Aeroquip fittings

and SS hose.



4th trackbar, replaced with aftermarked moog.



Front end aligned



Replaced steering box with an AGR high

performance box.



At this time I installed DDIII injectors, TTPM

(always at setting 3), 4" exhaust system

straight back, boost module.



(between 40,000 and 101,000 is six months time frame. )



at 101,000 miles: Replaced the two short tie rod ends

Front end aligned.



**** Oh yeah, forgot that I set the truck on fire with an electrical short and it caught my fuel pressure guage line on fire. But self preservation kicked in and I put it out before thinking or I would have let that dog burn... . That was at the beginning of the summer.



I have ruined 10 tires due to excessive wear from the front end being misaligned due to trackbar and steering problems in the last 2 1/2 years.



I am at 102k+ miles, going to have to replace the power steering pump with a AGR high pressure pump, Trackbar needs to be replaced again ( bought lifetime warranty from Moog ). Injection pump is getting noisy, so wondering when that will go south on me, I know it was damaged because of the lift pump. All in all, I am very dissatisfied with the dog - um. . mean dodge truck, the cummins has been great except for the limitation put in place by dodge. I won't buy another, I can guarantee that. My next truck will be a complete custom made truck with everything that I want on it, including a cummins engine.



Sorry for the long post, but have a long history with dodge.

I know that I am forgetting something, but can't remember anything else at this time.



Morph.

 

[rono]

MR V, my truck has almost 31K and so far NO problems at all. I would not hesitate to buy another Dodge.



Ron

 

[Sky]

Damn, Morph mabe you should just set that thing on fire right now and end it.

 

[Morphious]

well, actually about a month ago, I did catch it on fire with an electrical short, but stupid me, my own self preservation kicked in and I put it out. It burned 2 vacuum lines in two and burned up the rubber parts of 2 stainless steel hoses for my fuel and boost pressure.



Morph.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

JUST to keep things in balance - in 10 years and 111,000 miles, about a third towing a 24 foot fifth wheel, *I* have had to replace:



2 batteries

2 sets of tires

1 set of front brake pads



That's it - and wouldn't have needed to replace the brake pads, but I had over 60,000 miles on the truck and had already bought new pads - but when I pulled the wheels. the original pads still had half their thickness left...



NOW, if I could just figure a way to stop paying for fuel and oil...



(You Amsoil guys keep yer distance! )

 

[Big P]

Like everybody said, every vehicle will have it's problems, but it is important to remember how the dealer will take care of it. I am able to buy any GM vehicle at dealer cost but I won't buy one because of the service. I know two people with Chevys one with a 2001 Tahoe that puffs blue smoke when it's started (remember this is a $42,000 truck) , GM tells them that they have to do oil consuption tests and see if GM in Detriot will approve warrenty repairs, the other has a 97 4x4 3500 dually that blew a motor. It sat it the shop for a week before it got approval for a new motor. I am going to buy a new truck soon, it will be my first diesel and it definitly going to be a Dodge, it will be my 3rd Dodge and my service so far has been excellent.

 

[jthorpe]

Mr V,



Don't be afraid. It happens to all brands. My 95 PSD was a major lemon. My 93 ford was a great truck, no problems, until I had to rebuild the E40D. Pick what you like the best and go with it. You take a chance no matter what brand you buy.



Jack