2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Where does Dodge make the best Trucks?

[swampfox]

Made in Mexico

I have a 2001. 5 made in Mexico. After going over it carefully- stem to stern I find that the cold starting instruction glued to the driver's side viser had one edge loose. I've owned previous Dodge trucks as well as Fords and Chevy's and this one has the best fit and finish of any of them. I currently have 20,000 miles and no problems.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Are any made in Canada?

 

[Paul Holbrook]

Meican Trucks

After reading numerous threads here, in which the consensus seemed to be that Mexican built trucks had the least flaws,I purposely went looking for a Mexican built truck. Found it. Love it. No flaws. The overwheming majority of trucks at dealers here in Oregon came from Satillo, Mexico. Perhaps the workers are hungrier in Mexico and appreaciate their jobs more.

 

[TX DUCKHUNTER]

I can't add much except to say that my '96 and current '99 were both built in Mexico, and no problems ever out of either one of them. I've owned 2 brand-new Chevy 4x4 1 tons in the meantime ('98 and a '00), and THEY were the BIGGEST pieces of CRAP I have ever seen..... I've still got the 2000 model that I can't seem to get rid of, even though it's showroom new looking and has never pulled a trailer. I've NEVER seen so many interior flaws or heard so many suspension popping and interior squeaking noises in my life. It's a darn shame that Chevrolet has put out some of the junk that it has since the early 90's. Once the Vortec engines debuted, it was all downhill... ...



But back to the main point. I haven't ever seen a Mexico truck that had any major defects in it, and that's the first thing I look for (where it was made) when someone shows me their truck.

 

[Uncle Joe]

TX,

you are right about the new chevys,

recently i had a rental 01 suburban for a week

it was tne biggest brand new pile i ever seen.

with 7k on the clock the drivers seat was coming apart at the seams, rhe fit & finish left much to be desired,kinda reminded me of the trucks of the early 90's

a good friend of mine has a 99 sub with 32k,talked to him yesterday,he was taking it to the dealer to trade it on a new one,he was complaining it is coming apart already(the interior)

BTW :the govermant put out a report that the gross national product is way down since last year(no kidding!)

im not shure they are talking about the chevys or the new ram!

... ... ... . joe

 

[rrl989]

Where does Dodge make the best Trucks?



Wait a minute, Is this a trick question ?

 

[Gray 5.9]

New Trucks

Mine was made in Dodge city Kansas, 2/94. I guess I'm lucky.

 

[Tom C]

I had one made in Mexico and my current one was made is St. Louis.



I will go with Mexico next time. .

 

[Hohn]

hecho en Mexico here and quite happy with assembly quality.

Only problem was a backup light switch on the transmission-- replaced under warranty.

 

[RustyJC]

Since we've never owned a St. Louis-built truck, I can't really make a valid comparison, but our 2 Mexican-built 3500's have exhibited excellent assembly quality and durability (in the case of the 1996 - too soon to tell with the 2002!) Given my "druthers" right now, based on our experience, I wouldn't hesitate at all to take a Saltillo-built truck!



Rusty

OK, here's an update. After 3+ years, no warranty problems at all. The Mexican-built 2002 has never been back to the dealer for anything. Like Justin, I do have a back-up light switch that I need to replace when I get "a round tuit".



Rusty

 

[Pit Bull]

Wow, someone had to go looking for this old thread.

 

[RustyJC]

Looks like Justin dragged it up!



Rusty

 

[nieters]

the trucks from mexico have 10 more horsepower. lol

 

[JKlopp]

My 96 was built in the US. The 2005 was built in Mexico. I believe the fit and finish is better on the Mexico built truck. In fact it’s flawless. I will make a possibly unpopular comment, The US plant is union. DC will have a hard time getting rid of a marginal employee. In Mexico, working for DC is probably a very good job compared to the alternatives. I’m sure there are people waiting in line for the available jobs. If a worker isn’t close to perfect, they will be replaced before the shift is done, with another eager to please employee.

 

[av8r]

Other than a little paint peeling on the box, just below the moulding, my Mexican truck has been great. 150k and counting.



ps. Let the bombing begin :-laf

 

[diesel DOG]

I feel that I am uniquely qualified to render an opinion on this topic. I have been a professional paintless dent tech for 10 years. I now only work for museums and private collections, but for 8 1/2 years, my bread-and-butter was going from dealership to dealership on a daily basis... working with used car managers in polyester! (that explains my current position). I have examined literally 10's of thousands of DC products. I currently own my 2nd Mexican-built Ram. The pecking order is like this: 1. if Chysler has a bad reputation for their vehicles, they should chain the doors shut on the Warren MI plant. Only reg. cab trucks are built there, and most look like they should have a rebuilt title right off the transporter! Bad paint, horrible gaps... really, really lousy. The Fenton MO trucks (reg. and CC) seem to be hit or miss, but vastly superior to the Michigan vehicles. You will still find "normal" problems that make all American cars 3rd rate like missing screws in the door panels, gushing windshield goo, loose moldings, etc. The Mexican trucks are, as I have witnessed, the most consistently good trucks. My two have been flawless in paint, dash-fit, leaks or rattles. These are NOT nit-picky items... for the price of a new Ram, you could buy a new Audi, Mercedes or BMW and you had better believe those manufacturers would never allow any blatant flaws to leave the assembly building.

My friend had TWO BMW's and they were both junk. One was bought back from him.



I'd rather keep the money in this counrty and people working here. See where you or your kids are working in 10 years. See who pays for the roads, schools and everything else that comes from payroll taxes. How about the defense of the country? Keep all that foreign crap.

 

[bnbrown]

My St Louis built 99 has not given any assembly problems at all, still no rattles, doors are fitted, everything is square that should be, had a squeek or two below the instrument panel, but most likely from the half dozen times i have pulled the panels out to add some goody behind it, great paint, still shines like new with a little wax.

The hecho en mexico 01 also is pretty close to perfect, no squeeks, rattles peels, everything fit properly, paint is great.

Had a 94 gasser 1/2 ton, US built though, not sure which plant, but I couldnt say the same for it, ever since we got it the A/C kinda made a grinding noise, nearly all the paint on the truck peeled off, doors had air leaks at freeway speed...

However I have to say both my 99 and 01 are better put together than my mom's 01 or 02 Infinity SUV thing (thats an over glorified Nissan, half the parts are still stamped "Nissan") The thing runs great, but the rubber gaskets on the doors dont fit right, keep falling off, the interior lights come on at random (going down a hill or up a hill, which is frequent when you live on one), has been in for warranty issues 2 or 3 times in the 2 years she has had it (mostly for interior stuff not working right) and still have the same interior light problem.

 

[AMink]

My '97 Mexican is great at 104k. It is definately the tightest vehicle I've owned, including a 2003 Furd Expedition with rattles, squeaks, and a whistling window. The paint is great; if it wasn't, it would have definately been knocked off by now. I haven't had any problems with suspension, lift pumps, and other "normal" problems. When I bought the truck, I thought I was buying USA. Was quite surprised to see "Hecho en Mexico"!

 

[JRS]

My 1984 Dodge D100 was made in Mexico. I bought it brand new. it was extremely reliable, had the slant six in it. Then I changed the timing chain at 110,000 miles. (fiber gears to metal gears) As I removed the damper bolt it had what I call the "oh no feel". They had partially stripped the female threads in the crank snout at the factory and loc-tited the bolt in. I lived in an apartment at the time and they didn't allow me to work on my vehicle in the parking lot, so one Saturday I had taken the truck up to the warehouse where I was employed. I borrowed some red loc-tite from the machinist's office and torqued the bolt as tight as I dared. 45 ft-lbs was it. It lasted until I donated the truck to charity at 183,000 miles, but at the time I was really mad. My Great Uncle owned a Chrysler dealership in the 60's and that's the only thing my family had ever driven. Being well versed in the quality that Walter P. and the Dodge Bros. were personally known for in the early 1900's, shoddy work like that was unacceptable. With all of that said, my '97 is better than the 84 in every respect, and it is made in Mexico too.



But, I firmly believe that every manufacturer has their own signature problems. I own and race Nissans. Everyone who has ever owned a Nissan knows that the oil pressure sending units don't last as well as the throttle position sensors. for a long time it was the factory batteries. Last week my buddy emailed me with a question about his brand new Honda. A little research by me on the net and I discovered a trove of people with the same problem. My ex girlfriend owned a Toyota Corolla that she had purchased brand new. I can't tell you how many interior plastic parts and pieces I changed out on that car. everything cracked after a summers worth of heat. it reminded me of my parents '78 Dodge Aspen station wagon, only with better mechanicals!

 

[Pit Bull]

2000 3500QC 4x4 - St. Louis build. 2002 3500RC 4x4 - Mexican build. Both were well built no problems with fit or finish. I've seen better paint on Toyota's. But the Dodge paint was OK.