My buddy has a 1994 Dodge with the 318 motor! Fast forward 18 years & 275K miles its still runnin, had several rust holes! He uses it as a plow & work truck & it just keeps on going!

 

My dad drove dodges growing up before he went to Ford back in 1992 or so, I have seen many 318 motors. They were great, reliable gas engines!! I think that was like a 5.2L That was back before we referred to everything in litres.

 

I had a 5.9 1994 Dodge Ram! I believe that was a 350 cu motor! It was a gas hog!

 

My older brother has an '04 Ram 1500 crew cab. In the 140,000 miles it has on it he has had to replace the hemi due to an oil pump failure and just in th elast few months had to have the tranny replaced. Still a good truck. He just got it back from teh body shop after someone hit it. His rental was a '12 ram 1500 crew cab. He couldnt stand the way it handles. Didnt like the coil springs in the rear end at all.

 

I think the 5.9 was a 360 if I'm not mistaken. And yes it was a gas hog!!!

 

The 5.7 Hemi is very reliable. A buddy of mine has a 2007 Ram 1500 Thunder Road Edition and it has a slipping transmission when towing. His trans shop friend said he doesn't want to flush or change the fluid because it can loosen all the crap in the trans and make it fail. The truck has over 70k miles on it. My boss has a 1987 Ram 2500 with a 318, used mostly for plowing, and that truck has been a reliable truck since he bought it new. About 5 or 6 years ago we painted the body and frame and it looks really clean. He won't sell it, he loves that truck, but his every day truck is an EcoBoost King Ranch.

 

I think they are turds! That is why I'm a Ford enthusiast!

 

One feature I really like about the new Rams are the sexy own dual exhausts. For the life of me I can't figure out why any of the other manufactures haven't adopted the look.

Ford instead gives us the hideous 3" raw pipe sticking way out the side. The Chevy 6.2 Silverados have an equally ugly "single" exhaust that sticks straight out the back on "one" side yuck.

I like how Dodge or Ram (still sounds silly to say that) actually molded the bumper for the tips which keeps it clean and makes it so you don't see the raw pipe from the side angle like you do on an aftermarket job.

 

I agree. The integrated dual exhaust makes for a very clean looking truck.

With older engines, I wouldn't have wanted it, as it would have turned the front of anything you were towing a nice brown or black color. Modern engines, though, are so clean, that it's no longer a factor.

 

See, I guess that's why we all have opinions, I hate that look. They don't have any sound to them either. I actually prefer the looks of my pipes coming out below my bumper to the look of being integrated in the bumper. But like I said there is no accounting for taste, and that is what's great about life, we all like different things.

 

Good pont "pool runer". I noticed that myself. The one I saw was sweet loookin. But, while also sweet lookin does anyone who uses thier truck work-wise have 20" wheels? After all the input, my bias gainst Dodge overall, I grew-up on a GM - oldsmoblie dealership, and my Frod trucks since 08', when the time comes to trade my 250 for a 150 I will limit it to Ford. Perhaps Toyoya; I like the sub-nose look and especially the outside door handles on the extended-cab. And, you can't refute Toyota quality. But, they don't have leather in an ext cab. So, ixnay Toyota I guess. Unfortunaley, it will be a few years if at all till I can lose my plow duities and can think of a 150. Till then, I know I will be driving the safest vehicle out there. I do love being up so high and so stout a vehichle. Just not the bad city roads. Sometimes, I think if there weren't a center council I might shimy all the way to the passanger seat on the really bad roads.

I do love my 250 BTW.

 

I wonder how long it will be before the cheap chrome that Dodge uses will rust away from the exhaust vapors.

 

Didn't think about that, if I'm not mistaken the 3.5 EB is a direct injection motor, and because of this runs a little sooty at the tail pipe making sense of why Ford hasn't done this.
My 5.0 however has 6k hard miles on it and the tailpipe is so clean you could eat out of it.

 

I like Dodge products. My fam and i have had quite a few, and all with the exception of one have been good vehicles, with the one that isnt still has 150K on it. I have always been a Ford truck guy as I really loved my old 92 f150, but it was rusting pretty good when I bought my 03 superduty, and I wanted 4 wheel drive. At the time, I didnt like the f150's at all, but I do like the newest gen ones except that I cant get the 6.2 without buying an optioned up truck. I originally was set on having a ram 2500 for my next truck, but i like the inside of the superduty better which is now conflicting me because i don't like the exterior as much as dodge.

 

Am new to this forum & am NOT knocking someone's choice to buy a Ram as they do stand out & look pretty good. All brands have issues of some sort, it is really a matter of what you like or can deal with.

This is what noticed/learned about them as I do auto transport & have moved quite a few of them out of rail yards. They had some issues with the rear ends & drive shafts on the '09's- '10's half tons. I think Ram updated the '11's? Am not a fan of the coil spring set up, you always need more capability after buying ANY truck & would not want to be shorted off the get go. Their 6 speed in the 2012 is a modified 5 speed of old, wanting to say the gearing is like splitting 2nd.? Am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

Hemi spark plug change interval is 30,000 miles to swap out 16 plugs. Not a huge deal, but guys switching over to them don't always know it. They had a issue with the 3rd brake like leaking water & I noticed the doors didn't always close when I had them on my trailer. As tough as they look, that exterior metal is thin.

All that being said, they do offer the Express package with 390hp far cheaper than the competition if you do not need all the nicer amenities. But if you are the sort that trades every couple of years, I think resale is going to be horrible on them. Just my opinion though.