I'm looking at getting a new truck. I want the ford my dad wants the dodge. I know all of you prefer ford (who doesn't) but I would like some truthful oppinions if anyone cares to share on which is a better truck to buy.

Ford F150 XL 1995, 5.0L V8, auto(O/D), ext. cab, 4x4, tilt, cruise, ps, pb, p/Lumbar, airbag, good a/c / heat, chrome wheels, fibre glass cap, bedliner, looks great. Cert. & e-tested, w/1 year warranty. 252,000 km. $4999.

or

Dodge 1500 1997. 5.2L V8, airbag, ext. cab, w/1 year warranty, 140,000 km. 4x4, a/c, heat takes a while, $7200

we've driven them both. both drive fine and are decent trucks but the dodge is very light in the rear and fish tails real easy. I know it can be wieghted, but is it worth it?. I have no complaints on the ford. My dad is harder to convince.

what do you think?

 

Who's gonna drive it?

 

both of us will drive it and we'll be using it for doing work in the bush, in the winter. I'll be driving the majority of the time.
he's paying for the most part though.
tough decision.

 

The Dodge has quite a bit more power, ratings wise, but you really can't go wrong either way. This is a tough call.

I have heard that the older body style Dodge truck were waaay better interms of reliability and durability than the 94-later style...but the same might be said for the Fords as well, which I would go for that 95 model. But, you get good and bad apples in any bunch.

What I would suggest is to look at sites like MSN's auto review site. Here's what I found:

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Re...mid=-1&src=vip

http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/Re...mid=-1&src=vip

Good luck.

 

i just got to say thank you very much for your response. I have talked to a few of my truck enthused friends and i`m getting mixed reviews. it is a very tough call because they are pretty close in stats. but i appreciate any imput greatly. so once again thank you and i will check out those sites you recomend.
yours truly.
nate.

 

...Welcome to Ford Truck Enthusiasts! Please read the Guidelines, and all Read First: at the top of each forum... it will help you to navigate through and understand this site.
See you on the boards. ….

 

I have owned the following trucks and will give you my honest thoughts:

1993 Ford F-150 XLT Extended Cab Short Bed 4x2 5.0L 302
1995 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT Regular Cab Long Bed 4x2 5.2L 318

Power:

No comparison. The Dodge wins hands down. It has 220 HP vs 185 HP for the Ford. The rear on my Dodge is 3.55 vs. the 2.73 in the Ford so this accounts for the better acceleration.

Ride

No comparison. F-150 hands down. My Dodge rides like heck. It is a truck so I accept it. The Ford rode and handled more like a car. It had a softer suspension feel to it.

Paint

IMHO, the Dodge paint quaility was better. Both trucks saw similar weather conditions and received similar care as far as washing and waxing. I'd gift the Ram a slight edge between the two that I owned.

Interior

Tough call here. I thought the layout of the Ford was better. I thought the captains chairs were more comfortable than the bench I have in the Dodge. The Dodge had a couple of nice features as well such as a more user friendly storage compartment between the seats. I'd say they match up pretty well evenly between them.

Fuel Economy

The Ford would get me darn close to 20 MPG highway at 60-65 while I can never get more than 16-17 with the Ram. Two reasons I can think of.... the difference in the rear end and the height difference, the Ram has to be 2-3 inches taller even though they are both 4x2.

The bottom line

I sold my '93 F-150 two years ago with 132k on it. The E40D transmission was beginning to experience some slipping when shifting into overdrive. The A/C was gone. It had a vacuum leak amongst other small issues. My friend bought it from me and has enjoyed it - still has it.

My Ram currently has 102k on it. It was originally my fathers until the fall of '03 when I bought it to replace my F-150. The catalytic converter has been replaced twice in its life. The bumper rusted out. It's had its share of minor issues as well.

Both trucks met their purpose as mostly being used for light to medium duty haulers and tow vehicles. The only reason I regret getting rid of the Ford is losing the extended cab. I loved having the extra space. The Ram has a longer bed so it kind of offsets the loss of interior space.

I don't think you can go wrong either way. Good luck with your decision. Keep us posted on what you decide to do. The mileage discrepancy you've listed would lean me to the Dodge personally. It is newer and has significantly less mileage.

Eric

 

Having owned a 98 Dakota I can tell you that I really liked the Dodge. It was fun to drive and I really liked the fit, finish, interior - really comfortable seats. However the trans never shifted right, the rear diff blew out at 30k miles, and the ac went out right after the warranty was up costing me $400 dollars out of pocket to fix. I finally traded it in on an 04 F150. Having had the Ford for a year I can say that although so far it has had only the brake, vibe, throttle problem, and driveshaft replaced - in comparison I liked the Dodge better.

 

Personally, I think Ford did a better job of improving the engine management for their old V8's over the years than Dodge. But with both trucks having quite a bit of miles on them, it's a toss-up. I'd go with the Ford mainly because it's cheaper and put the remaining $2200 aside for the repairs that either truck is likely to need.

Lastly, I'd avoid an automatic in either truck like the plague, but the Dodge even more so - they have a pretty bad rep for their trannys. Trucks in general should have manual transmissions, but a 4x4 with an automatic is a contradiction in terms....