I was a Dodge nut from the time I was 16. I had a Plymouth Duster that was a converted drag car, started off as a 318 and ended up as a 400 hp monster. Then I got a 79 Aspen daily driver that had a slant six. A good car for everyday. But my favorite was my 71 Dart Swinger with a 318. I was in the process of restoring it when some kid on a bike pulled out in front of me and I rolled it.
After that I got trucks, the first being a 90 Dakota that would go anywhere and then my first and only new truck, a 96 Ram. I had that Ram until 2003. It was the last reliable Dodge I owned. After that I got a 97 Dakota that was the truck from hell. Everything broke on it. In only one year. Then I got a 2001 Ram that I put alot of money in beefing up the motor, adding a lift etc. After 2 years it started having problems, with only 67,000 miles. Then I bought a 2001 Cherokee. Again problem after problem, and the dealer service sucked big time. I swore that until Chrysler made some major changes it would be the last. So far I have seen nothing to change my mind. The newest Dodge trucks are the ugliest on the market behind Chevy. My father in 2005 bought a brand new Rumble Bee truck. He had tranny problems at only 20,000 miles and last year had problems with the steering box. He only drives the truck a couple days so it has maybe 60,000 miles or so. Before that he had an 01 Ram 3/4 ton. That one had a tranny leak under 50,000 miles and had steering issues from day one. Right now I think Ford makes the nicest looking truck out there, but it was my wife's Ford Focus that really changed my mind to Ford. She bought this thing new in 03, and this car had only one overheating issue. It has 145,000 miles on it, gets 30 mpg. All you do is get in and drive. That car really opened my eyes. To me, Dodge let all the customers who were used to good products down. That crap being sold now descended from the Power Wagon? Give me a break.

 

Don't get me started on Dodge products. There is a reason they needed to be bailed out.

I bought a 1999 Ram 1500 new, and had it until I payed it off in 2004. You want to talk about a complete falling apart piece of junk, this thing was the truck from he11. Here is a rundown of all the problems I had under warranty:

- Right front brake caliper failed, keeping pads engaged in as though the brake was applied. Managed to get vehicle to a parking lot, and towed to shop. This was at about 15000 miles.

- Dash began cracking at about 25000 miles. Told the service manager at the dealership about the cracking, and that I would like to have it repaired with a replacement dash. Answer: "We can't replace that because of the cleaning chemicals that you used on it." I guess soap and water are now harsh chemicals according to Chrysler. Continued with this until I finally sold the vehicle in 2004 with 65000 on the odometer.

- Plenum gasket failure at about 40000 miles. I would like to take this opportunity to tell Chrysler engineers that placing a sheet of steel on an aluminum manifold, using a gasket between them, and using bolts that bottom out in threaded holes BEFORE you have the gasket tightened is a bad design. Could this thing get any worse?

- Transmission failure at about 55000 miles. It did get worse. Thank you Mr. Murphy. And, according to many others that have owned Chrysler products of the era, all the automatics seem to have a programmed transmission detonation device that goes off at about 60000 miles, plus or minus 10000 miles. Chrysler was not happy when I delivered the truck on a gooseneck trailer pulled by an f350 PSD dually. As I said, "At least it can do the job without failure !!!"

After all of this, there is only one thing I will say: At least now I know why Dodge and avoid are synonyms, and should be used in the same sentence, especially with the newer ones.

 

I can say that I have never been anything but happy with my mopar vehicles. Only reason I bought my superduty was because the dodge dealer salesmen were douchebags. My f250 is not problem free. Fuel pump ant 1500miles, ball joints at 19000 miles, blown steering shock, bad sway bar links, 3 sets of brakes and rotors all the way around, it only has 38K miles on it now. But I do like the ride and drive of it.

 

OK, let me tell you what I have/had over the years in my family.

67 F100. My Grandfather bought it new and after his death, my father kept driving it. V8-3 on the tree. Not sure how many times the Odometer rolled over the years but about 7 years ago, my dad had to start Double Clutching it since the synchro gears were starting to go out.

92 Dodge Dakota, 197K, V6-Auto, still gets it down the road. My dad has been driving it since 95 when I was in the Navy.

I currently own an 08 Ram MegaCab 4x4 5.7L Hemi-Auto. Just rolled over 30K

Also, I have a 92 Bronco Custom 4.9L(300)-M5OD, 83K and just as good as the day it came off the lot. There's some minor body issues that are starting to come up that are apparently known problems that actually had recalls on them but during that period, they did not surface.

I also had during that time, an 87 Cavalier that had over 275K on it when I traded it in due to the vehicle beginning to fall apart. I traded it in on a Mitsubishi Mirage since I needed cheap, reliable transportation to school. Within 1 year I had issues with it but held it until I traded it on my 08 Ram. I also had an 88 Samurai that I eventually had to JB Weld the timing gears on to the crank in order to get me home 1000 miles one weekend. I owned it for 4 year(new) and traded it for my Dakota in 92.

Every one of these vehicles have been in the family since new. Every one having less than 40 miles on it when driven off the lot. Every one had routine maintenance as was called for.

The jist of it is: You never really know what you'll end up getting when you buy a vehicle.

 

JohnMcD348, I'm curious, what engine does the 67 F100 have? I'll bet it's a 289!

As the semi-retired former owner/operator of a 600+ vehicle recycling yard (what some folks call "junkyards"), I know a thing or two about this topic.

Simply put, it's really not a simple A or B, black or white kind of thing. You also have to look at it from a historical perspective because during some years the Ford was the better overall truck and during others the Dodge was.

Generally speaking, the Fords are often the more reliable brand but the Dodges are often the more durable brand. In other words, the Dodges will often annoy you with stupid problems more than the Fords but the Dodges will also often outlive the Ford. Or put yet another way, the Dodges will often nickle and dime you to death but the Fords will often bury you with big ticket stuff before the Dodges will.

Also generally speaking, the Dodge will often have the longer lasting, more powerful yet more fuel efficient powertrains. In some cases, the differences were downright shocking, (383 vs. 390 anyone?)

In many cases Dodge lacked product development funds forcing them to hold onto older designs for far too long. While I dearly love my 85 Dodge tow truck, that generation was milked entirely too long running from 1972 all the way through 1993. I don't think there has ever been an American truck platform that went for that long of a production run.

I also dearly love my 70 Ford van that I have owned for over 28 years! That's longer than any of my other vehicles, past or present! That van was light years ahead of both the Dodge and the Chevy vans of that same year. The situation was soon completely reversed as Dodge and Chevy released their new design vans and Ford didn't catch back up again until 1975 when they once again leapfrogged everyone with the first body on frame van design, paving the way for some even serious(er) truck like working vans. (But they were also heavier too though.)

Despite the lack of development funds, Dodge still did the right thing when they replaced their 360. Rather than saddle their new engine with the too small bore spacing of their 4.7, (Which at 4.09" still wasn't as bad as the Modular/Triton's 3.937") they did the right thing and gave the new engine the generous bore spacing of the outgoing 360 giving the new engine enough room for a decent size bore. Ford has now finally done the same thing with the new 6.2. (It took them long enough.) Say what you will about the Hemi, you should also thank it too because if it wasn't for the Hemi, there wouldn't be a 6.2 Ford. Ford would've much rather saved all that money that it cost to develop the 6.2 and just continued shoving 5.4s down our throats instead. In fact, the simple truth is that we'd all still be driving Model Ts if competition hadn't continually forced Ford to continually improve their products.

You can also thank Dodge for the powerful pick-up diesel engine options we have to chose from. If it wasn't for Dodge starting the diesel horsepower race with the Cummins, we might still be piloting 150 horsepower diesel turds!

In addition to my 70 Ford E200 van, my 85 Ford E350 box van, and my 85 Dodge tow truck, I also have the best of both worlds in one truck: A factory stock Ford F700 powered by a 5.9 Cummins!

We can all agree on one thing though: either truck, Ford or Dodge, is better than a GMC or Chevy!
Regards, Eric

 

Nicely put!

 

Thank you!

For me, trying to decide between Fords or Dodges is like those "Superfans" in those old S.N.L. skits who are trying to decide which team is better: "The Bulls" or "The Bears".
Regards, Eric

 

Thanks Eric

That was a pretty good history lesson. I learned alot from it actually. Talking about keeping up with the Jone's. recent word has it that Dodge(or RAM as they are called now) is planning on putting the 6.1 Hemi in the truck line and possibly doing away with the 5.7L. I doubt it will be the HP tuned units they use in the SRTs but I'll still be loads better in economy over the 5.7L.

Yes, the ole '67 has the 289 in it.

I'm like you in that when I look for a vehicle it comes down to what I want and who's got it. In my adult vehicle buying days, it's usually always come down to Dodge. When I was a kid, I got the sporty little Suzuki. Got rid of it as I said in my previous post. I knew I wanted a truck but didn't really need a full size. I didn't feel real comfortable in the Rangers, even with a ClubCab. Or any other compact pickup that was on the market then. Dodge had the 1 truck that was a true Mid Size and it fit me perfect with the ClubCab. Years later, I was in the market again. I was looking at the F150 4doors and was about to order one when I say a friends MegaCab Ram. It was everything I was looking for without compromise. So I ordered it. I figure in about 10 years, when my son turns 16, I'll be in the market again. We'll see who'd got what I want then.

I will admit, I am kinda partial to the Cummins though but it will come down to who had the most proven reliable powertrain at that time.

 

Uh, not exactly, but this thread is not about comparing GM products.

Having had major transmission and axle problems with Fords, but annoying brake, suspension, body and electrical problems with Dodge, your statement above is spot on.