RAM 3500 now 800lb.ft and 30,000lb GVWR!

[Duffster]

I bet we get a TON more salt up here than those southern states.

Who knew Indiana was southern state.

 

[Diamondpilot]

Take everything DiamondPilot says with a grain of salt. The "problems" he reiterates over and over again like a HEMI lacking power (compared to his 290hp F-150 or 315hp Titan :laughing, rust issues, poor resale, and 45 rebuilt transmissions amazingly are typically completely opposite of the other RAM owners. Sometimes, I wonder if he actually owned one...
8 yrs old, 100k miles and I bet we get a TON more salt up here than those southern states. Not a spec of rust on the body...

Believe what you want. I bought it with good intentions. I am not rich by any means. Just was disappointed. I have noting to prove to you or anyone else on here. By the way I never said the Hemi lacked power, anything but. It just makes it at the wrong place for a truck motor.

I can tell you for a fact that out of all trucks the Dodge's rust the worst around here. They use a liquid salt to pre-treat so maybe thats it.

Anyway, I find it funny how you stayed strong to your beliefs that big GVWR's and GCWR's and high power numbers were crazy when Dodge was sucking hind tit but now you are right on the band wagon. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

By the way, 10,400# tow rating for a Hemi powered 3/4 ton is pathetic. Ford does 15,700# and GM does 14,700# in gas 3/4 tons. Heck, a Ford F-150 will do 11,300#. 1/2 ton Ford beats a 3/4 ton Dodge, news flash.

Little know fact. My grandfather sold cars for 40 years. Wait for it, owned a Dodge/Chrysler Dealership with his brother. My grandfather is now gone but his family still owns and runs it. My grandpa always drove Chrysler cars till the day he retired. The next day he bought a Caddy, literally. Keep it a few years and after that he drove nothing but Mercurys/Lincolns and always had a ElCamino for home projects. Ugly things to me but he liked them. My uncle, who also worked at the dealership for 25 years, said he always had a F-250 on the used lot overpriced by 25%. He would use and abuse it on the weekends then lower the price and sell it after about a year then pick up another at Auction. That tells me a lot about how he vewied Ford Trucks. He had a saying about Ford Trucks. Said "Ford Truck is like a sore _____, you cant beat it." Fill in the blank. LOL

Dealership is still there, ran by second cousins. I could get great deals on Dodge's if I wanted them.
Chris

 

[Markcuda]

My uncle, how also worked at the dealership for 25 years, said he always had a F-250 on the used lot overpriced by 25%. He would use and abuse it on the weekends then lower the price and sell it

No I know why I hate all dealerships

 

[Quickster2]

If you had rust issues you described after two years on an '03 Dodge something was wrong. I've only seen rust form as you described with a flood or water damaged unit. Did you take it to the dealer to have it evaluated? It would of still been under warranty for rust penetration for 100K. Yes the '03 interior is not competitive compared to today's standard. My 2003 Laramie truck leather interior still looks good but is defintely dated.
Tow ratings will get normalized for all manufacturers next year. There is a new standard coming out that will require testing and certification to one benchmark.

 

[JB4310]

"Ford Truck is like a sore _____, you cant beat it." Fill in the blank. LOL

Chris

:laughing::laughing::laughing: I gotta remember that :laughing::laughing::laughing: I'm still laughing.

But if you leave out the "you can't beat it" part it's not much of a compliment

JB.

 

[Diamondpilot]

:laughing::laughing::laughing: I gotta remember that :laughing::laughing::laughing: I'm still laughing.

But if you leave out the "you can't beat it" part it's not much of a compliment

JB.

I was told this when I was 15 and still laugh at it and about 10 other Redneck sayings on a daily basis. The little lady just shakes her head that I have been cracking myself up for 30 years now.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

If you had rust issues you described after two years on an '03 Dodge something was wrong. I've only seen rust form as you described with a flood or water damaged unit. Did you take it to the dealer to have it evaluated? It would of still been under warranty for rust penetration for 100K. Yes the '03 interior is not competitive compared to today's standard. My 2003 Laramie truck leather interior still looks good but is defintely dated.
Tow ratings will get normalized for all manufacturers next year. There is a new standard coming out that will require testing and certification to one benchmark.

They resprayed the lower doors on the inside but it came back in a year. I traded it after 2 years on a 05 Dmax 3500 so did not care at that point.

We had a Dakota until a year ago as a work truck. No rust on the doors but all 4 fenders had rust around the wheel wells and the bottom of the tailgate. It lived in our hanger, led a easy life, and got washed every Sunday along with the airplane.

My neighbor had either a 96 or 97 Ram 1500. 2 sets of front fenders on it in its life and the doors were all rotted out. It got rear ended and the bed and tailgate got replaced in about 03 then he sold it about 08.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

No I know why I hate all dealerships

He overpriced it to keep it around. My grandmothers brother was the local EZ-Dump and Western Plow dealer. He almost always had a EZ-Dump Bed and a Western Plow on it. We hauled more in a old brown F-250 than I ever would. The dump would not even come close to lifting it till we shoveled off half the load. I can also remember pulling fence post and small stumps with the plow. Just nudge the truck up to it and lower the lift. Hook a chain to it and raise the plow lift to pop them out of the ground.

Chris

 

[kenmac]

My "rust-bucket" '95 with 5 spd manual and 138,000 miles (almost broken in), photo taken last summer. Astonishing as it may seem, 175 hp and 430 ft/lbs @ 1600 rpm have been quite satisfactory, thanks. If I could change anything, a 6 speed manual (not available then) with closer ratio gearing would make it even better.

It's just starting to bubble around the wheel wells. The full running boards probably helped a lot to ward off the corrosion to door bottoms, sills and wheel well area. The fuel filler pipe rusted from road spray, causing it to drip when filling. Replaced that and just fixed a power steering leak too. Otherwise, runs as good as when I bought it new. Injector pump was replaced under warranty but other than that, no major problems.

In 1995, Dodge had the best interior by far. The seats (40/20/40) were/are the most comfortable in anything I've owned.

When I open the hood of any future pickup I might own, it better only have ONE cylinder head. :laughing:

Something must be wrong.:confused2: I don't see any places on that truck that's rusted out. With all the claims that dodges are bad about rusting out. I'm supprised you still have anything there to put tires on:laughing:. I've never had any problems with the dodges that I've owned rusting out. My 07 is now a little over 3 yrs old. I can't believe there's no RUST.Forgot to mention. My BIL has a Ford F250 That's got a ton of rust on it

 

[JB4310]

My "rust-bucket" '95

Well since this has become a Dodge rust thread.

This was my 95 rust bucket in 2008 when I sold it, after 13 years of contracting work.