Was it a Yellow Cherokee with "Matt's Offroad" on the side?
Just can't get a good basic truck, like the old days!
Lol no I wasn't
In utah nor do I off road that truck like I did my Tacomas when I was young and dumber. Problaby could have used him 20+ or so yrs ago though.
I just got back from a week in South Florida. Rented a Dodge 2500 4x4 from Hertz. ..Pretty cheap rental @350.00 ish for that time. ..Anyway..it was a fairly basic Big Horn package.
PW, PL, tilt cruse, Bluetooth radio ..Thats about it.
..After a couple days in that truck..I about had enough of it. Not sure if it was the poor comfort of the seats, or the way the interior just felt cheap.. but it made me appreciate my trucks at home more than ever.
PW, PL, tilt cruse, Bluetooth radio ..Thats about it.
..After a couple days in that truck..I about had enough of it. Not sure if it was the poor comfort of the seats, or the way the interior just felt cheap.. but it made me appreciate my trucks at home more than ever.
RB5
Silver Member
My 2013 F150 interior is not falling apart at 280k miles. My 97 Ram had cracks in the dash and pieces of the drivers seat cushion coming out at 150k or less. That and the crappy transmission I had replaced twice is why I got away from Ram. Not sure about the newer ones, but I'd be too skeptical to take a chance.
paulsharvey
Elite Member
To me, the Big Horn hits a pretty nice balance of features that I want, without much that I dont.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 6,487
- Location
- Philadelphia
- Tractor
- John Deere 3033R, 855 MFWD, 757 ZTrak; IH Cub Cadet 123
Several of my buddies had those gen.2 (pre-Daimler) Rams, and so many of them had rear diff or transmission problems. Of course, my Chevy of the same vintage had even more breakdowns, albeit cheaper ones.
I was ready for a new truck in 2005, and after finding Chevy and Ford had both discontinued making manual transmission 1/2 ton v8 trucks, I was basically forced to look at the gen.3 Dodges. I went into it thinking, "well they're crap, but I want a manual transmission, so I'll deal with it."
And everything on the Dodge was indeed lighter and cheaper than my old Chevy. Thinner steel in the body, less beefy cast aluminum front control arms instead of the heavy stamped steel from Chevy. 5-lug wheels versus 6-lug on the Chevy.
But what surprised me was that, after 12 years of daily driving, it was the most reliable vehicle I'd ever owned. Not a single repair in 12 years. It was a good lesson that "heavier" doesn't necessarily translate to "more reliable".
I'm not sure if we can thank Daimler for fixing Ram's former problems, I do remember the transmission was a Getrag and many other components had been switched over to German suppliers, but I do have to admit I was surprised. Now I'm on my second Ram, a 2015 I bought used in 2017, and it's also been great. Not as flawless as the first, I did have to replace a folding mirror motor and two windshield washer nozzles, but nothing major yet.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 6,487
- Location
- Philadelphia
- Tractor
- John Deere 3033R, 855 MFWD, 757 ZTrak; IH Cub Cadet 123
I didn't like the auto AWD that was in the 2015 Big Horn, and I absolutely loathed the short (3.21:1) gears they used in the rear diffs. I went with the Outdoorsman, which has only manual traditional 4wd, and allowed me to choose a much steeper (3.92:1) rear gear. There were some other options that pushed me toward the outdoorsman, but I can't remember them all, now.
The only thing I didn't like was the side exhaust they use when you choose towing package and trailer brakes. But Flowmaster fixed that, and gave me something that actually sounds more like a truck, to boot!
No pretty chrome exhaust tips under a scalloped bumper here, just two stainless pipes right out the back under the straight rear bumper. Despite the loafers and the chinos, I guess I still have a little redneck in me.
paulsharvey
Elite Member
So, on the Ram 4wd; I dont ever use 4w auto, and maybe I just dont understand it? I use 2wd or I engage 4wd hi or 4wd lo. I tried 4 auto once, and it certainly isn't the same as 4 hi. Im guess 4 auto means 2wd, and then it auto senses slippage and engages? I dont have any use for that. I can see Im in loose sand or mud, and engage 4 hi. Maybe its an ice/snow thing?
My 2022 F150 has something similar with "modes" but it also has a 4 hi and 4 lo button, which is how I use it.
I just dont see why you would want to drive around in 4 auto on the road?
My 2022 F150 has something similar with "modes" but it also has a 4 hi and 4 lo button, which is how I use it.
I just dont see why you would want to drive around in 4 auto on the road?
Last edited:
paulsharvey
Elite Member
I guess in my mind, you know your going into a sketchy terrian, put it in 4 hi before you break traction. Once you start slipping, you have already dug a hole into the sugar sand, and now, you are fighting both the bottomless sugar sand, as well as the hole you dug.
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2011
- Messages
- 6,487
- Location
- Philadelphia
- Tractor
- John Deere 3033R, 855 MFWD, 757 ZTrak; IH Cub Cadet 123
I haven't used the 4-auto on the Ram, IIRC the year I was shopping required me to give up true 4wd if 4-auto was selected, which I didn't like. But my wife's Durango has 4-auto, and it actually works great for driving on our rutted and drifted roads, where you're constantly transitioning from dry pavement to drifted-over roads, to rutted sections with dry pavement interrupted by snow. It's actually much better than 4wd for most of the on-road winter driving we get around here.
I love features like that for things like SUV's and sports wagons, but in a pickup I'm taking off-road into the woods, I want the confidence and simplicity of true locked-in 4wd.
Last edited: