Tell me about the Ram 1500.

TRD270 said:
Kevin's already owned one of those ;)
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Three, actually, one of them a worthless POS 2wd that I was only too happy to get rid of. :cody:

Moabxjeepers' F250 is a sweet truck and runs well, but the extended cab just isn't going to work for us, which is a bummer because there's not many crew cabs up for sale right now.
 
The 1500's are not as good as the 2500's. The 42re trans and 231 is not up to the weight and power of the 5.2 or the 5.9
The bigger 46re trans in the 2500 is pretty good and the 241 tcase is the beef (same as in the Super Duty trucks of the era).

This is my experience. I love the Dodge vans. Our business has had 6 b2500's with the 5.9.
My 1998 has done 252,000 miles with an average of 16.26mpg's. Almost all of those miles it has been loaded.
It has the bigger trans. 4.10 gears, smallish 225/75/16 - 265/75/16 tires.
We slap a BIG trans cooler on them and usually sell them at 250,000 miles. All 6 have made it that far with few to no issues.
In fact I saw one of our old vans in Denver a few years ago that we sold at 275,000 miles. We had sold it 5 years earlier and it was still running and driving.

If you want a Dodge in your price range you will be happier with a 5.9 gas 2500.
AND you will find many of them in that price range.
ALL the build components of the diesel with a less powerful motor equals a long and happy life.
Expect to upgrade the steering and trackbar to heavier duty components from the aftermarket or later models.

Same with the Fords. My 2000 5.4 2500 has gone 172,000 miles with only regular service, unit bearings, brakes and coils (2 of the coil on plugs) replaced.

I absolutely agree with what has been said about the 42re. it's fine for lighter duty in the zj's but you want more in a full size truck.
 
Kevin B. said:
I haven't had a proper pickup for a while, and I need one. It'll be a utility truck - random towing and hauling, helping friends move :), and the occasional trip into the boonies when we don't feel like shoehorning into one of the 4Runners.

I'm going to look at moabxjeepers' 7.5 F250 in the morning. I like these trucks, I don't know why I was looking at anything else.
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I think this is his truck ad, pretty clean and the interiors are far better than the Dodge of the same era https://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/1516968?ad_cid=3
 
Gravy said:
If you want a Dodge in your price range you will be happier with a 5.9 gas 2500.
AND you will find many of them in that price range.
ALL the build components of the diesel with a less powerful motor equals a long and happy life.
Expect to upgrade the steering and trackbar to heavier duty components from the aftermarket or later models.
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Cool, I'll look for 2500s too then. Appreciate the input sir!
 
Oh, that's perfect, and a nice price if it runs well. It's definitely too far away though.

There's a pretty white crew cab in Spanish Fork I'm waiting to hear back about, and another one at a dealer in Bountiful that I'm less enthused about but I'll probably go look at in the morning.
 
Kevin B. said:
Three, actually, one of them a worthless POS 2wd that I was only too happy to get rid of. :cody:

Moabxjeepers' F250 is a sweet truck and runs well, but the extended cab just isn't going to work for us, which is a bummer because there's not many crew cabs up for sale right now.
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There's a crew cab '92-97 Ford on 5th South in Woods Cross. Approx. 10th west on the south side of the road. Dark blue with a camper shell. Has $2950 in the window so I'd imagine it's a gasser.
 
Toad said:
Are you daily driving this truck? Or just a weeekend tow/work truck? If thats what you are doing look for a 90s era 3/4 ton ford or chev with big block 454/460. Gas mileage will probably be better when you are towing it and you wont be working it till a inch of its life.
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I am a Dodge fan... but this is good advise.
 
Kevin B. said:
What's the real world MPG on that motor, and how many miles is too many? Any reliability issues? Could it tow 5000-6000 pounds over US6 if it had to?
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Kevin B. said:
The Minister of the Treasury has advised me my budget is $4000 :D.

It doesn't have to be four door, but it does need a usable back seat
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You say you want to easily tow 6,000 pounds up a mountain pass, and you want to be comfortable doing it? All while spending only $4k? You are in almost the same situation I was in (except I don't have kids to take with me). Sit down and listen, because I'm going to give you the best advice you've ever heard. Ready? Here it is:

Buy an 8.1L Suburban 2500.

There, I said it. Trust me, this is the Smart Thing To Do. You'll have enough space to take your entire house with you; your cargo won't be exposed to the elements and it won't walk off when you aren't looking; the kids will be supremely comfortable (as will you and the missus); and you can maintain 65-70 MPH while towing 6,000 pounds up any hill you care to name**. The icing on the cake is you'll get the same gas mileage while towing (or even a little better) than you would if you went with a smaller 6.0L or 5.3L engine instead, and you won't be stressing the vehicle while you're doing it. I'm tellin' ya, 496 cubic inches just make life worth living... especially when paired to the optional 4.10 axle ratio.

Out of budget, you say? Poppycock. Why, look--here's one for $3500 and here is another one for even less if you're willing to rebuild the trans (which I find odd as it's difficult to kill a 4L80E).

This is a fantastic idea, Kevin. You really ought to consider it.

**: unless you're on a tight, windy mountain road where the curves prevent you from going 65 MPH.
 
That's good advice, Dempsey, but I don't think it's legal to have a Suburban with a third row unless you have at least five kids. I'm fairly sure you're breaking several international treaties every time you drive yours.
 
Kevin B. said:
That's good advice, Dempsey, but I don't think it's legal to have a Suburban with a third row unless you have at least five kids. I'm fairly sure you're breaking several international treaties every time you drive yours.
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#1: The second day I owned it, I removed the third row seat. It has been gathering dust in my garage ever since. :p

#2: Since buying it 1 1/2 years ago, I can only recall three times when I've had someone ride in the back seat.

#3: A few days after buying it, I was brushing snow off it in preparation for driving to work. Across the street, my neighbor came out of her house and saw me. (She has a Suburban 1500, but she also has five kids... and she knows we have none.) Confused, she called out to me, "Are you guys planning to mass adopt or something?"


Maybe I should get a man and woman stick figure decals for the back window to point out my lack of kids. :D
 
Good advice here. My 99 Ram 3/4 with the V10 was the worst truck I ever owned. Interior was falling apart and don't even get me started on the anemic V10. I'd look for an extended Chev all the way.
 
Mission accomplished.

5F4B8591-B508-4ECA-9B19-A3F39F7C20F8_4.jpg


2001 F150 Supercrew, 5.4l/auto, just banged up enough that I won't mind abusing it further but not ugly enough that I can't stand ten feet away and think it looks pretty good, and just enough oomph that it could handle dragging the 4Runner around if push came to shove. It's not the bricknose I wanted, but it'll do.

Gonna need shocks pretty soon. The thing corners like a bowl of jello with wheels.
 
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