Okay guys and gals, I am new to this forum and do not own a Ram and never have before. I have did searches on here for this and haven't been able to come up with anything so here goes: I am considering buying a 2014 Ram 1500 Express Crew 4x4 with the Hemi. I really think they are the best looking truck on the road. My only problem is this: I have heard off and on for years about how Dodge's quality isn't the best. Then the whole transmission issue a few years back and I hear Dodge sucks, and they don't hold value......blah blah blah. I find it hard to believe after all the Rams I see out on the road that they are junk. So I wanted to ask you guys who actually own them. Are they reliable and are they worth their money? I would prefer to hear from a few that have some mile on their trucks. Like I said, they are beautiful trucks, I just am hesitant from all the junk comments I've heard. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks
Reliability question?
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
You mentioned you were never a Ram owner. Other (non-Ram) forums will always bash the competition. The transmission issues, IMO were overblown, and not an issue now.
As far as reliability, and many honest guys (and girls) on this forum will back me up on this, I have had Ram trucks (minus one old '88 Chevy that I thought was great) my whole life. Never had one major problem with any of them. The '12 Express I have now driven for 2+ years, has not even hinted at having a problem, and still feels & drives like the day I drove it off the lot.
Take forums & the internet out of the equation for a second: In my town, I personally know over 15 guys who have converted from other brands to Ram because of issues they have had with the others.
Does Ram build EVERY truck perfect with no issues? No, of course not. No manufacturer does. But, in my opinion, Ram is the best bang for your buck in quality and style.
As far as reliability, and many honest guys (and girls) on this forum will back me up on this, I have had Ram trucks (minus one old '88 Chevy that I thought was great) my whole life. Never had one major problem with any of them. The '12 Express I have now driven for 2+ years, has not even hinted at having a problem, and still feels & drives like the day I drove it off the lot.
Take forums & the internet out of the equation for a second: In my town, I personally know over 15 guys who have converted from other brands to Ram because of issues they have had with the others.
Does Ram build EVERY truck perfect with no issues? No, of course not. No manufacturer does. But, in my opinion, Ram is the best bang for your buck in quality and style.
Joined
·
79 Posts
Cant speak for Ford, but in college I owned a 2007 Silverado. The 2006 Ram I own now is a better truck IMO. It sits higher, has a more powerful engine, and I feel better about my wife driving it when I'm gone on deployments. Just my 2 cents, but I will be buying a Ram once the one I have now finally bites the bullet.
Joined
·
6,683 Posts
I have had my 08 for almost 2 years, it has over 100,000 Miles (170,000KM) on it. I have had no issues other then a seized bolt when I put in Bilstien 5100 to level my truck out for bigger tires. Minus general wear (brakes, oil, fluids and such) all I have had to worry about with my truck has been what mods I want to do to it. I have friends with Fords and Chevs and we all give each other a hard time. Seen chevs blow out rear ends and fords getting their trannys rebuilt with less KM then mine, but seen the same all around. Honestly, a lot of vehicles today are all built to a certain standard for quality. Every manufacture has their vehicles which will run for a lifetime, and others that will break down the moment they get off the lot. At the end of the day, these vehicles are still somewhat built/ inspected by humans like us, and no one is perfect.
Just find the truck that you feel suits you best. What one offers the ride you want, power, looks and all the toys and features that feel will make you happy and enjoy your ride in it everyday like most of us here do.
Best of luck with your truck hunting.
Just find the truck that you feel suits you best. What one offers the ride you want, power, looks and all the toys and features that feel will make you happy and enjoy your ride in it everyday like most of us here do.
Best of luck with your truck hunting.
Joined
·
84 Posts
Traded my 06 in for a 14 yesterday. In the 7 years I owned my 06 it never had a single service engine light. Never did anything but brakes and tires. That to me, is pretty impressive.
As far as resale value. I was very satisfied in what my 8yo Ram retailed for and what I got for her in trade.:smileup:
As far as resale value. I was very satisfied in what my 8yo Ram retailed for and what I got for her in trade.:smileup:
I agree totally and have had the same excellent experience with a 2nd gen Ram & now a 4th Gen 2012, except owning a Chevy. What the hell were you thinking Paul?
Joined
·
1,649 Posts
I have had ram trucks since early in 2003 and can honestly say that I have not had one break down and although I had the extended warranty I never had to use it on my 2003 that I drove for more than 7 years. Since then I have had a 2011 1500 and 2012 2500 and so far so good.
Joined
·
204 Posts
I've owned an F150 and I just recently got out of a Tundra. I have 12K on the odometer right now in roughly the same truck you are thinking about getting (Mine's 2wd).
My F150 needed a new transmission 20K in - no more problems until I hit exactly 104K and then the truck started breaking down all the time for different reasons.
Tundra: Needed a new caliper @ 75K. No problems with it until I hit 105K miles - transmission was going to need to be re-built along with many other little issues. Oh yeah and the brakes needed work every 30K miles or so. Very annoying. Along with lots of random rattles and such.
I had the same reservations you did and I must say - I definitely don't regret getting this truck. Although I do miss the rear power window on the Tundra, that's about all I miss. It's hard to explain to people why I went with this RAM - and the only thing I can really say is that it feels like it's "solid". I've had this truck for 7 months and I have literally had zero problems and I'm almost certain it will be solid for the long haul.
I say pull the trigger.
My F150 needed a new transmission 20K in - no more problems until I hit exactly 104K and then the truck started breaking down all the time for different reasons.
Tundra: Needed a new caliper @ 75K. No problems with it until I hit 105K miles - transmission was going to need to be re-built along with many other little issues. Oh yeah and the brakes needed work every 30K miles or so. Very annoying. Along with lots of random rattles and such.
I had the same reservations you did and I must say - I definitely don't regret getting this truck. Although I do miss the rear power window on the Tundra, that's about all I miss. It's hard to explain to people why I went with this RAM - and the only thing I can really say is that it feels like it's "solid". I've had this truck for 7 months and I have literally had zero problems and I'm almost certain it will be solid for the long haul.
I say pull the trigger.
Joined
·
3 Posts
most of the transmission problems were from using a truck without a tow package for towing causing the transmission to run hotter than it should. (imho)my truck has 190000+ miles with no trans. problems.
I came out of a 2002 F150 of which I drove for 140K miles. From the get go it always idled rough & had a transmission shudder. There were a host of other smaller issues such as several bad coils, plastic sway bars breaking, wheel bearings going, air conditioning quit and too many more to mention. I finally had it with the ford & test drove the big three of which I felt the RAM was by far the best so I took the plunge. As far as RAM reliability, I can't speak much because it's too new but so far I'm very happy that I took the plunge.
Stop wasting time soliciting opinions on the internet. You are on a Ram forum, so the opinions (and that is all they are, opinions) are going to be skewed in favor of Ram. Go to a Ford forum and Ford is the best, Ram and Chevy suck, blah blah blah. No individual can ever have a full picture of reliability of a truck being built today. Someone who had a 1979 Pinto blow up will say F-150s today are garbage because of that entirely unrelated issue. Someone else who's great grandfather worked for Chrysler will be brand loyal for life for no other reason than that. My 79 Horizon TC3 (last Chrysler vehicle I owned) was junked at 80K miles. My 91 GMC had tons of issues and donated about the same mileage, but my next six GM vehicles were fine. Does that mean Chrysler scores 0% and GM 85%? Nope - it means nothing in the overall scheme of the millions of vehicles that were sold over those 20+ years. If you survey every automotive site online, you will never find a reliable car based on opinions.
Ram makes good trucks, along with GM, Ford, Toyota and the rest. Nobody can predict that the two year old transmissions in the current generation Ram will have problems or if they will run for 500K miles. Sure you can find some studies that will say Brand X had Y issues per 1000 while Brand Z had 1.3 times that amount over the last decade, but the past does not always predict the future. Company cultures change, along with engineering teams, supplier capabilities, technology and 100s of other factors.
Buy what you like that fits your needs and budget - life is too short to worry about how your truck will be running five, ten years from now. You get a long warranty with everything, so really no need to worry - at least in the 3-5 year term.
Ram makes good trucks, along with GM, Ford, Toyota and the rest. Nobody can predict that the two year old transmissions in the current generation Ram will have problems or if they will run for 500K miles. Sure you can find some studies that will say Brand X had Y issues per 1000 while Brand Z had 1.3 times that amount over the last decade, but the past does not always predict the future. Company cultures change, along with engineering teams, supplier capabilities, technology and 100s of other factors.
Buy what you like that fits your needs and budget - life is too short to worry about how your truck will be running five, ten years from now. You get a long warranty with everything, so really no need to worry - at least in the 3-5 year term.
Joined
·
229 Posts
I heard the same BS before I bought mine. There's a big difference between fact and opinion. Think back to elementary school when you learned your 'opinion words' ... 'Suck' is definitely one of them lol Anything I'm looking to buy, I research and research and research to find out for myself. F what everybody else thinks! Unless you are shown legit facts and figures to back their opinion, that's all it is. I've always been a ford guy until it came down to buying my own truck and did my research. No longer am I an American sheep, but a proud Ram owner! In the end it's up to, what you want and what you'll be using it for...
Joined
·
204 Posts
+1 to what Giles said :smileup:
Joined
·
192 Posts
+1 to what everyone has said about all the opinions posted here. I am another one who is Ram loyal and have been for quite sometime. My 97' Dodge has 191K miles and I'm looking to get a new gen 4 next year. Other than a water pump mine has only required general maintenance items ie; shocks, tie rods, track bar, brakes etc. I have however test drove the big three domestics, all 2014's, and I'm still stuck on Ram for a number of subjective reasons. I will say the Ford Eco Boost would be my second pick without a doubt. Happy hunting
Hey, stop picking on me, Bruce!I agree totally and have had the same excellent experience with a 2nd gen Ram & now a 4th Gen 2012, except owning a Chevy. What the hell were you thinking Paul?
I did a lot of drugs back in the '80's!
I buy what I like. I always research my vehicles months before I buy. I've had fords, chevys now I have my 13 RAM. Its the best truck I've owned so far mostly because Chrysler is way ahead with the technology which I cant get enough of. But the reliability and quality is there too. I cant say enough about the HEMI with the new 8 speed trans. Its nothing short of spectacular. Everytime I leave the traffic behind at the light I love it more. Yes Im on this forum but I'm not bias to RAM if in the future another manufacturer does better Ill buy it but Chrysler has stepped up and made an excellent truck with a better price for what you get. Also Fords Chevys Toyota etc... dont suck and all make good trucks but Chrysler is making a better truck so go for it if you like the RAM.
Joined
·
225 Posts
I bought my dodge ram 1500 STQ brand new in 1999
it is a 4X4 with a 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch V8).
15 years later and over 144,000 miles and everything is still original.
the only thing I have had to replace is:
1. a/c compressor last year
2. idler pulley this year
3. add some Freon to the a/c compressor
any other vehicle on the market,i wouldn't even try to guess,you are on your own.
who knows?
maybe one day I will have to tow you home when you break down!!
MOPAR OR NO CAR/TRUCK!!
it is a 4X4 with a 5.9 liter (360 cubic inch V8).
15 years later and over 144,000 miles and everything is still original.
the only thing I have had to replace is:
1. a/c compressor last year
2. idler pulley this year
3. add some Freon to the a/c compressor
any other vehicle on the market,i wouldn't even try to guess,you are on your own.
who knows?
maybe one day I will have to tow you home when you break down!!
MOPAR OR NO CAR/TRUCK!!
I can't agree more with what everyone here have said on this thread subject. I remember my first brand new Ram in 99. Not one problem with it even after I lost her in the divorce. I had a 96 Dakota with the 5.9 Magnum bought used with over 130K and it had trans slipping issues. Most likely from poor maintenance habits and or improper towing procedures from its previous owners. But that Magnum engine was still purring like a kitten! My 2012 4x4 Lonestar, impressive with 25K before trading her in for my now 2014. I have never had problems with any brand vehicle bought new. This is my third new Ram and can honestly tell you it does not fail to impress me. Know what your trucks towing capabilities are and stay within those limits so as to preserve the reliability of today's modern Rams.
Joined
·
225 Posts
Gantman!!! Amen my brother!!
1 - 20 of 26 Posts
