I want a dodge truck.
I will be using it for off-roading mostly but it also has to be
cheap on insurance too.
im lookin at the 2nd generation ram 1500
would that be a good choice.
give some advice on what i should get.

thanx.

 

Our '99 is OK with insurance, fwiw.

 

get a green one.
just kidding....
if i had it to do over.....id prob find one that had the posi rearend(just cause im funny like that),a 360(just because theres no replacement for displacement)maybe a sport package(just cause of the color matched frontend) and a standard shift.
i really cant say which years were better.youll see theres alot of late 90's here,dunno why.maybe they were built better then the early 00's.mines an 01 and i love it.fits 285's with no lift.my ins went up like 1.60 a mo from my previous 360 dak qc.
just do some homework and youll find the right one for you.
search for dodge ram on the net and see whats out there.lots of good info here as well.
good luck.

 

5.9L Magnum, heavy duty 5-speed, heavy 3/4 ton. Auto's don't hold up to heavy abuse. The heavy duty manual is cast iron instead of aluminum, and hold up to the abuse much better. Also has a deeper first gear, better crawl ratio. And a heavy 3/4 ton has Dana 60 axles front and rear. Very strong, and parts are everywhere for them. I believe 3/4 tons are cheaper cause they're considered work trucks more than daily drivers. I pay less for my '97 Ram than I do for my '95 Monte Carlo with the same coverage. And the Ram is worth 5x more!

 

I disagree, the autos will hold up to plenty of abuse. Just service it every 30K, and since it will see a lot of heat on the trail, add a tranny cooler and a deeper pan (I've off-roaded a few rigs without these two add-ons and never had a problem, but it's better to be safe than sorry). A temp gauge would be a good idea too. I do prefer a manual for off-roading, but it has nothing to do with longevity problems.

Depending on the size of the lift and the tire size you plan on running, you may be better going with atleast a 3/4. As Snafu mentioned, you'll have the Dana 60's, which you'd end up swapping into a 1/2 ton if you plan on running big tires. Also, if you're going to go with a 3/4 ton, get a Cummins diesel instead of a gas engine (you'll be looking at a big jump in price though). Diesels rule off-road.

 

I'm still going to argue with you on the trans. The Dodge autos are ****. I've changed enough of them I'm sick of it. Even with regular service and external coolers. Just get a manual and you won't have to worry about it. The compression braking alone is worth it. Diesels are alright offroad, but I personally don't think the extra weight is worth it. You get it burried and you're screwed cause it's REALLY burried. And remember, all 2nd Gen 1-tons are duallies, which he doesn't want for a pure off-road rig.

 

turbo cummins or v10, 4.10 gear ratio with posi-track, 5 speed manual, 4x4 obviously

 

I think the Dodge auto trannys are just one of those things that you either love or hate, and no amount of arguing will change the other persons mind. I do prefer manuals for off-roading though. I searched for almost 8 months for a 4-speed (NP 435) Ramcharger before I found one, and passed on quite a few auto equipped trucks along the way. The granny gear with that tranny is just awesome.

I like the diesels off-road. I don't own one, but I know a few who do, and they're just amazing in the sloppy stuff. I love the amount of power you can get out of them for relatively cheap. A gas engine will holds its own on the trail, but if I had the cash, I'd swap a Cummins into my RC (probably gonna go the cheap/easy way though and swap in an early Magnum 360).

Thanks for the info on the 1 tons. I know you can get a 1 ton single rear wheel in the 1st gens, and assumed you could with the 2nd gens too. Thanks for the correction.

 

V10's don't have the durability. They've got major problems with piston rings breaking and completely screwing up the block. That's one of the reasons why Dodge got rid of them in the trucks and went to the Hemi.


Autos and manuals both have their advantages offroad. I've just replaced WAY too many Dodge autos to be comforatable with them. They redesigned some of the weak areas in '98, but a friend of mine has a '99 with 130,000 highway only miles and he's on his third one. College roomate put his 3rd one in his Cummins Ram at 90,000. Mine went at 78,000. Even the local Dodge dealer won't recomend them. You can build a good one, but it'll take you a lot of time an money. I don't think he wants to buy a truck he's got to sink a lot of money into to make it reliable, I think he wants one that will do well as it is when he buys it.

The torque of the cummins is really nice offroad. I've wheeled a few GM diesels, and they did pretty good. The limited RPM range hurts you in sloppy mud though. You need wheel spin, and the diesels have a hard time getting that. And like I said before they are HEAVY and hard to get unstuck.

It's all a matter of his preference. With the trans or the engine, he just has to weigh the pros and cons of both options and find what works best for him.

 

which engine would be better for off-roading
the turbo cummins or the V8 Magnum?

I just want to hear some stuff about the two
engines thats all.
Thanx