How refreshing to read about someone who's in love with thier Dodge, instead of the usual crybabies/whiners/bitterboys who find fault with every little problem and flaw.
Hopefully you'll not grow jaded as the years pass.
It's not easy owning the brand. I've done it for around 3 decades. Come talk to me in 10-15 years, if I'm still alive and you still own the brand.
We'll compare notes...

 

Agreed with everyone else. This is my first dodge (1999 ram 1500) and I love it to death.

I also own a ford focus and use to own a chevy blazer 98 (i traded it with someone for my dodge). Out of the three I hated the chevy the most because of the stupid fuel pump (I had it changed because it was going out, it doesn't make that annoyingly loud sound unless the fuel is low but still). The focus is old, has a few dents, but it hasn't left me or my wife stranded anywhere.

I just LOVE the look of my dodge though. I mean back then you didn't really have many "beefy" looking vehicles. Chevy's and fords had more straight hoods and what not (from what I remember anyways). The dodge was like "LOOK AT ME LADIES I'M BIG UNDER THE HOOD".

Sigh...I love my dodge.

(and for the record I am not a super big car buff, so sorry if other trucks around the 2nd gen of dodge also had big looking fronts).

 

I still feel that the 2nd gen Ram has the best body lines of any truck to date.

 

Ok I'll be the downer here. A second gen ram really can't compare to any mid 90s GMC/Chevy when it comes to driveablitiy. I've never had to replace a ball joint, wheel bearing, or any suspension part on an GM, and they still steer better than my dodge ever will. When it comes to towing, a GM will win hands down. I've towed with several different 89-98 GM trucks/SUVs and they will out pull my dodge every day. In order to maintain 70mph on the highway, I have to take my truck out of OD in order to haul a little 10ft single axle trailer, UNLOADED. I've towed the same trailer with a '98 Z71, a '95 Tahoe, and a '94 Sierra, and a '90 Sierra in OD with no problems what so ever.

On the other hand, my Dodge LOOKS way better than any GM ever produced.

 

Thats odd, I can tow my 12x6 single axle trailer, with all my equipment in O/D no problem at 60-70mph, if I get to hilly stuff I kick it out of O/D though.

 

I dunno...I believe that's an honest evaluation based on your experiece. I'm not sure why you'd have a towing issue though. Even with 3:55s and 33's my ram tows our boat ok. I run the od, and it shifts out for hills like it's designed to. My only gripe is the puter will hold it out of OD a bit too long once the hill has been run. Usually happens when the cruise is on. But it's pulled far worse, even with a broken tranny. My old C-10 simply died.
As far as the suspension...again, I can't tell you how many times I sat baking in the desert sun while waiting for some Chevy guy to R&R a front CV axle because he tryed to follow my Dodge over a hill or wash.

However...when the Dodge salesman showed me a pick of the NEW 1994 ram in the summer of '93...I flat told him thatwas the UGLIEST truck I'd ever seen, and my momma told me don't drive no ugly truck. ALthough all my Chevy drivin buddies told me they'd hack off body parts to own one...
I declared I would NEVER sell my '78 Ramcharger.

How ironic.

 

I have a dodge and that why I stick up for them, but my dad and brother both drive chevys we all work on our truck about the same and its all little and pretty simple things. Yea my dash cracked way before my dads and brothers but guess what their dashes are much worse than mine now. All three trucks have close to the same mileage and have been through pretty much the same stuff. Now friends with fords have not been so lucky and and I have had to help them out a couple times. Plus ford is always picked on around were I live and there is a good reason

 

Good thread so far, normally these threads turn into mudslinging and "mines bigger" kinda arguments.....but anyhow heres my two cents......

I purchased my Dodge about a year ago and it was in pretty rough shape.....I'll admit it was frustrating dealing with all the little quirks and problems that spring up with buying a truck that is almost 11 years old, but i cant complain one bit after driving from VT to Louisiana with the bed loaded down AND towing a trailer. I was really suprised how the truck handled it and even more suprised at the fact I had very little change in gas milage! I bought the truck based off of the fact a few of my friends own Dodges and their odometers are about to turn over 180k + and they are still running strong. So when i found a Dodge with 82k on it i immediately jumped on it.
So now my OD reads 92k and change and since i bought it ive done cap, rotor, wires, plugs, 02 sensors, brakes on all four corners, and exhaust and a fuel pump. All stuff that it was about time to do anyway in the trucks lifespan. Next up is a rebuild on all the front suspension components(ball joints and shocks are wiped), Rear Diff service (pinion seal is leaking) and rear shocks.

Basically it doenst matter what you drive as long as it suits your needs and you are happy with it!

 

Well put!

 

i am not brand loyal by any means, but i think that my 96 chevy was a better truck than my 99 dodge ram i have now. i like the looks of the 2 about the same, i think the chevy of those years had less problems.