I just had a question about the 1995 dodge ram 1500 4x4 5.9 liter. Is it reliable? any problems with this year? whats the average mpg on it? in town and on highway? and finally

would it be worth trading my 1998 chevy cavalier 4 cylinder for?

 

Depends on what ya wanna do with it.

Problems:

Plenum gasket. Take off the air filter housing, crack the throttles wide open, look in. See any oil? Gasket is blown. About 140 bucks in parts, and a couple hours of labor time, do it yourself, and save the labor money.

Transmission. Torque converters were crap from the factory. If the trans hasn't been rebuilt....... better look forward to doing so. (and that ain't a cheap proposition.)

Heads. Another crap design from the factory, overheat your engine? Look forward to having cracked heads. No idea how long they last if properly cared for. My 96 has 160+ thousand miles on it.... Still runs good. (and shifts good. trans has not been rebuilt that I am aware of. Luck of the draw?)

Gas mileage...... Its a truck. If you break into double digits in town, you are doing well. 14-19 highway seems to be about average. Varies a LOT by truck, and driving style.

As for 'is it worth it'..... I don't know what condition either vehicle is in, mileage, rust, tires, etc.... nor do I know how far you have to drive every day, or, if you have a 'good' job, or, 'just a job'.... If you have a long drive to work, and don't get paid a lot, the truck isn't going to be your best bet.

That said, Welcome to DF!

 

thanks for the welcome, and he says it has 275,000 on a rebuilt engine and transmission, but the torque converter has problems? that it downshifts to 1st gear in town sometimes when it gets hot? No idea, anyway it has a 3" lift, dual exhausts, superchip, intake. my car is stock,I drive 40 miles a day and am going to college, I have wanted a dodge truck for awhile though. currently looking for a job, I have some loans for commuting, school, equipment and stuff. I have traded cars with the guy before and he gave me a good car so idk.

both vehicles have tires with about 80% tread, no rust on cavalier, hardly any on wheel wells of truck, 145,000 on cavalier.

 

it isnt a 95 then if it has a superchips on it, 95 doesnt have a ob2 port,

if your struggling with cash and travel that much its going to be hard to pay for gas and keep it maintained

 

How long ago were the rebuilds?

If the trans was rebuilt, chances are good, they did NOT put a crap t/c into it. At least, one would hope......

The truck is going to be an expensive commuter vehicle..... Sad to say, but, you would be better off keeping the cav until you finish school. You are going to be deep in the hole by the time you are done anyway, and the difference in the amount of gas you burn, will be significant when all is said and done.

Also, While the engine and trans may be rebuilt, the REST of the driveline still has over a quarter million miles on it....... If things haven't been rebuilt, they are going to be needing it soon....... and if that is your only vehicle, being down for a week or more while having the rear diff rebuilt isn't really a good option, not even considering the cost......

You need a good, cheap, reliable, gas sipping car for right now. Get thru school, get yourself a good job, THEN start looking for a truck.

Gah! I feel like such a wet blanket. Sorry to rain on your parade man.....

 

other than fuel expenses, which would be the better vehicle though? lol and thanks guys for not being biased cuz this is a dodge forum. I really would rather have a truck you know? but the fuel thing is bad, im only going to school till may but thats still along time, I worked it out and fuel costs at 14 mpg with truck would be $1050 for the school year, and $550 for the car... lol and you guys are right the rest of the truck has a lot of miles. : (

 

How is the cav? Does it run good? Drive nice? Doesn't make any rude noises? Shift nice? (manual, or auto?)

Cav still gets my vote..... the truck has a LOT of miles on it......

I wish I had done exactly what you are doing before I had bought MY truck. I would have offered a LOT less for it..... Oh well. Live and learn. One would think, that at my age, I would have already learned this lesson...... That's what ya get for thinkin' though.

 

I drive 31 miles one way to work. So that's 62 a day. I put about $65 worth of gas in my truck every 4-5 days. It can get pretty expensive. I get an average of 13 MPG and that's with straight driving and no traffic lights. I love my truck and I am very happy with it. It can get expensive to own though. Even more so when things start to break. The smart thing would be to stick with the car if it runs good and is reliable to you. The fun thing would be to get the truck and face the bad stuff when it comes hitting you.

The choice is really up to you.

 

drives nice just low on power, but it is a tiny 4 cylinder lol. its a standard and shifts nice but it pops outta gear sometimes on the highway unless I hold it in place, and ya ill have to take a look at the truck, if by some chance I did trade though, what would be some mods to get better gas other than the cold air intake, and exhaust? and tire pressure

 

CAI is a heated topic if it really helps with MPG's on our trucks or not. People swear by them, where as other people swear by the 14x3 round air filter. Exhaust won't really effect it that much either. To be honest, its hard to get a little better MPG's in these beasts.