Here's a strange quirk of the "Lifetime Warranty" Chrysler offered for the 08-10 Ram: other than the 3 year/36k bumper to bumper which could be transferred, there is absolutely no warranty for anyone but the first owner. The 08 1500 I just bought has 55k miles. Would it be worth it to buy and extended service contract from a company like Allstate or GE? Essentially it would be 45k miles of coverage with a $50 deductible for most things on the truck that aren't normal wear and tear or maintenance items for right around $800? I have a 98 Ram that I have worked hard and maintained well and have had no breakdowns(not even needing the plenum job thus far, knock on wood) for 165k miles and my 94 Plymouth Acclaim has almost 200k, all original. I am a maintenance nut, having been a dealer mechanic for several years and seeing what neglect can do. I am leaning towards putting $100/month in a "breakdown fund" and saving the money instead. I have the 3.7L/6 speed manual and it is for nothing but commuting and grocery-getting. I love Chrysler, but this is a major screw-up, I believe, because many people will avoid buying these trucks and see them(without any warranty) as a "bankruptcy orphan". It was great for moving metal when new, but is really a big finger to the face of the secondary market.

 

YES this was the trade-off on the Life Time Warranty. NON-TRANSFERABLE. You used to could with the old 7/70.

Since I do most of my own work, I never bother with "extended warranties", but yeah, it would not be a bad idea to start a slush fund for repairs IMO...


Realistically, I'm not seeing the policy hurting used truck sales, at least in the southeast and Florida. The higher book value of GM and especially Ford have them commanding $2-4000 more for comparable trucks around here, so I'm seeing more used Ram sales compared to the other two US trucks...

 

I was hoping DodgeCares would jump in with a "since we care about our loyal customers, Dodge has a special program...". But it won't stop me from buying a brand new Chrysler after my house is done. All of mine have been good to me, so I think I'll save $1000 bucks up and call it good. Hell, I got 165K out of my hard worked 98, so I figure with good maintenance, I have at least 110,000 trouble free miles to look forward to in this one. Funny thing, it has the factory towing setup, but it clearly has never been used. And I ain't gonna use it.

 

Front hubs will probably go soon if they haven't already. That seems to be the most common issue on these trucks. Other than that, you will probably be good.