Hey everyone i'm new to the forums and would like to hear everyone's thoughts about my next purchase! I currently own an 04 Ford F150 and I plan on buying another truck soon and I have been getting an itch to try something different! I have had my eye on the 08 Dodge Ram's with the HEMI and I would just like to hear the pro's and con's of these truck's. Where I live all you really see are Ford's and Chevy's so i'm having a hard time finding good info from people who actually have experience with Dodge's. I know that Dodge has a bad rap about bad gas mileage and the tranny problem's they had in 01 but it has been 7 years and i'm sure they have improved the design since then. I won't really be working the truck very hard! Just pulling a camper once or twice a year that weigh's approximately 7,000lbs! I'm not too worried about gas mileage cause I know it's a truck and if I wanted something that got 30MPG then i'ld buya moped! I really love the exterior styling of these trucks but it'll be hard for me to leave ford when it satisfies me just fine! Please don't turn this into a big arguement about Ford VS Dodge cause I know that every manufacturer have their pro's and con's! I'm not loyal to any one company so i'm open minded about purchasing a vehicle from other manufacturer's! I just won't ever buy imports though, especially that ugly Tundra! Thanks for the help!

 

it's gonna be hard to get an unbiased opinion here...everyone here seems to hate everything that's not a dodge ram. some of these guys even talk about out little cousins, the dakotas...lol.

anyways, in all honestly, the ONLY reason i chose a ram over an f150 or silverado, was the looks.

they're the same truck in my opinion...with slight advantage going to dodge. but face it, buying american cars is stricly religious. we all buy them because they're american, and are in denial that american cars are designed to last 7 years, and get replaced.

dodge is 5k more expensive
35 more hp
10 more torque
4 inches smaller wheelbase
4 inches more legroom
TAILGATE DOESN'T LOCK ON DODGES...weird.

all dodge's advantages are solely based on that engine...power. so, if all you see if fords and chevys around, you'd give them a run for their money. throw a 4.56 rear end in that sumbitch, and blow damn near everyone away.

 

oh yea...lifetime powertrain warranty or something?

 

well, why not wait for the 2009 rams and blow every truck out of the water? there will be a HUGE upgrade for the 09s. but, im in love with my truck. no problems (knock on wood). mpg is low. and like you said, if i wanted mpg, id get a moped too. haha. but to help the mpg, there is MDS. shuts off 4 cylinders when cruising under 70 mph. dodges to me (and most of us if not all), look the best by far. they compensate for the price with power, looks, and durability. and like smash mentioned, they have the lifetime warranty. if i were in your shoes, and could wait a few more months, id def. get the 2009 ram with the hemi. much nicer interior than any truck ive been in. and ive been in every new truck since i have a friend with each kinda truck haha. kinda ironic i guess. but anywho, i hope you pick what you feel most comfortable with. hit the dealers up and see what they say, see if you feel theyre bull ****ting. ask them "why would i rather buy a dodge/ford over a ford/dodge?" see their response. more power will be the #1 answer. what else is there? do i get better customer service? what freebies? price? etc... i wish i could go with ya, i love dealing with dealers. lol. good luck man!!

 

well when chrysler kicks the bucket whats that worrytease gonna be worth.

what engine do you have right now in that ferd?
my buddys dodge got hit so hes got a ford 4.6 crew as a rental, its a piece of ***, first off, my arm doesnt rest right on the driver door, thats big, secondly the 4.6 doesnt do a damn thing, the interior is ok/good still love the way the dodge int looks, but the instrument cluster at night looks like its back in 1995, seriously it really looks like youre driving an old truck when its at night. It does ride smoother than mine (4x4 though) but then again its a truck. as for mpg, i avg 16 or so 50/50 mix of c/h.
ford has come around in their looks, for a while (1997ish till new body style) theyve just been perfect chick trucks (f150s, not their superduties as they rock) now theyve beefed up their looks, also came out with a platinum edition (1 grade higher than king ranch). oh the stock tires arent rated to hold the payload limit of the truck so a lot of people are F'ing up their tires.

so for my opinion i would not buy a f150, a 250 or 350 hell yeah but then again cummins is better than the powerstroke.

have you sat in a new dodge, if you havent youll answer your own question once you do.

 

Here are my $.02.

I bought my 05 Quad Cab 5.7 just before Christmas and prior to that I told myself I didnt want a Dodge. Around that same time my employer sent an 05 Quad Cab out to the job site for our company truck, retired our Durango thank god. Anyway, I started driving it and really started liking it a lot. The ride quality is nice, lots of power, styling is nice, etc..

The 2 things that sold me on the Dodge vs Ford or Chev were:

Price- a used dodge the same year and features as a ford or chev was about 5k cheaper. That was number one.
Power- The 5.7 Hemi really hauls. Tons of power but you pay for it in fuel milage, but man is it fun to stand on the loud pedal on these trucks. They just move.

When buying my truck I talked to a friend who has worked extensively with all 3 big brands as a technician and he pretty much said to buy the one you like the most and can get the best deal on. As far as mechanics go they all will have problems outside of warranty that you will have to pay to fix, no questions asked.

 

Thanks for the replies! My current truck has the 5.4 Triton V8! I know that the Ford's are the slowest trucks in it's class, but like I said about the gas mileage. If I wanted a fast truck then i'ld be here debating between a Dodge SRT/10 or Ford Lightning. I too think that Dodge makes the best looking vehicles on the road today. I like the looks of all the auto's that Dodge have on the market except for the Dakota. The only vehicle's that Ford make that I really like are the F150's the F250's are garbage and I won't ever own one. I like to put duals on my truck so those of you with the MDS how does the exhaust tone sound whenever the motor swaps to a 4 cylinder? I have seen the new pics of the 09 Dodge Ram's and I don't like them as much as the current Ram's even though they're gonna have ton's more power and a better looking interior. I only buy domestic truck's and I don't live by the term own till warranty expires then trade to something else. My dad currently has a 99 F150 with 144,000 miles and he has only had to replace two parts since he purchased the truck,beside's routine maintenance. My current truck has 67,000 trouble free miles on it so no matter what anyone say's I know that Ford makes good vehicles. I will be keeping my 04 so i'm pretty sure i'll get either a Dodge or Chevy next. I knew coming to this forum that I was gonna get a biased answer from 90% of the people on here but I know that their are a few people here that are open minded just like me.

 

Here's a good read about the actual hemi engine...I saw the link on this site a little while back. http://ask.autoblog.com/2006/02/20/a...-7-and-6-1-v8/

 

Welcome to the neighborhood.

Before I bought my Mega Cab I looked at Chevy & Ford first. What turned me off most was the lack of rear seat leg room. Besides myself, there is Mama, & 3 kids. 17, 13, & 9. So that was a big factor in my decision. They also had hefty incentives for the Mega Cabs at that time.

Speed Safely,
AL

 

Thanks for the link! I'm about 95% sold on getting a Dodge next! I just would like to have someone write up about the reliability of these trucks! I have alway's heard that Dodge's have fairly reliable motor's so i'm wanting to mainly hear about the tranmission's. Are the 1500's available with a manual? I read on another post where someone mentioned about them being high maintenanced. Does that mean the ball joints or tie rods break easily? Or that Dodge requires maintenance performed more often as in changing spark plugs?