Hey guys, I'm thinking of buying an 02 to 06 dodge ram 4x4. I've never had one, always had Fords and Chevys. I've noticed that they seem to be a little cheaper around my neck of the woods compared to the Fords and Chevys in the same years. Also my buddy is a deputy and I know they drive their Durangos and Ram trucks really hard but he tells me that they go through transmissions all the time in all of their dodge vehicles. He has gone through 5 in his Durango and has just over 100k and the 2 ram trucks they have have gone through 3 in less than 100k.

So my questions are, why would they be cheaper then the Fords and Chevys? Are they not as nice, not as well built?

Also, is there any reliability problems you guys have had with your dodges that are in 02 to 06 range? Anything I should look out for or know about these trucks when looking for one?

Thanks guys,

Casey

 

I've had them all, 1 full size Jeep pickup, two full size Chevy's, three full size Fords and now two full size Dodges. All but the Jeep and second Ford were purchased new. I've had the least amount of problems with my Dodges.

One of my Fords was a diesel, and really never had a major issue but my gasser cracked and dropped a piston with 14k miles on it while trailering my bass boat home from a tourney. Ford fixed it after a bit of a hassle and a letter from my attorney, because they wanted to fight me on it as I "modified" the truck. Put a damn cat back exhaust on it!!! They did fix it (after I was without it for almost two months! Traded it in on a Dodge two days after I got it back, just couldn't trust it.

The Chevy's were both plagued with little annoying warranty problems, and both lost oil, about a quart per oil change (3k miles), dealers could never figure out where it went or why. Both 5.3L V8s. Neither ever left me on the side of the road though.

My first Dodge, the one I traded the lemon Ford in on was a '98, had it for four years and 68k miles without any issues whatsoever. My current '04 has only been in for a warranty repair once, for a busted shock and that was after a day spent off road hog hunting.

I've said on this forum many times that Dodge has the best engines on the planet, at least in the V8 and diesel fields, but are in fact mated to the worst transmissions. That said, the 45RFE was problematic and if you see 100k out of one, consider yourself lucky. Dodge trannies have gotten a bad rap, and probably deservedly so, but the 545RFE has proven to be a HUGE improvement over previous offerings. Still not up to par with Ford and Chevy, IMO, but not far behind.

As far as problems with the 02-06, dashes crack in the 02 & 03s, fixed in the 04s. I'd stick with the 04+ ones if you can afford it. The Hemi became available in 03, but there is little support as there were major PCM changes in '04. Also, the Hemi is a LOT more powerful than the 4.7, but gets practically the same fuel economy, so again, if the purse strings allow, look to get a Hemi.
The only real issue that is very common is the factory LSD is a total POS! It WILL implode on you at some point and probably take the rear diff with it! Even if it's working properly, it's a far cry from the LSDs Chevy offers in the Z71s. Look to replace it with an Auburn Gear or Detroit TruTrac. Engine wise, people are reporting 200k+ miles out of both the 4.7 and Hemi and still running strong.

As far as prices go, it depends on the area, Dodge is about $2k cheaper when compared to a Ford or Chevy of the same year/mileage in my area, but others in different parts of the country report that Dodges sell for higher than the other two.


Also, I'd strongly recommend you not base your decision based on glancing through this forum. Aside from the "regulars" people for the most part seek out a forum after having a problem and getting no satisfaction in taking it to the dealer or attempting to fix it themselves. Hell, if you get on the Ford forums, you'd swear that EVERY 5.4 ejects spark plugs through the hood (which is a COSTLY repair) or that EVERY 6.0 diesel is doomed to fail inside of 50k miles!!!

 

Thanks for the response! Sounds like I might want to stick with a Chevy! Still not sure though, I really like the look of the dodge. On the tranny what year did they come with the 545RFE?

 

'03 in the Rams...

My biggest issue with my Chevy's were that the 5.3 was not a very powerful V8 considering the displacement, 4.7 Dodges will smoke 'em... and you had to lift the hell out of them to fit a decent size tire, then when you opted for larger tires, even 33s, the weak engine and poor gearing made them a pig.
I've not had one in a while though and would imagine the new 6.2 must be really nice... But you ain't lookin' new...

Nice thing about the Ram is you can fit 35s with only a 2" front level (although articulation ain't so hot till you get up over 3" of lift), and with the pre-06s (torsion bar fronts) you can level for free just by cranking the adjusting bolt. The power of the Hemi has no problem with 35s, and if you re-gear, you have a beast on your hands!!!

On a side note, I've pulled two chevys out of the woods while hunting, both with over size tires and both with broken (destroyed actually) CV axles. If you plan on a lift and it's a half ton IFS truck, this is the truck for you...

 

Yeah you are correct on that one about the chevy tire size and how low they are! I'm not a fan of that either. The 1500 rams look pretty low though aren't they? I can't stand the huge rims either, that would have to go! Do you know what size tire will fit under a 03-04 1500 ram 4x4 stock height? At least with the Chevy you can turn the tortion bars up a little. Does the ram have anything like that or do you just have to buy a leveling kit?

 

Read my edited post.... but I agree with you 100%, first thing I did when my truck wasn't off the showroom floor two weeks was purchase a set of 17" Mickey Thompson wheels.
The Dodge is NOT low by any means, it allows you to fit 33x12.5 tires on a completely stock setup. Chevy's are low and look that way, Fords look higher till you get down and look at how far the chassis sits above the frame, the frame is as low or lower than a Chevy...

 

Sounds good, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Sounds like I will be using my truck for the same things you do, hunting, I live in the mountains so a little bit of snow and then towing a light trailer for work. I think I'll look more into the dodge because you definitely are happy with yours sounds like and you make some good points about the other manufacturers.

Thanks Again,
Casey

 

OP-
Hammer knows his chit, listen to him!

I never saw myself in a ram until i test drove mine... nothing compared. I bought it and was nervous as hell that something was going to go wrong... i always thought dodge was junk. This truck has surprised the hell out of me! It has had way less problems than my Toyota.
My brother has an '03 GMC, same mileage as mine (about 100K) and his tranny slips like a bich! the Z71 locker is also junk- it never locks and when it does it makes a banging noise.
IMO the hemi ram is in a league of its own with looks and power... and the reliability is very surprising
Dont overlook the ram because of its past failures...

 

As long as you are not hung up on small stuff like the dash being sup par quality to other manufacturers and the seats being borderline chit these trucks seem to be pretty good provided your not rat bagging the chit outta them and you do your maintenance like a good boy. I too thought that Dodge was chit and so far I haven't been completely let down by this truck sure there are flaws but it is not all bad so if you are set on a ram then go for it you more than likely will enjoy it. Well aside from our bullchit tuning abilities yes even the 04+ trucks and the limp dick trans I like my truck.

 

Is the 3rd gen trucks really that crappy? I have rode my 98 hard and put it away wet more times than I can count. I have done nothing more than simple maintenance and all that has gone wrong is the a/c quit and a lite wobble in the front end. Even here in the Az sun, with no garage, the dash and all plastic is still in great shape.