Obviously coming to a Ram forum, this advice will be pro-Ram, but that’s understood. Looking for your help.

First, I have never owned a truck, much less a dodge product. im in sales and my company car is going bye bye when my current one's miles are up. currently at 47,xxx miles and at 60,000 it says goodbye. (a Ford Escape of all things...but its free, so that’s nice) in an effort to cut cost, my company is saying an allowance but no more company cars. i will be getting $525/month but insurance and maint./tires, will be on me. ill still have a gas card so no worries there.

I don’t haul much, for work, I will carry some equipment, but i have survived so far with the Escape. but the size in the cab and in the bed will always be nice to have "If" I ever need it.

if I go car route, it will probably be a Pontiac G8 GT, which is a far cry from the Ram. Opposite ends of the spectrum, I know.

I drive about 40k to 50k miles a year with a lot of hwy miles. So whatever i do end up in, i will have to drive for some time, as i will be upside down pretty quickly.

i really know nothing about reliability with the Ram. Can I get it to 150kmiles with relatively no problems? (Obviously that is not a for sure thing, but more often than not?) Also, what should I expect to pay for tires in the 20'' range? how long do those big boys usually last? Mileage wise?
also, we have all heard "it rides like a truck" but from everything i have read, the rear coil springs really helps with the ride quality. now, am i still going to think, "rides like a nicer truck" or is it even better than that? with all the hwy miles i drive, i dont want to feel beaten up when arriving. i doubt very seriously its that bad, but your thoughts on comfort too please?

Still weighing my options. Ill take any advice/feedback you are willing to throw my way. Thanks guys and great site!

 

The 09 Ram rides really nice, better than any Gm FWD.

If your not looking for a hard core work truck, the 09 Ram offers a lot of space, size and practicality over a Ford escape, or Mazda clone.

Dodges are maintance junkies, look into the service needs of the 09 Ram for spark plugs, axel fluid changes before your caught in the sales hype.

AS for 20 in rubber, stock tires are just crap no matter the make, the 20 in good years are no good for off road use, ( passenger car tire ) I would stick with 17 tires, cheaper, more options to replace and higher tow ratting.

THe Ram is not great on flue, not a big deal when you consider what your driving, mileage is ok, but don't expect MDS to turn into a Civic hybird.

The Previous generation 1500 Rams have sucky rear axles, leaking rack and pinions, not all the 3rd generations have issues, but thiers a % out thier with real time problems as per any make.

The G8 will wear out long before a Ram ...

 

I have new model GTO....G-8 is its replacement sort of.
I have a 2009 Dodge Ram Laramie.
Two totally different vehicles.

I would think it wise to keep the CEO happy. If the owner is paying for your gas I suspect he/she will not like either choice.

 

Minarets, I have owned many dodge trucks and cars. Having a 1/2 ton truck and especially the 09 Ram is about as close to owning a car as you can get and still have a bed for hauling when needed. Dodge truck historically do not get great gas milage but you can hedge your bets depending no your needs. You don't mention if you carry passengers or not, if you have wife, kids, dog. But assuming you are married and have younger kids, I would think a quad cab with the 4.7l V8 2wd and 3:55 gearing would get you around 20 to 24 mpg hwy. You can go with the crew cab but it is a heavier truck and so don't think the milage would be as good.

Cyclone says Dodges are maintenance junkies, but I disagree. As I've said I've owned many dodge and chrysler products and have only had problems when they were abused. Proper and timely maint on them will prevent most breakdowns. I sold my 83' RamCharger with 216,000 miles on it. Only problem was hard to start but turned out to be an easy fix. My 99 Ram which I still have has 150,000 and has only had the normal wear items replaced except for the intake plenum problem which is fixed now. I believe if you maintain your car/truck properly it will last as long as you want it to.

The ride of my 09 crew is better than any truck and most of the cars I've ever owned, but it is not a Cadilac/Lincoln/etc. It is a truck, but really rides, drives and handles very well. Tires are tires, if you keep them properly inflated and rotated/ballanced they will last as long as they can, I've learned the hard way expensive does not mean better. When the OEM rubber wears out, get the ones that best suit your driving habits and wallet.
Most every Dodge truck I've owned has gone past 150,000 miles without any problems but I do take care of my vehicles. I always change trans fluid/filter every year regardless of milage, Always use synthetic oil and good filter and change on regular basis, plugs as needed, and fush-refill cooling system once a year. If you maintain it, it will be there for you. The convenience of owning a truck is something I can not do without but I would probably own one anyway even if I never used the bed or towed with it. I just flat out like pickups and like driving them. These are my opinions and you just need to think about what would serve you best. Getting an auto alowance give you a great oppertunity to get what you really want and have part of the cost of ownership paid for. Good luck, Jeff.

 

thanks for the help guys

 

jram, your exact truck is my fav color combo.

i do have a 3year old and a wife...so the size of the crewcab is ideal for me. plus, i carry 3 customers in the car often for work.

 

Minarets, with the passengers the crew would be ideal then. My truck is configured with the 5.7 and 3.92 gears as I tow a trailer about 4-5 times a year. I also needed the limited slip rearend due to 12 miles of sometimes muddy road leading into and out of our place in S Tx. I have been averaging about 17 hwy and 14 city mpg so far. I only have 2000 miles on the truck and expect this to get better as the miles increase. Mine is a crew sport model and you can only get the hemi in it. If you were to choose the crew SLT you can get the 4.7 with the 3:55's or you can get the 5.7 with 3:21's. If I was only going for milage then I'd probably go with the 4.7 but I have to tell you the 5.7 is really nice when you want that extra power, and with 3:21's I'm sure the milage would be pretty decent. You should check them out close up though, test drive each combo if possible see if a truck is even what you really want or if it will serve your needs. The storage in the crew is really nice also. Keep us informed of your decission. Jeff.