Dodge pickups

[harvey lee]

I'm looking at new Chevy trucks and also a few Dodge trucks.

I do have one questions for current Dodge owners, how are they as far as rusting, had a buddy tell me they are worse than all the other brands.

Anyone seen that they rust out faster than a Chevy?

Looking at the V6 motor, I believe it has 300hp rating, anyone have one of these motors and how have they been for you and how is your mileage?

Thanks

[PurpleFloyd]

I am a dodge guy but won't lie. They have a history of getting cancer early. In the prior generations they had poor design in the wheel wells. The 09 and up are designed different and should be better but it remains to be seen

[cam7069]

Have 2011 starting to rust on the rocker panel and wheel well

[B-man715]

If I ever buy a Dodge I will get one of those fancy orange ones......... so the rust will blend in after a few years

In all seriousness, everything rusts after repeated winters here. But it sure does seem that Dodges start a few years sooner?

My last truck was an 04 Chevy, and had very minor rust on the bottom of the rockers. You couldn't even see it unless you were laying on the ground. I've seen countless Rams many years newer and see the cancer eating away all over the rockers and wheel wells.

[aanderud]

My 04 had rust on the wheel wells when I traded it off this spring for a suburban. My suburban is an 05 with absolutely NO rust, but it's from new jersey where they use much less salt. On the other hand, my buddy's 05 chevy has twice as much rust as my 04 dodge had, and he drives it in Iowa where they also use significantly less salt. So, go figure. Can't predict these things I guess.

[LwnmwnMan2]

My '06 has bubbles on the rear wheel wells at 107k.

I have an '01 with no rust, but it also only shows 45k miles on the odometer (bought that one last fall to use for plowing).

I have another '01 with 120k and it has rust on the doors, little on the rear wheels.

My '12 I traded in had no rust, neither do my '13 nor my '14.

edit-

We plow snow, so we're hauling salt, in the salt as it's being laid down, soaked in road spray that's a brine of salt mix, anything you can think of with salt, these trucks are put through it.

I only wash them 3-4 times per year as well. They're work trucks. They get dirty about 2 hours after we wash them.

[B-man715]

My '12 I traded in had no rust, neither do my '13 nor my '14.

I would hope not

[luckycrank]

. wash em ... wash em, wash em a chevy will rust just the same ...ive worked for a chevy gmc dodge jeep dealer in southern mn for 10 yrs .. reconditioning used vehicles .. I will not buy anything but Dodge Ive owned 3 Chevys 5 Rams .. for me the choice is Ram .

Im currently in a 14 ram crew with 5.7 hemi 8 speed auto . . knowing your background .. 20" wheels are not the best in snow or lake travel .. when stuck in snow trying to rock it with a dial shifter on dash is no good ... (i know ..stay out of 2' deep snow ..lol) but you can barely of at all feel it shift

The ride on hwy is unbelievable and power .. while pulling a trailer second to none! ... Acceleration at hwy while pulling is insane if you need to pass

[aanderud]

I'll second the power. There's no comparison between my chevy with the 5.3 and the dodge with the 5.7 hemi power wise. The dodge would pull my boat like it wasn't even there, and the chevy can just barely handle it. Now, my old hemi sucked about 10 or 20% more fuel than the chevy, but supposedly they've gotten better since.

[luckycrank]

Mines running about 13-14 city i only run it on weekends wife druves it otgerewise 3 miles a day .. lol never come out of rich mode ..lol

[hamms-scooter]

I have yet to see one with the 6 cyl. The v8s are much better on fuel now especially with the 8 spd

[PurpleFloyd]

Nice article in the NYT:

Quote:

In 2009, when Ram was carved out from Dodge into a stand-alone division, it was a big gamble — and far from a sure thing. Some industry critics scoffed at the idea of a brand dedicated to pickup trucks. Others were puzzled: After the bailouts, the trend was to consolidate brands to streamline automakers’ offerings, but Chrysler was adding a new one.

Five years later, the verdict is in: The gamble paid off. Ram trucks have captured an ever-greater share of the full-size pickup market dominated in the past by General Motors and Ford, and are on track to seize even more. By adding innovative features not found in other pickups, and aggressive pricing to lure truck buyers, who are among the most loyal in the automotive business, Chrysler’s Ram has managed to go from also-ran to a threat in only a few years.

Here in Warren, the plant is now churning out Ram pickups 20 hours a day, six days a week, with occasional Sundays — barely able to keep up with demand.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, when the new Ram division’s trucks were hitting the streets, the company eked out a paltry 11 percent of the market share for full-size trucks. The two other Detroit automakers were lapping Chrysler around the track, with shares of 42 percent for G.M. and 37 percent for Ford. Since then Ram has conquered more and more of the market every year. In August, when sales surged 33 percent over a year earlier, Ram commanded 21 percent of full-size pickup purchases in the United States.

Most of that success has come at the expense of G.M.’s Chevrolet Silverado pickup, which despite its own recent redesign has lost market share this year. Ford’s F-Series pickups remain the overall market leader, but their sales have also dipped this summer as the automaker prepares to introduce a new generation of trucks made with an aluminum body.

[Big Dave2]

I've had my Ram since it was new in '04 and it is rusting bad. I only have 118,000 miles on it so I am thinking of putting a new box on it at some point just so I can hang on to it a little longer.

[dougger222]

I've heard dodge and gm use recycled steel while ford uses virgin steel. Not sure if this is still true.

[Ryan_V]

It's all about maintaining them. If you don't wash them, they rust. If you don't maintain them, they break down. I doubt you would have an issue at all. Just polished my 6 year old dodge last night, not a single spot of rust, or even a start to rust.

[Whoaru99]

I've put most of 80k miles on a 2010 Ram 1500 4wd club cab. I haven't noticed any rust on it. It has the 4.7 V8 and the optional 3.92(?) rear posi. Last couple tanks on the Interstates have been ~19.5mpg. Normally with mixed highway driving I see 18, give or take.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

It's all about the rear end gearing. I've owned Chevy's all my life and there is a big difference when you have a 3:73 rear end as opposed to a 3:42.

[aanderud]

It's all about maintaining them. If you don't wash them, they rust. If you don't maintain them, they break down. I doubt you would have an issue at all. Just polished my 6 year old dodge last night, not a single spot of rust, or even a start to rust.

Vehicles don't rust in 6 years' time. Give it another 4-6 years and post back with pics. Until then, I'll go with first-hand reports from owners who have owned theirs 10+ years (like mine and several others posted on here). They are notorious for rusting above the wheel wells in the box. There's a design flaw in the early 2000 rams up at least through 2006, and they all rust there. Only way to avoid it is to not drive it, or at least refrain from driving it in MN, which is why people are able to buy boxes from Arizona and other places and replace them on their MN trucks when the time comes.