I'm looking at buying a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab with the 5.7L HEMI. It has the offroad package and I believe it is an SLT. Does anybody have any opinions on this truck? I haven't really heard much about them. My family is die-hard Chevy, so I have no experience with Dodge. Is there anything that I need to watch out for with them? I rode in a 2004 1-ton this weekend and absolutely loved it, so I'm hoping this will be just as good even tho I'll miss the low rumble of that Cummins diesel[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

my dad has one and we love it.. it has so much fricken power!! the only thing i dont like about it is there isnt much room on the passenger side and im a big guy but ive gotten used to it so im fine.. its a damn good truck.. u would enjoy it
only thing thats bad about it is that its a gas hog but hell.. what isnt these days? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

Yeah, they suck gas. I get about 12MPG with 60%highway driving. Then again, I have a 2500 with 4:10's and the 8' box. I absolutely love the truck though. After much research, I think the Dodge is the best offering out right now other than ride quality. One thing you should know, the Dodge quadcab trucks are really the same as Ford and Chevy extended cabs, just the doors hinge to the front. Crew cabs from the other makes get you a lot more interior room, but at a higher $$. I have heard of a few mostly minor problems with the hemi trucks, but nothing really widespread. In 05 Dodge switched the recommended oil from 10w-30 to 5w-20, probably to help eliminate the dreaded "Hemi Tick." Also the engine really likes its 89 Octane gas. I put 87 in mine once and immediately noticed a small loss in power.

 

I'm getting a pretty good deal on the truck, ok, a really good deal ($12,000) and if I don't like it too much I'm hoping to turn around and sell it for Blue Book value and get maybe a 2500 with the Cummins diesel (gotta have something to pull the gf's horse trailer around with[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] ) The blue book value is around $27,000 so I'm hoping to sell it for close to that and find a nice Cummins on eBay for that much. I currently have a 99 Chevy Silverado 1500 ext. cab and Dodge seems to have a lot more room in the back than that does. I won't ever be in the back seat anyway so I'm not really worried.

 

At that price I would be a little skeptical unless you know the seller first hand. You have to ask yourself why would someone sell a truck at half blue book???? Have you already ran the VIN on the truck?

 

Exactly what I was thinking in the beginning. One of my mom's friends who is a cop checked it all out for me today. Her exact response was

"I'm in a meeting at the moment, but DO NOT buy the truck. I would notify the local PD and ask if they want to sting him!!!!"

So I guess that means I'm not getting that truck. I don't have any details on what the problem is, but either the guy didn't check out or the VIN didn't. Oh well[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Hopefully I can find a newer style Dodge w/ a Cummins for around $17-$18,000. I'm kind of doubting that tho[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

 

I have a 2003 that i bought new and haven't had a problem yet. Very reliable and has the power needed to pull my 6x12 trailer with 3 quads and my 22 foot boat. Love the looks of the 20 inch factory wheels. Yes, it is hard on gas(13mpg avg.)