Don't buy a Dodge! Those MOPAR's are trouble. But if you do you'll need to know this:

MOPAR= Many Odd Parts Assorted Randomly
MOPAR= My Old Pig Aint Running

I found this out when my Dodge had brake problems at 9k miles, they used 2 different vendors for the calipers, KelseyHayes or Theves (sp) and I had to wait for the dealer to get the right combination of parts. NO LOANER CAR during that period for their mistake! What BS.

Good luck

 

I have a Ford f-150 and my wife has a 97 Dodge Intrepid...75K on the Dodge and I have only replaced brakes and a battery. Did a tune up at 50K as well....I love my Ford and do not want to buy a Dodge Ram but I can certainly understand Kam's frustration, and sometime you just gotta make yourself happy.

If someone is making a truck payment and STILL shelling out $$$ for repairs, well, that can get old real fast...

My simple opinions:

I like driving the "big three" but boy I have seen some awsome looking Tundras....top crash and reliability as well...

Dodge Ram=front end/grill to big...

Silverado=box on wheels

Dakota 4 door= not as much room as F-150 but VERY NICE

Dodge Dealer service is generally below avg, but Chrysler/Jeep Dealers is not bad....

YOU WORK HARD FOR YOUR MONEY, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE===GET WHAT YOU WANT !

 

I tried the dodge route a couple of times. I bought an 88 Dodge 1/2 ton 4X4 with a 318 4 speed and 3.92 gears. It had 213,000 miles and still had the original clutch. Good work truck. I ended up selling it back to my brother in law (it was his to begin with) because we were expecting our first child and we decided to get an extended cab. I wanted a Ford, she wanted a Dodge (her family is Mopar crazy). I liked the looks and solid axle of the Rams, so we bought a 2001 Ram QC 4X4 with a 318 auto and 3.55 gears. It was a beautiful truck and it sure sounded good. Then we drove it home. It was in third gear more than 4th on the interstate. It got 11 mpg constantly. I even tried towing my Stang to the track. Oops. It didnt handle that very well. So there we had it. A beautiful red Sport with blacked out windows, Westin bars, Flowmaster exhaust and a tonneau cover and we couldnt afford to drive it. It was a total pig. I raced a buddy in a Z71 with the 5.3 and I expected to lose as it was an unfair advantage (a 360 would have been fair), but it was bad. I got a 2 truck length lead before he floored it and he passed me like I was 1/2 throttle. So there I had a slow, non pulling, thirsty, beautiful truck. It got traded with less than 20,000 miles.

 

Sorry but I'm with Habibi on this one, I'm a sucker for a good deal. I am sorry you didn't like your Ford and I totally understand. Mine is giving me some problems and I have considered other brands too but I might try fixing mine first.

 

So Kam, what did you do??? Did you pull the trigger and get the Dodge????

 

I haven't checked back for awhile and I was so pissed off that I hadn't planned on ever looking again, but I'm selling my extras in the classifieds and was curious as to what the reaction would be to my post. Yeah I bought a Dodge and yes I miss my big bad Ford. I really appreciate all the good advice about Daimler/Chrysler but the local dealer has an excellent reputation for service and loaners, and you know if the local Ford dealer (Midpac Auto) had been better I probably would have kept my truck. As it is they still have my truck. It's been two weeks and no loaner. They won't even fix the scratch that they admitted to doing when they were installing the new motor, or the door crack , or the leaking rear window seal, or the slip shaft and the icing on the cake is that even with my extended warranty they are making me pay a co-pay on an item that isn't covered in the extended warranty. They told me that the connection to the fuse box was loose and that the fuse box needs to be replaced as well as the (Jam Pack?). The Jam Pack isn't covered and I'm lucky that the dealer is willing to "participate" in it's repair, what a joke! So as one of you said "you only live once" so enough is enough. I went for the Quad Cab Dodge Dakota 4.7 auto, 4X4, with a 3.92 LS. So far I'm really pleased with the truck and it came with a 7year/100,00 mile power train warranty. Sorry guys and girls but it was too tempting, but who knows a Superduty would sure look nice in my driveway. Thanks

 

I had a 98 Dakota before I got my Ford. That Dodge was a damn fine truck. Not a single problem. Wish I could say the same for my Ford, just little crap (leaking sun roof, chipping paint on door handles), but the Dodge didn't have that. Like you said, sometimes you get a lemon. There is nothing wrong with the Dakota though. Only reason I changed is because Ford went and made that damn Harley special, and I just had to have it. Otherwise I had every intention of driving that Dodge for 200k miles, had 48k on it when I sold it.

 

FYI

I bought a new 2000 Dodge Durango R/T, thing listed for over $36,000. Glad I didn't pay that much for it. Had it TWO DAYS and it overheated, went into the shop for three weeks.

Replaced the radiator, fans, a bunch of electrical. Got it back and drove it home, noticed a strange clunk when going into reverse.

Drove back to the shop the next day and back in it went. This time for only TWO weeks. New rearend, u-joints, rebuilt the transmision and some kind of activator on the all wheel drive unit.

I sold it through CARMAX for exactly what I owed on it and was thrilled to get it. It had the 5.9Magnum engine and when it ran it was really quick, but it was still a DODGE. Never again!

I now have a beautiful black 2002 F150. Color me happy! I have had one minor cosmetic problem that was fixed while I waited. Ford is not perfect, but its much closer than my Dodge was...

 

Glad to hear you got what you wanted...enjoy, and come back and keep us posted on how the MOPAR is treating you!

Peace

 

Don't give up on FORD just yet it could be a very simple electral problem have it checked out and fixed then it should be good to go.

 

My mom went shopping for a dualie to pull a 5th-wheeler recently, and after a few test drives she decided on the Ford. Her complaint about the Dodge was that the weak brakes scared her silly!

Now I know why the say "Dodge" on the front.