Made the jump from GM

[turkeybird56]

Yup, and conversely, a transmission overhaul by a professional shop back then was $250.00. So, while your perspective is right-on, it DOES have 2 sides! Today, transmission overhauls can and do approach 9 grand on the more complex units. Mere 4 and 5 speed units are dwelling in the $3500 to $5000 range. 250 dollars in 1970 isn't even close to those figures, figuring inflation.

My parents' mortgage was a whopping $78.00 per month on a 30 year, 4% mortgage. It ran from April, 1956 thru 1984. They paid it off a couple of years early.

THAT very house was egregiously damaged in the 2021 Texas freeze. Inasmuch as Dad had passed on in 2015, and Mom was 87 at that time, she let the insurance company gut the house, and basically made the whole thing new inside, including ALL plumbing and electrical wiring replaced, to bring it up to code. (The electrical outlets never had ground prongs, for instance, and well, nearly 70 year old plumbing is what failed in the first place.

The prices of homes skyrocketed during that time, so she sold it and is, at 91, living the life in assisted living. She still has her car and drives.

Lastly, the average cost of a CAR today is 49 grand, last I read. So, the cost of cars has outstripped inflation, AND they are STILL a net-zero financial liability.... NOT an asset, like the fibbers of the financial world like to make unwitting consumers believe.

The Ivory tower bean counters knew and still know these dynamics. They are also keenly aware that most people are myopic when someone says "It is only $600.00 a month". I wonder just how many folks read the truth-in-lending disclosure on their contract and see how boffed they really are.

That is one thing that EVERY financial guru from Jonathon Pond to Dave Ramsey got dead right.

'AAMCO"". Beep Beep, MCO, sure remember them jingles. Also, "better get MAACO", lol.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I'm so old I remember flushing used motor oil down the toilet as an 'improvement' over throwing it on dirt roads 'to keep the dust down.'

 

[Sherman Bird]

I'm so old I remember flushing used motor oil down the toilet as an 'improvement' over throwing it on dirt roads 'to keep the dust down.'

There was a "gravel" road leading up to my grandparents' Bay house. It was crushed sea shells. The Oil spraying truck spritzed it once a week or so, to keep dust down.

 

[jc56berg]

Always nice to see a refugee from GM joining us.

Never heard it put that way. Glad to be one too.

 

[mikeru]

I'm so old I remember flushing used motor oil down the toilet as an 'improvement' over throwing it on dirt roads 'to keep the dust down.'

My mother would have come unglued if any of us would have even brought used motor oil into the house, let alone flush it down the toilet lol. We used to give our used oil to our neighbor. He modified an old oil burning furnace that was in his shop. He used it to heat his shop during winter months.

 

[HEMIMANN]

My mother would have come unglued if any of us would have even brought used motor oil into the house, let alone flush it down the toilet lol. We used to give our used oil to our neighbor. He modified an old oil burning furnace that was in his shop. He used it to heat his shop during winter months.

Well, we were only allowed to use the basement toilet (a toilet in an unfinished basement is weird).

 

[CanuckRam1313]

I'm so old I remember flushing used motor oil down the toilet as an 'improvement' over throwing it on dirt roads 'to keep the dust down.'

 

[HEMIMANN]

I'm ripe enough to reek of formaldehyde.

Heck, I remember when Dealers would send you along with a FULL TANK of task as a courtesy in order to be considered for repeat business.

Then it was a half a tank. Now it's 1/4 tank, barely enough to get to the closest gas station. Next it will be empty, and we'll have to bring along our own gas jug to get to the closest gas station. The attitude today is more like "thanks for the money, sucker - now fuch off and don't come back!"

 

[Schleicher]

Welcome to the forum. I have a 1500 Laramie crew cab with a 5'7" box. I bought the Rough Country hard cover roll up model in October and just replaced it with the Rough Country tri-fold hard cover. I am selling my rollup cover at a discount compared to what I paid in October and do live in the midwest in case you are interested. The cover is only a few months old and just like new. The reason I am selling is the roll up cover when fully rolled up takes about 3-4 inches of the front of the box where the trim-fold does not.

Rough Country Hard Roll Up Bed Cover for Ram 1500 Crew Cab - auto parts - by owner - vehicle automotive sale -...

I have a hard roll up bed cover for a 5'7" bed for a Ram 1500 2019-2026 Truck. This cover is only 4 months old and in excellent shape. It retailed for $749 and I am selling it for $450 (firm) for a...

bemidji.craigslist.org

 

[turkeybird56]

I'm ripe enough to reek of formaldehyde.

Heck, I remember when Dealers would send you along with a FULL TANK of task as a courtesy in order to be considered for repeat business.

Then it was a half a tank. Now it's 1/4 tank, barely enough to get to the closest gas station. Next it will be empty, and we'll have to bring along our own gas jug to get to the closest gas station. The attitude today is more like "thanks for the money, sucker - now fuch off and don't come back!"

When I bought my 2019 RAM on 1 Aug 2018 I made sure they filled the tank, considering I was trading in a 2015 ED with a full tank.

 

[mikeru]

I'm ripe enough to reek of formaldehyde.

Heck, I remember when Dealers would send you along with a FULL TANK of task as a courtesy in order to be considered for repeat business.

Then it was a half a tank. Now it's 1/4 tank, barely enough to get to the closest gas station. Next it will be empty, and we'll have to bring along our own gas jug to get to the closest gas station. The attitude today is more like "thanks for the money, sucker - now fuch off and don't come back!"

I just bought a new Audi last August and it came with a full tank of gas. As far as I know dealerships in my area back in WA still give you a full tank. I haven’t bought a new vehicle in Florida so I have no idea if that’s still done here

 

[bjayscanlon]

Welcome. Was a Ford guy previously myself.

 

[Pokealong 42]

Welcome to Ram country, my first Ram was a 2016 Laramie 5.7 after she hit 80,--- miles I went to a 2019 only had it for 2 years my wife wanted a SUV so I said ok, I found a certified 2015 Laramie with 94,--- I had the $$$ so bought it, 3 years now 113,--- and still loving it.
Good luck to you...

 

[Sherman Bird]

Welcome to Ram country, my first Ram was a 2016 Laramie 5.7 after she hit 80,--- miles I went to a 2019 only had it for 2 years my wife wanted a SUV so I said ok, I found a certified 2015 Laramie with 94,--- I had the $$$ so bought it, 3 years now 113,--- and still loving it.
Good luck to you...

I'm happy when someone such as you posts their multiple successes with a brand/product! I've owned one Grand Cherokee. A 2000 YM with the "Quadtrac" IIRC, and the 4.7L engine. That was a beautiful vehicle, a bit gasoline thirsty, but a great car. I've had 4 RAM trucks and one older Cherokee 4-cyl, and frankly haven't had any catastrophic problems with any of them.

So, given that in forums, the catastrophic "campground" of any product, winning stories lift the spirit!

 

[ReddJackson]

Welcome, beautiful RAM you’ve got there…kinda looks familiar… like my 2015 Laramie Cummins

 

[PolarisCobra]

Welcome. Was a Ford guy previously myself.

Refugees from Ford are welcome as well. Enjoy your more comfortable seats.

 

[Norseman]

You can probably thank Mary for her relentless push to an all electric fleet for this, lots of ICE powertrain engineers were kicked to the curb. You know the automotive industry they start from the top down being those engineers cost the most.

Agree, after retiring from GM and discovering how little they value their retirees, I made the jump to RAM. Bought a 2022 Ram Big Horn 5.7 Hemi. It now has 84k miles on it and I could not be happier. Religious about my oil changes and no issues to report.

 

[olyelr]

Hi - new Ram truck owner. Just purchased a 2026 Ram Rebel 1500 with the SO Hurricane. Was a GM guy for the last 20+ years and lost confidence after their powertrain issues. No manufacturer is perfect, but they have too much going on for me to stay in the GM family. Came from a 2016 GMC Sierra Denali 1500 - traded in with ~230k miles. Had the 6.2L V8 paired with the 8L90. Top end of the 6.2L had to be rebuilt after a lifter failed in addition to coolant leaking into the cylinders from the heads. Tuned the cylinder deactivation out after that and didn't have any other engine issues. 8L90 had 2 new torque converters put in due to the 'Chevy Shake'. To GM's credit all of these repairs were covered outside of the factory warranty, so I kept the truck a while longer (especially when new and used prices got insane). With all the concerns of the latest 1500 generation though (6.2L cam issues and continued transmission issues) I couldn't pull the trigger on one.

Have a couple buddies with this latest gen Ram 1500 and both are happy. No major issues and the truck has been solid. I test drove a few different brands and to my surprise the Ram had the best interior and smoothest ride of any of them. I never thought I'd buy a 6 cylinder truck, but the SO Hurricane has more power/torque than the Hemi they just reintroduced. It drives incredibly smooth and has power when you need it...so I was willing to give up the beautiful Hemi exhaust sound. With Ram offering the 10yr/100k powertrain warranty I'm not as worried about the Hurricane being newer with more complexity than the Hemi. It's already had 2-3 years to get kinks worked out. The ZF 8 speed seems to be the most reliable transmission out there based on my research.

As far as immediate mods:
1. Spray in bedliner
2. Tonneau cover
3. Running boards
4. Mud guards
5. Incandescent bulb conversion to LED
6. Rear bumper step (on the way and will be installed this weekend)

I'll be poking around this forum so feel free to say hi. I always try to give back as these forums can be very helpful. Looking forward to meeting other members. Cheers!

View attachment 581704

Nice truck right there man, congrats!

 

[Dan Topp]

I don’t mean to be a downer and maybe just paranoid but we bought a 24 caddy XT5 premium model outright and the electronics are both of our worries it sounds just like some are saying that the car is advanced to a degree that if you plan on keeping it indefinitely the manufacturer could turn off whatever they want or worse.No more unlocked PCMs like my 19 ram.

 

[jc56berg]

I'm ripe enough to reek of formaldehyde.

Heck, I remember when Dealers would send you along with a FULL TANK of task as a courtesy in order to be considered for repeat business.

Then it was a half a tank. Now it's 1/4 tank, barely enough to get to the closest gas station. Next it will be empty, and we'll have to bring along our own gas jug to get to the closest gas station. The attitude today is more like "thanks for the money, sucker - now fuch off and don't come back!"

Come back when we can field dress your wallet.