Which is the best and worst gen Ram?

[DirtyWipers]

I know that we all love our trucks but I was wondering what you guys think is the best and worst gen trucks?...Which ones are known to be the most reliable and problem free and which is a guaranteed money pit? ...Thanks

 

[69GWC]

4th gen is the best IMO .

 

[Black W900]

1st gen were pretty horrible for the most part, They are the trucks that earned Dodge the reputation of being junk.

2nd gen were good, solid trucks for the most part and would last for years if they were taken care of.....Tons of them still on the road. They put Dodge back on the map.

3rd gen were good, solid trucks as well, My first RAM was an '08 1500 and it was such a good truck that I bought my '15 Longhorn when it came time for a new truck.
I kept my '08 as a second work truck until a couple of months ago when I sold it to a guy that lives near me

4th gen are great trucks and in my opinion are so far superior to Ford and Chevy, that I wouldn't even consider it a fair competition.
I looked at an F-150 King Ranch when I was looking for a new truck and it just seemed completely inferior in every way to the Longhorn as well as being just plain ugly.
I didn't even look at GM trucks because they were so hideous with their big square fender wells, and their ongoing reputation for poor build quality.

5th gen? We'll see, they are probably gonna be great trucks, but they are not much to look at with their new "Lookit me, I'm a Tundra" appearance. The interiors are very nice though, but not nice enough to make me want one.

 

[TerraNewf]

I'm on my second 4th gen truck. First was 2015 Outdoorsman which was a great ride. Had the opportunity to pull the trigger on a 2017 Longhorn. Absolutely loving this truck.

 

[Hemimania]

My 2004 NEVER had a problem or a recall until I sold it in 2014.

My 2015 has had at least 5 recalls and a bubble under the paint on the fender.

 

[Jstmahoney]

I’d say 1st gen was probably the worst. My grandfather had a 94(second generation) with the 5.9 drove it till the wheels off. Thing had 350,000 miles on it when he sold it to a friend. I don’t remember anything major going wrong with it till the transmission went out, but what do you expect after 200? My 03 had 160 on it when I traded it in on my 17. Good truck never had any major problems, just maintenance. I’ve already had the backup camera replaced, and the Cruse control recall and now the tailgate latch recall. Only like 10 months into ownership and 2 recalls. I think the only recall I had on my 03 was the airbag . As far as the 5th generation? We’ll see...


2017 RAM 1500 Laramie 4X4 Crew
from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gary2]

Best was probably my second one which was a 2000 Off-roadster with the 360 or my 03 which I would still have if it didn't get totaled as did my first one a 1999. People don't seem to understand what a red light means . Worst was the 07, road terrible and rock hard leather seats and present 14, high speed vibe, 6sp and a lot of little stuff. Like all but 2 of my trucks since about 1970 they were all reg cab short beds, Chevy ,Ford and a full size step side 1965 Jeep truck

 

[Kinetic]

Best has to be Gen 4, honestly I couldn't stand to own any Gen 1 - Gen 3

 

[screamneagle]

I've owned a '78, a '84, a '05, and now a '19. No comparison the '19 is the best (each gen has gotten better).

 

[BWL]

I still favour the early 4th Gen rams. They finally made a truly nice interior and all the controls were simple and where I feel they should be. Worst is probably the 2nd Gen. I like the look of them, but all the ones near me are more rust than metal.

 

[Random_Walk]

In my case, I've only owned one Ram truck - my 2017.

However, I remember in 1994 when the 2nd-Gen first came out... one of the supervisors where I work got one (a pretty slick color of Green) - came with the CrewCab, a V-10 under the hood, and a styling which, at the time, was mega-sweet. No truck could touch it, and everyone wanted one at the time (I was still living in NW Arkansas then).

Pity that my almost-out-of-college ass most definitely could not afford one at the time; the ~$25k price tag on his was pretty damned astounding (it was roughly a year's wages for me back then.)


I sorta shelved it in the back of my head for years... and to be perfectly honest with myself, it's probably why I had a preference for Ram this go 'round in spite of owning Ford trucks before (...because I wasn't buying a hunk of junkyard bait and rebuilding it this time...)

 

[indept]

4th gen proved by loyalty

https://www.autoblog.com/photos/car-brands-most-least-loyal-owners/#slide-7273545

 

[HammerHead]

I had a 1999 that had 180k when I sold it last year. It was solid for 18 years except the last year, turned into a money pit. But that is expected with that many years. My 2013 1500 was a good truck, only problems I had was due to modding, not the truck. My 2018 2500 with the 6.4 and 410 gears is by far my favorite. Power, comfort, capability, sound system, off road package, looks, style and the list goes on. Did have a few transmission hiccups on vacation last month but seems fine.

 

[Hootbro]

I think opinions are going to vary wildly based on certain peoples experience.

For me, worst would have been the 2nd Gens and best would be the 4th Gens.

Grew up with a couple of 1st Gens in the family and they were dead nuts reliable with the Slant 6 they had and easy to work on.

My experience with 2nd Gens was secondhand and usually helping a friend out changing transmissions more than once in them. Interior quality and crack dashes with premature rust issues on the wheel wells turned me off to them. New off the lot, they sparkled. After a couple of years, were not so shiny.

My first year 2002 3rd Gen I would give it a middle ground rating. Had some quirky evap issues and a once in a blue moon transmission delayed shifting, but it work ok. Sold if though before most of the now know oil and valvetrain issues of that motor cropped up.

The 4th Gens that I have now owned two of, I can say by far are a mature product, especially with the 2013 up improvements that shed a few of the 3rd Gen powertrain options that crossed over in the early 4th Gen models from 2009-2012.

5th Gens are too early to tell, but out the gate, looks promising.