1995 Dodge Ram Pickup 1500 XLT 360 from North America

Summary:

Great truck

Faults:

Replaced water pump at 114,000 miles.

General Comments:

Tons of power, I have the 360 motor in it, and I can haul anything. Towed a 2005 Ford F350 Super Duty, Duly and didn't even notice it was back there.

Suspension could be a little tighter, has the ride of a Cadillac.

Seats tend to be a bit uncomfortable on long hauls.

Serious off road machine, Dana 411 rear end, a 3" suspension lift, 4" body lift by tough country, 33's super swamperson on stock 16" rims. Have yet to have the need to have someone pull me out of the mud. Just kick it in 4 low and roll out...

Awesome truck, currently over 220600 miles on it, and it will still run down the freeway at 90Mph+

Gas mileage sucks, with the Edelbrock super charger, the 360 motor, power programmer, and a lead foot, I get someone around 5 to 6MPG in the city and somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 to 11MPG on the highway. But hey, it turns 458Lbs HP, and 491Lbs of torch on the dyno, at over 40Lbs of boost, and with the duel dump valves, lower intercooler, and KnN filters it sounds nasty... Almost sexy nasty...

If you don't have one, get one of these awesome trucks. It's money well spent.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th April, 2009

1995 Dodge Ram Pickup Laramie SLT 5.2L 318 from North America

Summary:

The 318 is the best engine ever, I would definitely buy another Dodge Ram pickup!

Faults:

I have had a little trouble with the transmission.

I had to change the brakes, but for the amount of kilometers on it that's not too bad!

General Comments:

This truck has been amazing, I would recommend a Dodge Pickup to anyone.

It has great handling and its very fast.

However I go through a lot of gas

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th February, 2008

1995 Dodge Ram Pickup SLT Laramie 5.7 gas from North America

Summary:

One of the better trucks I have owned

Faults:

At 88k, we thought the transmission was going out. Found a corroded electric connector.

At 107k, had to replace two front u-joints.

At 160k, replaced the alternator.

At 210k, replaced the fuel pump and idle sensor.

Driver's seat now worn, and the horn doesn't work.

General Comments:

I have maintained this truck to the letter, and it has given me outstanding service and reliability. It's not as fast as it used to be, burns about three quarts of oil between oil changes, but still starts, and does everything I ask it to.

I'm retiring this truck to standby status, it's no longer my daily driver. It will be used when I need to haul things.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th April, 2007

1995 Dodge Ram Pickup ram 2500 SLT Cummins diesel from North America

Summary:

Unexcuseable poor quality

Faults:

Transmission X 2, clutch X 2, front end, head gasket, brakes, fuel lines, Injector issues, oil leaks from various places. One engine at 180K.

General Comments:

The 3rd Cummins dodge we've owned, The 3 biggest piles of unreliable junk we've ever owned. Never had a truck towed in until I owned a dodge. This is supposed to be Americas finest? It's a insult to America to even suggest that. We don't even work them, occasionally towing 5K is all. Sad, sad, sad. The only good point is fuel ecomomy, but anything you saved went to repairs and operation costs. so far its been $1.10 per mile of ownership.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th December, 2005

1995 Dodge Ram Pickup Laramie SLT 5.9 Liter (360 ci) V8 Gas from North America

Summary:

Strong engine, handles well, plenty of room, weak automatic transmission

Faults:

Have had to replace serpentine belt at least every two years. Beginning to think it's faulty tensioner.

Replaced front bearings at 110,000. Also replaced steering wheel at this time. Original steering wheel's outer covering had worn away revealing unsightly brown material beneath.

Replaced transmission pan seal (was leaking) around 115,000 miles. Started to also notice significant driver's side seat wear about this time. The seat's left seam is disentegrating.

Replaced broken cup holder at 130,000 miles.

Replaced leaking transmission lines at 137,000. The lines were only leaking at the quick-disconnects, but had to replace the entire lines all the way back to the transmission. The two lines cost $120.

Replaced all front ball joints at 140,000 miles. Also replaced noisy bushings in upper and lower control arms.

Headliner fell at 150,000 miles.

Currently has small oil leak near front of pan. Leaks a little under a quart in 3,000 miles.

Front bearings are starting to whine again. They probably need to be repacked.

Second steering wheel is now starting to show some wear. It won't be long before this one shows the unsightly brown material underneath the covering.

General Comments:

I was extremely nervous about buying a truck with 100,000 miles. Additionally, I was already very familiar with Dodge and their transmission issues. My previous vehicle was totaled (not my fault), and I needed a replacement fairly quickly. I decided to the take risk on this truck.

I installed an after-market transmission temperature gauge, and I keep a close eye on it. I would recommend this for anyone with a 94-95 Dodge with an automatic transmission. Dodge had issues with a valve leading to the transmission cooler. This can easily clog, starving the transmission of fluid. This can lead to transmission overheating or failure.

I have really enjoyed this truck. It has never left me stranded. The maintenance I performed above relaly didn't bother me. None of it really caught me off guard for the mileage. I'm actually still waiting for my water pump and fuel pump to go.

I do wish Dodge had chosen a different design for their transmission lines.

I drive my truck conservatively. I accelerate relatively gradually, and I back off at the shift points. I'm religious about maintaining clean fluids. I change the transmission fluid about every 20,000 miles.

The 360 gets 15 miles to the gallon with my gentle driving. I can't complain with 160,000 miles on my truck. The engine is very strong and hasn't complained hauling 2,000 pounds.

The weak link on this truck, in my humble opinion, is the automatic transmission. Mine has never shifted as well as I'd like.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th July, 2005

18th Feb 2007, 00:47

I'm looking to buy a 1995 Dodge Ram 4x4 3/4T with the V10. It only has 33000 miles on it, THIRTY THREE THOUSAND MILES!!! hell it even has the original sticker for the window! its the SLT Laramie, so it's got all the bells and whistles. It's been garaged every single day of its life, and so its in show room quality condition. It's grey, deep blue, and red pinstriping. God is beautiful. The owner is asking $9,000 for it. Is it worth it? The only bad thing is, I'm worried that because it has that low of mileage, it had to have sat SOME time. BUT the owner insists that it runs perfectly. I have not personally met with the owner, and have only discussed via e-mail.

Should I?

26th May 2010, 08:53

YES!!! You should most definitely buy the truck. I have a 1995 Dodge 1500, and it runs just fine. If it has been sitting for some time, it should still run very nicely, and that low of a price you cannot pass that up. I would suggest changing all of the fluids though, since it has been sitting for a very long time.