1988 Dodge Ramcharger SE Royal 318 from North America

Summary:

A great truck from the 80s. Poor fuel mileage, but it's reliable

Faults:

Not much has went wrong.

- The fuel return line had to be replaced.

- Driver's bucket seat was worn & was replaced.

- The fuel pump went out and had to be replaced.

General Comments:

It is a very reliable car, and it has been in the family since 1988. It still drives like it is brand new, and it has pulled out many cars out of the ditch. People will almost never cut in front of you, & when they do it will be their car that has the damage.

It turns heads when you drive it down the street (why wouldn't it); there are not many big old trucks at our school. It stands out in the parking lot.

Though it is basically a tank, it handles pretty well.

It gets around 12 MPG, but the 35 gallon gas tank makes up for that.

It has its kinks, but that's pretty normal for being 27 years.

Overall it's a great truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th March, 2015

26th Mar 2015, 06:11

Sounds like a great old truck! Take good care of it and it will last you, and a lot more to come as well. These older trucks are very simple to fix and maintain, very little computers, sensors, etc...

I prefer real trucks and don't need leather seating, wood grain, touchscreens, DVD entertainment console, 10 cupholders, chrome package etc...

All I need is that the truck have an 8 foot box, bench seat, manual windows, AM/FM radio, body on frame, rear wheel drive, and have a powerful and reliable V-8 engine that is easy to service. Since no manufacturers are interested in making these anymore, I'm hanging onto my 2 80s Chevy pickups forever!

1988 Dodge Ramcharger 150 LE 318 from North America

Summary:

One big bad boy

Faults:

I'm having tranny problems... slips in and out of gear... please help if anyone knows why... the fluid has been changed and synthetic tranny fluid has replaced the old fluid and it still doing it... Anyone?... Help?... If you think you can help, please leave a message on here... Thanks.

General Comments:

I like the truck.. it has everything I need and then some.. It has a bush guard and a 10,000 lb winch 318ci, and an auto transmission.. lots of room for those fishing trips..

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd February, 2010

24th Feb 2010, 11:33

Hi, I saw you comments on the Dodge RamCharger 1988 LE 360 engine V8.

Do you know the GCVC? (The maximum combined weight of the vehicle (including occupants and cargo) and the trailer)

How many pounds?

24th Feb 2010, 16:54

Regarding your question about the transmission slipping, if you're lucky it might only need a band adjustment. However, did you confirm that the new transmission fluid is the correct fluid? Dexron, Mercon, and other subtypes are all different. And new-fangled synthetic fluid -- who knows if it's compatible with the old Torqueflite, because they didn't know about such things as synthetic fluid back then. Did you also change the filter by dropping the pan? The procedure for adjusting the bands is easy enough, but it helps to have a Haynes Manual. You have to drop the pan for the higher gears, and the low/reverse band is on the side of the transmission. It's just a matter of using an inch-pound torque wrench to tighten a nut and turning a screw a specified number of turns. If none of that works, the transmission is probably just beat and needs to be rebuilt.

1988 Dodge Ramcharger LE 5.2L 318 from North America

Summary:

It's a reliable truck that I would take anywhere

Faults:

The headliner was sagging when I bought it. But I replaced it myself.

The driver side power window came off the track.

The gas mileage is not so great.

The lift-gate gas shocks were worn. But I replaced them.

General Comments:

The Truck has a lot of room.

It's not very fast but it has a lot of torque.

I have lots of future plans for this truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st March, 2008