1987 Dodge Ramcharger from North America - Comments

Power steering box

Radiator leak twice

Went through several batteries

U-joint

A/C seized

Power window twice

Ignition switch twice

Plugs, wires, rotor three times

Seat belt latch broke

And more, but IMO all this is minor for 20 years!

transmission might finally be going?

Roomy interior

Great visibility

Unique styling

Extremely reliable

Great in snow and mud.

Original poster: while in college I went out on a limb and spent $20k on a new 1987 dodge ramcharger. I tested all the big three: the blazer handled like a boat, the bronco was nice, but several thousand dollars more for the same setup. what stood out on the dodge was the wrap around windows, one piece rear door, internal spare, tight driving feel, and its unique look. fast forward twenty years and I'm still driving this beast! my brothers drive Hummers, BMW's, Mercedes; and I keep getting asked "when are you going to get another vehicle?" meanwhile my ram has seen their latest wonder vehicles come and go... new, then problematic, then trash. basically my truck has outlived three generations of their vehicles. ramcharger = RELIABLE! the greatest thing about owning this vehicle now is that it is unique. old iron is great. what my brothers do not realize is how care-free it is to own such a vehicle. they park far away in the lots, look over their shoulder for car jackers, and agonize over every scratch or spilled milkshake. not me! I park up front and relax. ramcharger = FUN! most new vehicles look like mr potato head because of all the wind-tunnel testing. I am not an aggressive driver, but those little cars that zip in and out of traffic think twice before cutting me off. I guess the ram looks too much like a potato masher. ramcharger = IMPOSING! my entry was titled "Wish I could buy one new" because I am LOOKING for a new vehicle. unfortunately they all seem to be inferior to my original (first) purchase. I see that today's offering have too much electronic JUNK in them that will surely break and end up costly repairs. the ramcharger is a REAL SUV, many of today's SUVs are nothing more than glorified station wagons. if the new vehicles do not add up then I am going to dump several thousand bucks into my ramcharger... and watch another generation of my brothers' cars turn to junk. I will leave with a question for other ramcharger owners: what did you buy to replace this wonderful machine? and how has it stacked up?

I totally agree! I wrote a review of my '85 Ramcharger titled "Low-maintenance dependability in a rugged 4WD". I bought mine when it was 11 years old and had 163,000 miles on it. I drove it for another 11 years, and had to retire it at 260,000 miles. It still ran and drove okay, but the rust was beyond repair for all practical purposes.

I also agonized over what to replace it with, and found that nothing measured up. The Durango isn't fit to stand in the shadow of a Ramcharger; pickups don't have the enclosed back like the Ramcharger; the Jeep Rubicon would be in the same class as a 4x4, but doesn't have the interior room.

I finally bought a Ford Explorer Sport--the only newer 2-door SUV 4x4 I could find, and the price was right. True, it doesn't hold a candle to the Ramcharger as a 4x4. I wouldn't take it to places that I wouldn't have hesitated to drive the Ramcharger. The only real replacement for a Ramcharger is another Ramcharger. You can still find them on e-bay, and in western states the rust is not a problem, so it would just be a matter of mechanical work to revive one. One point in favor of the Explorer, though, is the 10 mpg more that I get now.

Original poster: Howdy! I remember your review, it was well done.

My RamCharger is rusting some too; but 20 years ago the dealer convinced me to get that "Ziebart" treatment, so the underside is good.

After reading this site, I won't be getting a Durango. I can only imagine how mad I would have been if I traded my RamCharger for peanuts and simultaneously purchased a $30k lemon.

I considered buying a Dodge QuadCab, but I too want an enclosed back. Plus a QuadCab is three feet longer. Ramchargers are perfect sized: tall and wide (roomy inside), but not so long.

To me, the most similar new vehicle is the Hummer H2. However in my opinion they are odd looking, like a cartoon Brinks truck gone bad, and I'm not spending $55k on a "non-unique" vehicle. For that kind of money I could hire a PI to track down the last RamCharger being stored in a vacuum with 13 miles on it, dump in a blueprinted 440 with roots blower, run 44" mudders, and still have enough money to buy gasoline for 10 years and a steak dinner for two.

This leads me to something I failed to mention in my original review. Early on my plan was to add a 440 to my truck, but I promised my father to wait until the 318 failed... great idea dad! Unfortunately I have now been trying to kill this 318 engine for 20 years. Near 100,000 miles I added an Edelbrock carburetor, cam, and manifold to boost horsepower and hasten the 318's demise. I floor it all the time (under load) but it refuses to die. It's survived so long that I no longer want a 440... I want a 408 small-block stroker... but I'm starting to think I may not get that either :(

"The only real replacement for a Ramcharger is another Ramcharger"... you're right! It is looking more and more like I will dump several thousand into my RamCharger to make it look "new"... and keep on parking up front!

Original poster: Viewing data by decade the HIGHEST regarded vehicle with 50+ reviews is the 1990's Toyota Previa with second place going to the 1980's Dodge Ramcharger! No 2000+ vehicle beat the RamCharger, who stands alongside the likes of the 1970's Porsche 911's as far as owner satisfaction.

RamCharger, the "top" Dodge beat top 4x4's from Ford (F250), Chevy (C10), GMC (Suburban), Jeep (CJ7), Toyota (Pickup), Honda (HR-V), Nissan (720), Suzuki (SJ410), Isuzu (Pickup).

Popular 4x4's with poor reviews include the Grand Cherokee, Durango, Explorer, and Blazer. For laughs read the SPORTAGE review titles; ex. "A rolling pile of garbage". Also see the 1990's Ford Windstar or 2000+ Volkswagen Jetta.

THANKS Car Survey for saving me money... and the LAUGHS!

Original Poster: Howdy, back again. I took my RamCharger to the Dodge dealership and asked them to go over much of "The Beast" with a fine toothed comb. I figured they would say everything needed replacing. My transmission had been leaking fluid and some hot-shot transmission shop wanted to rebuild it for big $$$. I had the dealership change the trany filter. Bottom line: leak gone, shifts perfectly, no major work needed anywhere. The mechanic even came out and asked if I wanted to sell it LOL. I told him to look in the paper and find his own RamCharger! I drove my 1987 RamCharger every single day in 2007. Left me sitting... ONCE. Not bad for a 21 year old vehicle! Problem: dead battery... SEARS loves me because the RAM eats a diehard every 3 or 4 years and they had to hand me a new battery free LOL. I'll run my RamCharger even if gas is $5 a gallon. Hell, at $10 a gallon I'd consider dumping in a Cummins Diesel and running bio-diesel. By then everyone will own a Toyota Prius ("GOOD FOR YOU!")... and I'll be running my RAM on salad dressing :D. RamChargers RULE!

ORIGINAL POSTER YET AGAIN: I had always thought "The Beast" got around 13 mpg. I recently went on a trip and my RAMCharger with 3-speed 727 transmission and 31" tires got 14.9 MPG on the highway. I figured this out after-the-fact so this was with normal (lets blow up the 318 so I can finally run a 440) driving. Why buy a Prius when you can get nearly 15 MPG driving a RAMCharger? Here is my plan to save planet earth. We get China to mass produce and everyone there drive a RAMCharger clone. We would run out of those evil fossil fuels in about 3 weeks. Two weeks if they drive like me. One week if they have 440's in them and drive like me. All joking aside I have been SERIOUSLY considering selling my RAMCharger for a $28,000 Prius. Let me see, I could drive 100,000 miles (20 years worth for me) in a huge RAMCharger that says "YES I AM THE MAN, GET OUT OF MY LANE" or spend that same money on a car that looks like a PEZ candy that got jammed in the dispenser and sounds like an electric nose clipper. Hmm, this is going to be a rough decision!

Yea I bought my 1987 Ramcharger when I was almost 15. It had 120000 miles on it and it had been sitting up for a while. I bought it for 1500 and had it repainted and the interior redone, and the rims and tires. It is a great truck until one week after my 16th birthday it caught fire around the distributor and burnt from under the hood to the dash. If you know of a junk 87 Dodge, email me at mathis_farms31015@hotmail.com. I really want to get it back running because it is a great truck.