Trading DCLB for Titan XD Pro4X (diesel)

12v and 24v Dodge trucks are pretty trouble free. Actually the 360 V8 with a manual is as well. Only problem I had with another Dodge I owned was the crappy auto transmission, but that was overcome with a solid rebuild.

 

I could engage 4-hi while in motion. It was an NP241. Had no issues with it at all.
My Jeep XJ (again a 1998), has the NP231 and it's trouble free as well, and shift on the fly. Let me guess- you've never had a 4wd rig with levers? Only dials? Lol.

Oh and my XJ has 225K miles on it. 4.0 is relatively trouble free and it's a mad capable off road rig.

Oh and have you seen the resale value on XJ's in decent condition?

 

Pretty happy with this f150, my 04 ranger 4x4 was bullet proof. I'm hoping this proves to be the same. If so I'll probably stick with ford only from this point on.

 

The ram does have the lowest reliability ratings of any truck, and that's a fact, not an opinion. Check out every legitimate rating site (Consumer Reports, JD Power, etc). That dosen't mean everyone of them sold will be a POS, or they would be out of business. Overall Chrysler-Fiat products have more issues than Toyota, Ford, GM, etc. I drive 35K miles a year and the Ram eco-diesel is perfect for what I need, but couldn't bring myself to trust a FIAT-Chrysler product to 120-150K miles. My daughters Renegade says Caio! when she starts it. Her "Jeep" Renegade is made in Italy.

 

In all honesty I would not buy a current Ram either. However we did consider buying another 1999-2001 24V Dodge Ram when we came to the conclusion we no longer wanted the Tacoma. You can find the occasional low mileage garage queen, but you will pay dearly for it.

I would buy a 360V8 manual Ram, 1st or 2nd generation without hesitation for the right price. The guts are solid. Likewise I would buy a XJ Cherokee in good condition without hesitation either. The 4.0 is a bullet proof little motor.

 

During the whole economy going to hell, and we were all thinking Chrysler would die and go away, they were offering a free lifetime powertrain warranty on their vehicles. I was considering buying a Wrangler, and the dealership was offering a Chrysler extended warranty that was lifetime on the rest of the parts, for about a grand. I should have bought the Wrangler and the extended warranty I'd have 200K on the Jeep now, and have a lifetime warranty on everything.

 

I went the other way and traded my 2012 Ram 1500 Sport for a '17 Tacoma. I like the Tacoma way better. Don't think I'll ever go back to a full-size, and if I do, it will NOT be the Ram. Mine had 30k on it and needed a new tranny, new drivers side mirror due to whistling, and a new TICM because the drivers side headlight wouldn't stay on. All of that stuff is super expensive. Instead of repairing all of that, I dumped it and got the Tacoma. The Taco feels so much more solid, gets significantly better mileage, and just a much more fun truck to me. I can't imagine what the problems my Ram would have had with 100k miles on it!

 

If you buy enough of them, you will eventually get burned. My father-in-law used to brag about how much he loves Chrysler products. He now has a Frontier.

 

Yeah, I'm not saying all will have the same experience I had, but I don't think I'll ever buy a Ram again if I'm looking to keep my vehicle for the long haul. I liked the ride, features, and power of the Ram and would probably consider it if I only kept my trucks for a couple of years, but I want a truck that will be relatively inexpensive to maintain over a 10 year period, and the Toyota trucks are the ones that give me the most confidence in reliability and resale.

 

I have a 1988 YJ with the NP231, don't patronize me. The NP231 is not really shift on the fly per say because the front driveshaft is always spinning so its in sync (unloess you installed hubs which is definitely not shift on the fly). I refer to shift on the fly that uses a flywheel and transfer case motor to match drive speed.

My comment was made in the sense that I found it curious that a truck that is significantly older than yours has much more technology. Which probably attributed to your lack of problems in the dodge.

 

Look up any reliability report and chrysler is the bottom of all of them, Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, etc all at the bottom.

 

Yeah, that was my experience, and it was enough to turn me off for good, but I'm sure others have had really good luck with FCA vehicles.

 

Nice color choice! Looks slick!

 

Nice looking truck, but why didn't you go with a mid-size so you could fit in your garage?

 

I've driven a gov't fleet Ram (5.7 with 6 speed) for over a year now and am totally impressed with it, and this Laramie (5.7 with 8 speed) is an incredible truck. Every option available, 400 hp when needed. The engine and transmission combo is amazing. I am getting the same overall mpg, much better highway mpg, and less insurance cost. Plus I can haul my 6' son and his hockey buddies and gear to the rink without their knees hitting their chin in the back seat. Probably after a couple years when we can downsize again I will get back into a Tacoma. Maybe they will have all the bugs worked out by then...

 

It sounds like you have a need for a full-size truck. It doesn't sound like the Tacoma would suite your needs at this point.

My Ram was the hemi w/ 6 speed. I loved the engine, but hated the transmission. It was jerky, it surged, and would drop RPMs for no reason. I was also averaging 12.5 MPG. I haven't heard many complaints that mirrored mine about the 6 speed so it could just be that I got a bad one. The tranny did fail completely at 30k miles. I was considering an 8 speed Ram as a replacement and test drove one. It was night and day over the 6 speed. It was smooth and fast. It's what I wish my Ram would have been. Ultimately I decided on the Tacoma because my Ram left a bad taste in my mouth and I just don't trust them anymore for the longer term.

I haven't had any issues with the Tacoma and it's been my favorite vehicle I've ever owned. I had Ford, GM, and Ram trucks in the past.

 

Don't get me wrong, I loved my Tacoma as well. I do still have 2 other Toyotas in the driveway........but I do need a full size. The Tacoma set me up perfectly (great trade in) to trade up into a half ton. However Toyota has to be careful to keep that quality going forward, and I don't see that (yet) in the new Tacomas. The best Toyota I"ve owned was a 2000 4Runner, that thing was built like a tank. However as newer generation Toyota vehicles roll out I see the focus shifting from quality to quantity.

 

You can't go wrong with a Toyota. At least they stand behind their product for the most part.

 

Both of those transfer cases have / had synchro rings, therefore you can shift 'on the fly'. If yours was truly a 1988, more than likely you had it as well. NP added them back in 1987. My 1998.5 Dodge had a label on the visor that illustrated all the 4wd engagement instructions.

http://jeep.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Jeep_transfer_cases

 

Ironically, the DCLB was too long for my garage as well. Plus, my wife parks her car there.

You're right, Toyota makes great vehicles. My reasoning for getting rid of the Tacoma was I got tired of the 3rd gen. erratic shifting and lack of lower RPM torque. I haven't written Toyota off, just this generation Tacoma. Owning the prior gen trucks was great.