If not a Ram, then what?

[RedFred]

If I don't get another Ram, I am probably looking at a mid size suv. None of the other pickup trucks really do it for me and I don't really need a pickup. Even with mid size suv's, I am not blown away by the choices available either.

 

[6of36]

If I don't get another Ram, I am probably looking at a mid size suv. None of the other pickup trucks really do it for me and I don't really need a pickup. Even with mid size suv's, I am not blown away by the choices available either.

That's what I thought when I totaled my '21, and got a Durango. It's a great vehicle, and tows way more than the competition, but it's not a Ram. It's amazing how often when I need to move something that you take for granted when you have the truck.

 

[WXman]

Dodge/Ram really got my attention with their "The New Dodge" campaign back in the early 1990s. In my opinion, the '94 truck is what saved the company. Things only got better from there, as sales of the new truck brought money into the company to improve other products. By '98 my father couldn't resist any longer and bought the new (2nd Gen) Ram 1500. I loved it. By the early '00s the partnership with Daimler brought better transmissions and engines. When I got married in '04 I bought a new Ram 1500 (3rd Gen). From that moment I never looked back. Been a Chrysler guy ever since, with a laundry list of Rams, Jeeps, and Dodges. Even got the wife to buy a few Jeeps including the new Liberty when it came out, the new Commander when it came out, and the new Cherokee when it came out.

Unfortunately guys, times change. And the new parent company, Stellantis, is clearly staffed with people who have NO CLUE what to do in the U.S. market. They may do decently in Europe, but here in the States they are as lost as a sheep. They are running this company into the ground. They are letting products that were leading sellers two years ago fall into the pit. Ram sales are the worst in the business only to Nissan. Challenger/Charger were #1 in the segment and they're being canceled in favor of EVs and I-6s which will mutilate their sales and put them in a position where they can't succeed and stay in the lineup beyond a single generation. Jeep is being left to rot with no meaningful updates and the only new model being the $112k Wagoneer that isn't attainable. Ram/Dodge/Jeep are in serious trouble. Why the hell are the HD trucks running 15 year old sheetmetal and chassis? Why are they saddled with a 12 year old gas engine? GM and Ford have all new HD trucks and powertrains coming out every couple of years. Guys, RAM has no plans to stay competitive. They have nothing on the radar to even keep up. The trucks we are driving today are as good as it will ever be going forward.

This brand is done. Going forward I can't see myself spending money on anything Ram or Jeep. It's sad. But it's time to move on.

 

[SkittleRam]

The new smal diesel in the chev is impressive. Very quiet. Great fuel economy. More power. 2 young guys at work just bought trail bosses with the diesel and I got to take one out to compare. I liked it. The new GM interior is much better and rhe digital dash and info system works really well. I’d probably go that way if I had to right now otherwise I’ll wait for the new refreshed ram. Not a fan of style of the Rev so hopefully they keep the gassers looking different.

Agreed, the GM Diesel is pretty impressive. I would not mind have GMC AT4X with that powertrain.

 

[SkittleRam]

Dodge/Ram really got my attention with their "The New Dodge" campaign back in the early 1990s. In my opinion, the '94 truck is what saved the company. Things only got better from there, as sales of the new truck brought money into the company to improve other products. By '98 my father couldn't resist any longer and bought the new (2nd Gen) Ram 1500. I loved it. By the early '00s the partnership with Daimler brough better transmissions and engines. When I got married in '04 I bought a new Ram 1500 (3rd Gen). From that moment I never looked back. Been a Chrysler guy ever since, with a laundry list of Rams, Jeeps, and Dodges. Even got the wife to buy a few Jeeps including the new Liberty when it came out, the new Commander when it came out, and the new Cherokee when it came out.

Unfortunately guys, times change. And the new parent company, Stellantis, is clearly staffed with people who have NO CLUE what to do in the U.S. market. They may do decently in Europe, but here in the States they are as lost as a sheep. They are running this company into the ground. They are letting products that were leading sellers two years ago fall into the pit. Ram sales are the worst in the business only to Nissan. Challenger/Charger were #1 in the segment and they're being canceled in favor of EVs and I-6s which will mutilate their sales and put them in a position where they can't succeed and stay in the lineup beyond a single generation. Jeep is being left to rot with no meaningful updates and the only new model being the $112k Wagoneer that isn't attainable. Ram/Dodge/Jeep are in serious trouble. Why the hell are the HD trucks running 15 year old sheetmetal and chassis? Why are they saddled with a 12 year old gas engine? GM and Ford have all new HD trucks and powertrains coming out every couple of years. Guys, RAM has no plans to stay competitive. They have nothing on the radar to even keep up. The trucks we are driving today are as good as it will ever be going forward.

This brand is done. Going forward I can't see myself spending money on anything Ram or Jeep. It's sad. But it's time to move on.

I totally see what you are saying, hopefully, they will pull their heads out of the ground and bring prices back to attainability and continue with improvements, the TT i6 sounds very promising.

I too am surprised they have the HD's on the older body(my understanding is the frame/chassis was heavily reworked) however the interior space and comfort is on par with GM/Ford. IMO Ram needs to update its powertrain options on the HD, they are still using a 6sp Auto when GM/Ford have a 10sp, quite embrassing they have not found a solution.

We shall see how this plays out, I could see them making a big turn around, but I could see them making a big blunder as well.

 

[6of36]

Dodge/Ram really got my attention with their "The New Dodge" campaign back in the early 1990s. In my opinion, the '94 truck is what saved the company. Things only got better from there, as sales of the new truck brought money into the company to improve other products. By '98 my father couldn't resist any longer and bought the new (2nd Gen) Ram 1500. I loved it. By the early '00s the partnership with Daimler brough better transmissions and engines. When I got married in '04 I bought a new Ram 1500 (3rd Gen). From that moment I never looked back. Been a Chrysler guy ever since, with a laundry list of Rams, Jeeps, and Dodges. Even got the wife to buy a few Jeeps including the new Liberty when it came out, the new Commander when it came out, and the new Cherokee when it came out.

Unfortunately guys, times change. And the new parent company, Stellantis, is clearly staffed with people who have NO CLUE what to do in the U.S. market. They may do decently in Europe, but here in the States they are as lost as a sheep. They are running this company into the ground. They are letting products that were leading sellers two years ago fall into the pit. Ram sales are the worst in the business only to Nissan. Challenger/Charger were #1 in the segment and they're being canceled in favor of EVs and I-6s which will mutilate their sales and put them in a position where they can't succeed and stay in the lineup beyond a single generation. Jeep is being left to rot with no meaningful updates and the only new model being the $112k Wagoneer that isn't attainable. Ram/Dodge/Jeep are in serious trouble. Why the hell are the HD trucks running 15 year old sheetmetal and chassis? Why are they saddled with a 12 year old gas engine? GM and Ford have all new HD trucks and powertrains coming out every couple of years. Guys, RAM has no plans to stay competitive. They have nothing on the radar to even keep up. The trucks we are driving today are as good as it will ever be going forward.

This brand is done. Going forward I can't see myself spending money on anything Ram or Jeep. It's sad. But it's time to move on.

The reason they are changing is due to government standards. They paid over $1 billion in fines, from not meeting CAFE standards last year. The competition sells millions of small fuel efficient cars helping them meet CAFE, but all anybody wants from Stellantis, is the high powered Hemi equipped vehicles. The only way they can stay in business, is to eliminate the gas eaters. That's why they only offer e-torque. It makes very little difference in mileage per motor, but multiply it by a half million vehicles.

 

[John Galt]

Dodge/Ram really got my attention with their "The New Dodge" campaign back in the early 1990s. In my opinion, the '94 truck is what saved the company. Things only got better from there, as sales of the new truck brought money into the company to improve other products. By '98 my father couldn't resist any longer and bought the new (2nd Gen) Ram 1500. I loved it. By the early '00s the partnership with Daimler brought better transmissions and engines. When I got married in '04 I bought a new Ram 1500 (3rd Gen). From that moment I never looked back. Been a Chrysler guy ever since, with a laundry list of Rams, Jeeps, and Dodges. Even got the wife to buy a few Jeeps including the new Liberty when it came out, the new Commander when it came out, and the new Cherokee when it came out.

Unfortunately guys, times change. And the new parent company, Stellantis, is clearly staffed with people who have NO CLUE what to do in the U.S. market. They may do decently in Europe, but here in the States they are as lost as a sheep. They are running this company into the ground. They are letting products that were leading sellers two years ago fall into the pit. Ram sales are the worst in the business only to Nissan. Challenger/Charger were #1 in the segment and they're being canceled in favor of EVs and I-6s which will mutilate their sales and put them in a position where they can't succeed and stay in the lineup beyond a single generation. Jeep is being left to rot with no meaningful updates and the only new model being the $112k Wagoneer that isn't attainable. Ram/Dodge/Jeep are in serious trouble. Why the hell are the HD trucks running 15 year old sheetmetal and chassis? Why are they saddled with a 12 year old gas engine? GM and Ford have all new HD trucks and powertrains coming out every couple of years. Guys, RAM has no plans to stay competitive. They have nothing on the radar to even keep up. The trucks we are driving today are as good as it will ever be going forward.

This brand is done. Going forward I can't see myself spending money on anything Ram or Jeep. It's sad. But it's time to move on.

Stelantis is hellbent on taking the Mopar brand back to the days of the 300, the Neon, and PT Cruiser.

if Mopar is lucky, it won’t get taken all the way back to the days of Iacoca’s K cars.

 

[RedFred]

The reason they are changing is due to government standards. They paid over $1 billion in fines, from not meeting CAFE standards last year. The competition sells millions of small fuel efficient cars helping them meet CAFE, but all anybody wants from Stellantis, is the high powered Hemi equipped vehicles. The only way they can stay in business, is to eliminate the gas eaters. That's why they only offer e-torque. It makes very little difference in mileage per motor, but multiply it by a half million vehicles.

This may be true, but what Mopar was is what brought us here in the first place. If they want to be like everyone else, it opens the door for me to consider everyone else which is what made me look for alternatives to begin with. I know they are stuck in a difficult position, but it sounds like a losing battle if they give in or not. So I say don't give in.

 

[6of36]

This may be true, but what Mopar was is what brought us here in the first place. If they want to be like everyone else, it opens the door for me to consider everyone else which is what made me look for alternatives to begin with. I know they are stuck in a difficult position, but it sounds like a losing battle if they give in or not. So I say don't give in.

Are you willing to pay another 10 or 20 thousand dollars, for the fines? Crazy Joe is pushing ridiculous standards, to kill all ICE products, with heavy fines.

 

[Geddyflea]

Dodge/Ram really got my attention with their "The New Dodge" campaign back in the early 1990s. In my opinion, the '94 truck is what saved the company. Things only got better from there, as sales of the new truck brought money into the company to improve other products. By '98 my father couldn't resist any longer and bought the new (2nd Gen) Ram 1500. I loved it. By the early '00s the partnership with Daimler brought better transmissions and engines. When I got married in '04 I bought a new Ram 1500 (3rd Gen). From that moment I never looked back. Been a Chrysler guy ever since, with a laundry list of Rams, Jeeps, and Dodges. Even got the wife to buy a few Jeeps including the new Liberty when it came out, the new Commander when it came out, and the new Cherokee when it came out.

Unfortunately guys, times change. And the new parent company, Stellantis, is clearly staffed with people who have NO CLUE what to do in the U.S. market. They may do decently in Europe, but here in the States they are as lost as a sheep. They are running this company into the ground. They are letting products that were leading sellers two years ago fall into the pit. Ram sales are the worst in the business only to Nissan. Challenger/Charger were #1 in the segment and they're being canceled in favor of EVs and I-6s which will mutilate their sales and put them in a position where they can't succeed and stay in the lineup beyond a single generation. Jeep is being left to rot with no meaningful updates and the only new model being the $112k Wagoneer that isn't attainable. Ram/Dodge/Jeep are in serious trouble. Why the hell are the HD trucks running 15 year old sheetmetal and chassis? Why are they saddled with a 12 year old gas engine? GM and Ford have all new HD trucks and powertrains coming out every couple of years. Guys, RAM has no plans to stay competitive. They have nothing on the radar to even keep up. The trucks we are driving today are as good as it will ever be going forward.

This brand is done. Going forward I can't see myself spending money on anything Ram or Jeep. It's sad. But it's time to move on.

My history with CJDR is almost exactly like yours word for word! I think what has kind of turned me against what is now "Ram" is :

Quality - While my dealership has done everything they can possibly do, they shouldn't have to be fixing known problems with trucks that are 5 years into a new generation! There is absolutely no excuse for rear windows still leaking, sunroofs exploding, exhaust manifolds cracking and the bolts breaking, sway bar end links failing and on and on with known problems!

New products - Since 2019 the only "new" Ram products we have seen in North America, other than the TRX, are special edition paint and decal trucks! Hell, one of the things that attracted me to my Rebel, which was the hood, can now be had on just about any trim 1500. The Rebel was supposed to be a somewhat dedicated off road variant of the 1500 but you can now get just about everything the Rebel has on every other model.

Rant over, pass the Tylenol and thanks for listening

 

[RedFred]

New products - Since 2019 the only "new" Ram products we have seen in North America, other than the TRX, are special edition paint and decal trucks! Hell, one of the things that attracted me to my Rebel, which was the hood, can now be had on just about any trim 1500. The Rebel was supposed to be a somewhat dedicated off road variant of the 1500 but you can now get just about everything the Rebel has on every other model.

I agree that the Ram 1500 could have really benefitted from some new color choices and maybe a new appearance package or two. I like what they did with the built-to-serve editions but they are so limited by only being available on the big horn and only in a limited number and for a limited time. I tried to order one once even though I didn't want a big horn, but the dealer told me that with the built to serve's, they just get what they get and I couldn't custom order it the way I wanted, so that wasn't really ideal either. Ideally it would have been cool if they did something similar with the Laramie's or other trims and not limit it so much. They could have done a special package with a unique color and limit it to each model year.

 

[John Galt]

Are you willing to pay another 10 or 20 thousand dollars, for the fines? Crazy Joe is pushing ridiculous standards, to kill all ICE products, with heavy fines.

Crazy Joe will be in jail soon. I can wait.

I don’t need a government’s permission to own things.

also when I lived in Commiefornia I had a sports car and didn’t want to put a front license plate on it. I kept getting tickets. I paid them and when I sold it years later it still didn’t have a front plate.

 

[John Galt]

My history with CJDR is almost exactly like yours word for word! I think what has kind of turned me against what is now "Ram" is :

Quality - While my dealership has done everything they can possibly do, they shouldn't have to be fixing known problems with trucks that are 5 years into a new generation! There is absolutely no excuse for rear windows still leaking, sunroofs exploding, exhaust manifolds cracking and the bolts breaking, sway bar end links failing and on and on with known problems!

New products - Since 2019 the only "new" Ram products we have seen in North America, other than the TRX, are special edition paint and decal trucks! Hell, one of the things that attracted me to my Rebel, which was the hood, can now be had on just about any trim 1500. The Rebel was supposed to be a somewhat dedicated off road variant of the 1500 but you can now get just about everything the Rebel has on every other model.

Rant over, pass the Tylenol and thanks for listening

Sounds like Harley Davidson. The most active threads on the Harley forums are speculation about what slight differences shade of color the same old models are going to be next year.

and then they started liquid cooling and everyone tuned out.

 

[wegasque]

Crazy Joe will be in jail soon. I can wait.

I don’t need a government’s permission to own things,

No you don't. But their finger is on the scale. They're trying to make it so the corporations can only sell what they want, reducing our choices to only those things they approve of.