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We are two weeks shy of the halfway point in our test of the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. We've already reached the 15,000-mile mark. It's popularity in our fleet is proof that the utility of a truck can't be matched.
To date our only out-of-pocket expenses went towards routine maintenance. And the only time the truck spent out of service was parked at the body shop waiting for a new rear bumper.
Total cost: $200
Days out of service: 2
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 15,000 miles
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compliance says:
08:56 AM, 11/30/09
Wow, those are fantastic gauges. Very clean and clear with nice fonts. I can't think of any better ones on an American car.
1487 says:
11:12 AM, 11/30/09
I find it interesting that the two chrysler products have been trouble free and yet Chrysler is the butt of so many played out quality jokes on this site and others. These long term tests prove that there isn't much variation in quality between the manufacturers anymore.
dwhamman says:
12:38 PM, 11/30/09
@1487:
These LT tests show a limited variation in quality in the first year of ownership. Most people hold onto cars much longer than that.
canddmeyer says:
01:40 PM, 11/30/09
I've had mine 7 months. So far there have been no unscheduled dealer visits.
automaton says:
04:55 PM, 11/30/09
I read these blogs pretty regularly and I still haven't seen a follow-up on the RamBox breakage issue . . . . Can you tell us what ever happened on that?
1487 says:
05:49 AM, 12/ 1/09
"These LT tests show a limited variation in quality in the first year of ownership. Most people hold onto cars much longer than that. "
Not really, they drive these vehicles over 20k miles in some cases so its more like 2 years of ownership for the average person. Most people keep vehicles 5-6 years or so on average. Since there really arent any long term tests out there that last 100k miles its kind of pointless to dismiss the evidence we have by saying "these tests are too short to tell us anything". Few people I know buy a new car and then put 100k miles on it. That said, I'm confident almost any new car can last 100k miles with minimal repairs.