In the spirit of sketchy dealer service, I pulled this blog from the back of my drawer. I can't believe I forgot about it. Yes, our 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 is gone but its memory lives on. This is a picture of its new oil filler cap. Why did we buy that, you ask?
At 25,000 miles we serviced the Ram at Lithia Dodge. Well, we think there could be a kleptomaniac in the house. We are not qualified to make a clinical diagnosis, but here's what we have to go on. The Ram went in with a cap. And when it left, no cap. Our only regret is that it took us several days to realize it was missing. It reminds me of the day our long term Q7 returned from service with a pair of channel-locks under the hood.
Do you have a dealer service horror story? Let's hear it.
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
No lumber. No towing. No hard hat job sites. Just bicycles and fruit.
A couple of weekends ago a put our long-term 2009 Dodge Ram though the Suburbanites Truck Test.
The rigorous battery of tests included:
1) Haul the wife and kids around like any other car, SUV or minivan.
2) Haul the family and their bikes to the beach for a leisurely afternoon ride.
3) Haul us down to Irvine (60 freeway miles or so one way) to the pick your own strawberries farm. (And no I didn't do donuts in the farm's dirt parking lot. Okay, so I did.)
By Sunday night I concluded that the coil sprung Ram is my favorite of the full-size truck choices. It's perfect for my city boy needs. Its ride and comfort levels are exemplary and its interior appointments are without a doubt class leading.
Still, not so sure I would get the Ram Box.
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
After my trip up to Truckee, I was able to squeeze one last use out of the Ram. It was time to put an end to that damn storage that's been a pain in my side for the last few months. Three pieces of furniture were all that remained in the once packed 10'x15' space. In two trips we closed the account and I gave up my garage for the foreseeable future.
It was suggested by a few readers comments that I'm not an enthusiast if I prefer the Ram over the GT-R and that I only like the Ram because I had something to move. Am I going to deny that I used the Ram to do a lot of dirty work? Obviously no. It has been immensely helpful to me in the last year. But in all honesty, I loved driving this thing empty. It came with the added bonus of being able to haul my stuff around.
Don't get me wrong, I like the GT-R. It was a blast to drive, but I prefer trucks. I don't think that makes me less of an enthusiast. Just makes me a truck guy. Why don't I buy it? Believe me, if I could buy this thing, I would. It just aint' gonna fit into my life at this moment with a mortgage, an engagement ring and car payments. I've only so much money to go around, but it does make me look to about two years down the road when I can plunk money down on a truck of my own. A year in the Ram has really shown me that I should have bought a used pick-up as I had planned instead of my Mazda 3. The deal I got on the 3 was so smoking good at the time that I went for it.
In the mean time, I'll definitely be looking forward to the next truck that comes into the office. And yes canadaphant, I think the Ram might miss me. (That comment made me laugh for half the afternoon).
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer @ 33,287 miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
The Ram will be leaving us shortly. I had very little time left to replace the stove at my family's cabin north of Lake Tahoe. I reserved the Ram for an extended weekend, went home and packed.
Our cabin was closed for the winter, so it was important that my lady and I left early so we could get there with some daylight left to turn the power back on and flush the plumbing of all the antifreeze. Come early Friday morning we left L.A. for a stopover in Truckee to pick up the new stove.
Continue reading...
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Thanks to anonimo for this week's favorite caption.
Here are the others that had us ROTFLing:
Trust me, it works better than "The Club"! (ergsum)
Mini E shown with the new range-extending option and potential future fuel supply (9krpm)
Here you go Rex, you'll get a charge out of this bite sized snack (technetium99)
T-Rex arms and the Mini-E; both have limited range of reach (ergsum)
Objects that appear in mirror are ABOUT TO EAT YOU OM NOM NOM (sherief)
Every picture tells a story, this one is Al-E-Gorical (ergsum)
Road Ptrip (sherief)
Honey, I meant for you to pick up Trex, not T-Rex! (miraa)
I hear this will offset my carbon footprint (punkr0cksux)
Dyno tested. Dino approved. (benya_p)
Dan creates a Mini Dino RAMa (ergsum)
Towannisaurus Rex (thegraduate)
And, in the musical category, to the theme of Ghostbusters:
When your Mini-E
Runs out of Juice
Who you gonna call!
Tow-Truckers (punkr0cksux)
What was your favorite?
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing, with font assistance by James Riswick
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Mini E
You asked for it, you got it. Caption-meister Donna is away from the office this week, so I'm stepping in and recycling this photo I took a couple of days ago in Cabazon.
Both of these vehicles will soon depart our long-term fleet, so this is your last shot to take a shot at either one of them.
You may fire when ready, Gridley.
We'll post our favorite this afternoon.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Mini E
Hoo boy. For a second there, I thought that was a photo of our 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 on -- get this -- a chassis dyno.
<rubs eyes>
Wait, what?
Continue reading...
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
For the first time, I had two at once last night. My initials appeared next to two vehicles on the sign out sheet, and now my driveway is filled with 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, towing a rented U-haul trailer, which is carrying the 2009 Mini E.
The idea was to get the Mini E to the test track with a full charge, because the time has come to conduct its wrap-up test. The Dodge's days are numbered, too. Using one to tow the other is a classic case of killing two birds with one stone.
If we have enough time, we may use this pair for another special test we've wanted to do for a long time. Stay tuned.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 31,520 miles and 7,455 miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Mini E
It took me a full year, but I finally figured out a practical use for the Ram's Ram Box. Yes, we had a good party. By the way, that's nine bags of ice. Please don't drink and drive.
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
So which coolant temp gauge do you prefer, an analog dial with no numbers or a digital thingamabob with numbers? Seems like the guys at Mom Mopar couldn't decide so they gave the Ram one of each.
Me? I want an analog deal with numbers.
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Living in the same town as your car-testing colleagues is a good thing, especially when you have a last-minute need for a truck.
The Sunday afternoon text conversation between me and Manager of Vehicle Testing Mike Schmidt (fellow Long Beachian) went something like this:
Me: What are you driving?
Schmidt: Ram.
Me: You busy?
Schmidt: Why?
Me: C'mon.
Schmidt: What do you need to move?
Me: Ganahl lumber yard. Need 200 ft of baseboard and door casing.
Schmidt: Game's at 4. Better be quick.
Turns out, my "rental" truck came with free labor.
That Mike Schmidt's one nice guy.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor
Continue reading...
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Like the title says...
It's got the best ride by a mile. Wait, make that two miles. The motor is great. It's comfortable, etc. If I could get one with a flat black grille and a manual transmission, I'd be a happy man.
Dodge > Chevy > Toyota > Ford > Nissan
Kurt Niebuhr, Photo Editor @ 30,116 miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Here's what 408 pounds of orange Austrian two-wheeled badassery looks like in the back of the Ram. Couldn't even detect its presence. Other than being paranoid about losing it and driving accordingly, there's was no real reduction in the Ram's performance. Over the course of 420 miles, it rode virtually the same and its power was still more than adequate. When it comes to the combination of towing, hauling and ride quality, I haven't experienced a better truck.
But it's hard to eat a pizza on the tailgate with a motorcycle in the bed.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
...A place to comfortably hold your pizza box, that is.
The Ram's center console and shifter couldn't be better suited to this job.
Yes, we were parked. Relax.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
Our long-term Ram hit 30,000 miles over the holiday weekend on highway 68 just east of Carmel California. Follow along later this week for more on this little adventure.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor @ 30,5XX miles
Categories: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
