Topic: CTC Review: 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie

[Shnak]

^^^^^

What's the problem? After 3 years on the market, the Ridgeline has more than proven itself in terms of sales, reliability and overall qualities IMO... It may not be what people consider a traditional truck, but it's a truck nonetheless!

[Erik]

Or maybe they don't sugar coat the truth in order to get advertising and invites to new product intros. I can recall Car and Driver just loving the Citation when it first came out, Motor Trend gave it "Car of the Year" and the Citation was one of the worst cars every built.

Ya...I wonder what MotorTrend took to make this 2006 Truck of the Year...

December 20, 2005
With two full weeks of thudding over concrete, howling around tight curves and bouncing over rocky roadways, Motor Trend editors unanimously awarded 2006 Honda Ridgeline to be Truck of the Year.

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_news051220_truck_of_the_year/index.html

Well, that's different!

[wing]

Yes a spray in liner is what I expect not a plastic one.  My Titan has a spray in it is great and invincible (so it seems).  Not sure why you would want a painted bed, it is guaranteed to get scratched and rust within months of ownership.

[Greg B.]

What's the problem? After 3 years on the market, the Ridgeline has more than proven itself in terms of sales, reliability and overall qualities IMO... It may not be what people consider a traditional truck, but it's a truck nonetheless!

It's an Accord-Camino. Honda doesn't sell trucks here.

[Greg B.]

Or maybe they don't sugar coat the truth in order to get advertising and invites to new product intros. I can recall Car and Driver just loving the Citation when it first came out, Motor Trend gave it "Car of the Year" and the Citation was one of the worst cars every built.

Those problems showed themselves over time. As introduced those GM X-cars were innovative and exceedingly well-received. Believe it or not, there was a cover story in Business Week at the time that discussed GM's market share at about 60% and speculating whether the gov't would force them to break up the company for anti-trust reasons like they were doing with the Bell system.

And of course we cannot forget the '79 Honda lineup which was so environmentally friendly that the cars biodegraded back into dust in about 3 years.

[Honda Owner]

A

s introduced those GM X-cars were innovative and exceedingly well-received

What are you smoking? The damned things were recalled the day they came onto the dealer lots for the last minute change to rear brake linings that made the rear wheels lock up. The V-6 ate head gaskets for lunch. The steering racks blew more often than a sperm whale. The Citation was such as disaster they had to remake it as the Citation II.

there was a cover story in Business Week at the time that discussed GM's market share at about 60% and speculating whether the gov't would force them to break up the company for anti-trust reasons

  It is now 18% and GM is shooting for 15%. Something is wrong here, Mr Spock. Gee, could fine products like the X car have anything to do with GM losing 2/3 of it's market share since 1980? Nahhhhh, it is just all a cult! That's it! Our drinking water is spiked! Even Ford will soon surpass GM. The X cars were so bad the worked to destroy GM's reputation with customers that it had had for generations. GM saw it's market share plummet in this period.......get real!

[Erik]

A

s introduced those GM X-cars were innovative and exceedingly well-received

What are you smoking? The damned things were recalled the day they came onto the dealer lots for the last minute change to rear brake linings that made the rear wheels lock up. The V-6 ate head gaskets for lunch. The steering racks blew more often than a sperm whale. The Citation was such as disaster they had to remake it as the Citation II.

there was a cover story in Business Week at the time that discussed GM's market share at about 60% and speculating whether the gov't would force them to break up the company for anti-trust reasons

  It is now 18% and GM is shooting for 15%. Something is wrong here, Mr Spock. Gee, could fine products like the X car have anything to do with GM losing 2/3 of it's market share since 1980? Nahhhhh, it is just all a cult! That's it! Our drinking water is spiked! Even Ford will soon surpass GM. The X cars were so bad the worked to destroy GM's reputation with customers that it had had for generations. GM saw it's market share plummet in this period.......get real!

And what are you smoking?
Yes, there were problems that cropped up afterward, but Chevy sold 800,000 of them (helped by a few month early launch) for the 1980 model year. A HUGE success.
As he said, the cars were innovative and VERY well received. Again he is right (and you are wrong).

[Honda Owner]

Erik, I hate to bust your bubble of unreality but the Citation and the other X cars were so bad they turned so many of those 800,000 buyers off of GM products they never bought one again. See that little problem on market share? After being burned but the Citation and the equally bad 1981 Cavalier, those buyers left GM and never returned. It was the start of the process that led to GM's bankruptcy this year. GM's market share has dropped from 60% to 15% since those cars were introduced. The company took billions in corporate welfare and then went insolvent. What part of this don't you get?

[Mitlov]

Page 2 of a Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie thread and we're already neck-deep in a Honda-versus-GM grudgematch...   Time for some folks to walk away for a bit and take a breather?  I'm thinking about one myself...

[wing]

Yes, this is about a DODGE Ram, the blogs need to stay somewhat on topic, take it elsewhere.

[Erik]

Yes, this is about a DODGE Ram, the blogs need to stay somewhat on topic, take it elsewhere.

Sorry Wing.
You are right, of course.
One more guy to put on ignore.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Think the Titan is still the only truck to offer (standard?) factory spray-in bedliner. I don't get why more manufacturers don't and charge for it?

[The Mighty Duck]

Ya...I wonder what MotorTrend took to make this 2006 Truck of the Year...

December 20, 2005
With two full weeks of thudding over concrete, howling around tight curves and bouncing over rocky roadways, Motor Trend editors unanimously awarded 2006 Honda Ridgeline to be Truck of the Year.

http://www.motortrend.com/auto_news/112_news051220_truck_of_the_year/index.html

Oh, look, another unprecedented comment about how the Ridgeline is "not a truck". As controversial as this may sound, how about we discuss the RAM here, and not whether you think the Ridgeline is a real truck or not?

[Ex-airbalancer]

Was in my friend's new crew cab
It is a monster of a truck, 8 ft box, duellies and diesel engine
He has  millwrighting company  and has to haul steel, fork lifts, back hoes and a 5th wheel at different times
He finds it easier on the pocket book compare to his old hemi

[Mr.Right]

Ah,you said Canada is not truck country?Hmmm Chrysler's best selling vehicles in Canada are 1-the Caravan then 2- the Ram.Every Ram I get sells extremely fast,I know in B.C the suburbs are filled witth 1/2 ton trucks used as personal vehicles,very popular.I know I own 2 Rams and proved to be very reliable(most reliable full size trucks around)Yes,Ontario may be different but in B.C Ram 1500's with chrome 20's are everywhere.

As for the Honda Ridgeline.(based on a minivan with transmission issues ect..).besides the reliability problems Honda has, waterpump problems,transmission problems it looks like a smaller scale Chevrolet Avalance and the sales of the Ridgeline are amoung the worst in the truck market..

Just to let you know I own a multi-make auto repair and I also have a small car lot with late model cars,so I drove them all,know the problems they have and yes the imports are over ratted for long term reliability,but it keeps me very,very busy..keep buying them,I want to buy a 2010 Challenger SRT and a new Ram R/T..by the way I will pay cash,once the Chrysler dealers have full stock in a few months,they are extremely low at the current time,basically not much to chose from ,here in B.C anyways..

[Honda Owner]

I will pay cash,once the Chrysler dealers have full stock in a few months,they are extremely low at the current time,basically not much to chose from ,here in B.C anyways..

Maybe you can get a stock holder's discount.

[Erik]

Ah,you said Canada is not truck country?Hmmm Chrysler's best selling vehicles in Canada are 1-the Caravan then 2- the Ram.Every Ram I get sells extremely fast,I know in B.C the suburbs are filled witth 1/2 ton trucks used as personal vehicles,very popular.I know I own 2 Rams and proved to be very reliable(most reliable full size trucks around)Yes,Ontario may be different but in B.C Ram 1500's with chrome 20's are everywhere.

As for the Honda Ridgeline.(based on a minivan with transmission issues ect..).besides the reliability problems Honda has, waterpump problems,transmission problems it looks like a smaller scale Chevrolet Avalance and the sales of the Ridgeline are amoung the worst in the truck market..

Just to let you know I own a multi-make auto repair and I also have a small car lot with late model cars,so I drove them all,know the problems they have and yes the imports are over ratted for long term reliability,but it keeps me very,very busy..keep buying them,I want to buy a 2010 Challenger SRT and a new Ram R/T..by the way I will pay cash,once the Chrysler dealers have full stock in a few months,they are extremely low at the current time,basically not much to chose from ,here in B.C anyways..

Nice post!
Welcome to the board.

[Mr.Right]

It's funny,people are talking about the Citation,I was too young when they came out.But I know of people who bought them and other cars used.The people who bought them used are the ones who seem to complain how bad they are,but they bought them when the cars were at least 10 years old !!!And American cars had a 5 digit odometer until the 1990's,meaning after 99,999 km they went back to 0 again ,so you dont know how many km are actually on the car..People sell them saying they have 50,000 km as the odometer reads, but it actually rolled around 3 or more times already ,so its really 350,000 +km !!! My sister was  given a new 1986 Chevette when she was 16,kept it 10 years only had a few problems a timing belt  and alternator and battery ..she put on just over 300,000 km but only showed 1,200 km when she sold it(remember goes back to 0 after 99,999)  And people nowadays complain that the Chevette was a lemon as well,most likely they bought one with 350,000 km..and thinking it was 50,000 km.
 
One just has to look at newer models of Honda/Acura..their transmissions dont last,major recall's throughout the last decade,timing belts,head gaskets,cracking waterpump housings.amoung others.. valve ticking is another..People who own a Honda should know about changing waterpumps and timing belts..Big complaint when people trade them in and one of my biggest repairs I do on Honda/Acura's..$1100+ they give to me for a water pump and timing belt every 40,000 km..I love it..keep buying them..I want to pay my house off early..and pay cash for a new Challenger and Ram !!!!I had 5 timing belt/water pump repairs on 2002 and newer Honda's in the 2 weeks !!! And 2 had less than 140,000 km and had newer transmissions recently put in the other 3 had less than 110,000 km all were just out of factory warranty ..

****As for the new Ram :

Chrysler announced stiffer springs for the rear and increased payload and tow ratings..
Trailer tow mirrors available..
I think they mentioned a Quadcab and Crewcab R/T version,not 100% sure but,that would be great..With 4.10 gearing and a hotter torque converter it will take a second off the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times !!As it does on the singlecab R/T version !!!!!As the new Rams have a torque converter that does not allow full power on take off in order to limit wheel spin..

[Honda Owner]

Amazing how quickly last year's gasoline prices have been forgotten. I hope Mopar fanbois get out and buy. I want my tax dollars back!

And 2 had less than 140,000 km

Pretty good, really, since Honda calls for timing belt replacement at 100,000 km and you may as well do the water pump when you are at it.

Mr Right, I am glad you are a big fan of GM and Chrysler since you now own them. You see, their success led them to lose their market share and go bankrupt.

[wing]

^ we get it, you don't like them.  Give it up it is pointless drivel.