This is an opinion thread, perhaps misplaced amongst numerous sub-forums. No malevolence or ill-disposition is inteded (and all that politically correct garble).

I was out looking at my '87 Jeep Cherokee that I've been building over the past six years, and got to thinking. My mom used to have an '86 Ramcharger with a 318 (last year before it was fuel injected if I recall) on which I learned to drive in part. My father still has his (what I believe to be) 1990 3/4 ton Ram with Daimler Chrysler's predecessor Cummins- you've got to love California's anticorrodent climate. My uncle had a 1989, and my father just had to have one. So, he got on the waiting list at our small-town Dodge dealer, and ordered it. The thing rides like a covered wagon (being from the foothills of northern Cal, I've been on a few for comparison) with it's front sagging leaf-spring packs, as also did the Ramcharger. It has no intercooler, but sports an exalted 160 hp and 400 ft-lbs; the Ram Charger had 140 hp and 250 ft-lbs, or thereabouts respectively if I recall. Looking at my Cherokee's dashboard is reminiscent of the 80's style dash panels that were offered on the Ram and Ramcharger as the then latest design. Exclusive was the gigantic drivetrain-illustration-sideways-letter-"H" thing that illuminated to inform you that your front axle vacuum motor engaged. The metallic paint back then had hidden qualities that, well, hid the unique fading characteristics that would emerge after a number of years; however, the paint did allow for an achromatization extension with the help of a little TurtleWax annually. The exterior look, as would be expected for a nearly three-decade-antiquated tub, was fortified with such a fuel-efficient, sleek and contoured body style, representative of a masonry brick.

The first day I sat in my 2005 Ram, I couldn't help but notice some of the things I was thinking about today. From the body to the engine. It's amazing how our trucks have changed through the years... or have they? In a hand (or pickup bed) full of ways, things have improved as we see new and improved power output levels, speed and handling characteristics, off-road capabilities, towing capacities, and fuel efficiencies. Then again, some things haven't changed. Up until recently, the same cubic displacement had been used in our engines. And, I recall the first time I looked under a '03 2500... I saw the same basic front end design that's been sitting under my Cherokee since it rolled off the assembly line of American Motors Corporation. Admittedly, the benefits versus downfalls comparison mostly depends upon one's point of view.

Personally, I love my 3rd generation Ram, including all the benefits that were developed through the years as a result thereto. It makes long trips comfortable, far away trips dependable, Friday night trips fashionable, and winter trips bearable. Yet, there's something about driving an old vehicle that you've keep running through the years. Well, errr, if you have the inclination to weld, wrench, tear apart and rebuild what you own, then there is. In fact, if it wasn't for the Cherokee project I drive as regularly as my pickup, I'd gladly own an '89-90 Ram with a mechanical Cummins to build on and drive regularly. For me, I get as much enjoyment out of driving an old vehicle kept new as I do driving a new vehicle getting old.

 

The only thing more fun than rolling up to the art show's valet parking in the '05 CTD is pulling out of the church parking lot in the '65 GTO...

 

aj,

Some of what you are saying is that Dodge kept the good stuff and got rid of the bad stuff. Good is the 5.9, now with twice the HP, and the solid axle front end, improved with coils. Bad are the 1" travel front leaf springs and the "old shed" that used to keep some of the weather off of us as we drove the 1st gens. Don't get me wrong, I loved my 1st gen dearly and drove it all over the place and a lot of that was off road.

I like driving old vehicles too. But when it comes to actually going somewhere or just the everyday commute or not having to deal with some of the older design's "character", I'll take the third gen. If I just want to go sight seeing or climb the mountain behind my place, or go look at some old abandoned mine, I'll take my modified Samurai and love every minute of it. If it's time to tow the tractor a few hundred miles give me the new Dodge.

I can never leave things alone, so the Samurai has new axles and locking diffs waiting to go in. The Dodge most recently got a Dynatrac kit and a few other things. This process is continuous for the life of the vehicle; Think of an "improvement", try it, fine tune it, move on to the next one.

I think it just shows that we all need a stable of vehicles (including motorcycles) so that the right one is always available. Off to the store, take the Vee Dub. Off to the the next state with a thousand pounds of stuff, take the Dodge. Heading up the trail for some shooting and exploring, give me the Samurai. Need to fix that driveway? Take the tractor and scraper. Etc, Etc.


John