My '03 is the first Dodge truck I've owned. So far, I am delighted with it. Chevy may have better fit/finish; I don't know. The fit & finish on my Dodge is just fine.

My only advice would be to save your money on the limited slip differential. I can't tell that it does anything. My 2wd is helpless in any low-traction situation in spite of have the option.

 

thanks! i am going for a quad cab 4x4 st, with auto. i got them down to 31,140 so far!! down't know how much more i can get out of them!

 

cp, there must something wrong with your LSD as mine works just fine and has helped me out numerous times. Bet you will find that it is working but with the very light rear end that you are getting wheel spin - on both rear wheels. Try it with a bit of a load under slippery conditions.

 

rjm022. Don't know what options you have chosen but I highly recommend you include the under floor storage and the fold flat steel floor. Also get the under seat storage for the front. Then after you take delivery get a sprayed in bed liner such as Rhino but at the same time get the fold flat floor sprayed. It will save a lot of things from sliding around on it.

 

large_marge,

the auto tranny only has 4 gears. You can get a 5-sp or 6-sp manual transmission...that just gives you more gears to choose from and you can use your low-end torque more. Also, you'll hear people on here talking about locking up their torque converter on the auto tranny in 2nd gear w/ an add-on computer...see, the thing w/ an auto is, if the torque converter isn't locked together then all that nice torque the CTD produces is wasted. Also, it takes around 20 HP and 40 ft/lbs of torque JUST to make an auto tranny run! So, if you really want to tow the most you can possibly tow up and down the hills w/o burning up your tranny, get a 6-sp.

 

welder -

i'm aware of the HP required to run an auto, but as i recall, it's not a matter of HP. i remember someone explaining that the auto actually has more contact points than the manual and can therefore take a heavier load, RWHP not withstanding. also, if you're clutching during shifts with a manual, doesn't that do more or less the same thing as a torque converter un-locking and re-locking between shifts?

i'll see bill kondolay next week and i'll ask him. being in the auto-tranny business, he may be a bit biased, but this question as far as i've understood it is categorical: the auto can actually handle more weight or it can't regardless of any man's opinion about the matter.

now it's going to drive me nutz. i gotta know!


jeremiah

 

Or maybe I'm biased 'cause I'm tired of auto trannies!

 

preach it!

 

A neighbor with a Tacoma had a lot of problems during the last snow and ice storm. I even sold him some of the sand tubes that I had in an attempt to help him out. Toyotas are known for usually being reliable, durable vehicles, kinda pricey for what you get, but they do a very good job of paying attention to customers and getting changes into vehicles to make them attractive. With a Dodge diesel it's a bit more of 'you gotta get your mind right', but once you do and you understand the advantages of a refined, basic design like the Dodge, you'll often have a stupid grin on your face when cruising down the road.

At first the truck looks so big and complicated when it first sits in your driveway, but looking at it a bit closer you find out it's just a very good, stiff chassis, two solid axles, an inline six diesel, a 5 spd manual tranny, and a transfer case. The excellent clutch, steering, and brakes make it easier to drive than you would expect, and friends and co-workers have commented that it doesn't flex over bumps like other big pickups they've been in. Sitting in the driveway it's still looks big but understanding it has become kind of a hobby, something that this forum really helps with, and I can't think of another vehicle that I'd rather have.

 

nice post- i went and test drove the dodge again today. i like it more and more, every time i drive it!! of course the saleman are trying to get me to buy a more expensvie one of the lot-but it looks like i am going to order the one i want

 

I have a 98 toyota tacoma that I drive back & forth to work & to the store or to pick up the little woman from work. It's dependable, economical & easy to get around mall parking lots. I don't worry about door bangers & such.
BUT it's just not as fun to drive as my ctd. Any trip over 20 miles the Dodge comes out of her cozy little 24'x32' shop & keeps the soot cleaned out of her.

 

large-marge,

Don't know if it is the same on our trucks, but I was surprised years ago to find that to be the case on my Ford gasser. I believe it is due to the torque converter acting as a lower gear until it locks up, but that is only a theory.
I also heard that alot of fleet type businesses have lower repair bills with the autos, but this may just be due to young hotshoe employees rodding the stickshifts.
The feeling I get from my 600 auto is that it is up to anything I will ever ask it to tow, and if I get bored, I could throw it into low range and tug my house off its foundation just for grins

 

RJM022: Any luck with the truck? I drove mine a little today, and its just an awesome felling driving around in a Cummins . Good luck

Eric

 

no luck!! still waiting on mine!! it was suppose to make it to the dealer on the 12th. i have been tacking it via the rail line. i called on the 12th, it said it would be the 14th. then, it was the 15th!! i am hoping to have it by the end of next week!! i have a ton of stuff i have already boughten for her!! i can't wait much longer!!

 

Let us know when you get it. Good luck

Eric