I've owned my '97 CTD for more than 20yrs now and am still on my 2nd set of batts.
Bought the Optima redtops back when they were made in Colorado. They lasted through more than a decade of torturous use in the Ram (were fully drained and recharged at least 3-4 times, LOTS of extremely cold starting up in Fraser, CO, etc), then went on to power my 4cyl-Perkins TD Massey backhoe for another few more years before they finally gave it up...
By the time the redtops were done, Optima had been sold to Johnson Controls and production moved to Mexico (I believe)... so I opted for the Diehard platinums to replace them. The ones I have were made in January 2013 and are just now at the end of their lives.

Are there any batteries available today that meet the quality and longevity of these last two sets??

 

As time marches on, our machines and their pieces and parts get a cheaper version of what once was.....I put batteries in my RAM about every 5-6 years here in the Pacific Northwest....I buy Les Schwab premiums and my guy usually gives me some sort of warranty credit. I just figure it as a wear item and fortunately haven't had any cold temp issues as it doesn't usually get that cold around here. Not sure if you have a Les Schwab where you are, but the NAPA guys have always been good to me, too.

Kurt

 

Try a set of group 31 AGM batteries. Optima is not what they use to be.