1997 Dodge Ram 1500 : An Ownership Review

So, I’m going to try my best and write an unbiased review of my Ram. This is my first review. Forgive the length and lack of formatting, I’m on mobile.

Before we begin, here’s a little background. Before 1994, every pickup truck was a box. Every one. Ram, Chevrolet, F-Series. Everything. Trucks weren’t desirable. They were workhorses and that’s it. But, wait- 1994. Here comes the redesigned Ram 1500. It- it’s not a box! It’s actually attractive! And like Regular Car Reviews said, “The F150- was a better truck. The Silverado- was a better truck. But the Ram- it sold.”. Chrysler set a precedent by making such a bulky, attractive truck.

So, to the review itself - This is my 1997 Dodge Ram 1500.
It has -

• a 5.2 liter (318) ci Magnum V8 engine. Good for 220 HP, and 295 lb.ft of twist. Mine has a bit more power.
• an absolute crap 4 speed automatic, the main weak link in these Rams. Mine has been rebuilt and is fairly new.
• Rear drum/ front disc brakes. Rear wheel ABS only.
• a sweeeeeet sounding dual exhaust. Magnaflow, it sounds mean as hell on startup and is louuud on acceleration.

The engine pulls hard all the way to redline and shifts are silky smooth for such a high-mileage vehicle. Faster than you’d think. I’ve got over 227,000 miles racked up on her.

The interior? Well, you don’t buy a 90’s Ram or a 90’s Dodge at all for the interior. To keep it simple, my dash is shattered into a million pieces and half of it is practically missing. Chrysler built dashboards out of this crap plastic composite material and it quickly becomes brittle and cracks (if you’re lucky, that’s all it does.) with the slightest bump. Mine is covered so it’s not much of a problem or an eyesore. I’ve got a Pioneer single stack head unit in it. It’s got covered vinyl seats which are in surprisingly good condition but covered because I don’t want them to crack. It has a back seat that’s not really usable unless the front seats are moved forward.

Why do I love this truck? Well, it’s my first car. It’s got a V8. It’s fun but not enough to get me in trouble. It’s stupid easy to work on; I’ve done the majority of the work needed on this truck myself. It’s bulletproof. Starts first time, every time, and has never let me down. For awhile , it was the most reliable thing my family owned. When I got tossed the keys, I think I was the happiest person alive.

This 20 year old piece of American engineering gives me freedom, fun, and honestly keeps me sane and for that reason I will always love this truck. Thanks for reading guys, there are more photos in my Garage.