Best older Dodge pickup for daily use?

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VSTwister

VSTwister

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So I'm looking into the idea of getting another truck. My Dakota isn't going to last much longer (due to rust) and it's phyically too small for some hauling jobs.

I want cheap but reliable and easy to work on. So I'm thinking 1st Gen Dodge Ram 100-150. Definite musts are:

V8
8ft long bed

Questions:
Carbureted or FI? I was leaning towards FI for better gas mileage and easier startup, especially in winter months of Ohio. This is causing me to lean towards 88-93 years of the Ram.

4WD or 2WD? I'm going for 2WD right now, it's less expensive and few parts to break. I'm not planning on going off-road, nor driving it in snowstorms or using it to plow.

What is best engine for towing power, particularly if it comes to towing trailer/car? I prefer a 318 myself, had many of those and I'm just used to them. This is secondary to have the serious towing power, but since I'm looking I might as well ask. Biggest engine in these years of Rams was the 360 I believe, but unless it's worth it for towing, I'd rather have the more gas miser 318. Perhaps it's a moot point unless I'm looking to go older year with a big block, or a diesel, etc...

(I'm not even opposed to looking at /6 trucks except except it seems obvious it won't be a towing machine.)

Oh and to add a bit about tranny. Prefer auto but manual isn't out of the question (or should it be?). I figure as long as it's a 727 or 904 torqueflite, I'm happy with that.

So any input/thoughts are appreciated. And last question...what do you all drive for this type of use?
 
I'm not a big fan of the 88-91 throttle body injection systems. Had and seen too many that will rev to high heavens, and just not do what they are suppose to do. I would say anything 1987 on down (carbureted), or '92 and above. 1999 or above you will get a better overdrive tranny. '87 on down you would be getting a good ole' 727. Just my 2 cents, I would look for a '99 or above. Why? Because fuel injection is nice, especially in the winter, A/C is nice, OD is nice if you want to travel 70 mph, and these years are very easy to get, and price matches condition.
 
IF you get a carbed truck, invest in a NEW carb, not a rebuilt. Especially in the northern climates. I bought a NEW carb for my truck (stock electric Facet style magnetic check valve pump) and in any weather, I pump it once and it lights off before the motor goes 1 revolution. Itll start faster than EFI. Mileage may vary but a NEW carb runs pretty clean.

PS. older carbed trucks dont have O2 sensors, and at ~60-200 a pop, thats a big pill to swallow if they go bad or when you have to smog them and they are bad.
 
This was my thinking for going older. Easy to work on, less stuff like expensive O2 sensors to replace.

I do like the idea of OD trans but '99 up will be cheaper than some old 80's Ram that was well taken care of? When I mean cheap, I'm saying like under $2k. I've seen some decent trucks in that price range (at least going by online photos and descriptions) and I figure any issues with a pickup from simpler times I can fix without too much expense.

I'm open to opinions on whether it's worth it or not on that budget too...
 
318willrun said:
I'm not a big fan of the 88-91 throttle body injection systems. Had and seen too many that will rev to high heavens, and just not do what they are suppose to do. I would say anything 1987 on down (carbureted), or '92 and above. 1999 or above you will get a better overdrive tranny. '87 on down you would be getting a good ole' 727. Just my 2 cents, I would look for a '99 or above. Why? Because fuel injection is nice, especially in the winter, A/C is nice, OD is nice if you want to travel 70 mph, and these years are very easy to get, and price matches condition.
Click to expand...

This is when they went "Magnum" motor, correct? What method of aspiration did they use for 92-93 1st Gen Rams?
 
I have had outstanding use out of an 89 (tbi 360) 4x4 power ram le and my 87 w250 (carb 360) 4x4 4speed. I have not spoken to anyone who has had a hard time with theirs. Very good model years. Neither one squeeks or rattles to this day. A/C always works. They always fire right up.
 
Have you considered the 80s Diesels?
With how bad *** the older diesels are it would be a no brainer to me, long bed, extra cab and no smog.
 
I had an 81 D100 with a carbed slant six . Ex Forestry truck 50gal tank. Bought it with 160000 miles, put a new carb & battery in, & sold it with 350000 miles ten years ago. The guy I sold it to, still has it at 450000. He just recently put a trans in.

Temperature here gets down to -40F & stays around -20F for weeks in the winter. Used 5W30 in winter & 15W40 in summer. New plugs every fall. Never had any problems starting, pump twice & turn key. 80 MPH all day.

No need for fuel injection or ECUs either. Just keep it well tuned & use low viscosity oil in winter.
 
tml1138 said:
This is when they went "Magnum" motor, correct? What method of aspiration did they use for 92-93 1st Gen Rams?
Click to expand...

92 318 is magnum, 93 360 is magnum. Many, many of these are out there with 250,000 miles or much higher. My 99 Durango has the 318. It has 186,*** miles on it. I have changed the water pump, and that is it on the motor/tranny. I did put 2 new front wheel hub assemblies on it. I did everything myself. Still drive it everyday.

P.S. I like all the old dodge trucks. I am not against any of them. You just have to way out all the things that are important to you. The easiest truck I have had to work on was a 1970 dodge d100. When I opened the hood, half the fender is raised with it. The top of the fenders are about a foot wide and made excellent work benches... lol
 
My dad took a 1/2 ton extended cab long bed TBI truck and installed a 360/727 combo. He took a rotted out camper 9000 trucks one ton suspension and installed it under the 1/2 ton.

You could take a 3/4 ton front suspension out of a D series pickup, and the axle and leafs out of a RAM 2500 and probably end up with the same truck, AS LONG AS THE RAM 2500 LEAFS WILL FIT. I am not sure on that part, thats why I put it in bold. If they wouldnt fit you would have to find some springs that would, but you could still use the 2500 full floating axle.

EDIT: My dads 360 was edelbrock carbed.
 
i drive a 1992 d250 cummins. 8 foot bed single cab manual transmission

good mileage, good driving and has over 300,000 miles no rebuild

we use to have a 76 /6 powered short bed short cab to town a stock car with.
pulled a 8,000 pound trailer no problems all day, but we also had no mountains. no idea what rear end gear was in it tho
 
Thanks everyone for the responses, keep em comin...

My Dakota is a 95 with Magnum 318. Has 248k on it and still runs. Not as smooth as it once was, and it's been mainly chasing emissions stuff that has been any problems I've had with running issues. It wants to stutter-step when cruising low speeds and rpms, especially coasting along when you let off the gas. Replaced water pump, coil, and clutch in the manual trans, along with other small regular maintenance stuff but that's it.

But I digress. The issue is the rust and the fact that I want a full size truck for hauling (both car and non-car related), and I want it as low-maintenance and as easy to work on as possible. Less fancy options the better, except I wouldn't mind having working A/C, lol.
 
318willrun said:
92 318 is magnum, 93 360 is magnum. Many, many of these are out there with 250,000 miles or much higher. My 99 Durango has the 318. It has 186,*** miles on it. I have changed the water pump, and that is it on the motor/tranny. I did put 2 new front wheel hub assemblies on it. I did everything myself. Still drive it everyday.

P.S. I like all the old dodge trucks. I am not against any of them. You just have to way out all the things that are important to you. The easiest truck I have had to work on was a 1970 dodge d100. When I opened the hood, half the fender is raised with it. The top of the fenders are about a foot wide and made excellent work benches... lol
Click to expand...

Yes I know all about the longevity and reliability of the Magnums. See my above post on that.

The only things I care about that it must be is long bed. Not looking for the more popular short bed show truck. Just simplicity when working on it, low-maintenance, and that it drives and hauls.

Preferences that are on the top of my list are rust-free (within reason, serious rust/rot I mean) a 318 motor and good price.

After that would be lower mileage, auto tranny (I hear ya on the OD it would be nice to be highway friendly), and working A/C.

Last would be heavy-duty towing ability (which may necessitate something more than a 318 but I don't really know). I don't plan on doing a lot of it, but there could be a need to take a car/trailer here and there in my future. Again that depends on the reality of that situation. If a major heavy-duty diesel truck is the way to go there, then I'll find an alternative for such rare occurences.

My dad had a '70 or '71 D100. Would be happy with one of those but my concern is age for a "daily driver", and the initial cost. I figure there's more demand for an early 70's vs 80's/early 90's.
 
Honestly, with a $2,000 budget you are most likely end up with somebody's junk.
Buy as new as you can, with no rust.
You live in the rust belt, so watch craigslist daily.

Looked a long time for the same truck you are looking for, except the need to tow for my dad a couple of months ago.

Dad ended up with a clean, rust, dent free F-150 with 126,000 miles.
v-6 5-speed 2wd with air $4600.00 cash.
Just giving you an idea of what the market is now.
 
I don't drive it daily but I do use it weekly, and sometimes daily in the snow. It's an 87 chassis with a carb and MSD. Starts first time, every time. If I was going to get something for daily use I'd get either a mid 80s 6' bed with a 225 and 4spOD, or and 8' bed with a 318 and auto with lock up. Either can be tuned, parts are cheap, and the trucks themselves are cheap.
 
I have an 84 D150, that I brought back home with me from Saskatchewan. Original, slight surface rust. The reason I bought it is similar to your reasons...mainly the ease of working on it. The factory 360 4bbl makes it a petroleum elephant! I rebuilt the factory TQ carb and the mileage still sucks. Be lucky to get 18 MPG. Cool thing about the truck is AC, cruise and tilt all work great. Im thinking of either going EFI or pulling the 360 for a 318.
 
Daily driving my '77 D100 now while working on my '64 Dart. It's a plain jane, orange longbed with a tired old 318 auto. The carb is absolute junk and is getting horrible mileage, but she cranks right up every day and gets me any where I need to go. I only gave $600 for the truck but wouldn't sell it for the world! I actually sold my 2012 Ram after I found this one!
 
tml1138 said:
Yes I know all about the longevity and reliability of the Magnums. See my above post on that.

The only things I care about that it must be is long bed. Not looking for the more popular short bed show truck. Just simplicity when working on it, low-maintenance, and that it drives and hauls.

Preferences that are on the top of my list are rust-free (within reason, serious rust/rot I mean) a 318 motor and good price.

After that would be lower mileage, auto tranny (I hear ya on the OD it would be nice to be highway friendly), and working A/C.

Last would be heavy-duty towing ability (which may necessitate something more than a 318 but I don't really know). I don't plan on doing a lot of it, but there could be a need to take a car/trailer here and there in my future. Again that depends on the reality of that situation. If a major heavy-duty diesel truck is the way to go there, then I'll find an alternative for such rare occurences.

My dad had a '70 or '71 D100. Would be happy with one of those but my concern is age for a "daily driver", and the initial cost. I figure there's more demand for an early 70's vs 80's/early 90's.
Click to expand...
I guess you asked for opinions, so I gave mine. Not trying to talk you into anything. I will say, late 80's dodge trucks that are almost rust free are not as cheap as you hope. Maybe 2800 will get ya one. It seems like your using the process of elimination, so you have narrowed it down to what ya want. All that's left is to go find it.
 
pishta said:
IF you get a carbed truck, invest in a NEW carb, not a rebuilt. Especially in the northern climates. I bought a NEW carb for my truck (stock electric Facet style magnetic check valve pump) and in any weather, I pump it once and it lights off before the motor goes 1 revolution. Itll start faster than EFI. Mileage may vary but a NEW carb runs pretty clean.

PS. older carbed trucks dont have O2 sensors, and at ~60-200 a pop, thats a big pill to swallow if they go bad or when you have to smog them and they are bad.
Click to expand...

The learn burn trucks have sensors. At least the ones with feedback carbs. The O2 sensors for those are only about $20 but good luck getting a learn burn to run correctly regardless. I'd do what you said and replace the learn burn feedback carb with a new regular carb and junk the lean burn setup. That is if the state allows it.
 
Yeah I THINK I know what it is I want. Lol. Just checking to see if I'm way off base for what I want the truck for. I say daily, but as moper said it would be more like weekly for me as well.

My son's friend bought an '89 Ram about a year ago, 2WD, 318, auto, 8' bed, 170k miles. I've not seen it so I can't say what the overall condition is, but he says all that's wrong with it is a broken motor mount and the gear indicator on the steering wheel doesn't work. He paid $800 for it. He's thinking about selling so I'm interested if he does, but my son says if he sells he's going to ask $1400 for it.

Just an example of what can be found here I guess, unless he got really lucky on a deal. I'd be happy with something just like his but would prefer lower mileage. I'd pay accordingly too, based off his purchase price.
 
I got this one. 88 D350. Last year with a carb and no cats.8500# GVW. I was lucky and was at the right place at the right time. $500 but it had a blown 360. I got a used 318 in it now and drive it everyday.Solid and reliable.I don't drive more than 200 miles a week or so,, milage is around 10 but it is packin' 4.10's out back and will tow anything.It may be worth for you to find something out of the rust belt. Shipping is around $600-$1000 but worth every penny for no rust."OR" As they say,, "Fly in , Drive home". Just a thought ..
 

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Old school 2500 or 3500, Cummins. I wouldn't own anything but a diesel anymore. I've had 4 now.

20-25mpg average, longevity and reliability, power, no emissions.

Not sure where your at in Ohio but prices start around 2,500$ and up.
 
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