Probably (in my opinion) the most underrated truck dodge ever built.

The styling of these trucks have aged like fine wine. Even yours, has a nice PATINA!

I actually have an '01 2500 2×4. It has the 5.9 360 in it. It had only 92.000 miles on it and now has just over 100.000 on it. Runs 👍 great

I’ve spent the last two years restoring my ‘96. I’d much rather put money into it than spending money on a newer one. Dodge had it right with the second gen.

Don't forget what a tectonic shock the exterior design of this truck was. Put it next to a contemporary Ford or Chevy and there is no comparison whatsoever. I don't think trucks ever got any better looking than this. Nothing ever stood out from its peers to the same degree at the very least. I recall seeing early (Edward Hermann "The New Dodge") commercials for these and rolling my eyes--they want to make a pickup truck look like a Kenworth? That's stupid! Then I saw one in real life and I fell in love damned near immediately. Ultimately ordered a 4x4 sport quad cab 360 in November 1997. It was delivered in January 1998 and is still with me today, a couple weeks short of 24 years later.

I've got a 2002 2500 4x4 sport, the last of the 2nd gen body styles. I really think the desirably of these 2nd gens will pick up in the next few years.

The year is 2024 now and I still have my 1996 Dodge Ram Sport 5.2 Gasser gone through one transmission 260,000 miles on the engine runs like a dream

Dodge trucks have always been my favorite. All I've driven for 17 years. I love that 1500 long box. That front bumper is beyond hard to find. (Brush Guard) The 2nd gens are my absolute favorite. The manual is just the cherry on top. However on the 2nd gen I'd go for an automatic because now a rebuild/replacement unit even with labor is not very expensive. As far as auto repair costs go. That a long with ball joints and the dashboard are the biggest problems. Everything else seems to be general maintenance. Just found your channel seems awesome can't wait to watch the intrepid video as it is my all-time favorite car. Hope the Dodge Ram is still doing well.

got the same truck. a 98's with a quarter million miles on it. I still love it, looks showroom new under the hood, and obviously the outside, like any gen 2 needs paint help. haven't had any real issues yet, it starts first try every day, and does everything it did new, the dash has chipped away thanks to Dodge's wonderful formula for the dashboards on the gen2. 4wd still works, bed is perfect, no rust anywhere, a few dents from my dad abusing it literally driving over his girlfriends car to get out of the garage, lol. wonderful truck, tons of room, the 5.2l could use some bolt ons, torque is still ok, but hp is definitely down into the under 200 area. I inherited it, and paid off my dad's debt, so I guess I'm kind of stuck with it. they really are the best bang for the buck, BUT you have to shop around, they're in every range of condition, but finding a good one for around $2-3k is easy, there's SO many of them lol. Automatic with O/D is the def the way to go. will cruise comfortably at 80mph all day, I know because I've done it many times. you get about 13mpg on average, 15 if you're doing 55 for a distance, so yeah, not the best there at all. but for a local runner, it's unbeatable. yeah they're SUPER comfortable to drive ^^ that is true too hehe, and that back seat is plenty big to sleep in if you ever need it.

She’s long. But very underrated and over criticized. Good for fans, cheap!

these trucks are good deals to buy. they do have there problems Dash, sensors etc but i see many issues are due to the owner not doing proper maintance. and not cleaning under it and . i see the engine and under the truck dirty rusty this can cause so many issues. when i lived in Wyoming i would clean under my trucks every month to keep the rust/salt off and always greased what needed to be both dif`s done every couple years (depended on miles) still have my 99 ram and just replaced the transmission other than that its been every sensor on the truck at one time needed replaced. and with 250,000 miles im not complaining.

I'm fixin to buy a 1998 5.2 automatic for $2600. It's a little beat up on the outside, but the engine and transmission are strong. Happy to finally own a second gen

Nice truck to drive around in.

I’ve had a 1998 12 valve Cummins and a 2000 ram 1500 manual with the 318. Still have my 318 and sold the Cummins. This truck is extremely reliable and the 318 will last forever if you do the standard maintenance and are willing to change a water pump once in awhile, but they are extremely cheap. I have almost 160k on mine and the only issues have been a water pump, wheel bearing and an abs sensor. A friend of mine has the 318 with almost 500k on it and the only issues have been water pumps and a sensor. Not a big deal though. They are easy to get to and cost like 50 bucks. The only down side is the gas mileage is way worse than what they advertise, but it’s a big truck so it’s to be expected. I lucked out and the paint on mine has held up but the dash was a different story lol

man I miss my teen and early 20 years. Only vehicle could be an old jalopy of a truck but no one cares because its just you. Drove my 1993 silverado 4.3 5 speed with well over 200k 4 hours to see my buddies at college. His face seeing me pull up in was priceless. Never missed a beat though there and back.

I own a 2001 1500 Dodge Ram 2001 Manual and it's a novelty to only have the basics; heating and air-conditioning and roll up handle to roll up your window instead of the electrical power windows. I've owned cars with all the bells and whistles but when I got this truck I was happy with getting very little but having the reliability. I got it for $200.00 and put in 5k and it's super reliable.

I love my 98 Dodge Ram 4 x 4 paid 2500 for it 2 yrs ago

Have owned about 5 Second gen rams. Absolutely the most reasonable price compared to Chevy or Ford.

Try LMC Truck for a new well build dashboard and bezel. That cupholder comes free. Geno's garage has a lot of great parts for your truck as well. My truck is an SLT with the V10 it has 248000K on the clock I have a 4th gen as my daily driver so the 2nd gen is something I drive for fun and enjoy learning to update and repair.

Really good review 👍 not like every other person that complains dodge things every other company has thier issues as well but dodge seems to be picked at all the time 😂

I just bought a 1995 Ram 1500. Dash is in Peaces...has rebuilt engine with 230K miles on the clock. .got a great deal..as you said 🇺🇲🍻

Okay so I bought a 97 Dodge Ram 1500 club cab with a 5.9 l in it from the original owner for $800 i love the truck it starts every time no matter what yes it has its problems but it is the most reliable vehicle I own the truck will still spin its tires the damn thing has it original ac compressor in it and the ac blows cold

Bro I’m not talkin shit but you can be a elf no lie I think it’s cool as hell

Dodge are always good if they have the 5speed

In my 96 I found out one good thing about where the cup holder is. It's a good spot to put a spectrum analyzer EQ

if you're not hauling weight, go for the gen 2 1500 sport with the 5.2l magnum. if you need it for real work duty, you NEED to get one with a 5.6l mileage will suffer, but the difference in power is noticeable immediately, unless you're willing to do the work yourself, and add some power to the 5.2l, it's not that hard, but you need mechanical knowledge obviously. but imo, the best gen 2 find is a great condition 1500 sport with the 5.2l, you can drive them 250k miles and then across the country again if you want, the 5.2l magnum is a very under stressed, under rated engine, and parts are crazy cheap.

This truck impacted the truck forever

I’ve had my 2001 1500 with a 5.2L for almost 4 years now, and I’ve put almost 42K miles on it. I got it for 1700 bucks back then. Knock on wood, the trucks never let me down. It’s almost got 200K miles on it. I’ve gone a lot of places with it, done work with it, moved a lot of things for people etc. I’m definitely gonna keep it til it dies... if it dies that is, hell maybe I’d even cummins swap it.

You say it’s rusty but where is it rust other then the bumper

I have a 1997 SST. Hard to come by. Only manufactured in 97 and 98. 5.9L it has 205000 miles and going strong. Yes I can buy a new truck, but no way.

Damn you live where I’m from I noticed the zx gas station then say the crystal city signs lol.

2nd Gen Ram have good auto transmission too if you maintain right but bulletproof them with beefy transmission parts and it will last forever!

If you don't have one get a death wobble brace other than that there pretty good truck's

Oh yeah cracked dash yup always a perk

Can you fetch a skid of concrete with thst truck, 1skid=56 bags of 60lbs=3340lbs

I have a 98 with 5.9 engine. Everything except the transmission is in excellent working condition. It's for sale! Seems the only transmission solution is to convert it to a 5 speed manual. It can be done, however way too much work & money for me. 😎🔥

Just picked up a 96 1500 magnum there was a family of mice in the top part of the hood

97 1500 4x4 284000 miles still going like an Energizer Bunny

Replace the torque converter and transmission screen then see what happens

Own 2 of them they are money pits your lucky to have gotten a 5 speed I had to swap mine went to a nv3500 but it was 2 weak for what I wanted and swapped it out for a nv4500

I have a rolled one.2001. I need cab n fenders. Lol 😮washington state 😮

I want the 2nd gen only with the 5.2L

How do you trade?

I found 5 speed. 5.9 new tires.1900. Year 2024. Yahoo. I was jus looking for cab for my rolled one. Lol. Camp with junk camper on back I can use next summer. Lol . Could not find truck 🛻 under 4 grand. Before. Be patient. But look lots. 😮

BRO THATS NOT EVEN RUSTY TAKE A LOOK AT MY 3RD GEN for example the bed is really rusted out lol, i love every part about it, the main fram is totally fine for some reason

2 years and 17,5k miles I put 15k on mine in 3 months going job to job and back home

How much r the trucks

140k on mine. Only thing mine needs is better gas mileage

Your truck looks just like mine except mine is an automatic I had the transmission rebuilt and it runs and shifts like a Cadillac

Have had my Ford do 10 years oil brakes one plugs 😂😂😂

Do you have it still? Want to sell it?

I miss driving stick shift

Were is the rust ?

I love the truck

👍how is ride

Best move trading a ford for a dodge smart

Would I regret selling my 2nd gene that has 90,000 miles but I put so much money in it should I keep it or no?

Love these trucks the 5.2 and 5.9 are urtra reliable with the love and basic maintenance, the only downfall of the second gen is rust problems if u live in the rust belt and dont do shit about it the whole thing would rust away in a couple years😂😂 lol

Considering listening to your story that you appear to want to restore it and put some love into it, you need to be aware of the infamous Dodge death wobble, look into upgraded aftermarket upper and lower ball joints, these trucks and notorious to eat them. Is a chassis stiffener that goes from the steering box to the opposite chassis rail that stiffens the front end also. Check every steering component and replace with upgraded aftermarket parts. Everything you buy needs to be made in America, your life depends on it 👍 I've got a 97 with a 360 four-wheel drive, but now has 200,000 miles and it's still going but with a lot of electric annoying problems. I use this truck for rough service use because I don't really care about it 😂 my everyday truck is a 97 GMC k3500 that in my opinion is much more dependable and much better put together. Ford on the other hand in that same generation is a complete pile of crap 👍 you did an excellent job in your review and keep up the good work and good luck with your truck ☮️🇺🇲

They have a greatest body style of any other truck and it's not even close. And they are very cheap. Really bad gas mileage. Not very reliable, but reliable enough if you're not hard on it. Ball joints go bad. Rockers and cab corners rust out. Steering can get so loose that it's dangerous. Oil sending units, heater cores, AC compressors go bad, brake cylinders, brake lines rust, vacuum leaks etc. etc. Thought my dash wouldn't crack, but it finally did a year ago. Mine uses oil (who cares) and mysterious loss of antifreeze. As long as the tranny holds up at least I can pull my boat with mine. Just check your fluids and your tire wear often and you can milk one of these old beast for a while. No reason to drive one of these to your office job when you can get a mid size care that gets nearly 34 mpg compared to like 13 with this thing.

you keep calling your truck rusty but I have yet to see any rust

I got a ford ad

Too bad it never came in 4 door

There called trucks for a reason, gas Milledgeville isint one of them lol

that looks like my dad truck his a v8