Buyer's Advice??

I am going to be buying a Ram 1500. I think I have pretty much made up my mind on a '06 with the 5.7 HEMI. I will be driving a lot of miles (daily driver) but don't feel like going with the 4.7 is enough of a trade off just for a little better mileage (agree / disagreeh)?

Do all '06 5.7 HEMI's have MDS? IF not, whats the easiest way to verify if they do or not? I believe this was the 1st year MDS was offered in this vehicle... have there been any chronic or known problems with it?

The truck will probably have around 30K on it... Anything chronically bad around this mileage I should look out for?

I have been told that the auto tranny in the 1500 rams will need to be rebuilt by 100K, especially if towing? I will tow a 4000 lbs. boat, only on weekends in the summer time? Agree / disagree?

Are the front ends in these trucks notorious for going bad early?

Thanks for any help or advice!!!

Well, looks like all '06 5.7 HEMIs and up have MDS...

Would really appreciate any info / advice from any of you that have expierence with this vehicle.... Thanks!

A Ram is a pretty good pick for a pickup truck. My whole life, our family and I have relied on them, and they've never failed. The main thing about modern Rams is basically... "that thing gotta Hemi?"

Just like the tongue-in-cheek commericals, a lot of people typically look at the Hemi plaque on the side, and in all their intellectual glory, ask if the truck has a hemi. I own a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quadcab (or is it crewcab?) pickup with the 5.7 L Hemi V8 345hp 375 lb ft torque Dodge Magnum engine, and I can tell you people look at your car with more respect if it has one.

Since I needed a truck capable of towing about 7500 lbs for short distances, the Light Duty Ram with a 5.7 was for me. If your pickup is strictly for going from point A to B, a smaller engine with a better price tag might be more suitable. It's up to you. If you basically want to impress people, get a Hemi.

Regarding the mileage, one thing I love about my Ram is that it has never had any problems despite 45K+ miles. In fact, the only real issue I had is that the power steering was once a little squeaky, but it was easily fixed by adding in Pwr Steering fluid. However, it really depends on the level of care it got from the previous owner, and how much care you provide. Check the crome wheels on the tires for pitting. The plastic shift stick on oOne of our older Rams eventually cracked after it was 6 years old. While that didn't happen on my current one, be sure to check that over, I guess. Also, check the battery. After mine was about 3-4 years old, the batt suddenly died on me. Turned out the cells that were normally underwater in battery acid had been exposed to a small amount of air (from evaporation of the acid I think) and it just killed the battery. Totally random, but ever since I'm damn sure to check batteries on potential buys. One more thing, I heard about one guy's Ramhead plaque on the front falling off. Be sure to check if that sucker is snug. Same with the hemi plaques.

The front of my Ram looks like the day I bought it. Then again, I'm fanatical about cleaning and waxing so it really depends on a whole lot like not only previous care or random incidents, but also climate and overall conditions. I do believe that the Rams with Hemi engines have bigger hoods than the Rams with 4.7s.