2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 Review

Best Truck, Ever

Written by: Mark on 03/17/2008

Vehicle

2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 4dr Quad Cab SLT Rwd LB DRW (5.7L 8cyl 5M)

Review

Having put over 40K on my truck in the last year, I still love it. The 5.9L HO CTD is the strongest engine I have ever owned. Pulls a 14K lb fifth wheel like a dream. The interior is functional and comfortable. At 70K miles, I had to replace all four shocks and had to have the driveshaft joints replaced. Also, had to replace the roof marker lights as they cracked and leaked rain water into the cab. Small problems aside, I will never own another brand of truck as long as Dodge stays with Cummins!

Favorite Features

Great looks. I get compliments all the time. Unstoppable engine. Average of 18 - 20 MPG unladen. Average of 15 - 17 MPG laden (7 tons) Plush interior seats have super thick cushions, great for long hauls.

Suggested Improvements

Better quality shocks. Comes with twin tube shocks, but monotube would be better. According to local mechanic, most owners have found the stock shocks to be unsatisfactory for towing & heavy loads. Since that is why one buys a 1 ton truck, come on Dodge!

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Nice truck.....but

Written by: Adrien on 02/14/2008

Vehicle

2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 4dr Quad Cab SLT 4WD LB DRW (5.7L 8cyl 5M)

Review

Overall, not a bad truck, but not the greatest. It's got tons of power, and has really good fuel mileage at the same time(22 mpg). The interior is ok, except for that cheap plastic look. Its a rough ride though, but its a one tonne. The odd sized tires are bad too, go for 16's again. Also, the body paneling is very thin, you look at it, its dented. I want to get a new truck because the 2004 and 2005 Rams were the worst when it comes to reliability, proved that one with this truck. It will probably be a new 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 or a GMC 3500. I hear those trucks aren't too bad.

Favorite Features

The Cummins, what do you expect? Its a really good motor, but the truck itself is garbage for 2004 and 2005.

Suggested Improvements

This isn't the most reliable truck. It put us on the side of the road three times. The fuel pump went, the universal joint and its starting to go again, and the injector lines split. The rear door locks dont work and rear driver side window too. This is a wiring harness problem Dodge is famous for.

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

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3 Years and 57,000 miles later...

Written by: Go_Vols on 03/14/2007

Vehicle

2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 4dr Quad Cab Laramie 4WD LB DRW (5.7L 8cyl 5M)

Review

I've really enjoyed this truck. I tow large deck goosenecks around town and the country and this engine/tranny/truck combo has been everything I wanted. It's a bit of a pain in town, but that's what you get with a DRW hauler. Only one issue presented itself since purchase, an A/C compressor leak at 36,000 miles. Factory repaired under warranty -- and living in Houston we're pretty hard on A/C units! Tires and maintenance costs are expensive on these rigs, but they pay you back with reliable operation and endless power. The Laramie interior is quite nice, and a relatively inexpensive addition of a JL Audio subwoofer stealth box makes the Infinity sound system sing for those long hauls!

Favorite Features

Cummins 600 - no question the heart and soul of this beast.

Suggested Improvements

Can you put a Ford body on this thing and pull the old 6-speed that ford used behind the 7.3 Powerstroke? That would make this a dream truck... or I guess I might have to buy a Ford and place a Cummins in it... guess you could say I bought a Cummins that happened to come in a nice package from Dodge

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Brute

Written by: ryan on 12/29/2006

Vehicle

2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 4dr Quad Cab SLT 4WD SB (5.9L 6cyl Turbodiesel 6M)

Review

First diesel and will never go back to gasoline. Unbelieveable power, will pull anything you can hitch up. A bonus is the fuel mileage, I get 17-19 around town and get 21-22 on interstate when keeping it around 62- 65 mph, around 2000 rpm. Get above that and it drops to around 18 empty. Pulling my trailer with about 3500- 4000 lbs, I get 15 mpg. Much better than my previous gas truck. Ride is a stiff, but what do you expect from a 1 ton truck. It drives well and is responsive for a big truck. Spend extra for the Infinity sound system, it's worth it. Should also consider more agressive tires if going off road any, stock tires are more for street. So far, not a single problem with the truck.

Favorite Features

Infinity sound system, power plus decent fuel mileage, electronic 4X4

Suggested Improvements

Interior a little plain, but I've noticed they've upgraded in the 06 models, they look nice.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Good Family Truckster

Written by: crash on 02/03/2006

Vehicle

2004 Dodge Ram Pickup 3500 4dr Quad Cab SLT 4WD LB DRW (5.7L 8cyl 5M)

Review

CD player doesn't eject, back up lights don't work, and grab handle broke with 175 lb person lifting themselves in, but the power of the Cummins HO is good, the interior noise level is excellent for a diesel, and the mileage is good. The rear seats are cramped for full size adults, but fine for kids. The six speed manual is a little bit of a pain around town, but when towing it is really nice to know what gear you are in and when you will be shifting. The factory tires only have roughly 10-15,000 miles left on them and I only have 20,000 miles on the truck. Rotate every 5k miles, but they just seem to be cheap tires. So far moderately happy with truck. Paint is a little soft. Scratches easily

Favorite Features

Good power, looks nice, reasonably well built

Suggested Improvements

Grand Cherokee trip computer More power. Camper pkg should be offered. Paint needs to be more durable

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