I call her Bessy - the successor to Betsy, my 1999 Dodge Ram. Bessy is a '01 1500 model 2WD Dodge Ram with a 5.2 liter engine. Her standard exterior is a silver finish which has handled 10+ years of blazing desert sun exposure like an absolute champion. The V8 engine still fires proudly and purrs boastfully as she sails down the freeway. Much like my '99, these trucks never ceased to amaze me with the amount of torque available when and if needed. For big heavy machines, they are surprisingly fast off of the line. I chose to go with a 2nd Dodge Ram after experiencing a blow out on the I-10 freeway in Palm Springs at 2:00am on my way home from LA with 2 girlfriends in tote (one was 5 months pregnant). Being a relatively inexperienced 19 yr old driver, when my left rear tire blew out I over compensated for the pitch, lost control, and went tumbling end over end. At least 3 times it was flipped and eventually came to a stop upside down with a small smoldering fire in the under carriage. Long story short, truck was totaled; however, my two girlfriends (+ fetus) and myself were perfectly fine short of some minor road rash and a fat lip. Seriously, that was it. Did I mention that one of my girlfriends was in the back of my quad cab not wearing a seat belt? She was not the pregnant one, but was the one to come out of this with a fat lip. Safety is very important to me and fter seeing what it protected us from the next day in the impound lot, "if" I would be getting another Dodge Ram wasn't even a question. Bessy now has about 130K miles on her. Original engine and transmission. Last transmission flush (within last 2K miles) was the first time there's been any report of metal in the fluid. First signs of tranny breakdown. Thankfully, still seeming to function just fine.

According to my own personal experience with the 2015 Dodge Ram 1500 pick up truck, the gas mileage is lackluster compared to newer models. I think I got like maybe 15 MPG, depending on traffic and whether I was on the highway. It was an automatic, which they say that automatics have more mechanical issues than manual, but I never did. My dad on the other had to deal with the hydraulics on his manual 2015 Dodge Ram. The truck was used for commuting and hauling lawn equipment for my brother's company. My oldest brother managed to parallel park a trailer with it. He was real pleased with himself. The truck didn't always start right so I had to start it in 3rd gear some times. I had my bosses mechanic fix it. It was a gas guzzler. I think I spent over $250.00 a month just in gas when I was hauling my brother's lawn equipment around, which, thankfully, he reimbursed me for. It wasn't much to look at. Its color is so faded that you couldn't tell if it was silver or some kind of brown mixed with something else. All in all, it's been good to me though. I probably just got lucky with it. Every time I hear somebody else talk about their old beat up used car they're going on and on about the unexpected costs.