Used Ram for Sale in Philadelphia, PA

Although Ram Trucks emerged as a brand only in 2010, the vehicles they make go way back. Spanning five long generations, the first Ram was envisioned by Dodge in 1980. These cars are marketed as THE trucks — for real truck customers. Most of the newer models are also utilizing a manual gearbox, which became a sort of a selling point as most of their competitors switched to an automatic.

Looking at their current motto — that is, “Guts. Glory. Ram” — you cannot help but wonder, just how faithfully Rams can stick to these promises of risk and reward? Moreover, how reliable are used Rams? Should I discard the thought of buying an older Dodge Ram model that was made before the 2010’s rebranding? And where can I find reliable used Ram dealerships near me?

Let’s answer all these questions and also do a quick review of the signature strengths and weaknesses possessed by Ram Trucks. 

The first thing to note is that Ram trucks come in five generations, with the first generation being the oldest. Cars from the older generations tend to be cheaper and perhaps a bit worn out by time. This is especially important if you are looking for a used Ram for sale.

• the first generation is 1981–1993
• the second generation in 1994–2002
• the third generation is 2002–2009
• the fourth generation is 2009–present
• the fifth generation made its debut in 2019

Generally speaking, all cars within one generation will share a distinct set of traits associated with them. For example, most vehicles from the fourth generation are using manual transmission. The second and the third generations are notable for their Ram 2500 and 3500 models, which can be found swaggering those gargantuan 8.0L Magnum V10 engines. 

Almost all generations of Rams have won multiple accolades — the fifth generation, in particular, is the only truck in history to win Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year award three years in a row. That said, they still can have some rather embarrassing problems.

• 2012 Ram 1500 was notorious for its malfunctioning batteries;
• Ram 1500 was generally somewhat of a jinx, with its 2014 model suffering from transmission problems instead;
• And its 2015 cousin being prone to hard shifting;
• 2019 and 2020 Ram 2500 and 3500 were at some point recalled by Fiat-Chrysler (who currently co-own Ram) due to the risk of fire through the transmission fluid leak.

It goes without saying that you must double-check your used Ram dealer reputation, as well as the repair and maintenance history of your chosen vehicle before buying. Be especially wary of the ‘problematic’ years.

All Ram vehicles are made to provide the feeling of power and comfort to its owner. The first thing you should probably do when choosing is to double-check the ‘good’ and the ‘bad’ years, as the maintenance of faulty used Ram will be extremely costly.

Then it comes to the handling and maintenance. How large do you want your car to be? Rams have very straightforward naming conventions:

• Ram 1500 means the half-ton truck
• Ram 2500 means ¾-ton 
• Ram 3500 means a full ton

If you like a manual transmission, each generation can offer you a model or two, but the fourth generation was specifically made to capitalize on it. 

For those living in Philadelphia, PA, the best used Ram dealer is Rolls Auto Sales, which can be found on Frankford Ave. Here you can always find a good deal on used Ram pickup trucks, even if you have a bad credit history. 

Unfortunately, Ram’s certified pre-owned program vehicles tend to be extremely costly, with price tags being virtually the same both for new and used cars.