The year is 2008. Things are looking grim for the global auto industry and the rest of the financial world. Gas prices are climbing, sending buyers to small cars en masse. The North American International Auto Show in Detroit was still in January, and Dodge was there with a new Ram 1500 pickup truck for 2009. And 16 years later, that pickup truck is still on sale.
Yes, the fourth-generation Dodge Ram that debuted at the show that year is still available as a new truck today. The Ram 1500 Classic will live for the 2024 model year, a Ram spokesperson confirmed to Motor1. You won’t find it on the automaker’s website just yet, but we’ve been assured that details are being sussed out before the 2024 configurator goes live.
As for those details, that’s something we don’t have information on at this time. For 2023, the Ram 1500 Classic was available in just two trims: work-friendly Tradesman and macho-ready Warlock. Of those, the Tradesman offered buyers an old-school single-cab/long box layout, along with Quad and Crew Cab configurations. The Warlock was Quad or Crew only.
Small changes to options are possible, but considering this is a 16-year-old platform, don’t expect any ground-shattering adjustments. Both trims have a standard-issue 3.6-liter V6 with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 offered as an upgrade. An eight-speed automatic handles the power, and though the bones date to the end of the George W. Bush era, there’s a 7.0-inch touchscreen in the center stack. And there are buttons. Lots of buttons.
The suspected lack of changes also means the base price likely won’t change much, either. Frankly, it’s the reason the Ram 1500 Classic is still a thing. 2023 models started at $34,340, including Ram’s $1,995 destination charge. That’s approximately $6,000 less than the cheapest 2024 Ram 1500, and $4,000 below entry-level F-150s and Silverado 1500s. For cost-conscious buyers wanting a new full-size truck, that makes the Classic a tempting morsel.
Still, when Ram announced the old truck would be built alongside the fifth-gen model back in 2019, no one on staff expected it to stick around this long. With a facelifted (and Hemi-less) Ram coming for 2025, could 2024 finally be the end for the 1500 Classic? Check back with us next year to find out.
