A leading wealth/business magazine Web site has given the Dodge Ram the dubious honor of being the most overpriced "car" in the U.S., with the Grand Marquis, F-150, Dodge Durango, and GMC Envoy rounding out the top 10. Note that the pickups are the newer platforms among the group.
The Web site examined market price, J.D. Power surveys, Consumer Reports owner satisfaction results, residual value after two years, and a few other parameters, then munched a big spreadsheet out of it. However, Robert Smith, manager of car information products at Consumer Reports, says that "even if the automaker is piling on the incentives and the residuals are embarrassingly low, it's actually not overpriced if you plan to keep the vehicle for a long time." We've never thought of buying or leasing a pickup for just two years, the residual value used in the calculations. And since Ram sales dropped less last year than any pickup (other than the Sierra), apparently no one got the message.
Truck Trend May/June