I am reviewing the 1998 Dodge Ram Van, specifically the 2500 4 door, 15-passenger van.

Some background: I have been driving this van since summer of 2000. When I started working (One of my roles is that of a social worker.) as relief staff for an agency that oversees group homes and supported apartments for mentally ill adults this was the vehicle that I was to drive! It is huge but I never had to get used to it like other staff told me they did. The reason I think is because we had Grand Caravans for many years. The Caravan can’t compare to the size of this monster but I am used to larger vehicles.

What the car has:

Some of the standard equipment that this van comes with includes:
front and rear air conditioning and heating
power steering
tilt steering column
AM/FM/cassette
reclining front bucket seats
15-passenger seating
carpeting,
cloth seats
power windows

The van we have is red (Called Colorado Red) and it is not one I am going to recommend but I’ll get into that later.

Some specifications:

This van is a 5.2-liter V-8 with automatic transmission and rear wheel drive. I would have had no idea about this but I asked one of the guys with whom I work knowing that I should know this to review the van. It gets about 13 miles to the gallon of gas in traffic and 18 miles on the highway. It takes regular unleaded gas.

The van has a lot of space to put things in the front. There are huge pockets on each door; 2 cup holders and additional places to put things in front of the radio and it has a huge compartment that opens in the front also to store items. There is only one cup holder for the second bench.

I am going to concentrate on what it is like to be in this van and to drive it.

The inside:

The van holds 2 people in the front, 3 on the next bench, 3 on the 3rd bench, 3 on the 4th bench and 4 on the last bench. The last bench hits the back window, literally. This is what I don’t understand about the van. (I am writing this review in a very non-technical way, so you auto advisors bear with me.) I can understand my agency buying it because we do take a lot of people at one time various places; however, if there were even 12 people in the van (never mind 15) there is no place and I mean none, to put anything. Sure there is some floor space, but even that is limited.

It is impossible to take more than 6 people grocery shopping, for example, because there is no place to put the groceries. (I have never taken more than 4 people at one time grocery shopping. I have picked up more than 4 from "the clubhouse” but they don’t have anything with them so it works.) I believe there is a maxi van and perhaps that has space between the last bench and the window or on the sides. I don’t know. I do know this one does not.

A positive thing about this van versus others I have driven for the agency is that as a driver I can get into it. The step up is at a good height so I can easily get in. I have driven other smaller vans that were so difficult to get into – I literally had to pull myself up holding on to the steering wheel.

The van has two doors that open on one side. Another thing I can’t understand is how the company expects people to get to the back. You have to be very thin to get to the back bench. I have never driven with 15 people as I said, and honestly, there is no way we could get 15 people in this van. Medication often makes people gain weight and many of our clients are overweight, some extremely so. They would not be able to get farther than the 2nd or 3rd bench. It is also hard to get into the van from the side. There is nothing to hold onto and I find myself feeling as if I have to pull myself up to get in. My clients have an extremely difficult time.

Does that mean for the average very large family this would work? I still don’t see how it can. Although young children will be able to get into the back of the van, if you have 12 or 15 of them each with a backpack they will be crowded.

I have never seen a bench taken out but apparently one of them comes out. My Caravan’s bench was not easy to take out and I can’t imagine how difficult this must be. You need to unscrew some bolts and how the bench comes out of the side door physically, is beyond me, but that is part of this van’s problem as stated above.

What it is like to drive:

Driving it, actually, is a piece of cake. It drives surprisingly well. It accelerates well, I have no problem making turns, parking or backing up. It brakes very well and all in all I am quite comfortable driving this van. I don’t like American-made cars, in general, so when I first started driving this van I was skeptical but it has surprised me.

I find the power steering to be excellent. It is incredibly smooth. I don’t remember my Caravan turning quite so well so I have no problems with the way the car rides. It is quiet, the seats are comfortable and the front is roomy. The leg space in the front is fine. Just Saturday I picked up a very large man who sat in the front and he was comfortable. I have never seen him get into the back of the van, but he would have great difficulty doing so if he even attempted it.

Warranty:

This 1998 van is covered bumper to bumper for 3 years or 36,000 miles. It has more than 36,000 miles on it – about 48,000 so it isn’t covered bumper to bumper anymore. It is still covered for defects in factory-supplied materials or workmanship. (5-year warranty or 100,000 miles)

Price:

The manufacturer’s page says that this van sells for $16, 786. Kelley Blue Book puts it at $13,484. A 2001 will run you about $24,000.

In summary, I will not recommend this 1998 Dodge Ram Van 2500. Although it drives well, I don’t understand how it can be practical when it isn’t functional. In theory it sounds great, but in reality it is not.


If you are interested in other car reviews, here are my links:

2000 Nissan Altima
2001 Chevy Malibu
2002 Chevy Prizm
1998 Dodge Ram Van
1996 Nissan Sentra
2001 Pontiac Sunfire
1999 Toyota Camry
2001 Hyunda Accent
1998 Chevy S-10 Pick
1999 BMW 323is
2002 Subaru Impreza
2000 Suzuki Swift
2001 Chevy Metro
Amount Paid (US$): $17,000
Model Year: 1998
Model and Options: B2500, automatic