Best older Dodge pickup for daily use?

Personally, I like the older trucks, from the '70's and '80's especially in 4 wheel. I like the live axles and the leaf springs on both ends. Of course, you get this in later models as long as you stay with 3/4 or bigger. Then, depending on the year, it's a PITA on the front wheel bearings.

As for that, I'll throw in my anecdotal information. My '89 Ramcharger went 180,000 miles on the factory clutch and the factory alternator. I replaced all the hard parts in the cooling system (except the heater core) twice. Rear axle bearings twice. Other than that it was all routine maintenance. The only reason I parked it was because it became self changing oil. I'd put oil into the valve cover and it would leak out the rest of the seals.

These days, though, 200,000+ miles out of vehicle isn't unheard of. Fuel injection helps. No more dealing with stubborn chokes on cold weather mornings, causing cylinder wash, leading to worn rings, gas in the oil, killing the bearings.

Synthetic transmission fluids that are formulated specifically to work with the clutch material in the transmissions, no more of the one size fits most Dex/Merc in everything. Synthetic oils in the rears.

These days it's a matter of the little things. And a lot of it comes down to ergonomics. I like the dash layout in the '80's and '90's trucks. No reaching for the heater/AC controls, I could thumb control the switches easily enough with a finger on the temp and flow controls while using my thumb to control the fan at the same time. I have to reach for the ones in my '89 F150 and they don't come as intuitively. Like cab room. I can fit three people easily in a '80's/'90's Dodge where we're packed in like sardines in my F150.

Of course, like I said, I like the live axles and the leaf springs in the Dodges of the '80's/'90's. My F150 with the "I beam" split axle housing, coil springs, and four shocks up front rides better, but it's not as durable as a simple live axle/leaf spring set up. And I've never - never - been a fan of putting a control arms/half shafts in a rough field situation. I've seen too many of them break. It works,though, if you don't go into some of the places I've driven into.