Older rams were/are notorious for rust. I lucked out and the older Rams I had were all from the South. Specifically my 2007 2500 was from Texas and it didn't have a lick of rust on it. Even the frame and drive train was still black with no surface rust. After 2 winters (and some mud somewhere between) it rusted out. I was good at keeping it clean and when I traded it in, she had little bubbles around the fender flares. The newer Rams are better with rust though. Although, any vehicle will rust eventually.