life expectancy :)

[hankrivers]

i found a good deal on a '99 ram 1500 4x4, and it has 105,000miles on it. it is in great condition, but does it have too many miles on it? at this mileage what might/can go wrong that i should consider before buying? any help will be greatly appreciated. thank you.

[nhdriver]

At that mileage it could still have many good miles ahead of it. Being a 4X4 that might depend how much abuse it has gone through. Does it look modified W/ aftermarket off road parts?, Big tires & wheels? or is it a stock looking truck that has seen mostly freeway miles? If it is the later I would take a chance on it. If it is an Automatic,pull the dip stick and smell it if it smells burnt stay away from it. Note: My 92 Dakota has 161K The engine still runs strong!and it has never even had a valve cover taken off.

[99RAMJAMMN]

Before I bought it I would want to know about these
things.

1. O2 sensors
2. Cat
3. Possible intake plenum leak
4. Brakes
5. Tires
6. Fluid leaks

I am sure others in this forum can add to these items.

[Quad Man Dan]

I bought my '98 with 105000mi on it. I did a thorough check over of the truck on the lot and discovered it needed front brakes, a left front axle tube seal (gear oil on the inside of tire) and the seal between the tranny and transfer. I checked with chrysler for labor times on these items (over four hours with correct tools) and negotiated off the price of truck. This truck was all origional and looked perfect. Only minor paint scratches. I test drove the truck and it shifted good and made no funny noises. It had been driven about 25000mi a year which is similar to what you are looking at. The truck was not abused but it was also not babied either. It had the origional plug wires and cap/rotor and the air filter was clogged big time. I did a thorough tune up and flushed and drained all the fluids. I am happy to say that with 10000 more miles it burns 1/4 qt of oil every 5000 miles and is running flawlessly. I would give a good inspection and test drive. If nothing unusual raises your antenna I would go for it. Anything can go wrong but do you have $20000 plus for a new one? Good luck. Hope I have helped you out.

[jarndt]

$20,000? Have you been to a dealship lately? Try $30K-$40K. It's outrageous.

[ram100]

30- 40? Not always. If you shop around at the larger dealerships and don't get everything in the book on your truck you can pick up a 4.7L 2x4 LWB for around $20,000

I'd have to agree with the posts. Check it all over. See how it runs. Floor it a few times in park to see if any smoke comes out and see how it smells. Definitely check that tranny out and see how it shifts and sounds.

[hankrivers]

thanks for all the help everybody!
how should the tranny shift? how much does the trans cost to fix? (4x4).

[HankL]

On a 4x4 Ram, be sure to check out the front steering 'track bar' for play - just the smallest amount is usually too much.

The 'plenum gasket leak' also known as the 'blown bellypan plate' test on the engine block should also be done.

Running the VIN at a dealership and finding out if all the Recalls are up to date is a good idea. Dealer records can also indicate what other work has been done on this Ram if it was done at a DC dealership.

There is a vast amount of info on what can go wrong with Rams at:

http://www.dodgeram.org/support_pgs/techindex.htm

The TSB section is especially relevant.

Anybody named Hank deserves the greatest vehicle in the world, at least it has always seemed that way to me.