Ive just had a quick look at a 1999, Magnum V8, 1500 Ram Sport. Its petrol (gas) not diesel.

Quick points:
I dont yet know the engine capacity ( will find out)
It has a seeping front crank shaft seal.
It has had the transfer box replaced about 20,000 miles ago.
Current mileage is 120,000
Does not see alot of offroad work, mainly driven on HWYs.
Has a column shift so Im assuming its automatic.
Paintwork and chassis appear in good condition from first inspection (its dirty in the pic)

Now I know nothing about the Ram trucks and would like someone to point me in the right direction to find out the good , bad and ugly and what I need to be careful of when buying one of this age as Im keen to see it in my garage

Will get more info asap.

 

Welcome to the forum first of all. Second if its a Ram Sport I am thinking it has the 360cubic inch engine, 5.9L. Good trucks, just keep up on the maintenance like any other vehicle and you will be happy.

 

Pretty......
If the engine has been well maintained, the truck will last you quite a long time. Repairing these trucks is usually pretty straightforward, and do able in your backyard if you have the time, tools, and a little knowledge of a bolt.

 

What is the aftermarket parts and accessories range like for this model? Its obviously 10 years old so not sure what upgrades can be done to the body such as headlights, front grill. I will be doing the body work as Im a spraypainter so easy stuff

How many klm can you expect from the diff before bearings and gears need replacing?

Is the front crank seal an easy fix or could it be hiding big end bearing problems ?
As I dont have the budget for an engine rebuild just yet

 

the only big big thing that i would look into would be the trans!!!... all the other problemly that may happen you can hand your self for the most part

 

Bi Big as in Expensive??

 

you need to take a test drive and floor it a couple times from a stop and grandma throttle it a couple times from a stop to see how its shifting, hopefully when the transfer case went it didn't mess up the transmission.

look at the bottom of the steering knuckles (below the front brakes) and check for differential fluid.
listen while moving at low speed for a clicking/popping noise coming from the front end.
pull the transmission fluid dipstick and smell it to see if it smells burnt or is a brownish color.
pull the oil dipstick and make sure its not milky (like coffee with creamer in it)
get on the gas a little going up a hill and listen for spark knock (sounds like marbles in a coffee can).
do that and report back.
these trucks have a handful of problems that pop up around 75000 miles but most of them are not extremely hard to fix.

 

Excellent Sheriff420. let me look into these things when I see the vehicle again. Just waiting for the owner to get back from holidays.

 

First off welcome to "DF". Try and find out as much as you can about the past maintenance. I just bought my 99 sport 3months ago. Ran fine but once it was looked over professionally the little problems were noticed. So far this is what i have bought, it all goes on next week.

New hughes plenum gasket kit
New cap/rotor/wires/plugs
New battery
New Pcv valve
New trans filter/gasket
New IAC
New fuel injector o-rings
New front o2 sensor
New calipers
New rotors
New pads/shoes
New thermostat
New wheel cyl. (1ton)
New stainless brake lines
New gaskets/hoses/ect.

Even with all that not being replaced yet she runs alittle rough but I still drive it regularly, but leave her sit also as much as I can until fixed. I just cant wait to see how shes runs w/ all new stuff! And I will have peace of mind that all maintenance is up to date!

 

Judging from the photo, it looks like it has been ridden hard and put away wet. Often. I would pay a mechanic and have it checked out. Where are you located? If it's a northern state or somewhere they salt the roads, then check every inch inside and out for rust. The bottom of the doors is an especially vulnerable area on these trucks. Mechanicals can usually be fixed, but rust is the death of a vehicle.