the trannies on these trucks AVERAGE about 80,000 between rebuilds.... keep in mind that with an average of both light duty and well cared for and used hard and abused....
that said you will need to put money into any 11+ year old second gen dodge truck.... its how much and how frequently thats key....I'd look for signs that one has been pamered and is mostly stock... things like lockers and aftermarket loud exhaust/ gutted cats and such usually scream hard use and abuse... flashy stuff can go both ways as the owner could have been the OCD type with little else to spend money and time on or someone who really loved his or her truck.... or could have been a kid that cared more for looks than maintaining the thing...

 

yeah if you arrive and the seller already has it warmed up or running that could mean hes hiding problems that could themselves on a cold startup....

 

Yes, if it is already warmed up, probably masking a blown head gasket, look for white residue left behind or around the block.

I basically set up looking for the grandpa rig. Key features of this are an original cassette player! Sweetness...

I have a completely stock 99, the only thing one of the 2 PO did was install an aftermarket moon roof.

It took me a few months to find the one I finally bought... Hard to find a G-Pa rig, but they are out there!

Brad