Hello everyone.

I am in the market for a used truck and am leaning heavily toward a 2nd gen Ram. I recently found a 1995 2500 4x4 v8 (not sure which one) automatic that is my price range.

My primary concern, having never owned a ram or any other pickup before is that it has 175,000 miles.

I've read up and tried to research where i can and generally i get the idea that these are reliable and long lasting trucks, and i don't plan to use it to drive cross country or anything.

However, I was wondering if there are any well known high mileage issues I should be on the lookout for?

Also, I've read there's a "heavy" and "light" duty 2500 in this model year. Anyway to tell the difference just visually without seeing the data plate or something like that?

Thanks in advance!

Glenn

check at for sure seems some of the them had some problems i would want to do a tranny flush and filter change which i think take about 12 qts , every thing else would be routine maintence type things take a good walk around , if can start when motor i s cold listen for noise you be alll ok take your time

id recommend not flushing the tranny, just drop the pan and swap the filter and fluid. unless when you drop the pan you see shiny metal or friction stuff...then bolt her up quick without the fluid swap. sometimes changing fluid can cause more problems if it wasnt taken care of in the first place

welcome to df.

it'll be rare to find anything of that age w/o high mileage, so you just need to try not to over pay for the truck. the 5.2 and 5.9 are pretty reliable in the bottom end and can last a long time. 200-300k miles are possible. the weak point is the heads, with a possibility of cracking. the motors are easily rebuildable and parts are reasonable. new heads are available for about $600/pair.

the really weak point on the truck is the transmission. when rebuilt by someone that knows what they're doing, with good parts, then they're fine. stock/factory units were garbage. many never made it to 100K.

VIN number Y in the middle is 5.2 Z is 5.9
94-95 is OBD-1. 96+ is OBD-2.

i don't know what heavy duty and light duty is.
the 2500 should have a dana 60 in front and rear. check the differential shape and number to be sure. these axles will have lots of options, far more than the 1500.

I have a "light" duty 2500 and there is nothing visually different then the heavy duty Atleast from I can tell between both models. Look in the drivers side door jam. Light duty is 7500 gvw and heavy duty is 8800 gvw.

Mileage doesn't scare me on these trucks. the few quirks that these trucks do have (like all makes and models) really aren't mileage specific. If it only had 45k on it the trans and plenum would be suspect just like now. actually there's a good chance if this thing is still on the road with 175k a lot of these things have been sorted out. It should have the 360 and dana axels being a 2500 light duty or not. truck has good bones. probably wouldn't give more than six grand for it.

Six grand?? I paid 2 for mine.... and its the 8800GVW flavor. Granted, there is some body rot, but, mechanically, it is pretty good. And I still thought I paid too much for it. (that's what I get for NOT doing proper research before buying.... ooops.)

yeah this one has $2999 written on the windshield i was thinking of offering more like $2300 and seeing what happens. i want to have some budget left over in case it still needs a little work.

thanks guys!

Glenn

6 grand?!?! I hope you are around when I try and sell mine!

i bought a '97 with 173k on it. a couple suggestions wuld be: has the tranny been rebuilt? if not (unlikely) has it been well maintained? does it shift properly? drive the truck AT OPERATING TEMP for a while, does the oil gauge flutter? give it some gas an see if it smokes. if it smokes its probably burning some oil (how much and why?) or worse its burning coolant (cracked head(s) or blown gasket). get under ther and c whats leaking and to what extent.