so im looking at a 1999 dodge ram 1500 4x4 because my 04 2wd v6 isnt cutting it what should i look for when buying it and can someone decode this vin for me 1B7HF16Z0XSI74355 heres a picture of it.........

 

Does that have a lift? Oversize tires? If so, find out what it has for gears. If those are 35's, and it still has the stock 3.55 gears, it is going to feel as gutless as your six.

Check the plenum. Take the air filter housing off, and look down the throttle body. (a bright flashlight would be good to have here....) If you see oil pooling, plenum is blown.

Take it for a test drive, drive it kinda hard. Make sure it runs good, and the trans shifts smooth.

 

wow! thats a really nice looking truck!

check out lmc.com the have a vin decoder on the front 3 pages of the magazine.

 

i tried that but is there a way to tell if its a sport because the previous owner debadged it

 

Body color grill, and bumpers..... I don't know if that is the 'regular' or sport bumper though. Sure looks like a sport to me.....

 

I'm thinking it is a sport because of the front and rear bumper. Have you considered modding your six banger to get more juice out of it?

Edit: Another victim ninja'd by the one and only Hey You...

 

Yup, only Sport editions had that front bumper from the factory (and only 1999-2001 model years).

Those headlights are a little foggy looking. I'd at least try to argue down a bit for that, if nothing else (replacement cost, which would be around $150 minimum). Then maybe you could just buy a cheap "headlight restoration" kit and see if that works well enough.

Like others said, test drive it like you stole it. If the transmission shifts funny, a rebuild by a reputable shop will usually be in the $1000-$2000 range. You can argue it down that much more or walk away, if that happens. The plenum gasket "fix", which requires a new aluminum pan and/or bolts (not to mention a good Felpro gasket), will run you a couple hundred if you do it yourself, around $500 if you pay a shop to do it.

If these things occur, you can walk away, or try to use them as opportunities to get the price a little further down.

 

with the 04 im mainly at sound and 4x4 gotta love v8 sound lol but i figured it was a sport. is there anything else besides tranny shifts and the plenum

 

Dash cracks.

 

I read somewhere that Dodge didn't recommend towing with the Sports. Is that true?

Will you be doing any towing?