Hey guys, new to the forum but I am a member of several other forums.

I found a local guy selling his 01 RAM 1500 with 68K miles for a decent price. Carfax checks out with mileage. After reading several threads on this forum it appears that there are a few major (IMO) issues that I need to take in to count.

Is it worth buying this truck with 68K miles (NO trans or plenum fixes) or should I look for a newer truck?

Thanks for the help guys.

Chadd.

 

Well I bought an 01 4x2 360 that had already had the transmission rebuilt. It does need a plenum fix and at the moment has just over 144K. I paid $2500.

How's the dashboard?

 

The truck has been great, besides needing a plenum fix I've only had to replace the idler arm. Good power and good gas mileage. Only complaint, it's not 4x4.

 

Haven't seen it in person yet but the pictures look good... this one is 01 4x4 360 w/LSD (Owner doesn't know what gears).

 

Well the mileage IMO is really low for an 01. If the price is right take it for a test drive. The transmission in the 01 were a big issue. And the dashboards cracked and fell apart like crazy. And pretty much all of them at some point need a plenum fix. I think the trans and plenum on the 01's were the biggest issue.

But I'm very happy with mine.

 

00-01 are the best years, better brakes.
most likely 3.55 gears, unless its the oh-so-precious Off-Road Edition, which has 4.10

common problems are cracked dash, weak transmissions, expensive front end maintenance if you have to pay someone to do it.

they're not all bad, but they can require some maintenance. their tough trucks, but mpg can be poor, and the ride is stiffer than the 3rd gen's.

just don't overpay. even with the low mileage, its still not worth much unless its the Off Road.

 

The transmissions in the 2001s were no bigger an issue than in any other 2nd gen model year. My 2001 still has the original tranny, no signs of wearing out, tranny fluid is clean. Owned it since 55k (about four years ago or so), now at 86k. It really depends on how the previous owners took care of the truck or not... and just because they claim they did doesn't necessarily mean they actually did.

The plenum will fail on every single one of these trucks at some point, if it hasn't already, its just a matter of time. If you don't do the labor yourself, you're looking at $400-ish + parts (another $100-$125, new aluminum plenum plate with new bolts, and Felpro gasket). You can look in the FAQ section for common problems/repairs and other things to look for.

 

I was going to offer $8K, he's asking $10K. How can I tell if it is really the Off-Road package?

 

There is no way I'd ever pay anywhere near $8,000 for that truck much less $10,000. I personally would be more in the $4500 range at max.

These things have a ton of issues, and I have an 01 Ram and mine is the Offroad Edition. If I had to do it over again, I wouldn't buy it. People told me before I bought mine that I was going to get about 5 years or 100k miles and whichever came first and then major problems would start. Sure enough right around 100k miles problems started pouring in. The transmissions are horrible on these trucks, the LSD's in the rear end are horrible in these trucks and tend to break (I'd bet if the cover was pulled off you'd find pieces of the clips now unless he has already gotten them out), the dash is all cheap plastic and the whole thing is prone to cracking to pieces, the pleneum is certainly a major issue, they front end parts aren't the greatest on these trucks (although, I will say I've had halfway decent luck with mine), the evaporator cores for the a/c are almost always bad (The shop I used to work at said they had never seen one that wasn't leaking), the heads are prone to cracking, plus on top of those issues, the power from these motors is pretty bad compared to others of similar sizes in modern trucks, and the gas mileage is horrible. I really can't think of much good to say about these things and I wouldn't buy one again.

My problem is I have so much money into my truck in repairs, that if I sold it I'd get a small fraction of what I have into just repairs not counting what the original truck cost. That's the only reason I haven't sold it. I figure for the little bit I'd get for it, I'd rather have the truck. I honestly don't even think I could get $5000 for mine. I think $3-4000 is more in the max range I'd get after having looked around at others some.

Now, I know I will get bashed for this post since this is a Dodge forum and many members on here are Dodge fans, and will look past these problems, but I'm not going to beat around the bush and act like these are good trucks because well, they aren't. If you do a search on this forum you will find person after person on this forum having these exact same issues as they are all very common. I will most likely never buy an American vehicle again unless it's a diesel as they are really the only choices, or unless it's a classic.

The easiest way to tell if it has the Offroad package is to look for the sticker on the tailgate and see if it says Offroad Edition under the 4x4. The Offroad editions also have 4.10 gears, a trussed front axle, transmission coolers, an extra leaf in the rear and longer springs in the front to make it about 1.5-2" higher than normal Rams, and they also have 17" wheels that look like this



Seeing that picture it looks lifted and definitely modified. I would for 100% certain never buy that. I've bought modified vehicles in the past against recommendations from others, and it's always turned out bad. Modifications like that often mean it's a younger person that's owned or driven it, and more often than not they have been beat on.

 

He's asking way way to much for that. I'd offer $6k at the most. KBB lists it at $5500 for the best condition with 68k miles.