I am looking at purchasing a 2nd Gen, I have looked on Craigslist and found many. Problem is I don't know what to look for to tell me to stay away from bad trucks. I'm really just looking for a 2WD. Probably something like a '99-'01 Sport. I have found a few ranging from 120k -170k miles.

I do have a friend whose parents are going to sell their '01 2WD Sport with a 5.2 with 116k. I'm considering making them an offer, I have ridden in it a few times and everything seems to be sound. Trucks in descent shape and all it really needs are tires and a new front bumper cover.

My own questions:

Is there a huge difference in the 5.2 and 5.9? Mileage the Same?

Can you find a 2WD truck with an LSD? Is it easy to find a unit to swap in later?

Is it possible to find a V8 with a Manual?

What automatic do the '99-'01's have?

Are the automatics prone to failure? (My 46RE went at 120k on my Durango)

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

I had an 01 work truck 2wd with the 5.2. It had a little less power than my 98 4x4 with the 5.9 and actually got worse mileage. But, it rarely saw any highway driving. Lsd's came in a lot of 2wd's. The 01 work truck had one. 46re came in all the V8 half tons past 96, I think. Yeah, they're weak. A few trucks came with 5.2 and manual tranny. No half tons came with the 5.9 and manual tranny, some 3/4 tons did. I gotta say, if I was buying one, I'd look for one with a manual tranny. Might have to drive 500 miles to get it, but that's what I'd want. The auto trans has been my only real complaint with my truck.

 

Just spent the last 15 minutes searching the forum. A lot of trans problems. Almost turns me off of them.

 

Yep they are known for trans problems

 

I don't know about any of the others, but I picked up my Ram knowing the transmission had a problem (long story). This truck had been seriously neglected and abused with no maintenance done on any routine basis, which causes me to think that this is what toasted trans. PO drove for some time with slipping, and if he would have addressed it, a rebuild could have been avoided.

I am a Tacoma 4x4 fanatic, but I think I am going to really like this truck after I restore it.

 

Yep. The auto trans is the absolute worst thing about these trucks, IMO. That's why I said I'd look for a manual trans.

 

Well, and add the plenum thing to the list of "must fix" on these.

 

The Plenum is definitely a must-fix, but that's not too big. The reason I went with my truck was because they were solid. Besides the trans problems, nothing else has ever gone wrong on my truck. Yea some ball joints, maybe a CAD problem here and there (not if you're getting a 2wd), but overall, I love mine to pieces because it's simple, reliable (I think, some would disagreee), and is fun to work on when things do go wrong.

 

Just don't overpay. I bought my '01 1500 360 4x2 for $2500 cash, and it had new tires and a freshly rebuilt transmission.

Truck & tranny are running strong, needs the plenum fix and some new ball joints all around.

I also bought mine from a private seller, I'd stay away from a car lot if possible, you'll pay twice as much just because it's sitting on a car lot.

 

I want to offer my buddy's parents $2500 for their truck. I need to get more info on the truck, but I don't think it's ever had any major service.

The other thing is, it has a lift on it from the factory. Is that common? I've noticed since the day they bought it new, it's the same height as the 4x4s. However, I have never seen another 2WD like that.

I've have a feeling they won't like that offer, but I'm not asking going higher. Craigslist is full of them anyway.