Hello. I am thinking about buying a used 2000 Ram 1500 from a mid-50's male. The truck is a regular cab slt 4X4 w/ off-road package. And, it only has 11,000 miles....yes, only 11K miles. It has been garaged kept its whole life and is in showroom condition inside and out. I have talked him down to $15,500 and that is his rock bottom dollar. Not too bad, but not great. But, the truck also comes with a transferable 7/50K bumper/bumper warranty. So, the truck still has almost 2 years/39K miles of warranty left which could be transferred over in my name for $50. OK, now, I know if I buy this thing that I need to change out all the fluids (and I mean all) and also have the hoses and rubber components checked where its been sitting for long periods of time. SO, is this a good deal? What should I know about the 2nd generation Rams? Is the transmission troubles "fixed" on the 00' models, or is the tranny likely to have problems like alot of mid to late 90's models? I just dont want to pay $15500 for this truck, and regret it! I could take a few more thousand dollars and buy something a little newer. But, is this too good of a deal?
Thanks, Paul

 

wow.. wish I could have found that deal! When things sit liek that, there can be varnishing issues... plan on 2 or 3 oil changes basicaly less than 1000 miles apart... the detergents in the oil will take care of the cleaning,or should do a decent job of it....also runa botle of RedLine fuel injector cleaner thru it..... runt hat tank of gas WAY down as close to empty as ya can,then change teh oil again or make it fit that rotation of early changes.... the cleaner CAN dilute oil some... so when that tank is gone with the cleaner in it, time for oil change also, a radiator is a huge concern.. the frequency of use (or non use) are PRIME candidates for scale and deposits... might wanna do a big flush or keep an eye out and POSSIBLY replace the radiator if its excessive.. besides that.... woudl asume the exhaust isnt gonna be too happy due to moisture build up of short trips.... I love my 98 woudl LOVE to find a newer one with low miles

 

I bought my fully loaded `99 Ram a month ago in mint condition with only 13K miles. I paid a bit more more the KBB or Edmunds suggested, but how often will you find a 5 or 6 year old truck in showroom condition? The original owner, who special ordered the truck, had receipts from the dealer showing he had the synthetic oil changed twice a year, tranny fluid and coolant flushed once along with synthetic gear lube in the diffs and fresh tranny fluid in the transfer case. The exhaust system still looks like the day it left the St. Louis plant.
Tranny issues (a lot of them anyway) are caused by owners who think they can ignore the owners manual regarding towing in OD etc. If it has the towing package, the cooler is a big plus for longer transmission life.
If you want, I could run the VIN for you, I still have a few days left on my 30 day VIN check subscription.

 

I bought my 01' sport ext 4x4 for $15,500 last october from a dealer. It had 35k miles on it. It was almost fully loaded. It has a few paint flaws in it but was a clean truck other than that. If you are buying from an older guy and the truck has been greatly taking care of that is probably not to bad of a price for low miles and excellent condition. Hard to find them to many places especially if you still have warranty.

 

I have never owned an older model Ram and am really fighting with whether I should buy this thing or not. I am scared of all the horror stories about transmissions, rear diffs, etc... However, the warranty that comes with the truck is somewhat of a relief (20 months/39K miles left). But, part of me still wonders if I should just take another $5-7K and invest in a newer Dodge or maybe Toyota product. Bottom line, I dont know how reliable a 2nd generation Dodge truck is and many people seem to have trouble with these models. I just dont want to feel like I got screwed after I throw down $15,500 for this truck. Yes, it is a mint condition Ram with only 11K miles, but what problems are getting ready to unfold once I start driving the vehicle regularly. Its a big risk and I know that there is always a chance of something going wrong. I am just so unsure....but, I really like the truck!
Paul

 

I'd buy it if I had the chance...and if it was a 3/4 ton. I wouldn't be worried about the radiator or hoses either. The truck hasn't been sitting that long. It's only 5 years old. My Uncle has a Mustang that had been sitting for 9 years, and he didn't have to change anything when he started driving it for the first time this spring. He hasn't had any problems yet either...although he did have to rebuild the carburetor. If anything, I'd be more worried about gaskets than hoses.

And as far as the transmission concerns go, it's been said by V10 already..."Tranny issues (a lot of them anyway) are caused by owners who think they can ignore the owners manual regarding towing in OD etc." It's also caused by neglect of service (fluid changes, etc.). For every person that has a horror story about their transmission dying, there's 10 people that have never had a problem. I've been hearing for years about how Chrysler has terrible transmissions. But over the past 20 years we've owned 12 Chrysler vehicles (still have 7 of them, 1 that has been used for plowing (snow) for 15 years), and have NEVER had a transmission problem with any of them that has been more severe than adjusting a worn linkage. And all of them (except for our '01 Intrepid) are or were over 100,000 miles.

 

Wow, thats impressive having that many vehicles and not many problems. I applaud your obvious devotion to Dodge and Chrysler products. My father is a huge Ford man, but I never had much luck with (Found On Road Dead) products. My best friend has an uncle that retired from Chrysler, so he is able to get "green slip" codes for huge discounts and has always seemed to really like his vehicles. I guess I have always been a pretty diehard Toyota guy in the past and this is a new transition for me. Yes, I have looked at the Tundras, but, for $15500, this Ram is hard to pass up with 11K miles, condition, and still almost 2 years of bumper/bumper warranty left. I sure as heck cant find a Tundra nowhere near this price for way more miles. And, even though I have never had ANY problems with my Toyota's, I still know a good deal when I see one! And, this seems like a good deal.

BTW: the Ram I am looking to buy is on Autotrader.com. If you get a chance, look at the vehicle and tell me what you think. Just punch in "used", then "pickup", 2000-2000 Ram 1500, 15,000 miles or less, then my zip is 45680 and you can search for 75miles radius or less. The truck is pretty close to me. Its blue/silver two tone located in McCarther OHIO. Tell me what you think?

 

It's a nice looking truck. The one picture isn't the greatest, but I can't imagine it looking bad if it's been garaged. And compared to the other trucks that came up in the search, it sure is a steal.

I remember when the off-road package trucks came out. I really wanted one, and I'm still kicking myself for not buying the BRAND NEW '01 model that the local dealer had marked down to $18,000 because it had been on their lot for over a year. I ended up buying a Pontiac Grand Prix GT instead. I had a lot of fun in that car though...in fact I still am [8D]

 

That truck sounds like it was pretty well kept. I've heard people swear up and down too about chrysler transmissions being terrible and not lasting more than 20,000 miles but In my opinion the life of the drivetrain, engine, body, ect. all lies in the owner and how much he cares about his truck. If you do the recommended fluid/filter changes and keep the truck well maintained Im sure you'll get plenty of years out of it. The only problems that I have seen in most 2gn rams are trac bars, plenum gaskets, and in the early 90's transmission oil cooler quick disconnect lines leaking. Those are all fairly simple fixes too. My 95 has 126,000 on it with the original transmission and it dosent slip or miss at all.

 

I have said it before and I will say it again. I am 21 I have been driving my truck like a bat outta he** for the past 5 years. When I got the truck it had between 30,000 and 40,000 miles on it and I didn't know squat about taking care of a truck. I learned as I went and I now have 242,000 miles on my original engine and transmission. The only things I have had to replace on my truck other than routine maintenance are as follows. 120,000 cat, 180,000 wheel bearings, 200,000 fuel pump, 220,000 radiator and thermostat, 240,000 front axle seals, and now I think I am about to have to replace my transfercase because I am getting a weird grinding sound out of it that sounds like I am shifting into 4hi while moving. In my opinion I could not ask for a better truck she runs almost as good today as she did when I started driving.