Hello all,

Just signed up because I am looking at purchasing a used 1995 Dodge RAM 1500 4x4. I took it for a test drive today, seemed to run fine, only has about 97K miles and body is is great shape for its age.

It just passed PA Inspection in November of 2011 as well as new tires 10K miles ago.

So I just wanted to ask a general question that hopefully some folks have ideas on. I would like to purchase this truck very soon, with one more test drive, is there anything else I should be looking at in a truck this age with 97K miles?

I know obviously anything can go bad at any time, but anything this make and model is known for? Aka transmission always dies at 100K or anything like that?

Any information would be really helpful. The tiny place selling this truck is looking for around 4K for it, so it seems like a great deal, and of course they tell me their mechanic says its in great shape.

Thanks!

Brendan

 

Check the plenum.. (see stickied thread at top of this forum.)

Take it for a test drive, drive it kinda hard for at least 20 minutes or so, if the trans exhibits ANY undesirable behavior.... might need a rebuild. (trannys are notoriously weak in these.... especially the auto....)

Aside from that, just the usual stuff for any used vehicle.

Welcome to DF.

 

Were at in PA are you located?

 

plenum gasket (it is stickied on the top of the page).

The "Death flash" Basically, if you see a sticker on the PCM that says "dealer installed program" then the truck has the death flash. The death flash robs power.

Transmission check valve. It is a nylon ball that likes to dislodge itself rom the check valve and then trashes the transmission. These trannies usually need a rebuild anywhere from 70-150K.

Steering: THere is about 3 inches of play set in from the factory, so it will feel sloppy.

For a 1995 dodge ram, you probably have some issues just because of the age of the truck. Tie rod ends, ball joints, brake rotors/drums, trac bar. These trucks also get about 10-12 MPG.

 

You could also point out that the dash is cracked, as nearly all ram dash's crack...and you might get a few dollars off.

 

@HeyYou: Thanks for the info, will check out the plenum, have a longer test drive worked out for today as well, so I will get it up to speed and see how it feels.

@dlyter09: Just outside of Norristown

@CPTAFW163: Thanks for the good info, I will keep on eye out for those things. I did notice the steering wheel had some give to it in the short test drive I took yesterday.

@Matt: You know surprisingly the dash is in perfect condition, no cracks at all. I figured there would be, but nothing, I wonder if it was in someones garage and away from sunlight?

If the longer test drive works out, I will go ahead and purchase the truck, then tomorrow drive it down for Easter to my brother in Maryland who is a mechanic and we can give it a full once over to see what will need to be replaced in the future.

Brendan

 

Make sure the test drive is at least 15 mins. Get it to operating temp and see if there is any overheating, run the AC!!!

Also, do a search on the 2ndgen forum for the word "HELP" in the thread title only. There should be about 500 threads of things that went wrong!

 

+1 on a good long drive. Went and test drove a durango today that the dealers mechanic swore ran perfect. When cold it ran great but once it was up to operating temp the Tranny slipped so bad you could barely drive it. That and the "new" motor turned me away and from that place

 

my 95 has 160k and no cracked dash. to my knowledge it didnt happen til 97-98 when cheaper plastic was used. happened in the pt cruisers and a few others in the same years.

To the OP. I bought mine from a girl who bought it 3 weeks prior to a guy in a different city. test drive was fine. bought it at 131,048. know i have 160,478. I found out two years later(current mileage) the guy who owned it originally rallied it and did not take care of it. As a result i did all ball joints, tie rods, bushings, all u joints, trans build(the way I wanted it), u joints (all), t-case, belt, tensioner assembly, water pump, fan clutch, thermostat, bypass hose, battery, brake master cylinder, tires, ECU computer, EGR system, Coolant flush, new diff fluids, front brakes, all shocks, and ignition tune up, let alone the goodies that were put in by choice and not repairs. Way too much money invested to get rid of it but worth every penny. its fricken brand new. Two morals to the story 1.Id like to slap the guy that mistreated the truck at first (he at least did the plenum) and 2. Drive it and look at it extensively. It is gonna need parts especially nearing 100k miles.

 

Thanks for all the info everyone. I took it out again last night for a good 30 minutes, got off the back roads and onto some main roads for 65+ MPH testing. Everything felt good, no slipping I could feel, drove the first half of the drive in 4x4 mode and then back in 2x4 for the return trip.

I did have the AC running the whole time as well, temp stayed fine, AC wasn't the coldest, but I am hoping thats just a recharge and honestly since this won't be my primary vehicle, cold AC isn't a top concern.

I am planning on heading back to the dealer this morning to purchase it, so I am sure I will be back and asking more questions as I start to repair it

Thanks again!

Brendan