Just sold my 96, 2500HD a few days ago with 291,000 km on it and engine and transmission are darn near as strong as they were new. No major work has been done on it. Front end was completely done 4 years ago for the first time. I think you're out to lunch suggesting that 2nd gens are junk. Sounds to me like you just bought a lemon.

 

Any truck you buy will need suspension , brakes, tires ... etc. I love my 2nd Gen . I don't like the newer ones. Things about these car thin janky harness wiring, the "intake/plenum/upstream o2 sensor" <---- all go hand I'm hand. The transmissions aren't the best... I wouldn't want anything else

 

My 98 Ram has been the most reliable truck I have ever owned. It's why I still own and drive it. Here's what's went wrong beyond maintenance:
1) AC quit at 108k miles-it's Arizona, all vehicles lose AC early.
2) ABS sensor died at 151k miles.
3) Had to replace all ball joints(control arms) at 203k miles-I have a brutal 1 1/2 mile driveway that is all nasty rocks, washboard and washes and I put 2800# airbags on it and frequently haul twice that in the bed on the bad road.
This truck has been so reliable I sometimes think people are lying or just neglect their trucks and then bitch when they break. My 46RE still shifts fine. My plemum still doesn't leak. My diff is still solid. You known why? Because as hard as I work my truck, I still maintain it.

 

Do a search on this forum (or Google) for these issues. You'll quickly see that I didn't buy a lemon, but that these are all extremely common problems with these trucks.

 

And if you go to a chevy forum, you will find all the extremely common problems with them, same for Ford, or any other manufacturer. Folks come to forums for assistance with problems. I have yet to see a single member come to the forum with an older truck, singing it's praises, and how they have never had any problems with it.

EVERY manufacturer has their foibles.

 

I'd definitely get it but for $6k and only if it's a 4x4. My 99 has been extremely reliable - only vehicle since June 4, 2001. Love the 5spd and still solid. Rear end still solid. Front end I rebuilt last year with all new components doing it all myself. Nothing looks as good or rides as good as the 2nd gens. I've done all the "common repairs" on these trucks so you can ask anything you want and we'll all help you out (except maybe homeheaterman).

That's very low miles and just broke in. Mine got better after 100k. I'm now at 217k still driving it every day in Seattle metro.

 

Toyota had to buy back 200,000 2005-2013 Tundras and Tacomas due to rusting frames and leafspring shackles and their auto tansmissions have had too many recalls to keep up with. So, when someone knocks Dodge and sucks Toyota d*ck, I know they're lying.

 

Think about this:

You'll never find another half ton truck with solid axles ever again.

You'll never find another half ton truck with a manual transmission ever again.

You'll never find another half ton truck with a V8 and manual transmission ever again.

Get it if you care at all about driving a real truck.

 

If you really want it and it's truly low miles with nothing major wrong with it and that's an average price for your area, I'd get it...I've had two Rams, an 01 3.9 v6 and recently got a 95 5.2 v8 and both have been a hell of a lot more reliable than a slew of junky cars that no matter what parts I put on them never fixed the problems. Nothing is perfect in the world, I've seen just as many GM vehicles with fried transmissions and engines as Ram trucks, vehicles in general now and especially trucks are extremely outrageously expensive, at least to me. You're essentially getting a near new truck that has what you want for the price.

The big things on these are the plenum, and keeping the maintenance up on the trans, ATF+4 fluid, good new filter and bands adjusted every 3 years and/or 30k miles iirc from reading before. The engines are known to last a long time. The MPG is a tiny bit lower than the Chevy trucks of that era but nothing that will bankrupt somebody, I've just accepted that trucks will guzzle a bit of gas when you drive them around.

My 01 had ~154k and my 95 has 224k and both still drove fine and rode nice and never left me stranded and always started right up. I think unless I ever see a nice condition extended cab v8 dodge truck of this era for a decent price I'm going to keep my current regular cab one and just replace the trans/engine or whatever else were to ever break one day, at least I'll know for sure that's the problem. I think people really take vehicle reliability for granted, these trucks have been the best vehicles I've ever owned. I don't have all the money in the world, just an average joe, and it got very frustrating and even depressing going through several junky cars like a nissan sentra, mustang, and firebird that no matter what I tried never ran right. I'll accept a little less MPG for something I know won't leave me stranded.