Looking to buy a 1997 Ram 2500 quad cab with the 318 engine. I haven’t gone to look at it. He wants 2500 dollars for it. Supposedly it needs a radio and window switches. Is this a good deal? How complex is it to put in new switches? I just had back and neck surgery so not able to do much. Thank you

 

The switches are easy, though id look up the price first. 2nd gen circuit boards tend to be junk, so id buy them new rather than from a junk yard (if you can even find them there) other wise i have owned 3 98-99 Chrysler/dodges, the only issue i would say is "common" is a sensor in the transmission, that cost me $50. The only reason id say its common is because I had to replace it on both a jeep and a durango, though it seems fine in my ram. (Both times i had to replace it i got great deals on the vehicles because the owner thought the transmission was completely shot.) Check out the steering as it is a steering box and could possibly be overly loose. Otherwise, ive driven two of these vehicles well beyond 300000 miles, with only minor cheap repairs.

 

Thank you, Maybe I should look at the steering box now. He says it wobbles on the highway. He just put in a 4” lift and it’s running 35” tires. He says the whole front end has been done.

 

A 2500 with a 318????? I didn't think they came with the smaller engine......

 

For $2500 and it being a '97 it will need more than a radio and switches!
Anyone can lift a truck but was it done correctly ?.Since it has a "wobble" I would say it was not.

 

They didn't!

Hard to say with out more info. Assuming it's a 4X4??? Any rust? Location? miles? Main question is condition.

 

I would think the truck has a 360. The switches are fairly easy. The radio, if it was just unplugged or the radio dies, that's fairly easy too. The opening on Mopars is the same from the mid 70's on up although the radios are different in the early 80's from earlier units. Basically, a decent working radio from the mid 80's to about 2001 will interchange or you can get a mounting and wire adapter and put a wide variety of aftermarket units in it. As long as it hasn't had a kid put a "system" in the dash and butcher the wiring, it's an easy install.

Now, the steering, how was it lifted? Two things I'd have checked really close. One is the panhard bar on the front end. The other is the angle on the driveshaft. 4 inches isn't that much so the driveshaft angle may be okay. The front bar though, I had a 2001 2500 with 4X4 and replaced the bar when I bought it. A few years later it wore out and I'd get a "death wobble" with a bump just right. If that happens at highway speed, it earns the name. It's a bit of a job and if you have back trouble you might want to farm it out but it's not too bad. Basically a big heavy bar with ball joints at each end to hold the front axle assembly in place but allows it to move up and down.