Hello! I am looking at a 2000 Ram 1500 with the 5.9 motor, 94k miles. The current owner has only had it about 6 months which worries me someand says the trans is rebuilt. Has no paperwork because he said the previous owner had it done. My question is how can I tell if it is a rebuilt?

Also, guy says it has tow package. How can I verify that?

Thanks!

 

not too sure about the tranny question. have you looked at it at all? my t-case was worked on and it has a tag on it indicating so.

probably sounds like a stupid answer to your tow question, but if it has a tow package it would have a trailer hitch.

 

I THINK the tow package included a heavy duty alternator and a trannsmission cooler as well.

 

maybe. ive got the tow package and it has a tranny cooler. i dont know if my alt is heavy duty or not.

 

The issue here is condition of truck vs. price...
Fact that whatever got rebuilt does NOT increase the value of the vehicle per se, the best way to find out if the vehicle is good deal (or not) is check the Blue book value here at Kelley Blue Book

Plug in year and model and miles and features, then condition is either fair or good and you want Private Party Value.
If in doubt as to condition, just read what Kelley says about all the various conditions, it's a great guide.
Now if the truck is priced within the range of Blue book, then you can buy it knowing that it is a fair deal.
If it is not (most likely it will be over), then don't buy it.

I buy (and sell) ALL of my vehicles according to Kelly Blue Book.
Saves me a ton of guesswork and frustration.
As for repairs that come afterwards, you should always go over the vehicle completely as soon as you can, and be prepared to spend an additional $200-$500 in parts (if you DIY, labor is cheaper).

As a rule, I do this to any vehicle I buy soon after:
Oil and trans fluid and filter change.
Spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor (I get the high performance stuff).
Pcv valve, and breather cap.
Locking gas cap, and fuel filter.
Air filter.
Inspect tires for nails, pull and repair any as needed.
Inspect brakes and tie rod ends, and repack bearings.
Fix anything else that's wrong with it (ebay is one place to look for parts).

 

topsites, you mentioned looking at tierods. I've replaced them before, but I was just told they needed to be. How do you know if they are bad or not?

 

jack the front of the truck up. if tire wiggles from side to side its the tie rods. if it wiggles up and down its the ball joints

 

OK, this may sound strange, but crawl underneath and take a look at the transmission itself. Does it look any cleaner (less road grime and hopefully no leaks) than the motor or even the transfer case?

Otherwise all you can do is "Caveat Emptor" - "Let the Buyer Beware"

 

Thank you for the info! I have checked KBB and it seems to be a decent deal, but I am in no real hurry and am looking for a really GOOD deal. Guy is asking 6900. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

 

Generally speaking, if the rubber boots are cracked or leaking, replace them.
That, or about every 50-100k miles (thou once I replace them once, I usually don't do it again).
I usually do these visual checks while I got the tire off... I like inspecting all kinds of stuff whenever I am doing wheel bearings or brakes, saves a ton of time later.

p.s.: If you're looking for a really good deal, then keep looking.
I found my '95 2500 SLT Laramie for $2,500 !!! Thou it's in fair condition, and I've done a lot of work to it and still there's some stuff left to do... Also, I flew to Boston to go get it (so I don't mind traveling for a great deal) and it did drive so I drove it back to VA, then started working on it.
After all is said and done, I'll have spent close to $3,500 on it (with the trip + fuel + registration + etc, etc) but it's valued at 4,000 in this condition, so I'm happy. And yes, I used kbb to help me make my choice.
As for finding a deal better than kbb's price, that will be very hard...
But it's either valued right at blue book, or it's not (and most are not {meaning the price is higher}, that's been my experience).
I spent about a year looking, while I kept saving money.
You may get luckier, you may not, just keep looking is the secret.
I found mine via cars.com :-)

That's actually not a bad idea to do this anytime a tire is in the air.
It can also indicate bad wheel bearings.