hi all new to the DF need some help with buying a ram

need to know what bad points to look out for on a 2003 1500 QC HEMI 4x4

it been in the uk all its life and i'm sure you all know how bad the weather is over here so are the any bad rust points to look out for ?

anyhelp any one ??

 

check the bottom of the doors and box for sure. Also look at the drive train. When testdriving it, run it hard and check out the tranny

 

thanks for that will be going to have a look next weekend.

anyone wants to have a look at it it on www.davidboatwright.com its the blue 2003 up for £14999

please tell me what you think ! and are them wheels standard ??

 

Hi UK Guy.

I have a black 2003 4x4 Hemi here in the UK and have had it since Nov 05.
I will give you a warning about mpg bud. Do not think your going to get anywhewre near the 15-18 mpg with our built up towns and cities, with the stop go traffic lights on EVERY street corner.[:@]
You will get 9.5 - 10 MPG if your lucky!!!!
That's a reality![:@]
If you do a long run at 60 mph, you might average 12-14 mpg depending on conditions such as wind and traffic.
I converted to LPG just to keep the fuel costs down. 42p/liter is OK.
I don't want to bum you out about getting a Ram. They are by far the best value to put a smile on your face at anytime per £ I have ever found.
Just be realistic about the MPG figures and like me, seriously consider converting over to LPG.
I've not encountered any problems as yet and have over 16500, miles since the conversion.
It cost me £2300 +vat but well worth it bud. I hope I haven't just tempted fate????
As for your Ram..........youMUST get a Carfax report from the states.[sm=goodidea.gif]
It cost me nothing, as they waved the cost of thereport for me. They are real nice people over there in the US.
The report will tell you if the vehicle has been involved in a wreck or been recalled or any other major service problem on it or if it's been ainvolved in a Lemon court case where the vehicle has been return to the dealership, as it's had neumerous faults on it since new. It will also help you tally up the oddometer and check the mileage on the truck.
I had a "missing" 10,000 miles on mine.
Even though these vehicles have a computerised oddometer, controlled my several control modules which log milleage etc. You can still "clock" these vehicles, so be careful.
Here's a link to Carfax :- http://www.carfax.com/
Ask nicely by e-mailing them yourVIN number, located on the front side of the drivers side windscreen, for a full report and they'll send it to you via e-mail.
That's what I did.
When you check this Ram over, ask about the rear end and when the truck was last fully serviced with ALL the fluids changed out?
The rear ends are prone to the LSD failing (if fitted), due to a clutch pack "C Clip" retaining clip falling out.
It has 4 of these little suckers in the LSD and a quick search on this site for C clip will pull a load of info for you.
These cause irrepairable damage to the axel housing and the whole axel needs replacing if these clips have slipped out and gouged the bearing housings and or wind up in the pinion/spider gears etc.
If your truck isn't fitted with LSD, then don't worry about this as they're not fitted to none LSD vehicles. It's a MUST DO thing, to check on if an LSD is fitted on your truck!
Also, put the truck into forward and reverse whilest holding the brake on.
There should be no "clunk" sound as you go from forward to reverse. If there is, you might have worn Universal joints etc.
When driving the beast (you personally must drive it not the sales guy) make sure there's no hesitation in changing up/down fron the auto box. Also, on braking, make sure there's no shuddering felt both in the steering wheel or in the brake pedal which would indicate warpped discs/rota's. Ram's when drive and stopped hard, tend to warp there stock discs. Make sure the truck stops in a straight line and doesn't pull to the side.
Check the tyres for wear. They are around £180 each to replace here in the UK without the fitting/balancing etc.
Smell the transmission fluid. It should have NO smell of burning or burnt cork smell to it. Look at the engine oil. It should be nice and golden, not pitch black, whichmight indicate a lack of good servicing.
Make sure ALL the electric stuff works such as power windows/seats and AC etc. They tend to be expensive to repair. All the heating/AC vents should be tested to make sure they are blowing either hot or cold AC air from the correct ducts/vents. There are problems with some of the vents getting stuck open/closed and the air not comming out of the correct place on these trucks. Again, expensive and difficult to repair, as it involves the entire dash comming out.
Ask when the spark plugs were last changed. There are 16 of them and are a bit of a pain in the *** to replace and costly over here in the UK.
There's a lot to these trucks and reading these types of forums regularly, will give you a feel of what's the common faults on these trucks.
Do a google on doge truck forums to locate several of these excellent web sites.
PM me for other great Dodge truck forum sites. The site moderators will not alow other forum links to be posted on the board. Understandable I guess.
A lot of GREAT info is available from the great guys that use these sites both to ask for and to give help.
I've had lots of great advise from our American cousins about stuff.[sm=usa.gif]
If you need any further help, post up and or PM anyone for help and more than likely, you will receive great advise!
I don't wish to put you off owning one of the trucks here in the UK. I just want you to know what your getting yourself into. They are by far the best thing on the roads over here. You WILL get a lot of people doing a "double take" of you in your truck when driving around ha ha.
I'm in, what I call, a love affair with my truck. She's just like a woman. Beautiful, fast and racey, at times,lazy (ha ha ha) and sometimes cantancerous. But..................... like a marraige.........well worth it!!
To the PC women on this site.......sorry but that's how I feel
Take care bud and good trucking if you get her.
Al.

 

Hi Al

thanks for the advice will take note of it all.

i know about the mpg as been driving american cars for the last 17 years now but 10mpg is still more than i'm getting out of my 86 corvette ! and nearly double what i'm getting out of my 68 cadillac.

but if it aint american then it aint much fun !

lotsto look out for on these trucks, dont know if the one i.m looking at has the LSD or not but think your right about doing the carfax thing dont want to buy a lemon

thanks for the advice and i'm sure i'll be back in touch with you soon

ben

 

Nice one Ben.
Sounds like you've got a nice stable of fillies there......?
The trucks are awsome and the Hemi makes real good power.
It's surprising how quick these large 4x4's are.
After re-reading my post to you, I'm sorry If Icame acrossa little condascending when describing what to look out for. I don't know your motoring experience and I didn't want you to get shafted on a bum deal.
Glad to here I was of some help especially with the Carfax thing.
Consider a Cummins diesel as well, as they're real quick and get good MPG. Plus there's a lot of performance parts around to quicken her up very substantially.
Keep in touch and good luck hunting down a truck.
Al.

 

hi al
yeah got some nice motors 68 caddy, 86vett, 1970 s1 jag, 71 mk3 cortina, 94 merc 300sl, 05 golf , 2 bikes and of course a white astra van !

so as you can see the dodge wont be used every day but more just for a bit of fun and a little work.

take a look at the 03 dodge onwww.davidboatwright.com and let me knowwhat you think it the blue on up for £14995

not sure about the wheels i think theylook a bit small for it and it needs a set of side steps for sure !
but as i'll be paying cash i'm sure i can haggle abit and get what i want, (steps, service, roadrent and some fuel )

ben

 

HiUK guy,

Welcome to the forums.

After looking at the Line up offered by your dealer, I'm guessing you want the extra seating area of the Quad Cab? Also I didn't see anything about Old Blue being a 4x4 the Red2003 say it is a 4x4.

If I had the cash I'd get the Rumble Bee or that SRT 10 (Sweet). I think theyboth had tonneau covers as well as nice rims and less than half the mileage of old blue. They are both newer and weigh less than a QC. Just a thought. I love that Rumble Bee, but I am partial to Black, heh.

The reason I say this is: On my Mod list arean SRT Hood, tonneau cover and Rims, not sure how much that would set you back if they were on your Mod list

One more thing about that Rumble Bee the License Plate actually matches the color scheme of the Truck (Bonus!) Yeah Light Duty and Lots of Fun.

 

Yeah, the Blue Hemi looks fine bud. I believe those are 17" wheels though and they do look a little too small in there don't they?
Is it a 4x4 or just the 2wd? the ad doesn't say.
The Red Hemi QC looks great with the 20's, tonneau and side steps already on..
But the mileage is a little high.
It's therefore important to do a Carfax check on the Blue Hemi as it might have been clocked with that low mileage????
It's definately worth the trouble to do that check!
For the extra grand, the 4x4 system and with all the other extras already fitted, the Red onemight bethe way to possibly go, as you couldn't get all that stuff for the extra grand, trust me.
The SRT 10 is an awsome machine!!! no getting away from that and the Rumble Bee is NICE.
Do you need the QC for the space as Pappy_FBasked???
I have the QC 4x4 and it has come in very useful here in the UK, even with our small amounts of snow.
They tend to be very light on the back end and with all that Hemi power.........in the snow.............in the wet................the 4x4 is needed.
It's horses for courses though with regards to the 4x4 system. Would you use it?
If the Hemi is just for the odd run into town in the summer etc the 2wd might be the way to go for you.
Take care and good luck bud.
Al.

 

hi pappy, Al

i need the extra seating of the qcand the red one does look better with the wheels and steps,but i hate red cars and trucks so dont want that one!

as for the 4x4 bit i do a bit of towing so need the extra pulling that it gives, never know what i'll be towing out of a field next !

but the truck would need bigger wheels (20's i think)

i'll call the garage and check its a 4x4 but its on ebay as well and that advert does state it's a 4x4
shame i cant afford a SRT10 qc tho but if i can get rid of some of the others then who know !( anyone want to make an offer )