Hey Dodge Forum Peoples,

I'm going to look at this truck tonight:
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/cto/3607607768.html

Thoughts on things I should look out for? I don't see much in the way of problems on the car review websites. Occasional person complaining about a lemon with lots of weird little problems but thats it, seems like the vast majority of these trucks are reliable...

I test drove a 2004 quad cab long bed with a HEMI back in 2008 when I bought my 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. It was a cool vehicle, hauled ***, stopped good, comfortable and big. It was just a little outside my price range. I like my mountaineer still but it's getting a little long in the tooth and I'm ready for a change. I figure I can sell my truck for about $6k still an pick this up for not much more than that. It seems to have some cool after market stuff and I'm really looking forward to upgrading from Ford's 4.6L to the big Chrysler 5.7L.

Love me some big trucks. I hope this one works out! Any thoughts are appreciated, I'm going to go look at this thing in about 6 hours...

Thanks,
Ryan

 

On a 2003, I would get underneath it and look at the tie rods, ball joints, shocks etc., and ask if there has been anything done to the rear differential, ie., new gears or lsd. The rears are known to go out.

 

Take it for a test drive. For sure on the freeway 70mph. Feel for vibrations noises at all speeds.The HVAC system is weak. Check all functions. Make sure air is blowing out in proper location. Some 03 Hemi's had valve spring breakage. Something you may want to look into? If it has posi limited slip (Tracloc) rear end. There are clutch pack retainer clips that break and can cause big $$$ damage to the rear diff. If your serious about buying it after test driving and your inspection. Get it on a hoist have a mechanic look at it!
Good Luck

 

Also, wasn't '03 the year with the collapsing dashboard? Not quite as important as mechanical issues that would keep it off the road, but you'd think it plenty important if you brought it home and THEN found out about it...

 

All good points----its also the least tunable of the 3rd gens, If the OP can find a 05 he can afford he might be ahead in the long run.

 

I got a 04 with 35,000 had all above mentioned problems , rearend , reciculation door, vibration issues , evap problems , GAS HOG. I got it to give me somthing to tow my boat and give my silverado a break since it 220,000 trouble free miles on it , regret it . Not saying there all junk , my dad is diehard dodge and they have given him great service . For me truck has been more headache than its worth. Oh yeah hemi tick bugs the crap out of me .

 

Just to throw out there the bed cover I have seen numerous study and reviews and even tried it on ym 03 4.7l and it had no effect on gas mileage.

03 are the least tunable trucks I love my 03 ram but that is 1 of 3 reasons I am looking at dumping once my bonus check comes in. The other 2 are the cracked dash board which is terrible iv got split from windshield to glove box almost. The other reason (not sure if its just for the 4.7 or applies to the 5.7) but most of my parts under the hood are not interchangeable with any other year of ram except on 02. The price point is a bit higher on the parts and they can be a pain to find if wanting an option other than the dealer.

Another common issue not major or expensive is the degasser bottle (coolant resevoir) is crap the seal on the tank it self (not the cap) tends to go out frequently spaying coolant all over the place. This part is about 120 from dealer or if your lucky you get a used ebay or salvage part for 60-80.

Other than those issues my 03 4.7 has run tough and strong and I love it.

 

Thanks for all the advice!

I ended up buying the truck for $7200. Mechanically, we didn't see any leaks and it drove really nicely. Motor pulled strong, tranny shifted smoothly under heavy throttle, brakes were solid. The guy listed off a lot of things that were done to it (tranny fluid/filter change, new plugs/wires, recent brake job) but said he did a lot of work himself and he didn't have many receipts. I was told the rear diff had never been touched. I really wasn't sure what to look for as far as tie rods etc since I've never worked on one of these before but I did get under the truck and nothing looked hooribly out of place. I drove it in tight circles and in reverse in circles in a parking lot and everything was smooth, no rubbing of bumping. Cloth interior is in good shape.

The bad is the paint (and like a dumbass I bought a truck at night). It is boiling up on the hood pretty good. It also could use a rear bumper, looks like someone backed into a pole at some point.

There is some other minor stuff, one of the dash vents is falling apart, driver door rubber is a little messed up, missing a lug nut on one wheel, missing a magnum cap on another wheel, trailer electrical hookup plastic is broken...

So overall I didn't get a steal of a deal, but I still think I got a pretty good truck on my hands that just needs some TLC. I'm moving to a new place with a huge garage in two weeks and will likely do a lot of the work myself, so I will probably post more on this forum.


Thanks again!
-Ryan