I have somebody who has a Dodge Ram 1500 that has 290k miles. I want a truck that reliable but I am not sure if they are just lucky or not. I am not the guy to be spending a million bucks on parts.
If it was a 2500 maybe but those 1500s had weak transmissions go with an older Chevy or Toyota Tundra.
2nd Gen Ram was 1994-2002; They had good engines but the transmission was weak point. Was the transmission already rebuilt/replaced on this one? If not, you’d have to budget for it in addition to the price of the truck. But the one you are looking at also has 290,000 miles which is up there, so I would pass on it.
See below at 8:57 by master mechanic The Car Wizard on the Ram 1500 of that generation:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=u6Jx0dWLQSI
Nay;(
The 2nd gens paired with the Cummins are workhorses that keep on keeping on. The autos are the weak points but most people just rebuild or replace them because they know a well maintained Cummins will take them beyond 800,000 mi. The gas motors are typically good until 250,000 but by that point it’s not worth rebuilding the tranny because the motor will need rebuilt or replaced as well.
