I've been looking for a diesel dodge to tow with. Right now i have a very nice 95 2500 4x4 with a 360 v8, it does the job but i'm going to need more pulling power. I either want a 1st gen or a 2nd gen from 94-98.5. I recently found a 91 non-ic 4x4 black regular cab at a local dealer for about $5,500. the body is very good. No dents or rust but the paint is original so there are some decent scratches on one side. the interior is not ragged out at all, the only problem inside the truck is the Headliner is falling down and the speedo is erractic. i test drove it one day, its a manual and shifts good and there aren't any noticable leaks on the truck anywhere, it didn't smoke or make any unusual noises. the truck has roughly 145,000 miles on it. Its a very ugly truck, all black with a black grill and bumpers, i'd end up changing them all to chrome but thats not a problem. Would a truck of this age be worth what they are asking for and what problems might show up soon? Or what are common problems associated with this yr or model truck?

thanks for any responses,
Matt K

 

i would opt to find one with an IC if you are goin to be mostly pulling or pull heavy loads, but thats JMO

 

$5500 doesnt seem bad to me. most people want a fortune for a 1st gen. only downside is the lack of the intercooler. depending on how handy you are you can always add one later. on the upside the injectors are larger than the 91.5-93s also theres no ecm. it would probably require the normal maintance of any older vehicle, im pretty sure theres a sensor on the transfer case you can clean the contacts or replace to fix that speedo problem. if it still has the getrag tranny in it add a extra quart of oil and you should be good. plus all the money youll spend when you get the bombing bug.

 

Thanks for the quick replies, I am very handy with diesels. I'm a diesel tech by trade so adding an IC wouldn't be too bad to do. I know the tranny has a granny gear, so its like a 4spd w/ a granny low.i'll try to post a pic of it later today or tomorrow. Were there really any known problems with this style ram? I've never heard of anything really except the KDP.




I looked at the truck this evening for the firt time in about a week or two since i originally discovered it. The bed and gate had been repainted, now there are hardly any marks on the truck. The passenger side of the bed originally was really scuffed and scratched. It also had a busted tail light before and now both tailights were replaced with new ones, and the stock fender flares also have been replace with new ones. I'm going to drive it again tuesday for a much longer time and possibly take it home to look over well. Oh and looking under it today i noticed that the factory undercoating was still on the truck, peeling in a few spots but it was mostly there. This truck sounds like it might be worth buying.