Hello,

My girlfriend and I are thinking of getting a 2001 Ram 3500 dually w/ a Cummins 24V coupled to an Auto Trans. 2WD (we wanter a 4wd but this truck seems in very good shape for the price and miles so i will settle for 2wd)
The truck is a quad cab, long box with 40k miles on it..
The dealership where we found it wants $24,995 for it but we hammered out something like $21,000 for it
it is in mint condition, VERY VERY well taken care of, or so it would appear, mint interior, never smoked in and.. shifs smooth as glass..
Im new to the Cummins & Rams and im just wondering for the money if this is about what i should expect to pay for this truck. Ive done some research on this model and i find alot refering to the Weak point being the Automatic trans and the ball joints... other than that the Cummins appears to be the only way to go as it seems to go forever...
this truck will be used to haul cargo and be use alot... 1000mi a week or so...

My questions are...
1. Is the transmission going to be an issue... it seems fine now, should we just keep up on it if we decide to buy?
2. How failure prone are the ball joints.. and what do they cost to replace both in a shop or done at home (im handy)
3. Is this about what i should expect to pay for a 2wd Dually with only 40k.. seems kinda low... im going to assume they were towing miles since there is an aftermarket trailer brake controller..
4. Is there anything that I Should seriously inspect that is notorious on these trucks... if so what is it and how can it effect me bargining the price..


Thanks for your time, James

On a side note... one of my previous cars was a Nissan 240sx with a SR20DET swap w/ a Blitz K3T Turbo set up, so im familliar with working on turbo charged cars... but no Turbo Diesel motors... the cummins seems alot more complex than a boosted Gasser

 

In my 98 2WD 3500, I changed the ball joints at about 145000. They were borderline, could have went several thousand miles still on them but they were wore enough it didn't hurt to replace them. I just went through the truck and changed everything that was getting wore, as it was going to become my only truck for a while. I would guess that they are something that shouldn't require any attention for quite a while still. The auto trans. I would recomend adding a temp. guage, and regularly checking the fuild. Have the fuild changed regularly too, say every 25000. The lift pumps that supply fuel to the injection pump are prone to failure. I think that is the most common failure of anything on these trucks. By adding a fuel pressure gauge you can montior the pressure, and can take care of the problem before it becomes a major issue.

 

Sure about the 2WD? Depends on what climate your in I guess. I would be out of luck a few weeks to a month around here every winter. Duallies proably do much better (with the extra wheels and all!), but a 2 WD truck can be as useless as any rear wheel drive vehicle (no weight on the rear) in the snow or loose ground. Just a thought, but i have even pulled a bit too far off the shoulder while towing and needed to pop er in 4wd to get the heavy beast going. If I were in the south, I would rather not tote around the front axle and transfer case all year for nothing I guess too.

 

I drive a 2wd in the snow all the time....For the last 3 years i have been stationed in Northern UT and we get a lot of snow.... the key is good tires and slow down..i had all 6 tires siped when i bought them. I drive a 5spd. Also adding weight is a good thing in bad weather.

2wd have higher GVRW than 4wd...I dont believe it is alot but I never pay attn to this factory crap anyways.

 

so do you guys think $22,000 is a good price for it with 40k miles

 

check out auto trader online.......lots of texas trucks go fro cheaper than that but there is an abundnce down there

 

Back in 2002 I gave 24,999 for a 2001 that was 11 months old with 24,000 miles on it, 4 wheel drive, quad cab, SLT Sport 3500 with a 5 speed. I got a sweet deal but definantely check around. Check the KBB or NADA for prices.

 

That doesn't sound to bad to me if the truck is as cherry as you say. I payed $20000 for mine in 03 but it had 80K on it. I would still keep looking around in your area to make sure, but it sounds pretty good to me. One thing to have the dealer check on is the fuel pressure though. If it is not up to par have them fix it, and if they won't fix it walk away.

Also as you already know the auto trans is the weak link. Keep the maintance up on it and maybe get a different valve body. The problem with the autos is that the trans pressure isn't enough which causes the fins on torque converter get hot and bend. But I have heard of some stock trannies going for along time with good maintance.