Looking at a 2016 1500 and have a couple of questions.

[Pedrobananas]

Hello all,
I’m looking at possibly purchasing a 2016 1500. I know prices are nuts right now but that’s another story. The truck has all the options I want (reg cab, body colored bumpers, V8, 3.92 rear end, etc) but has about 74k miles on it. Never having purchased a ram before or any car/truck with that many miles, I’m wondering if that’s a lot for these trucks. The car fax is clean and it looks to be cosmetically in perfect shape. Is there anything I should be looking for? To me it doesn’t seem like a lot of miles for a truck but am looking for any opinions. The truck won’t be a daily and will likely see less than 1k miles a year.
Thanks! All opinions welcome.

 

[Frontbutz]

Average vehicle mileage per year is 15,000 miles. If you do get it I would suggest changing all fluids/oils so you have a baseline of when they were last changed.

 

[Pedrobananas]

Makes sense! Thank you.

 

[audiophile]

My 2016 V8 has just over 75k. Still runs like a champ.

 

[Pedrobananas]

Thank you! I figured they would be good for well over that.

 

[Jeepwalker]

My 2012 has 170k ....lol. That's right 170k ..miles. Similar reg cab to what you're looking at. Runs great, and drives real 'tight' ..that's why I bought it. Original shocks and everything else. Mine was all or mostly hwy miles when I got is (and that's what I drive). No major engine work that I know of. Mine's kind of a plain-janer ..which is good and bad. Good b/c there's less crap to go wrong. Bad bc I miss common features (which I might add ...like pw/pdl's).

The only thing mine needs is a new driver's seat cushion. I ponied up for a brand new Mopar exact replacement seat cover off ebay (and new OEM Mopar foam cushion) ..I need to get it installed one of these days. There's a steel bar that runs around under the foam, and the foam & upholstery commonly flakes-out on these rams from sliding in and out (entry/exit) over the yrs. One thing a guy can do is install running boards and train yourself to get in and out using a technique that puts the least amount of strain on the outer seat cover. That's what I do with another rig I have. OR ...if you plan to keep the truck a long while, buy a new factory replacement cover (OEM) while they're still on the market. And OEM foam (the aftermarket foams are crap --- BTW). My 2012 was kind of hard to find in exact Mopar, so you wouldn't want to put that off too long if you needed a certain leather or fabric seat cover.

Other than that, where is this truck located? IDK where "DMV" is located, but if its in the salt-belt, Rams get rusty. I mean like seriously rusty in the N. rust-belt region ...if they're not washed regularly or taken care of (even that only sort of 'helps'). Not at first, but 2016 is getting at that age. My neighbor's 2013, the rockers you could poke your fingers through, wheel openings on the box are rusted through, cab corners have holes. Tailgate bottom is really rusty. It's been looking rusty for the last couple years. Other than those things, it's a real nice looking truck. But rust underneath is also going to show it's toll on brakes and a lot of other components. Of course there are 'survivors' too (like mine). So if this tk has been DD driven in salty winter ...then I would definitely inspect underneath carefully and/or re-consider or have it undercoated (if she's 'clean').

But if it's nice and clean underneath, and everything checks out, I would gobble it up if that's what you're looking for. A clean regular cab pickup like that is harder to find these days. It should have a ton of good miles left in it. That said, you just can't predict the future and problems could arise at some point in the future. If you buy it, yeah, change all the fluids, (incl brake fluid) ...and all the other maintenance items. If you're buying it from a Chrysler dealer, see if you can fanagle a free or reduced-rate technology upgrade (maps, etc), and maybe a set of running boards.

Best of luck. Throw us a picture if you buy it!!!!

 

[PoMansRam]

If it's clean inside/out and underneath and is exactly what you want, go for it. The only kicker for me would be is it's got to be the 8spd transmission. If it's a column shift 6 spd, I wouldn't want it. The 6spd isn't horrible, but the 8 is just better all the way around IMO.

 

[Wild one]

Hello all,
I’m looking at possibly purchasing a 2016 1500. I know prices are nuts right now but that’s another story. The truck has all the options I want (reg cab, body colored bumpers, V8, 3.92 rear end, etc) but has about 74k miles on it. Never having purchased a ram before or any car/truck with that many miles, I’m wondering if that’s a lot for these trucks. The car fax is clean and it looks to be cosmetically in perfect shape. Is there anything I should be looking for? To me it doesn’t seem like a lot of miles for a truck but am looking for any opinions. The truck won’t be a daily and will likely see less than 1k miles a year.
Thanks! All opinions welcome.

Just be forewarned the driveshafts in the 2 wheel drive 8 speed regular cab shortbox trucks,leave a whole lot to be desired,especially with 3.92 gears. Grab the driveshaft towards the middle where the slip joint is located and wiggle the hell out of it,if it has much play,be very careful driving it fast.The driveshaft on the regular cab shortboxes is a pisss poor design,and they have a tendenacy to turn into skipping ropes if you drive them fast.They will exit the truck in a hurry,and have been known to take out gas tanks/bust transmissions etc. The common fix is an aftermarket driveshaft that's not cheap,and even they leave a bit to be desired.The issue is no support bearing where the 2 pieces of the shaft join together.

 

[Jeepwalker]

That's a good suggestion (check driveshaft play). If excessive, the rear tranny/transfer case bushing is an easy and quick replacement at the dealer. My hummer output shaft (from the xfer case) had more slop than I was comfortable with. I mean it had decent movement. The dealer lent me their $400 fancy tool (I bought the bushing there), and it was no more than a 15 min job to remove and re-install a new rear tail bearing. Tightened the d/s right up.

But it's a good tip ....and a good example of little things you'd want to look for (and resolve asap) on a used vehicle when you get it, to prevent larger issues from fe$tering down the road. (lol ...did you see what I did with that dollar sign?)

OP: You didn't say if it was 2wd or a 4x4 tk you were looking at. (if you did, sorry I didn't read it)

 

[Wild one]

That's a good suggestion (check driveshaft play). If excessive, the rear tranny/transfer case bushing is an easy and quick replacement at the dealer. My hummer output shaft (from the xfer case) had more slop than I was comfortable with. I mean it had decent movement. The dealer lent me their $400 fancy tool (I bought the bushing there), and it was no more than a 15 min job to remove and re-install a new rear tail bearing. Tightened the d/s right up.

But it's a good tip ....and a good example of little things you'd want to look for (and resolve asap) on a used vehicle when you get it, to prevent larger issues from fe$tering down the road. (lol ...did you see what I did with that dollar sign?)

OP: You didn't say if it was 2wd or a 4x4 tk you were looking at. (if you did, sorry I didn't read it)

It's not the bushing in the tranmission,that's the issue,it's the driveshaft itself. The driveshaft bolts to a flange on both the transmission and rearend,and has a hokey rubber isolated slip joint in the middle of the driveshaft,that is unsupported.At speed the driveshaft tries to turn itself into a skipping rope. At right around 5300 driveshaft rpm,the shaft turns into a skipping rope and starts to seperate at that joint.There is no normal "supported" center bearing with a slip yoke,like you'd see on a normal 2 piece driveshaft,in fact there is no slip yoke at the transmission on any 2 wheel drive ZF 8 speed equipped vehicle,the 4X4's still have a normal slip yoke into the transfer case,but a 2 wheel drive has no transfer case,so the shaft bolts directly to a solid unsliding flange on the back of the transmission.The cars are the same,but they do have a semi supported center bearing,and they use indendently sprung diff,with the diff semi solidly mounted to the chassis.But even the cars driveshafts give problems once you start applying more power to them.FCA's drivetrain engineers i think are severely restricted by the bean counters

 

[Jeepwalker]

.....the 4X4's still have a normal slip yoke into the transfer case,but a 2 wheel drive has no transfer case,so the shaft bolts directly to a solid unsliding flange on the back of the transmission.

Ahhh....Thanks for the clarification. Was not aware of that issue (only 4x4's here!). Like you say, (and I agree) keep inspect for weaknesses and resolve them before they become expensive problems.

 

[Trail Ryder]

The front and rear axle differentials are probably overdue for a fluid change.

 

[Pedrobananas]

Thanks all and sorry for the late reply’s. I ended up getting the truck. Went to see it and it looked practically new despite the 70k miles. It’s a RWD and seems to drive perfectly fine. I’ll try to attach a pic. Next thing I want to look at is if it’s possible to add a rear view camera using the standard uconnect radio. I need to search through the forums on that one. But anyway thanks all for the responses. I’m pretty happy with it.

 

[Bandit1859]

Hello all,
I’m looking at possibly purchasing a 2016 1500. I know prices are nuts right now but that’s another story. The truck has all the options I want (reg cab, body colored bumpers, V8, 3.92 rear end, etc) but has about 74k miles on it. Never having purchased a ram before or any car/truck with that many miles, I’m wondering if that’s a lot for these trucks. The car fax is clean and it looks to be cosmetically in perfect shape. Is there anything I should be looking for? To me it doesn’t seem like a lot of miles for a truck but am looking for any opinions. The truck won’t be a daily and will likely see less than 1k miles a year.
Thanks! All opinions welcome.

U will be fine great trucks

 

[Wild one]

Hello all,
I’m looking at possibly purchasing a 2016 1500. I know prices are nuts right now but that’s another story. The truck has all the options I want (reg cab, body colored bumpers, V8, 3.92 rear end, etc) but has about 74k miles on it. Never having purchased a ram before or any car/truck with that many miles, I’m wondering if that’s a lot for these trucks. The car fax is clean and it looks to be cosmetically in perfect shape. Is there anything I should be looking for? To me it doesn’t seem like a lot of miles for a truck but am looking for any opinions. The truck won’t be a daily and will likely see less than 1k miles a year.
Thanks! All opinions welcome.

You'll want to pay attention to these 2 threads

Driveshaft (Beware)

Just got my truck back. Thanks to a new driveshaft from Moe's (DriveshaftPros). The original let go on the freeway and luckily the damage was minimal. It broke the evap canister connection on the gas tank, and knocked some other stuff loose. I'll get some pictures up once I get them off my...

www.ramforum.com

Driveshaft Pro Driveshaft for regular cab!

Well I got my driveshaft in from Driveshaft Pro and the quality is nothing short of perfection, the install was a piece of cake a simple parts swaps. I had one hiccup and it was my fault, I bought the Gearwrench 6-point swivel impact sockets and somehow I accidentally ordered the 12-point ARP...

www.ramforum.com