what do you think

[boxinggsxr]

i need a little help i want to buy my wife a truck before my next deployment so i found this one its a
2002 4dr dodge ram 4.7 4x4 slt short bed ...he wanted $8000 but he is settling for $6500 since he's moving out of the country in very soon
101,003 miles no check eng light on, and he is the original owner
Its all stock and has a tonneau bed cover.
its blue with grey on bottom and all blue interior
dash has 3 minor cracks

MY QUESTIONS are
1- its a 3rd generation correct?
2- Is this a good deal?
3- what can be done to fix the dash?
thank you

 

[boxinggsxr]

im also looking for
1- dash covers
2- leveling kit not sure where to get one theres not many truck shops around here which makes no sense since theres a beach 30min away

 

[NHDuckHunter8003]

Plug all if its info in on Kelly blue book to get an idea of what it's worth. It sounds like a good deal by the info you gave. I'm not a huge fan of 2wd trucks even where there is no snow but if it'll fulfill all your needs pull the trigger on it.

 

[boxinggsxr]

ya theres plenty of 2wd trucks thats why i was excited about this one because its 4x4 and kbb showed it worth fair $8210-to excellent $9610 ..so $6500 is below it by alot but since he works for the government and is forced to leave i figured thats why its low since its a quick sale. to me i think its a good bang for the buck i just havent had much expierence with trucks other than my old 98 f150 that always broke down

 

[02 Ram]

it is a 3rd gen

i picked mine up for 5 grand, little higher mileage though. gas was killing him and he wanted to bail. you could always try to talk him down a bit more. i would inspect it really good first. make sure theres no leaks, knocking or smoking

dash will probably have to be replaced. i guess i got lucky with mine. i read all the time about cracked dashes and mines in tact. we get really hot down here, in the upper 90's and above

 

[NHDuckHunter8003]

Oh crap I misread it. I thought it said 2wd. Yeah if it's 4x4 it's a good deal. If you bring it to a reputable mechanic a lot of them will do used vehicle inspections for 20-30 bucks and check all the fluids, brakes, etc.

 

[boxinggsxr]

ya i see alot of them going to 5grand but their either 2 doors or not 4x4 or if they are they have 150+ miles theres alot of construction going on here im in south texas so i def know what you mean by 90+degrees in the summer it usually high 90's and low 100's...i test drove it 3 times already and theres no oil leaks in tranny motor and had a friend look at it very nice so im excited

what are the 1st things you guys did to the trucks when you bought them? i usually take my newly bought used cars to midas and have oil change and everything topd off (full service) but thats with my civics never really done anything to trucks before

 

[02 Ram]

yeah, he also put new nitto tires on it, new battery, new radiator. she has an aftermarket alarm/remote start, tow package, rear sliding window, factory LSD. she is a quad cab but it 2WD.


first thing i did was change the oil, then did plugs and PCV valve. ive had to do the front rotors and brakes. next is a tranny service. gona have them do the filters and a T-tech to replace all the fluid. i bought some royal purple 75W 140 for the rear diff. thats about it for now

 

[boxinggsxr]

wow sounds like yours is real nice i love the way those nitto terrain tires look but wow are they pricey....is there some kind of maintence log or anything that shows what needs/should be replaced or checked after certain mileage for these trucks

 

[02 Ram]

i have the receipt. they were a tad over 700 bucks for all 4. he put all terrain tires on it, why i dont know since its a 4X2. i did have it serviced though since i had the receipt. they did a free rotate and re balanced the tires for me

the owners manual will have the maintenance log in it. shows everything that needs to be done at X amount of miles. i always go through cars/trucks i buy unless the PO has a log of everything done. cheap insurance. plus the 4.7's have a bad rep on sludge buildup and overheating. knock on wood mines been good to me, i have had her for a year the end of may

 

[boxinggsxr]

plus the 4.7's have a bad rep on sludge buildup and overheating. knock on wood mines been good to me, i have had her for a year the end of may

dang i did not read that any any reviews so far but i hope mine wont have that problem imma go pick it up in a hour and im pretty excited my wife will be surprised hehe

whats the best way to prevent it? where would the sludge buildup be? and as far as the overheating goes is that in hauling in the 4x4 mode?

 

[02 Ram]

sorry, OCD kicked in and i went to wash and vaccum the truck. in the 70's and 80's this week. anyway

no, the sludge build up causes it to overheat. it was some kind of design flaw, i cant remember exactly. some people were reporting the engine failing as early as 30-50K miles. just keep up maintenance on it and it should be fine. my truck has just about 162K miles with no problems.

 

[boxinggsxr]

oh ok ya i'll take it in the mourning for a quick check up oil change and tire rotation at midas and let them check it out ...it rides so awesome way different than being in my 2dr civic...

next thing imma need to get the dash cover and leveling kit i think

 

[02 Ram]

post some pics!!

 

[boxinggsxr]

now its official got it last night

since the motor is what makes mine a 3rd gen 4.7 then do i need to find a brushgaurd for 02-07 or 98-02?
i'll post more up today idk might start a new thread just for the start up cuz i do wana add so much ....its so nice inside it and so much space

 

[02 Ram]

02-07 would be what you need

 

[NHDuckHunter8003]

Good looking rig

 

[boxinggsxr]

thanks ya i cant wait to get the brush gaurd and levlkit on it

 

[brightwhitesport]

Good Synthetic oil prevents the sludge. 4.7's have head gasket issues thats what causes the over heating, its due to the long life coolant. It turns acidic after 7 years or so and eats away at the aluminum heads. Change your coolant as soon as you get it. 4.7's also have lash adjuster noises, not a knock, more of a tick for the first minute on start up, simple wear causes that, not harmful just annoying. easy to change em just costs about 300$ in parts. Also manifold bolts break. They're a good engine just high maintenance keep it maintained and you'll have no issues. Pm me if you have questions about them I'm really familiar with them from my last truck.