Dodge reliability question?

[Hyker]

I don't really know much about Dodge vans or their reliability.  But I recently found a 2003 dodge ram van for sale with 130k for $3,500. 

Can anyone please tell me anything about these vans as far as reliability and common problems?
The only issue listed was rocker pannel rust..

Thanks in advance!

 

[highdesertranger]

Welcome Hykes to the CRVL forums! To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips, Tricks and Rules" post lists some helpful information to get you started.

Most of our rules boil down to two simple over-riding principles: 1) What you post should provide good information (like your introductory post), and 2) Any response to someone else's post should make them feel glad they are part of this forum community.

We look forward to hearing more from you.

Doges have good engines, but they are unibody and the frames are know to rot out. this is especially true if the vans has been in an area where they salt the roads but I have seen it happen to ones close to the ocean. check the frame, especially the front horns and the rear where the leaf springs mount.

highdesertranger

 

[nature lover]

Welcome to the forum Hykes Rocker panel rust is a problem in many different vehicles not just the Dodge. I bought a 1998 with Slightly less mileage for the same price recently. Mine is a conversion with a high top. Had to put brand new tires do a little adjustments and tuneup but the thing is running great. My only experience with Dodge before this was a caravan we used as a family vehicle. It was very reliable and comfortable. I would not buy a vehicle without havingSomebody knowledgeable check it out any dealer they won’t let you check it out or take it to mechanic throws up a red flag. I’m not buying. Oh I always think that it’s like this you’re either slave to the bank paying interest or you buy a cheap one in your slave to the mechanic paying for repairs. Unless she got more resources than I do and can pay cash for a newer one. Good luck with it anyhow and have fun with the build. God bless the Nomads and please keep those older rigs running.

 

[user 423]

Late '90s and up are known to have more than avg. problems with computer failures mainly due to bad connectors. Also the overdrive transmissions aren't as durable as Chevy or Ford trannys. I've owned several older Dodge vans (pre-91) and had good luck with them.

 

[highdesertranger]

Hahaha, rocker panel that's cosmetic I am talking drive train parts falling off. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

I had a friend that drove old British cars for years. After sitting on the side of the road for the third time one day he bought a Dodge. He thought it was the best car he ever owned. I guess it just depends on your past automotive experiences! Lol!!!

 

[user 423]

Well, at least Dodges never had problems with sparkplugs blowing out or breaking off when being removed.

If you do your own mechanic work, access to a Dodge van's engine with the doghouse removed is much better than in a Ford.

Never worked on a newer Chevy van. Last one was '66 and it had the mid-engine setup.

 

[sneaks]

Late '90s and up are known to have more than avg. problems with computer failures mainly due to bad connectors. Also the overdrive transmissions aren't as durable as Chevy or Ford trannys. I've owned several older Dodge vans (pre-91) and had good luck with them.

The Dodge transmission issues are directly related to not following the service manual. Every filter change, the bands need to be adjusted with an in\lb torque wrench and a square socket. Rarely gets done outside of the dealer, and many times not at the dealer, either. The 4xRE transmissions are Torqueflites with an OD unit added to the end. Most common issues with the 4xRE units are slipping in 1 or reverse. A simple adjustment to the 1NR band before things get hosed will fix this. The 2-3 band adjustment is external and gets less wear so it is less likely to show issues until late, late in life. The 1NR gets a lot of abuse, that band adjustment requires dropping the pan and pulling the filter to access. I've had 9 Dodge trucks\JGCs with these transmission, haven't gotten less than 250k out of any of them, and I used mine hard and towed often. My last one - 2001 2500 truck - I finally sold when the body was too rusted to pass inspection, had 441k on the original drivetrain. Buyer was using it to plow since he bought it. AFAIK, it is still going strong. I had a nice little side business for a while, picking up RAMs and GCs with "bad" transmissions for pennies, taking an hour to flush fluid and adjust bands, then sell them for a nice profit.

 

[nature lover]

My personal opinion is that every manufacturer makes some lemons. Two people can buy the same make and model brand new and have completely different results. It is true that the Chevy GMC product has superior reputation. My situation is I look for the best that I could afford and is available. Some cars come air condition mine is prayer conditioned. I try to do the best maintenance I can And pray for the best. We had a local funeral director In Lititz Lancaster County named Mr Heisy. He had a beautiful Rolls Royce. He was broken down along the highway and a guy picked him up in a VW “thing”. The story Made our little local news paper. God bless the nomads all of us

 

[Hyker]

Thank you all for you input, I'm gonna continue to shop around and save more money for now. I hope to habe a van by spring at least. I would prefer a Chevy/GMC so I'll keep looking and saving.
Thanks again for all the great info!

 

[Hyker]

My personal opinion is that every manufacturer makes some lemons.  Two people can buy the same make and model brand new and have completely different results. It is true that the Chevy GMC product has superior reputation.  My situation is I look for the best that I could afford and is available. Some cars come air condition mine is prayer conditioned.  I try to do the best maintenance I can And pray for the best. We had a local funeral director In Lititz Lancaster County named Mr Heisy. He had a beautiful Rolls Royce.  He was broken down along the highway and a guy picked him up in a VW “thing”. The story Made our little local news paper.  God bless the nomads all of us

I'm not too far from Lititz, I'm in the Reading, Berks area.  Nice to hear from someone close

 

[txmnjim]

i've always thought the early Dodge vans like the 70s Sportsman were good. i see quite a few still kicking it.
i thought of this thread on my bike ride this am when i passed one as an RV. It looked in great shape and they
were from Montana, driving it all the way to here, Rochester MN

 

[ridgeway]

The Dodges from the 70s were solid I remember seeing them beat to hell still running in the late 80s and 90s. Seemed like every farm or ranch had 1 or 2 of them.

I knew a couple of people with early 2000 dodges that had transmission problems $2-3k. Along with a collection of other expensive problems. Personally I would not buy a Dodge unless the price was really cheap.