That era is prone to evaporator core and heater core leaks. And the plastic dash disintegrates from sun exposure. The 4.7 motors at higher mileages can have valve guide wear bad enough it will kick the cam followers (rocker arms) out from under the cam and cause a dead misfire. Work on them quite regular at work.

I had one that blew the engine at 3000 miles. Told it was from "Bad Gas". Will never ever own another Dodge. Fancy looking pieces of junk! Silverados for me.

I owned a 2006 Ram 1500 with a 5.7 V8. No real issues other than a couple minor things. I ended up trading it on a 2010 F150 that was a complete lemon.

Currently have a 2013 Ram with a 5.7 in it as well. Overall it's been a very good truck. I will likely trade it for another Ram sometime down the line.

For the original poster I would check out the truck in question and give it a drive. If it looks good and seems to run well it could be a good deal. You never know with used vehicles though.

I put 230,000 miles on an 03 4x4 with a 5.9 engine. No transmission issues only evaporator coil issues. Sold it after the second one failed. Aside from that nothing but tires and oil changes. Guy I sold it to has probably put another 75,000 on it. I miss the truck but don't miss the 12 mpg.

2002 Cummings, 2500