looking at a 96 Dodge pros or cons

I'm currently looking at a 1996 Dodge extended cab with a 5.9L automatic with 82000 miles. Did these trucks have any issue's that I need to be aware of ?

My current truck is a 96 5.9 gas with 114K on it with no issues except the gas tank melted! I believe it did that because it was used as a propane delivery truck and has a 1/2" diamond steel plate in the bed and a liftgate. After I replaced the fuel tank and pump it has been great.

If not rebuilt already, plan on rebuilding the trans. Pretty much inevitable for these trucks. Intake plenum gasket pretty common. And the usual door rot, thats about it.
My 96 5.9 gas. has about 80k miles and I still love driving it.

Some of the 5.2s and 5.9s have had issues with cracking cylinder heads also. Looked at a Durango a few weeks back, 5.9, cylinder 4 misfire. Guy changed plugs/wires/cap/rotor... No change.

Pros:

Best-looking truck on the road.

Decent ride, excellent handling, and fun to drive.

360 Mag is better than the 318

Relatively simple to maintain and reliable.

Depending on how well it's looked after they don't rust near as bad as a gm.

Cons:

Transmission is hit or miss, but at the miles you listed you should be okay for a while. (Mine went 202,000 miles before the torque convertor piled up). Idle in neutral just like any other Dodge auto to get the fluid moving.

Abnormally hard on fuel if you put the boot to it and try keeping up with traffic/drive over 60mph.

Most noticible on 4wheel-drives, the wheels beat the crap out of the body (fender protection is not great). Anything without running boards on it will have the whole bottom of the cab and doors beat up and rusting.

And, this is a big one, if it's a 4x4 you will spend most of your time and money fixing leaking seals and u-joints on the front axle. These straight front axle Dodges are the single worst set-up I have ever seen on any vehicle. The seals are buried way down the tube and you need a special puller for the job. I'm on my 3rd set (6 u-joints ) and 3rd passenger-side seal. I have better things to do than pull this miserable set-up apart every 60,000 miles.

My buddy had 240k miles on his before he got rid of it with nothing really wrong with it. 4x4, 318 clud cab auto. much over 55 and mpg went into the toilet. He drove the last 30k miles on it without even checking the oil, never mind changing it. We used that truck for everything from commuting to off roading to trailer hauling.

I bought a '95 club cab new from factory-not too much difference between mine and this. I was lucky, and did not have tranny issues until 170K, and I was very rough on this 1/2 ton. Gave it to the scrap yard at 199,980; tranny was going again, motor losing it groove, and the interior was falling apart (these dashes are prone to it). It was a fantastic truck, and I loved owning it. I wrecked and totaled it at 110K miles, and bought it back under salvage title and had it rebuilt, which lasted almost another 90K miles. I think if it wasn't for the wreck, she would have surpassed 200K before going south. Definitely recommend a '96, for the right price.