This is really the wrong forum for that question as we are 2nd generation owners, but I will tell you my experience with "ticking" Dodge vehicles. It is pretty common for them (older Dodge Rams and Caravans) to get a lifter tick from dirt and grime.

Near my house in Fort Wayne there is a mechanic who worked as a Dodge dealer mechanic for years and he swears by oil and fuel flushes to keep the notorious tick away, but then we are talking about 1995-2002 Dodge vehicles which are usually abused by teens and soccer moms.

If you haven't been keeping up on regular oil changes and maintenance actions then this is the way I would go before spending that amount of money. I owned a 2000 Grand Caravan with 180k on it when it developed a bad tick (you could hear it from a block away). I took it in to said Dodge mechanic and he flushed it as well as put oil additive in it. It quieted the Caravan down immediately and then a month later the ticking was completely gone. Before I spent $800 on a lifter I would try this. Just my opinion.

 

it could be a bad lifter also or many other things, get you a piece of garden hose and try to find exactly which area the sound is coming from. If it is coming from the valve cover area I would remove the cover and check the rocker arm, could be a simple fix.

 

"crank it up and when i drove it" this could be a lean condition or predetination or bad gas issue also. maybe the spark plugs are too hot. thats a cheap way out to diagnose also.
try listing your problem in the correct forum-