New & needing advice & opinions

Hello,

My name is Annaleigh. I am 26yrs with two awesome little sons. I am not a strictly dodge fanatic. More so a car enthusiast. I will say though, my dream car is a 69 camaro. But I am not one to hate, I appreciate the effort someone has put into their vehicle no mater the make.
Now,
I am about to buy a ram almost identical to the one my dad had bought brand new years ago when we hauled drag cars we built together to the drag strip every other weekend but due to his poor financial decisions it was repossessed. Now the one I am buying, It is a 2006 Ram 1500 8 Cyl 5.7 L 146,000 miles. 3 previous owners, one of which did not drive it much
I remember how reliable the one my dad had was. Although my dad was kind of rough on it, as were our very crappy roads out here in New Mexico.
But it was repo'd back in 2008-09ish so he onlu had it for two years. Which leads me to my questions....

For those who owned one, can you tell me about the longevity of the 06 models?

What was the most expensive repair you ever needed on it?

Any reoccurring issues?

Any and all feedback is welcome, this will be the first vehicle I purchased from someone who is not a direct family member and my most recent vehicle was a divorce present from my mother, her 09 ford fusion. Which was quite reliable up until I almost rolled it outside Lubbock.

You do not mention what cab and bed. I would assume quad and 6'4". And you also do not say what trim...or if it is a 4x4.

8000 is a fair price. If it is a quad cab 4x4 and a Bighorn trim or higher

If it has no rust or issues with some sort of service record...it is a great price.

Trucks are expensive right now. Finding one that means something to you and brings back a good memory...makes it a bit better to pay that price.

The truck is reliable. How reliable will depend on how it was taken care of...but lots of people have 3rd Gen RAMs with over 200k with regular maintenance

Good luck in the purchase. Of course try to haggle them down...but the price seems fair with the info you have given.

Welcome.

Sounds a bit high, but the condition matters and truck prices are stupid high right now.
Did you try plugging it into kbb.com

Welcome. My dad has an 08 model that he bought new. It has been reliable with no issues so far. He has been pretty rough with it to.

Welcome to the forum. I had same Gen, a 2003 2500. Ran it for 16 years and now my parents have it. Biggest issues were replacing front wheel hub and a couple broken header bolts which is known, but not common across the board problem. I had a 1994 Gen 2 and now a 2018 2500 all bought new. Great trucks! I would check KBB as stated above for a value, but also as said truck prices are hot right now. But at the end of day it only matters if you are happy with the purchase. Sounds decent enough. Good luck and post pictures if you buy it.

Welcome to the forum.


Red

392DevilDog said:

You do not mention what cab and bed. I would assume quad and 6'4". And you also do not say what trim...or if it is a 4x4.

8000 is a fair price. If it is a quad cab 4x4 and a Bighorn trim or higher

If it has no rust or issues with some sort of service record...it is a great price.

Trucks are expensive right now. Finding one that means something to you and brings back a good memory...makes it a bit better to pay that price.

The truck is reliable. How reliable will depend on how it was taken care of...but lots of people have 3rd Gen RAMs with over 200k with regular maintenance

Good luck in the purchase. Of course try to haggle them down...but the price seems fair with the info you have given.

Click to expand...

Yes it is a quad cab & 4x4 no rust and yes with the cost of trucks right now the fair price line seemed kind of blurry & so I just needed to hear about other peoples experience with them

Thank you!

pacofortacos said:

Welcome.

Sounds a bit high, but the condition matters and truck prices are stupid high right now.
Did you try plugging it into kbb.com

Click to expand...

Yes I did and Compared to a few others I found while shopping around, that one was the lowest price and in the best condition.

If it's nice and shifts nice, you should be ok.

At those miles, is there any service history? Has the transmission fluid and filter been changed? Has the front and rear differential oils and transfer case oil been changed?

I would not rec. a transmission flush, but if it has never been changed then a simple fluid and filter change would be in order (just drop the pan and drain change) - use the Mopar ATF+4 or better and a high quality filter. Ie. not your cheap typical auto parts fluid and filters.

Gear lubes same thing, use a top tier gear oil - Redline, Amsoil, etc.

And it will last longer if you keep it right side up lol.

Welcome Annaleigh

It sounds like you've done your homework and the above replies are all positive.

Go for it, make yourself happy.

Hi, Anna by reading all of these posts, I think for the year and the mileage in the times we're in you're not going to do any better, Before you purchase take it to a reputable shop and have them put it on a rack and check the exhaust system for broken exhaust manifold bolts, suspension, tires, brakes, and for any leaks, also check the transmission fluid, engine oil, antifreeze condition. Good Luck Lady let us know how you're doing, and how about some pics.

Dodge 1500 4X4 said:

Hi, Anna by reading all of these posts, I think for the year and the mileage in the times we're in you're not going to do any better, Before you purchase take it to a reputable shop and have them put it on a rack and check the exhaust system for broken exhaust manifold bolts, suspension, tires, brakes, and for any leaks, also check the transmission fluid, engine oil, antifreeze condition. Good Luck Lady let us know how you're doing, and how about some pics.

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Good advice. Will do. Thank you and I will definitely be posting some soon

Welcome to the Forum! Good luck on the truck, it sounds nice.