1996 Barn Find

[Peewee56]

Hi folks,

I'm thinking about selling my 1996 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie SLT 4X4 flat bed dually. I purchased it in 2013 off of my wife's grandmother after her grandfather passed away. He purchased it brand new at the age of 70. It has never had any tags on it other than farm use as far as I know and he mostly used it to drive around his farm and to and from nearby leased and owned property hauling hay and equipment on a 30ft gooseneck trailer. As such, it only has 26,958 miles on it. He had it serviced at his local dealer religiously as he loved the truck. Since I bought it, I have only started it up and driven it around the farm and to the gas station about two miles away occasionally to keep it running. I have changed the oil twice and installed new batteries which I keep on a battery maintainer at all times. The truck has been stored inside since purchased.

I have conducted a bit of research to get an idea of what people would be willing to pay for similar trucks but unsurprisingly, it is hard to find a comparible specimen given the mileage and history. Therefore, I figured I'd reach out to forum members here to get your thoughts on what it might be worth. I've attached several pictures to give a brief look at it's condition. I look forward to your thoughts.

 

[Peewee56]

I forgot to include one image.

 

[Ritchie_Rich]

Why not keep it?

 

[Peewee56]

Why not keep it?

I might. I've kept it for 12 years and it just sits in the garage. It would have to sell for a pretty high price for me to let it go but I just have no idea what someone might be willing to pay for it.

 

[Docwagon1776]

We can all throw guesses out, but realistically your best option is to detail the **** out of it, do an in depth and interesting write up and the post it on Bring A Trailer. Maybe spam Craigslist with links to the BaT auction for more eyeballs. You'll find out in pretty short order what the market interest is. It's a pretty niche vehicle as configured, but desirable within that niche.

 

[Longhorn1500]

In the early '80s I bought a '67 GMC one ton DRW flat bed farm truck (from the wheat fields of eastern Washington) that had very low miles (20 something thousand as I recall). The truck was fine for what it was (350 V6 four speed), but the wear and tear on the truck was more than what you would expect for the mileage. I expect it spent most of those miles in first or second gear.

That said, your truck looks very nice and clean.

 

[diymirage]

That thing looks awesome
Where are you located ?

 

[Marshall]

A general location would help for those interested. Polish it up and out side pictures in the sun.
I don't have any idea on pricing these.
Looks great, but take the floor matts out

 

[CanuckRam1313]

Shampoo the engine bay and thoroughly detail the entire truck from top to bottom!

This is a first MUST!!! But, I'd do some deep research on this year and model of rig and post accordingly!

Don't let it go for a penny, but, then again, if you really want it gone, then don't hold it for for a dime
Do with this advice what you will... but read between the lines

 

[Daw14]

Sometimes when vehicles sit for long periods of time , the rubber bushings will fail .
Same for all the plastic pieces that will dry out and become brittle.
Hopefully this does not suffer from any of these issues.
Real nice looking, where did this live ?

 

[Peewee56]

A general location would help for those interested. Polish it up and out side pictures in the sun.
I don't have any idea on pricing these.
Looks great, but take the floor matts out

Southwest Virginia.

 

[Peewee56]

Sometimes when vehicles sit for long periods of time , the rubber bushings will fail .
Same for all the plastic pieces that will dry out and become brittle.
Hopefully this does not suffer from any of these issues.
Real nice looking, where did this live ?

Southwest Virginia near Roanoke.

 

[Magfan2]

I bought a 1979 Chevy Scottsdale C20 in 2006, no idea of the mileage, a plow mount and no plow. I did fix stuff along the way, (all but a transmission overhaul minor) but it gave me faithful service till last year when I lost confidence in it. Sold it to a friend and it is running strong for him. I bought a 2014 RAM Sport to replace it. I do not need a truck like that one, but provided it was checked out by some one I trusted, the age wouldn't bother me if I did. I got 19 years out of one that was 25 when I bought it!

 

[D1DAVE]

Just the fact the dash is still intact is pretty amazing!

 

[Hootbro]

Yeah, that is hard vehicle to value. At the end of the day, still a 1990's Dodge Ram with all the warts that come with those vehicle back then. It is really not a museum piece so anybody that buys it would have to put it to work to get a return out of it. Survivors usually catch up pretty quick with all the niggles it avoided from being in serious service before.

 

[Bighorn_Brown]

Very nice truck. Will serve someone well in a work roll at its new home. In agreement with with the earlier comment about the rubber body mounts. Being in Roanoke might not be that bad. My old supervisor has a beautiful old Corvette in the garage he had me look at; wasn’t running. While I did get it running I did notice it might not have been a good idea to drive it as all the rubber I could see was melted/ hanging off. Pretty sure that was due to the metal building it sat inside of in the Florida heat and humidity.

 

[Daw14]

With a thorough inspection, inside out , and upside down , if things looked good overall , I would drive the hell out of that.
Price will change depending on location.
My guess would be around 15k , I would be prepared to spend another few thousand for unseen issues.

But hard to price one offs.

May be you will find the person that has been searching for something just like this. And you can pull 25k.
B I would do all I could to put it out there , the more that see it , someone will have to have.
I would wait to discuss price until I see their body language, then set cost at how bad they want it.

 

[Poram]

That is a real prize. Please keep us updated as to your asking price. I would love to own that truck.

 

[Aircommuter]

I wouldn’t sell it. I have 96 2500 long bed and a 2004 long bed. Not going any newer. If I were selling it I would put it on Hemmings. They do a good write up for you and it’s seen worldwide. Not sure if you can search prior auctions.

 

[no1boatguy]

I was offered 40K cash for mine its a 94 with 32K miles I updated it with amp steps and 4th generation mirrors wheels tires. I have had it since new.