Cash out your RAM??

[Dr. Righteous]

Back to the OP:

Ramchargers in good cond are rather rare and becoming sought after (that's what I was seeing last I looked). Yes, do put in that tranny. What's wrong with working in the dirt? I did it for years when I was young ...and still do these days if I have a piece of field equipment or a skid loader that needs servicing. A vehicle that basic, you might be able to find a guy to install less than you think.

As simple as they are, guy can keep an old Ramcharger literally running forever, reliably with good service and maintenance (and keep up with broken parts). If you don't need all the modern comforts, and a little slop in the steering wheel doesn't bother you, it might fit your needs and put a bunch of money back in your pocket. Plus they're a heck of a lot cheaper to insure too. You can always jump into a newer vehicle down the road if you change your mind.

Good luck!

I've got 2. An 85 and a '79. And desirable or collectible they are not unless they are in prime condition. I've had the 85 for 20 years now and the 79 for just a couple years.
I drove the 85 here 5 years ago just sets all the time and has gone way down hill.
I would have to empty the bad fuel, clean the carb out and put a hot battery in it, it would start up just fine. Last time it ran about a year ago I noticed a lot of the electrical stuff didn't work. Likely ground issues but this is what happens when they have to sit with a tarp covering them for months on end. The '79 has a running but worn out 318, and the tranny is shot like I said. But out of the 2 the '79 is the most desirable since it is the old removable top kind.

 

[Chap]

Yeah, It's definitely not the manifold bolts. Before my Powerwagon, I had a 2014 1500 Rocky Ridge with the 5.7. The Manifold bolts failed on each side about six months apart. That ticking sounded like an exhaust leak, plain as day. Which they fixed both times under warranty, no problem. This knock in my Powerwagon is definitely coming inside the motor. Lifter or something bad. it's by no way "normal", like the dealer says. It does go away after a minute or two, but come on, every time I start it, and the thing does it, some parts in there must be getting pretty messed up over time.

 

[Chap]

Like I said a few days ago, my dealer won't try and fix it under my warranty, basically unless the motor fails, yet, if I trade in for a new truck, they'd fix it for resale. Rediculous.

 

[Chap]

To respond to Dr. Righteous, when I was a kid, my uncle Joe had a between 76-78 Powerwagon, ramcharger era, back in the early 80's, It was the gray, black and yellow one, short box, reg cab, with the yellow rims. I must have been like 10 years old, I'm 50 now, it was the coolest truck id ever seen or ridden in. Haha. So when Dodge came out with the new Powerwagon, with the same Macho bed graphics, I had to have one. Id love to buy an old one, like my uncles, but they seem impossible to find. 2018 and 1977 Powerwagons sitting in your driveway as your daily drivers would be pretty cool.

 

[RamItFaster]

Just ordered a 4xE Jeep Sahara at local dealership yesterday. It's faster for dealerships to just use the computer and order a vehicle rather than rely on stock that may or may not sell. Most the jeeps on the lot were for test driving purposes...

 

[kayjo]

Remember the '08 housing bubble. and how over-inflated housing prices were? Wouldnt you like to be able to buy a house at those prices today? So, dont let this inflated market scare you. Dont flinch. There is no over-inflated car market. The truth is the new cars are under valued, though they didnt go up that much in price. The reason the used is so high, is because new is crazy now. Who can pay nearly 70-80k after taxes for a truck. So if 30-40 seems high for a used, its not. And due to crazy hyper inflation on the way, ( we have seen nothing yet ) , now represents a great buy, Do not try to time the market. As real inflation starts to hit ( average home now over 420k ) beef $22/lb - metal and lumber up 3x. its not coming back anytime in the near future. In fact its never coming back. You will be lucky to own a truck like this ever again. The truth is the 5.7 is one of the most serviceable engines there is. It could start to look like Cuba soon as things will get much worse. And we will need to be able to part cars out to keep things going. There will be plenty of parts to keep the 5.7 going. And you will have a work horse when you may need it most, when no one can afford a new truck. If you have a 2015 or newer, plan on holding till 2030.

 

[bcbouy]

i took my 2012 2500 slt in to have the front end rebuilt (5K) and the dealer made me an offer i couldn't refuse before they even put a wrench to it.i already had my power wagon so after a couple days to think about it i sold it to them.it had a little over 200k.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I took my 2012 2500 slt in to have the front end rebuilt (5K) and the dealer made me an offer i couldn't refuse...

Good for you. That's surprising given the high miles, but the 2500 is a bonus. Hmmm, I should take mine in to the dealer and see what they say. IDT it would have the appeal being a reg cab. But then I would re-focus (and repaint) my GMC OBS 4x4 short box SLE and drive that (summers only). Insurance is like 1/4 of the Ram's.

 

[williscreg]

Can't decide if i should sell the car which i don't use at the moment.

 

[jejb]

Can't decide if i should sell the car which i don't use at the moment.

You woke up a thread here from back in the once in a lifetime Covid market. Used car values have come down a lot from there. You could drive it to some dealers and see what they'd offer you, or use one of the online places like carvana.

 

[BuschLatte420]

You woke up a thread here from back in the once in a lifetime Covid market. Used car values have come down a lot from there. You could drive it to some dealers and see what they'd offer you, or use one of the online places like carvana.

Prices going down, interest rates going up up and up!

 

[Jeepwalker]

Yep, now would probably be a good time to get new if the OP, or any forum member is looking for a new pickup. Can't hurt to look (can it?!).

People/buyers were spoiled by the uber-low interest rate bubble we've been in (Historical Chart HERE). It's been nice, frankly lasted longer than I ever expected. But not a historical norm and it looks like we're getting to about the historical mean norm, or actually higher. Hopefully certain events don't cause them to go super-sky-high like they once were.

Back when we bought our first house (90's) we ended up getting one of the first "low" interest rates ("low" back then)...of around 7.1%. At the time it was SO low, nobody at work believed me. Most of them had mortgage interest rates in the 11% range. Within a couple weeks they were all looking into refinancing.

So, Yeah, OP....shop around and see what trucks are out there, and what financing (if you need it) you are looking at.

Anyone sold their Ram (used) lately? How'd it go? Someone looking to finance a used Ram, esp private party through their bank, I wonder if that's getting harder to do??

 

[Longhorn1500]

I just sold my 2014 1500 Longhorn with 53k miles. Many upgrades (see my signature), especially the Leer canopy (I did take off the engine oil cooler and oil filter relocation, and catch can, that I will be selling soon). Listed it in the Seattle area Craigslist on Thursday and sold it on Friday a week and a half ago. Got my asking price of $32k no questions asked. I was wondering if I asked too little, but Edmonds said the private party value was $27k (trade in was in the $22k range).

I now have a 2019 2500 Longhorn CTD being shipped from Texas (I am picky on color and options). I am paying $64k including shipping from a dealer for the new one, in case you are wondering.

 

[Rado]

Since the market adjustment my 2015 dropped about 8k$ :O
So it has adjusted a lot since a few months ago..
Also you see very little HIGH extra mark ups on new cars/trucks like you did before !
I just paid sticker ( still no haggling ) on my 2023 car I just got !

 

[Fabman]

STICKER price is too high. Use to be able to haggle less than sticker ...my opinion.....

 

[bravem]

Can't decide if i should sell the car which i don't use at the moment.

It might be hard to decide whether to sell your car or not. I think the most important is to choose the right time. Nobody wants to sell a car for cheap. Someone has already mentioned addressing a dealer and finding out what they can offer. This is a good way out. Another option is to find out https://latestbulletins.com/how-do-online-car-evaluation-services-work/what is online car valuation calculator (this source can help you) and use it. Except for the market value, this program offers an extended analytical report, which can be ordered completely free of charge. The report contains an extended assessment of the vehicle, is compiled for each client individually, based on current data, and comes to your personal email within a few minutes. I personally found it useful.