Would "you" buy this truck? Please post your thoughts.

[Markstein]

What does the mechanic say? If it was a good value I think he’d be first in line to snap it up.

The mechanic is a diehard Nissan junkie but he says it's good. I'll have him run all the tests on it again, hopefully tomorrow, just to make sure.

 

[ExpressRules]

As some have already said, at 4K even if the motor blew up a few months from now it's a good deal. I say that because if the body is in as good shape as you write when or if you get a new or rebuilt moter you have a truck ready for for another 200,000 miles.

 

[Firetruck41]

Sounds decent to me, I'm not afraid of high mileage, but I'm not afraid to work on my own vehicle and save tons of money on repair bills. I also have another vehicle I can use, any time I might have a big repair to do that might take a few days. I wouldn't buy it while worrying about resale or a warranty, if you can even get a warranty I'm sure it would be ridiculously expensive. As far as resale, at that price, your getting the value of the use for 5-10 years and, even if it is only with $100 at the end, who cares? At least you didn't spend $50k on a new truck and lose $5k just driving it off the lot.

The biggest drawback for me, would be the gas mileage, if you are used to 30mpg in a Corolla, plan on about 10mpg around town.

 

[ramportin1]

Exactly what express said

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[south7west]

So for $4000 I would say that isn't a bad deal for that truck. My only issue is the 4.7 does have its issues, the main one having the heads warp due to overheating. I'd keep up with the coolant changes, as that would be something I'd flush as soon as I purchase the vehicle. Mileage wise, its around that time for some expensive parts to go out. Alternator, water pump, the starter and catalytic converters start to fail around that time. Now granted, those parts are not guaranteed to fail at a specific mileage, but they do not last forever. Changing the oil, transmission fluid (if its the old Chrysler made transmission, if its the 8 spd ZF one, then thats another thread topic), coolant flush, diff fluid change, etc. is not a bad idea either, and gives you a chance to see how well maintained the vehicle really was. So for my opinion, for $4000 I would not mind purchasing it as a second beater, but as an only vehicle I would be mindful of it leaving me stranded somewhere due to unforeseen circumstances. If you can talk down the price some more, even better. Hopefully this helps you with your decision, and good luck with your Ram in the future if you do decide to purchase it.

 

[pacofortacos]

When's that supposed to start kicking in? I'm still waiting for mine to get old..

When you go on a long trip and you want to nap while someone else drives

 

[bigred90gt]

2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive in the big question - unless I missed that you stated that.

Regular cab gets old quick, but is doable if only 2 people in the truck.

KBB.com and see what it is worth where you live. Look at private party and also trade in values. Here is would be 2500-5000 depending on a few things.

2wd BW 4wd isn’t an issue for some people. I’ve been driving for 25ish years and have never owned a 4wd anything.

as to the regular cab getting old, I’m in my first crew cab now (for 3 years next month) and I’m wanting to get back to a regular cab. Everyone’s needs and likes are different. I have no use for a crew cab beyond the once every 2-3 months my daughter rides with us to go to dinner.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

Pass...

 

[pacofortacos]

2wd BW 4wd isn’t an issue for some people. I’ve been driving for 25ish years and have never owned a 4wd anything.

as to the regular cab getting old, I’m in my first crew cab now (for 3 years next month) and I’m wanting to get back to a regular cab. Everyone’s needs and likes are different. I have no use for a crew cab beyond the once every 2-3 months my daughter rides with us to go to dinner.

But the value difference between 2WD and 4WD is often significant.

I agree the cab size is a personal preference. My first truck was a 99 Dakota standard cab (5.2 w/1 ton payload) and I really liked that truck, however we use it for vacations and it just wasn't roomy enough. Traded it in on a 01 Dakota Quad cab and really liked that truck (I liked the look of the standard cab more though) and kept the Dakota until 2016 and then got a crew cab Ram 1500.
I liked the size of the Dakota quad cab a bit more.

 

[aces-n-eights]

I'd be digging into the maintenance records. 230,000 miles over 7 years is about 33,000 miles a year or 2,700 miles a month. I'd look for oil changes every 3 months at a minimum. Air filter at least annually. Has the transmission been serviced? I think two trans services over 230,000 is about right. Lube in differential(s), transfer case changed? Sparkplugs?

Brakes, tires and shocks are obviously wear items but where are they in their lifespan? If you need to put on new tires and brakes right away, use that in the negotiations.

I think $4,000 is not a bad price, especially as you will use it short distances to work with the occasional longer trip. If solid, that truck has a a lot of years left in it.

Good luck!

 

[Markstein]

For those wondering it is a 2WD which is fine for what it would be used for.

I also forgot to mention that I work at a construction company so every piece of equipment (including the vehicles the office people use) is routinely serviced, recorded and submitted to corporate.

 

[Ervin]

if $4000 is too much, see if they will give it to you since you're an employee !! Buy the dam thing and keep the mtc up and you'll be OK. I just bought a 2012 Verizon mtc truck with $167k on it. Had the mtc records, that is very important. I had a friend that had a Pontiac with over 200k on it, did mtc religiously, somebody bought it from him for cash. So mtc is very important.

 

[Hootbro]

Honestly, I would pass if it was me. KBB private party value mid-range is $3600 for it. You really are at the high end of the bathtub curve of expected service life and the odds are way stacked against you. A good case could be made that if the engine blew tomorrow, it would be mechanically totaled as a vehicle.

Something like only 10% of 80 year old people make it to their 90’s. You have an 80 year vehicle in wear years.

In the end, it is your choice. Just remember the cheering section for you to get it are not going to be there with their wallets open to help you when things eventually and will go catastrophic.

 

[jr27236]

Mileage is high bit if its all highway that is definitely a lot better then stop and go city. As for location, your in California so I can safely say no snow or road salt.
I just look at CarGurus for a single cab 1500. I see trucks with 150avg for 5-7k near me (NY)
Search all the car apps near you and mess with the filters and you can narrow down the market price of that truck. Also do a NADA price on it. KBB is pretty accurate also.

 

[IDoMy0wnRacing]

I other little to consider. Transmissions are usually good for 100k before they need to be rebuilt. This truck has twice that...

This isn't just a Dodge thing, all automatics transmissions are designed to last 100k.

 

[Wally Greer]

I would buy that in a heartbeat "IF" it is as you portrayed. Motor be **** I would have NO problems replacing that and not even breaking a sweat. Bodywork is the bi**h. Presteen body and all the others in my mind makes it worth it Be aware you ain't getting the gas mileage your Corolla got! Hell trade in is worth more than that!

 

[Narg]

At $4,000 I'd buy it for a spare/work truck. I used to have a spare small Dodge years ago, rarely drove it but it was perfect for when I needed that "extra" vehicle. This would be the case for me in your shoes. But that's me...

And, 230K miles? American made? Hell, it's just getting broke in!

And offer them the $3600 KBB value on it, not $4000.

 

[Scscuba1]

My experience is mainly with generation one and two. Weak point is the cooling system and electronics. Plan on a transmission soon. I’ve put two in my 2001 and replaced every aluminum component in the cooling syste. Except the heater and I bypassed it. Not a big deal in fla.

 

[tron67j]

KBB for truck 2wd is 4.5k max, so run the value using the VIN and decide if it is a good deal for you. This appears to be your only vehicle and there is a better than even chance that you're going to have some mechanical repairs on this to be able to get around. Unless you're able to find a vehicle at a higher price point that might have warranty left, in the world of buying used vehicles at least you know the history of it so that is one positive for it. At the end of the day you have to decide if it will be okay for you even if you have to drop another grand or two for transmission or engine or some other system repair. Good luck

 

[tomb]

if IT