O.k. Tell me what you think.
 

2004 ram 1500 SLT. 105,000 miles. loaded. good condition. tekonsha trailer controller.
guy was asking $12,995. got him down to $9,800.
what do you guys think? i know the mileage is a bit high but i figured i drive very little during my weekly commute (about 2 miles a week) and i would save up a bit and trade up to something a little newer in a couple years.
i think i'm gonna go for it. runs fine. drives fine.
advice? opinions? warnings?

the main issue with dodge has been the transmission. not sure if they had the bugs ironed out by 04. the fact that the PO had a trailer brake would indicate he did a bit of hauling.

Phatdaddy, I agree that it's an indication, but didn't they come with the electric brake controller as a standard item for a number of years?

CTT, look at the inside of the trailer hitch itself.. How badly is it scratched up/rusted? Lots of scratches, lots of rust = lots of hauling.
You didn't say what the engine was in the truck, so it's hard to say how good a deal that is.. It's always been my experience that smaller engines are great on gas but die quicker because they have to work harder.
If that's the Cummins Diesel then the trans is the Allison trans and it's strong as an ox. See if you can find out what trans is in the truck and then do a quick web search to see if there's any negative comments about it.

It's a 1500 he said, so not a CUMMINS(and ALLISON NEVER came in DODGE trucks, EVER). Is it the 4.7L or the HEMI? 2WD or 4X4? How loaded out is it? Honestly it sounds a bit on the high side to me for price wise, but without knowing all the options it is hard to say.

forgot the important stuff. it has the hemi/automatic and yes, it is 4X4. he says the guy only used it to haul jetskis.
yes, it is a bit high but up around these parts thats about middle of the road mileage. i've been looking pretty hard for the last month or so and this seems like a pretty good deal.
i'd like to know more about this transmission issue.

mine is a 95 and had to have a new tranny @ 125,000( had 112,000 when i bought it). dodge had a great tranny until they went with the automatic w/overdrive. when you tow and don't disable the od, it heats up and causes failure. i think they had most of the problems ironed out by 02,03. I think that was when mercedes was a partner. i now have 245,000 miles on the truck with no more tranny problems. also the ac evaporator cores (under the dash) are prone to failure. i know there is a world of difference between the pre 02's and the newer models. if you are thinking about having this truck for only a year or two, the resale on dodges is horrible.

I had a 97 1500 4x4 slt with the 340 engine. I sold it 3 years ago for 2 grand. It had about 170k miles on it. It was a great truck, never had transmission issues. When I towed, I disabled the overdrive...

oh ya, it was that lovely sh$t brown color...

http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/a...le/ram004a.jpg

Thing was that I was only offered $600 for trade in, and there were tons of used trucks on the market here. I put it on ebay and a guy from maine purchased it. He said there were not many trucks for sale up there.

Maybe extend your search area and save some money by buying something further away where there are more trucks up for sale.

For the most part the trans problem where fixed, They changed out the valve body kits and drilled a few larger by-pass's and installed a larger trans cooler. Just watch the outer tail carrier bearing on the trans this will fail if the PO did not change out the fluid every 10,000. I would not worry about the mileage as long as the PO did the regular fluid changes and turn-ups , You should see the 350,000 or higher before needing a new motor. I think the price is a little high for a 1500 should be around the 7500.00 range. But on the other hand I would only buy a FORD. Was thinking of selling my 1971 Ford F-350 Ranger High Boy it only has a little over 740,000 Miles and be leave it or not the engine has never been rebuilt been in the family seance new and it's 4x4 . Na never would sell it.

Obviously I was given some wrong information. I stand corrected. Thanks. I'll stand by my assertion though that Dodge Diesel engines have a great reputation for longevety and service. Hard to find them used, (as compared to gas engines), and that in itself is an indication of their desirability. In all cases, since we now know it's a Hemi, it's a moot point.

Just buy something!! You ask 10 people you get 10 different answers!

If you like and its in your range go for it!

The trans behind the 4.7L and HEMI is not an issue what so ever CTT. The DODGE trans issues was with the 4 speed OD trans from the late 80's to about 03. The 45RFE and 545 RFE that comes behind the 3.7L, 4.7L, and HEMI is a whole new design of trans without the old trans issues and the OD unit seals blowing out. I would also question him about it having a brake actuator and only towing jet skis. The milage wouldn't worry me, but his price seems to be around the middle to upper end I think.

you guys have to understand that around here thats a pretty good price. kelly bluebook wants $11,800. for fair condition. this thing has its dings and pings but i'm not gonna baby this baby. its gonna get its a$$ kicked. i know theres more of a market in florida and trucks are more readily available but i've been doing quite a bit of research and this truck for this price is a keeper. i just wanted to know if anybody knew anything about this tranny issue i heard about from more than one person.
hey maco, if i do buy this truck i think my first road trip is gonna be up to monkeys a$$, massachusetts to kick your a$$!

Bring it on B!tch!!

Going Tog fishing 6am tomorrow, I smell some Tog Chowder coming!! :drool::drool::drool:

pics?

Like I said, I wouldn't worry about the trans if it was me. My DAKOTA I had used the same trans in it, and I wasn't worried in the slightest about it. The trans behind the 3.9L, 5.2L, and the 5.9L was a COMPLETELY different trans that did have issues with lasting past 60-70K miles. Most of the newer ones seem to go well into the 125K+ range from what I have seen of them. Some have failed, but they normally fail around 30K or so if there is an issue with them.

pics will be forthcoming. going to pull the trigger. spoke to the guy today and he said he took a deposit on the truck but it sounded like he will sell it to me anyway. couldnt really make out what he was saying, bad connection. will go deliver money on thursday. should be on the road by friday.
hey maco, dont worry sister, i'm coming for you. hey, uuummmm....... can i borrow some money for gas?

sounds kinda gay to me:you:

just wait til the fur flies.

by the way road king, and i'm not happy about this, its patriot blue.

:fam::nice::fam:

Well, then certainly buy it and come up this way and kick MJ a$$!

I will bring the beer and camera!

:beer:

Perhaps MJ is still out fishing for tog's, I would have expected a report with pic's in the fishing section by now.

rkc

CTT, so you didn't get the truck?

deal fell through. guy was less than forthcoming with the vehicle history. turns out the first owner was a stone company. they beat the sh!t out of it. three previous owners. two accidents.
guy told me it was a one owner car and the guy only used it to pull his jetski. i asked him if he wanted to re-negotiate. he said no. i said good luck with the sale.
now i'm looking at dakotas as well because i just cant find the hemi ram in my price range.

Oh well, glad you found this out before buying it.

As it was mentioned before it did seem wrong that it had the trailer brake set-up just for jetski's...

Hopefully you will be able to find another "patriots blue" truck :)

rkc

the right one well come along my friend.

here's one for 3 grand
http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/ctd/2032303258.html

or you can be like destroyer for $1500

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/ctd/2032271485.html


i always heard new york was expensive

If you were few weeks earlier you could have gad my Chevy!

Lots of miles but tons of life left!! My buddy is loving it!

That Land Rover for $1500 has to be a scam. The first one also was flagged for removal when I looked at it.

keep looking for a Ram. I love my Hemi. It's a bada$$ truck.

Either that or there's something bad with the engine or trans... real expensive to fix the major mechanicals on these beasts.. But OMG am I loving it so far..

And now, back to CTT's quest for a pick up truck on this thread.. keep your chin up my friend... the right one will find you sooner or later.