Well, It's not exactly what he said it was:

1. It's a 1996
2. It has 90,000 miles on it.
3. It does have some minor scratches on it.
4. It doesn't have aftermarket rims. (at least they don't look like it to me)
5. The fog lights ARE ugly.

It does run & drive very nice, though.
Got lots of pick-up & power, with smooth shifts.
The interior is really good, except the floor carpet is pretty roughed up.
Sound system sounds really good.
It also has a block heater, oil pan heater, & transmission pan heater.
It's really dusty, and needs a good wash & wax!

1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT 5.9 Liter Magnum V8:
















P.S. He will throw in the Quad Racer with only 30 hours on it for $4,000 bucks more.

[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 07-16-2006).]

More:

That is a major step up from the brown steaming pile!!!

Enjoy the ride!

Cheers Beers n Gearz. Joe

[This message has been edited by motoracer838 (edited 07-16-2006).]

No opinions?

My dad has the same truck different colour and it has 200 thousand miles on it with out any problems. It is a good truck as far as I am concerned.

[This message has been edited by Berlin (edited 07-16-2006).]

Nah..it sucks!! It is HORRIBLE...it doesn't have a crewcab..it has a very long bed...I WANT IT!!!!!!Is that $5000ca? Even if it is $US, that is a SNATCH!!!! Wish they had them here in Spain...at that price!!! Wow!! Forget that quad...what the heck do you want with that? Unless you can resell it for $5000
Good luck Boonie!!
Nick

thats a nice truck for 5k, around here everbody still wants a fortune for nice looking rams.

if you bought one here in Australia
$32000

Looks like you got a fair deal. Kelly Blue Book puts it's value around $4500 - $5500 depending on condition. (that's based on my zip code, though - Alaska may be different)
He wasn't doing you any favors, but it looks like you got a good truck for a fair price and there's nothing wrong with that.

looks good to me and i'm not a dodge fan. i'm sure a 96 had all the kinks worked out but i knew a couple of people who had the new 94's and had suspension/tranny problems.

anyway looks like a nice trk for 5k. sure ya can use it up there.

Not to burst your bubble but those had tranny issues. Other than that, it looks like a nice truck. By the way, those are factory rims.

I wouldn't buy it.
Reasons ?

quote Originally posted by Formula88: He wasn't doing you any favors, but it looks like you got a good truck for a fair price and there's nothing wrong with that.

Boondawg says he is thinking of buying it Formula88. He also says it was not as advertised.
At one time my wife used to sell industrial equipment. Tools. She would start the day off with a loaded longbed pickup truck. The kick ass bandsaw (substitute tool name there) was always loaded against the cab. Her sales pitch was that her company shipped out some tools and they were not accepted, the deal fell through, credit was not approved, insert your own scam here. Of course, they always wanted the kick ass tool, didnt want the rest of the junk. Being hard to unload everything to get to the bandsaw she would say "you don't understand. I am selling you everything for the price of the bandsaw". She would state a price. The ones who accepted her price were called "rollovers". She would take less. Her job performance was based on coming back with an empty truck.
Boondawg, are you a rollover ?
I am not a Dodge fan. The Rams do have my respect but I still wouldnt buy one. Unless I got a good deal. Actually, that is the way it is with any thing I buy in which the price is negotiable. When I bought my new Tacoma I shopped all manufacturers. I knew I was playing a game called "the fracker and the frackee" If I was gonna get fracked I was gonna get fracked by the one I liked best. I changed the game to "fifteen frackers and one winner". I played them against each other. I am a Toyota fan and it seemed like the better truck (otherwise I wouldnt have bought it). So, I had all the Toyota dealers in San Antonio trying to get me to buy from them. Also the ones in Houston. Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, even far away in El Paso. El Paso had to work the hardest and came through with the best deal, including flying me and my wife out to pick it up. Not to be outdone, Austin made a last ditch better offer which I accepted. I called El Paso and let them know and they made even a better deal. I was tired of playing the game and bought in Austin.
EDIT
Cut my wife some slack. She was a young single mother of two children and did what she had to do at that time. If anything surprises me about my wife, it is that she was involved in scamming. She won't even let me do things that are legal if they bother someone else.

[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 07-16-2006).]

Maybe it could use some lowering......................

[This message has been edited by Boondawg (edited 07-17-2006).]

You'll play hell trying to lower a 4 wheel drive. If you want my opinion (even though you didn't ask), I'd say either lift it or leave it alone. You can buy a body lift relatively cheap. (I know a 3" body lift for my 3rd gen Dodge is only about $350.) It's a cheap way to go for a little "meaner" look. Just my opinion.

Nice truck but, I would not buy a standard cab. It is just I need more lockable space for my guns. Or tools, or luggage, or beer, ect.
Mine; 1999 Ford Ranger V6 4X4 off road extra cab 4 door, bed liner, camper shell, 5 speed, front and rear 2" tow bar connections.

So the description of the truck went from this:

quote Originally posted by Boondawg:I got the inside track on a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. What they look like: It has 70,000 miles on it, in pristeen condition, never been off road or work truck, with all maintenance records. Runs & drives like new, higher-end soundsystem, aftermarket rims & tires, Rhino-lined, & fog lights. Not a single rock mark on the undercarrage or a blemish on the body or interior. The older guy can't get around too good and just can't get in & out of it anymore. Having known me for many years, he'll give it to me for $5,000 grand cash. It's not like i'm a truck freak, but it is a very good deal.

To this:

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: Well, It's not exactly what he said it was: 1. It's a 1996 2. It has 90,000 miles on it. 3. It does have some minor scratches on it. 4. It doesn't have aftermarket rims. (at least they don't look like it to me) 5. The fog lights ARE ugly. It does run & drive very nice, though. Got lots of pick-up & power, with smooth shifts. The interior is really good, except the floor carpet is pretty roughed up. Sound system sounds really good. It also has a block heater, oil pan heater, & transmission pan heater. It's really dusty, and needs a good wash & wax! 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie SLT 5.9 Liter Magnum V8:

Having known you for many years, this guy is a heck of a car / truck salesman!!

Are you SURE you heard his description right the first time?

Tim

If you haven't bought it yet, ask him why the discrepancy between his description and the actual condition of the truck. While I don't think $5000 is a rip off unless there's mechanical issues you don't know about, it's been misrepresented. No aftermarket wheels, it is NOT pristine, and depending on the scratches it's very likely been either a work truck or done some off roading - both of which he said it hasn't.

That makes me wonder about the owner's honesty. Is he trying to hide anything? Offer him less and see what he says.

The truck in the 1st pic is a 2006 (3rd generation). No way in hell anybody would sell it for $5000. A '98 (or '96) is a 2nd gen. All 2nd gen Dodge Rams look basically the same. In '99 or '00 they added a 3rd door on the extended cabs and freshened the interior (very slightly). They didn't come out with the 3rd gen until '02.

boondawg--Who told you that the 1st truck was supposed to look like that? If this dealer/friend told you (or showed you a pic), run away! He lied. How much money do you have to spend? If you can afford $8000 or $10000, I'd hold off and look for something better. 90000 miles is alot if it's been used as a work truck. Also, keep in mind that the 2nd gen Rams are/were notorious for bad trannys. A friend of mine has a '95 Ram and spent $1500+ to rebuild the tranny at somewhere around 100k miles. The 1st gens with the 727 Torqueflite auto were bullet proof as are the '03s and up with the new 5 speed automatic. About the only thing good about the 2nd gens (as far as I'm concerned) is the ease of lifting them as they still had a coil spring front suspension. The 3rd gens have torsion bars. (Yuck.)

If you buy that truck, Dodge Forum is a very informative place to go.

quote Originally posted by Monkeyman: Not to burst your bubble but those had tranny issues. Other than that, it looks like a nice truck. By the way, those are factory rims.

Also Intake manifold warping isues. My old Boss had one. Tranny probs for years,even after the dealership "fixed" it then they wanted around $500 for a new plastic manifold.

I said if he were to buy a new manifold to check if edelbrock of holley had one, at least it wouldn't warp again.

Looks nice, boon. You need a workin' vehicle for transportation... just one thing - can it fit you, your wife and your wee one in there?

quote Originally posted by Monkeyman: The truck in the 1st pic is a 2006 (3rd generation). No way in hell anybody would sell it for $5000. A '98 (or '96) is a 2nd gen. All 2nd gen Dodge Rams look basically the same. In '99 or '00 they added a 3rd door on the extended cabs and freshened the interior (very slightly). They didn't come out with the 3rd gen until '02.

Unless I'm missing something, I dunno where you get the idea that's an '06 in his first pic up there. The '06 looks way completely different. In fact I think the thrid gens are butt-ugly, whereas the second gens were (in my opinion) really tough looking.

This is an '06:



As for the truck Boon, I can't say whether you should go for it or not, naturally buying vehicle, used or new is always risky. But I will tell you, 90K miles is just teenage mileage for one of these. My dad has a 97 or 98 that is still running strong. No smoke, no leaks, and really, no squeeks. It's a really solid truck, and has a GREAT exhaust tone. The 318's and 360's were just bulletproof engines.
As for the extended cab/extra cargo space issue, you can get a hard cover for the bed that is waterproof and would provide you with any additional storage space you might need.
As for any discrepancies in his description or differences, I'd say just lok at it as, "it is what it is". It doesn't matter what he said about it or described it as, you know cars, and anyone buying a used car is going to take what a seller says as mostly b/s anyways. You know cars; take it for a drive, inspect the crap out of it. check all the fluids to see if they're up. Check the CVJ's and U-joints to see if they're tight. Put it four wheel and drive it around a little, put it on jacks and check the front end. Just shake it down and see what falls out. Then in the end, remember it's a 7 or 8 year old ,$5,000 truck, and decide if it feels good to you. Then go home and sleep on it and see if it still fells good the next day.
If you decide to pursue it, I really hope you can come up with the dough. You deserve a decent vehicle.
Good luck bro'.

[This message has been edited by Taijiguy (edited 07-17-2006).]

Sorry of thjis sounds dumb, but have him have it inspected before you buy it. Ball joints, brakes, Alt, battery, electrical system, transmission, any leaks, etc.
It's not a 500 buck "deal", it's 5 grand... he should have no quams about having it inspected, especially since you "will be using it to drive your two womenfolk around, and don't want to take any chances". Wimp out and say your wife insists that he has it inspected...

I bought a Dakota once from a 'friend" and it needed new brakes and some other stuff.

I'm sure it's ok, but better to be safe then sorry. what is the deal with the 20,000 mile difference in the odo?

Concerning the questions about the description discrepancies:

I have no idea how other people do it, but I guess I'm in a unique situation went it comes to meeting and conversing with people.
I have worked in the same bowling center for 21 years, and have come to meet & know tens of thousands of people over the years.
Some people I meet once, and never see again.
Some, I see once a week.
Some, once every 5 years.
Some, I meet in the bar while I'm changing a keg, who never bowl and only come to drink.
Some people, I have only the most briefest of conversations, related to the buisness at hand, bowling.
Others, I have half-hour conversations about everything under the sun.
There are thousands of combinations of the above I just described.
Some people I talk to 10 minutes out of every hour, for 8 hours, once a week!
But most conversations with any one person only lasts about 5 minutes, once a week.
And this happens with differant people, everyday!
So when I say I know someone, that can mean anything from talking to them 5 minutes a week for 20 years, to an hour once a week, to a half hour every day.

So, when I'm talking to one of these people at work, there are many things to concider about the factual content of the information I am recieving.

How well I can hear them.
How much time we have to talk.
How long I have known them.
Are they a known B.S.er.
How much they have had to drink.
How much they want to impress the people around them.
Have I known them to be trustworthy.
What they have already told the people they came with, about the subject.
What have other people told me about them.
What their motive is in engaging me in conversation. (free bowling, free drinks, discounts, etc: )
And maybe the most important is: How well at the end of the night or the next day, I can remember what I have been told, after having talked to a hundred people in the course of any given evening!

I never spend personal or quality time with any of these thousands of people I have spoken with time & time again, over the course of 20 years.
So only having a few minutes once a week with a person can take years to figure out how much of what they say is true and how much is intermingled with bullshit.
All of this is the nature of the buisness and my relationships with the people I meet there.
It has taught me to take EVERYTHING I hear from these people with a grain of salt!
Becouse I never get to really know any one person very well at all.
I have to go on instinct, past record, and what I see.

I have seen the guy who owns this truck once or twice every couple of weeks, for maybe 5 years.
We talk for 10 or 15 minutes at a time.
He took a liking to me when I cut him some slack once about spilling a pitcher all over the approches.
I'm sure that he was telling me what he thought he remembered about the truck, as he hadn't drove it in a while, and he's not the kind of guy to pay much attention to the little things about his truck. I'm sure he thought what he was telling me was the truth to him, or at least thats how he sees & remembers his truck when talking about it. I would imagine like how when describing your KID to someone, you only talk about them in the BEST of terms, never speaking about the bad stuff they do. The information I posted was what I could remember from bits & pieces over the course of a month, much of that time spent "me not carring", as I wasn't in the market for a new ride. Having only seen it once or twice in the parking lot, among the hundreds I see out there everyday, I could remember very little about what it looked like. I did remember that it looked pretty good, for the way alot of trucks look around here. A few people who knew of the truck had also told me how great it looked & ran, and how he never abused it. And that is the bulk of the information I had, before I checked it out thoroughly for myself.

So what I first posted was based on ALL those things.
Which really never matters anyway.
It's what YOU see when YOU go check it out for YOURSELF.
When it comes to what someone tells me about the car they're selling, I never take thier word for it.
I check it out for myself.

The first picture I posted was just a "sample" I found on the net of what that make, model, & year, "kinda" looks like.
It was not ment to be taken as the actual truck.
And, as far as:
"It has 70,000 miles on it", I believe he believed that, from what he could remember.
"In pristeen condition", was from what I could remember seeing, and him telling me the body didn't have a mark on it.
"Never been off road or work truck", that is true, from what I can tell from the bed & the undercarrage.
"With all maintenance records", is yet to be determined.
"Runs & drives like new", is relitive, and seems to be true, at least to me.
"Higher-end soundsystem", then stock, is true.
"Aftermarket rims & tires", from what I remembered, but I must have been thinking about another truck.
"Rhino-lined", is true.
"Fog lights", uh, yeah.
"Not a single blemish on the body or interior", what he & others told me, not true. Don't know why he would say that.

I am taking it for another testdrive today, then I will decide.
Thanks for all the input guys, it really helps!
It's nice to have a wide range of opinions from such a diverse group of people!
Lots of food for thought.
Thanx!

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: ...I am taking it for another testdrive today, then I will decide. Thanx!

I like the idea of having it inspected, if you can swing it.

If nothing else, sniff the dipstick from the automatic tranny. Make sure the fluid doesn't smell burned.

Drive it around until it's completely up to operating temperature, and pay attention to funny noises and smells.
Turn off the tunes.

Also, Thouroughly test out the 4wd stuff...it isn't 100% (all the time) 4WD, is it? if not, make sure the shift linkages shift properly...that you can go from 2 - 4wd and back again smoothly...
I

quote Originally posted by Raydar: I like the idea of having it inspected, if you can swing it. If nothing else, sniff the dipstick from the automatic tranny. Make sure the fluid doesn't smell burned. Drive it around until it's completely up to operating temperature, and pay attention to funny noises and smells. Turn off the tunes.

Yesterday, I did this, in this order:

1. Visually inspected the body & tires.
2. Raised the hood and did a visual and a hands-on check of hoses, belts, & electrical connections.
3. Checked, felt, & smelled all the fluids.
4. Crawled underneath the truck and checked for leaks, loose hardware, lines, wiring, dents, wear, etc.
5. Checked the intireor for rips, wear, and damage.
6. Checked all intireor electronics & switches for good working order.
7. Checked all exteror lights.
8. Started it up and checked under the hood for any abnormal sounds, sights, smells, etc.
10. Took it for a 45 minute test drive, testing starts, stops, shifts, lowspeed handling, highway handling, cornering, 4 wheel drive shifting and function, emergency braking, emergency acceleration, dropdown to idle, powerbraking, accurate gage readouts, etc.
11. Shut her down and looked for any changes from the pre-runup inspection. (leaks, smells, looseness, etc.)

Thats about everything I could think to check, without tools.
I found everything to be acceptable and right in line with a well maintained 10 year old truck.
We will see, though, on the second go around!

quote Originally posted by Boondawg: Yesterday, I did this, in this order: <snip>

Okay. Nevermind. Looks like you've got it covered.

Best!

quote Originally posted by Raydar: Okay. Nevermind. Looks like you've got it covered. Best!

Good lookin' out!
Thanx!

See if you can get him to toss in that "old rusty thing" sitting in the truckbed... or, see if you can trade your priceless antique truck for it...

quote Originally posted by FieroRumor: See if you can get him to toss in that "old rusty thing" sitting in the truckbed... or, see if you can trade your priceless antique truck for it...

Priceless is JUST that................PRICELESS!!!!

I'm sure my input isn't needed here. But just thought I would say I have a 1996 dodge ram 1500 non 4x4 and I abuse the hell out of it. Atempteing to offroad it and I've driven it into the ocean before. It has 170 thousand miles and runs perfect still. I drove it 1800 miles towing another car then 1200 miles with my r1 and all my stuff in the back with 3 friends and it has held up great. Only issue is a coolent leak I just havnt botherd to fix yet. And I probebly never will I just keep throwing water in it. Point is I try and drive this thing into the ground and it won't die. My truck has goten air before a few times offroad for it to still be running right now amazes me. Goodluck with the truck if you get it. Mine has been nothing but stupidly dependable no matter how hard I try and ruin it.

quote Originally posted by FieroRumor: Sorry of this sounds dumb, but have him have it inspected before you buy it. Ball joints, brakes, Alt, battery, electrical system, transmission, any leaks, etc. It's not a 500 buck "deal", it's 5 grand... he should have no quams about having it inspected, especially since you "will be using it to drive your two womenfolk around, and don't want to take any chances". Wimp out and say your wife insists that he has it inspected... I bought a Dakota once from a 'friend" and it needed new brakes and some other stuff. I'm sure it's OK, but better to be safe then sorry. what is the deal with the 20,000 mile difference in the odo?

I do prepurchase inspections all the time, the buyer pays, always, no matter how many cars I inspect before he or she decides on buying. The charge is $80.00, I check all fluids do a good look over of the engine compartment, duck under and take it for a good test drive. I don't care what the Ball Joints, Generator, Brakes or battery are like. Things go out on every Vehicle, when it does fix it.

I would first figure if putting gas in that beast is in your budget? I would be suprised if a 4wd w/5.9 gets more than 12 miles to a gallon empty in 2WD going down hill with the wind at your tail....oh and in neutral... ...but you get the point. No matter how great the mechanical condition is...the expense to operate with out any service is the real story.

I would suggest looking for a base truck within 5 years old with reasonable milage....possible transferrable warrentee or if even from a stealer they have to give you thirty days....not so from an individual seller. And being with in 5 years you should be able to get a auto loan with the vehicle as colateral. Sure the insurance will be more to protect the loan...but this also protects you. Also you can get that truck with 4.8 motor or a large 6...but about the same milage anyway but still better that the 5.9.

Just $.02 opinion... ;0) BBTs

i imagined alaska being a lot more white

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quote Originally posted by mysticfire6602: i imagined alaska being a lot more white

If you're referring to the ground, hell, it's summer time!

Ok ran NADA for you. 1996 ram 1500 V8. Laramie pkg and 4wd. looked like an auto tranny and adjusted for mileage and alaska. Trade in value: 6800 Loan value: 6,375 Retail Value: 8,700

Sounds like a good deal on all accounts. Nada doesn't account for mechanical condition. It assumes the vehicle is in such a condition where nothing would have to be repaired in order for it to be sold on a good used car lot.

Well, I bought it!
It is now in my driveway & my blessing or burden.
Only time will tell!
I hope everything works out for me, the way I want it to.

Thanks for all the input, guys!
Invaluable!

Congrats dude. I hope it brings you many miles of happy, trouble-free driving enjoyment. Sending you lots of positive energy, brother.

quote Originally posted by Taijiguy: Sending you lots of positive energy, brother.

Cool!
I can ALWAYS use it, for one thing or another!

Congrats on the truck Boondawg.