[Doc7]

Hello, first post here!

Never been a pickup truck owner but I've always wanted one, not really for offroading though...just a "want to have at some point in my life" kind of thing. Will be mostly used for a 25 mile each way commute to work, occasional lumber etc for DIY projects. I currently drive an infiniti g35 that gets 20 to the gallon the way i drive so not too concerned about mileage losses.

I've looked at a bunch, new used etc and have figured out I can't afford new, I'm looking to spend 28-30K max.

I have found a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab Big Horn edition, 4x4 with the HEMI ...it has 55K miles on it, carfax is clean. dealer wants 26K...


a) That's a lot of miles, i've usually only bought small cars with under 25-30K miles on them. It was first bought in fall 2009 so that is 27.5K miles per year. Any thoughts on that, and upcoming maintenance issues? I've never owned an American vehicle either so i'm a little leery of all the rumors (myths?) about reliability compared to my Honda and Nissan cars.

b) The G35 has a pretty small backseat. Anyone able to compare how big it is relative to the Quad Cab? I know it's no Crew cab but if i don't go even smaller than i already have, then it's not a concern at all for me.

thanks for any advice!

 

[Guest]

That is a lot of mileage average per year. Considerably over the average. No serious deficiencies beyond the fact that mileage makes a vehicle old. Tires, belts, hoses all will need replacing soon, probably needs a tune up, should have the transmission/differentials flushed and refilled. Intake is probably dirty and needs a little Seafoam treatment. EGR valve may need to be replaced.

As with any used vehicle, get it inspected.

As far as the back seat, no comparison with the G35. It's a LOT bigger back there in the Dodge.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your purchase.

 

[Old Dodger]

One thing about the miles is that they were very likely distance miles, not stop and go or short trips. That is good and minimizes the concerns posted by Mad Dog, in my opinion. But I would still take it into a Ram store and have it checked out unless it comes with a maintenance history that shows a good service pattern. If it has the MDS, and you drive it with expectations of economy, I don't think you will be disappointed with the mileage. Should be a good truck and make you as dedicated to the Ram as you are to the Honda's and Nissan's.

 

[Willbrewer]

Doc7,

You might be able to find a leftover new 2011 at a dealer that has good rebate offers and get a new truck for close to the same price as the used one you're looking at.

I bought a new 2011 1500 SLT QuadCab Hemi (2WD, not 4) in September, listed at $32K, and with rebates I got if for $27K. And also consider with a new truck you'll likely get much better warranty.

Bill

 

[hemiv8dodgeram1500]

keep looking heres a 2011 with 4,100 miles for $25,000

http://www.athensdodgeramchryslerje...0-Bogart-0076ba9f0a0d048e0139575019bfa77d.htm

 

[Voc1]

I spent months and months looking for the right truck, visiting dealers, checking out dealer websites, etc. Nothing with the right options or price. Someone suggested cars.com so I went there out of desperation, dropped in 150mile radius and pulled up all sorts of things.

Don't be afraid to drive a good ways to save yourself money, sometimes the difference can be thousands of dollars (4-5k difference between local dealerships here and the price we paid for our truck driving over to Vermont).

We paid $23,800 for a 2010 1500 Quad-Cab Big Horn hemi Ram with 30k miles in spotless shape with lots of options. Well, well worth the drive. Cars.com was fantastic, could not recommend it higher!

http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=98577

 

[titanman2789]

For your budget of 28-30k you can get a new truck. I don't know how important the extras are to you. I got a 2012 Express Quad Cab for less than your budget, and I'm sure you can find a 2012 Big Horn Quad Cab and maybe even Crew Cab discounted to within your budget.

 

[snrusnak]

^ I agree you can probably get a brand new 4x4 express QC for your budget. I bought my truck 9 months old (its a 2010) with 38k miles on it for under $20k. I've put nearly 20k miles on it in less than a year. It is a quad cab and not a 4x4 or a hemi, but buying used you should be able to find a 4x4 and a hemi for no more than a few thousand over what I paid. My truck is still worth more than I paid according to nada and kbb even a year later and with more miles. Last weekend of the month(preferably sunday evening) is the best time to buy, so is the end of the year. The back seat is a good size, probably bigger than most cars. It's fine for normal trips, but I don't think I'd want to sit back there on a 10 hour road trip. Although I've done it in smaller seats...

 

[spuds]

Take good look at the `11 new. These can be had for a very deep discount. Many thousand off MSRP. A new`11 could be a better deal then a used `10 or`09.My`11 1500 4x4 QC hemi for 24K....
LOOK at `11 "left overs"

 

[spuds]

Doc7 your from `Jersey,work a frack'n deal with the dealership. They need you more then you need them. Put there stones in a vice and squeeze. IMHO

 

[GTyankee]

I agree that the 2011 models are all over the place, the Dealerships usually have an End of the Year Sale, that ends about January 3rd
Many dealerships have several of them & they are going to dump them soon, they want the 2012s out front, ( they have been building them since July )

the body & engine for 2009, 2010, 2011s are the same as the 2012, except for the new fancy steering wheel controls & transmission software making it a 6 speed in the 2012s

_______________________________________________________________________

I have a 2009 Quad Cab with the full floor console & electric bucket seat on the drivers side, it has 59,000 mostly highways miles. The best parts about my '09 are the fancy Navigation radio with the Hands Free phone setup, & the most used part of it for me is that the Quad Cabs rear seats flip up & there is a Fold Flat Floor that extends out & can be used for tools, animals, groceries, etc
-----------------------------------------------------

If you decide to buy the one that you are looking at, hopefully it is at a Dodge dealership, tell them you will take it on the condition that they will do all the services to bring everything up to date, transmission filter & fluid change, cooling system maintenance, rear end fluid change, wheel bearing check, suspension check, etc.
Then they should be willing to give you a year warranty, hopefully

Good Luck

 

[snrusnak]

^If you buy from a dealer the warranty should transfer, mine did. I have I think up until 100k miles of warranty on the power train. I don't remember how many years but it doesn't matter to me because I'll reach that in just a few years, but I think it was 7 years.

 

[hydrex]

Here's my experience with Mopar reliability: My 2005 RT Magnum now has over 240,000 miles, the only problems have been tie rod ends/ball joints. My 99 Jeep Grand Cherokee now has 200,000+ miles only a couple minor problems, and my 05 QC 4X4 Hemi Ram has 161,000 miles. In 161K miles, only replaced 1 u joint . Other than fluids, plugs, tires and 1 set of brake pads, no repairs. Quad Cab has plenty of room in the back. Wife and I have often used it to take 2 other couples out. 6 adults, pretty comfy. Until the Magnum, I'd owned Toyotas and a couple Mazdas since 1974, I thought American cars were crap. I love my Mopars.:smileup:

 

[Doc7]

great thanks for the replies!

i have decided to keep looking beyond the 55K mile truck to less mileage or even new 2011 vehicles. The thing is their websites all have them listed for 37K and the salesmen tell me they can't talk price over the phone. with the holidays i won't be able to go to any dealerships this week (already spent 3 nights at dealerships in last week and too many chores to do now)

i'm a bit cheap and underfunded at the moment for this venture into a truck but trying anyway because maybe just maybe i'll be able to snag a deal somehow so i will keep working at it. i get my bonus in the spring and will be able to afford "more" truck with a larger downpayment so if i don't find anything until then, maybe there will still be 2011s they need to get rid of.

 

[GTyankee]

You are up in N.J. where it snows
think about getting the Limited Slip Differential instead of the Open differential
you will thank yourself the first time you start slipping & sliding when climbing a hill

 

[Voc1]

Doc I cannot recommend cars.com enough to you. Go there. Pick a nice big range (200 miles or so ought to do it), then punch in the options you are looking for, the model, etc, then your price max. Then let the results roll in and work from there.

Absolutely worth it, imo.

 

[chefred112]

i Have an 05 with 207k miles...I haven't driven it as much the last few years which means I drove it alot at the beginning... I want to keep this forever so I'm thinkin of changing the front facade to a 4th gen setup because i love that aggressive look...

 

[Triton189]

Don't count out a 2012

I was able to purchase a 2012 4X4 Big Horn Crew Cab with Hemi for $29,600. This included rebates and and the $1,000 dollar match by Chrysler. May be able to do even better...?