might by new truck please help
#1
10-02-2006, 12:46 AM
might by new truck please help
hi im new to dodges but im looking at bying a 1990 dakota with a v6 it 2 wheel drive. dont if anythings been rebuilt or not it has 143,000 on it the guys says its mostly highwya but im not sure. i just dont want to have to put a lot of money in to it right away . is that a lot of miles for this truck . thanks
#2
10-02-2006, 02:10 AM
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Sycamore, Illinois (displaced to Arkansas)
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RE: might by new truck please help
First, welcome to the forum.
To answer a few of your questions:
These trucks are good. They are also reliable.
About the miles: most cars see around 12,000 to 16,000 miles per year. In 16 years, that would be 192,000 to 256,000 miles. Your truck saw, on average, around 9,000 miles per year. Not bad.
The engines in these trucks are usually reliable, as well. You can go here and check out what other people have for mileage on theirs.
Of course, like anything else, the reliability depends on how well it was maintained. If the owner was always overdue for oil changes and such, you might inherit some problems.
Ask some questions about the maintenace, and ask them if they have records of this maintenance. Oil changes should be every 3,000 to 7,000 miles. Automatic transmission fluid (with a new filter) should be done about every 36,000 miles, and a manual transmission fluid should be changed around the same intervail. Coolant should be changed every 30,000 to 40,000 miles. Being a 2WD, you don't have to worry about a front axle or transfer case servce, but ideally, the rear differential fluid should have been changed every 20,000 to 30,000 miles. (Note: most people either neglect to, or forget to, do preventitive maintenance to their transmission, coolant, and differentials [as well as other items] until there is a problem. Lots of vehicles have never had a differential or transmission fluid change, and still operate fine, but the maintence is a wise thing to do, and a good thing to look for in a used vehicle)
Tip: next time you take a look at this truck, look at the following:
Engine oil: check for proper oil level, and how dirty the oil is. My friends dad was looking at an SUV for my friend, and a particular one he looked at was 3 quarts low, the oil barely showed up on the dipstick. I told him, "if when they are selling a vehicle, they can't check and adjust something as simple as the oil level, what does that tell you should how they drove and took care of their vehicles when they weren't trying to sell it?" He scrapped the idea of purchasing that SUV.
Automatic transmission fluid: this is properly checked after the transmission has been warmed up. Park on a level surface, shift the transmission through all gears, and back into Neutral. Set the parking brake. The transmission fluid should be within the allowable limits mark on the dipstick, and be clean (red), and not have a "burnt" smell to it.
Air filter: an often overlooked, and VERY simple thing to change is the air filter. Check this, it should be realively clean.
Also take a drive and take note of: any odd noises, if it tends to drift to one side or the other. Look under the hood for any fluid leaks, or anything that seems out of place.
If you find anything, either demand it be fixed before you purchase it, or have the sale price reduced.
Of course, with a 16 year old truck, and a vehicle with 143,000 miles, you will probably have some repairs that will need to be done. Thats just how old vehicles are, but, if you catch it before you buy it, you might save yourself the money.
Again, these trucks are usually very reliable, and with proper maintenance, will last a long, long time.
To answer a few of your questions:
These trucks are good. They are also reliable.
About the miles: most cars see around 12,000 to 16,000 miles per year. In 16 years, that would be 192,000 to 256,000 miles. Your truck saw, on average, around 9,000 miles per year. Not bad.
The engines in these trucks are usually reliable, as well. You can go here and check out what other people have for mileage on theirs.
Of course, like anything else, the reliability depends on how well it was maintained. If the owner was always overdue for oil changes and such, you might inherit some problems.
Ask some questions about the maintenace, and ask them if they have records of this maintenance. Oil changes should be every 3,000 to 7,000 miles. Automatic transmission fluid (with a new filter) should be done about every 36,000 miles, and a manual transmission fluid should be changed around the same intervail. Coolant should be changed every 30,000 to 40,000 miles. Being a 2WD, you don't have to worry about a front axle or transfer case servce, but ideally, the rear differential fluid should have been changed every 20,000 to 30,000 miles. (Note: most people either neglect to, or forget to, do preventitive maintenance to their transmission, coolant, and differentials [as well as other items] until there is a problem. Lots of vehicles have never had a differential or transmission fluid change, and still operate fine, but the maintence is a wise thing to do, and a good thing to look for in a used vehicle)
Tip: next time you take a look at this truck, look at the following:
Engine oil: check for proper oil level, and how dirty the oil is. My friends dad was looking at an SUV for my friend, and a particular one he looked at was 3 quarts low, the oil barely showed up on the dipstick. I told him, "if when they are selling a vehicle, they can't check and adjust something as simple as the oil level, what does that tell you should how they drove and took care of their vehicles when they weren't trying to sell it?" He scrapped the idea of purchasing that SUV.
Automatic transmission fluid: this is properly checked after the transmission has been warmed up. Park on a level surface, shift the transmission through all gears, and back into Neutral. Set the parking brake. The transmission fluid should be within the allowable limits mark on the dipstick, and be clean (red), and not have a "burnt" smell to it.
Air filter: an often overlooked, and VERY simple thing to change is the air filter. Check this, it should be realively clean.
Also take a drive and take note of: any odd noises, if it tends to drift to one side or the other. Look under the hood for any fluid leaks, or anything that seems out of place.
If you find anything, either demand it be fixed before you purchase it, or have the sale price reduced.
Of course, with a 16 year old truck, and a vehicle with 143,000 miles, you will probably have some repairs that will need to be done. Thats just how old vehicles are, but, if you catch it before you buy it, you might save yourself the money.
Again, these trucks are usually very reliable, and with proper maintenance, will last a long, long time.
#3
10-02-2006, 10:59 PM
RE: might by new truck please help
i have owned alot of vechiles with around 140thousand miles on them at the time of purchase. if there taken care of before you get it and after you purchase it they should last a long time. Hell the one had 227, 600 when it went to get junked and the only reason it did is it leaked way too much oil to the point even my mechanic wouldnt give it stickers. I recently just went and bought a 91 dakota v8 318 with around 150 thousand on it for about 300 bucks and i have only put in about 200 -250 into the truck and this one will last awhile. my suggestion is take a careful look at the truck and if you aint too mechanically inclined make sure you take someone with you who is. you can find those people out there that jsut want to get rid of it cause of it being a second vechile taking up room but you can also get alot of junkers out there. just go over the truck and point out EVERYTHING and anything wrong with it. the more money you can get off for repairs the more moeny your saving up front, and then you can get most of those reapirs done cheaper or over look some of them depending on what they are.
#4
10-02-2006, 11:36 PM
