The price has been agreed upon (9k) and the paper work is waiting for my signature here is the problem. I've been searching for a good used pickup for the past month and frankly I'm tired of looking (LOL)..I came across this 1997 Dodge 2500 4WD, 5.9V8, 5 speed manual tranny with 95k miles on it and appears to be in very good condition. It's a 1 owner and the truck was owned locally. I took it out for a test drive and everything about it I really liked. engine and ride seemed tight, under carriage and skid plate looked clean, truck bed was in great condition, interior leather and carpets were also in nice condition. On my way back to the dealer a "Check Engine" light came on which I'm very concerned about and am now thinking of pulling out of the deal. they told me it's probably an emissions thing and more than likely an easy fix. I negotiated a price with the stipulation that I would fix the problem and the more I think about it the more I'm getting cold feet. The one other thing that bothered me was when I braked hard during the test drive the truck would pull hard left. Anyway what do you people think I should do? By the way this would be my first Dodge truck as I've only owned Ford's and 1 Chevy before this.

 

Nada says clean retail is just under 7K...... That assumes excellent condition, and fully loaded. (options.) Nada doesn't differentiate by area though..... so, that may play a role as well. (and, you can bet that since its a dealer, they inflate the price some as well.)

They should have the capability to see what the CEL is whining about, and I would have that checked BEFORE you sign any papers. If it IS simple, let THEM fix it for the money they are asking for it. If they don't want to. Walk away.

 

9K is a lot for 97. Found out what the code is for the CEL and have them fix the pulling problem before you even consider buying it. For 9K everything should be working as close to perfect as possible. I'm also going to move this to the general discussion thread.

And welcome to DF btw.

 

Could be simple. Could be extensive. Make them fix it for the price you're agreeing to pay. So 9K. If they don't at least tell you what is wrong walk away.

 

Trucks are very expensive here in the Pacific NW. 7k here will get you a well worn truck with 180k miles + on it. And when you do find a good one you better act fast because they sell fast. I've been beat out twice during my search by not acting fast enough. The prices here are inflated because the NW has a great need for trucks. It's all a supply and demand thing that drives the prices.

 

It's a 2500, which is also a big plus. Still though, make them fix it or take a 1000 off. Which ever come's first.

 

Actually I did have them take a grand off, they were asking 10k for it.

 

Howdy. As a fellow PNW'er I can tell you right now that you will come across a better deal than that if you keep searching. This may not be a bad truck, but $9000 is a lot for a 16 year old v8 powered truck. 2500 is a plus, 5spd 2500 is an even bigger plus, low miles is good. I love my '95 2500 5spd.

Is the truck a Club or Regular Cab? Long bed? How is the interior? The fact that they used the word "probably" in their CEL diagnosis means they don't have a clue, so you can give them zero credit on the "probably emmissions related" part.

If you REALLY want that truck, then that is your hard earned cash you can choose to do whatever you'd like with it. If you aren't particularly attached to it, there are deals around here for Cummin's powered 2nd gens in that price range if you check craigslist regularly. They may need a bit more work and have more miles on them, but they will always hold their value due to the Cummins engine, and they will never stop running if taken care of properly.

 

Here it is http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...gIndex=8&Log=0

I'm looking specifically for a 3/4 ton 4WD with at least a club cab with low miles. Trust me, Ive been looking high and low for quite some time and I am very picky about my trucks. I live here in Arlington and have gone as far as Bellingham north to as far as Puyallup south to Bremerton and every where in between. I havent limited myself to just Dodge I'm looking for anything that will suit my needs and 10k is what I'm seeing no matter where I go. There are trucks cheaper yes but those are well worn with 150-200k miles on them, don't want to go there.

 

I was also looking at this one but it had the 8.0V10. Love the power but not the MPG. Also if you look it has the stainless steel rock panels on drivers side but none on driver side and there was some body damage on lower panel on drivers door which you really cant see in pics. http://www.nwmsrocks.com/trucks_for_...-SLT-4x4-14106 this is a 95 and they want 10k for this one...lol! 10k must be the magic number.