So i found a truck that im wanting to buy. Its a 2001 dodge ram 1500 with 165000 miles on it. Anything i should be concerned about?. The dealer is asking 3700$ but from my research i think that i can get it for around 3000$. Does This sound about right to you guys? The other question i had is what other fees will be included? If i tell him 3000$ for everything including fees will he accept it? I live in minnesota if that helps. Ive never bought a used truck from a used car dealer so any advice will help! Thanks in advance!
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ws...837825134.html

 

Looks like it has had a fair bit of work done to it, might even have had the plenum fixed. (which is something I would look at before purchasing..... if there is oil in there, should be able to knock a couple hundred off the price.)

Don't know if the dealer will come down 700 bucks though, and more than likely not for a 'total price'. (taxes, registration, etc.....)

 

Well, you won't get lost in a blizzard with that color! Here's a list of what I would look for:
-Check for rust under the wheel flares
-Have someone rock the steering while you look at all the tie rods and track bar for play
-Take it for a good long drive to warm it up and listen for ping in OD and test the vents for proper operation
-Check for proper heat
-Smooth shifts
-Leaks
-Remove the air hat (aftermarket) and look in the throttle body for oil pooling down in the manifold. If so, tell him the plenum is blown and to knock a grand off.
-Remove a spark plug or two and check for good color and what kind. Should be standard copper Champion or maybe Autolites.
-Check for solid steering when driving: no wandering, play, etc. A little play is not bad.
-Find some snow and engage 4wd hi and low and listen for any bad noises.
-Inspect ujoints, ball joints, brakes, etc.
-Test A/C

If it looks clean enough, go for it (if you can stand all the yellow). The 2001 was the last year for this body (02 for 2500s) so Dodge started skimping on some things. Also, the PCM has less tolerance for things like 180 stat and tunes and most likely has the Deathflash. Look for a sticker attached to the pcm on the passenger firewall. Since someone removed the manifold to paint it, it may have had the plenum fixed already once. If you get it, come ask questions and we'll help you enjoy the rig. The engine is strong classic mopar but the trans is meh. Getting an old truck you never know what repairs are in the future. Good luck. And $3700 sounds good for a working 4x4 without much rust.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I will definetly check over eveything you guys mentioned when I go look at it tomarow! Believe it or not I'm actually a big fan of the yellow haha

 

Be prepared to put some wrench time into it. If your not mechanically inclined and don't make a lot of money, you might consider something newer. I have a 96 and I love it, not only because I'm a Ram fan, but because I love the wrench time as well, and it's paid for. My wife hates it for those exact reasons-except the paid for part. Good luck!

 

Dodge did not start skimping on things in 01. In fact they are some of the most well rounded trucks out there as far as second gens though.

The only minus compared to the others is the death flash from the factory.

 

I don't mean mechanically ^^^ I mean cosmetically like vinyl center consoles, missing door bumpers on the bed, etc. and many more cracked dashes in 00-01 than earlier, plus you can't run a 180 stat without throwing codes and they all got the deathflash. 00-01 is good for ORE and dual piston brakes. But owners who had both 99-01 trucks and 94-98 seem to complain about power decrease in the newer ones. Probably more emissions control and pcm tweaking by Dodge. This is just based on reading forums since I bought mine in 2001.

 

You answered your own question in your post on loss of power.


The only thing I've heard of is some 02 2500s didn't have the rear cupholders

 

Well tomorrow is the big day friends.wish me luck. Any advice before hand would be greatly appreciated. thanks again!