So ill list out the features and problems...

1997 Dodge ram 1500
Club cab
larmie slt 5.9
Auto
128,000 mi
Line-x sprayed bed
Has flowmaster dual exhaust
Has k&n intake
Has aftermarket headers
6 inch lift
38 inch tires
appears mechanically sound
zero leaks
appears that the lift was installed very well....It has minimal steering wonder and you only need to keep the wheel about 10-20 degrees left to keep the truck in a straight line. Not much dead steering space either. We have test driven other lifted trucks, all of them being smaller lifts and they seemed to be worse when it came to keeping the truck in straight lines and with more dead space in steering.

asking $5900

Problems:

-Interior has ripped seats on the edges of both the passenger and the driver

-Brakes seemed really dull.... likely a result of huge tires

-Dash is cracked all over!

-Check engine light on of course...

-Transmission was acting funny at first (in my opionion)... I was not really gunning it and the truck slowly raises rpm in 1st gear to around 3200 and seemed like it should have shifted around 2500rpm into second gear considering i was light on the gas...But we went really slow and really fast and it performed just fine throughout the rest of the ride. We ended up test driving the truck twice. The you can also hear the rpms slowly raise in the video (23 seconds untill 33 its still in 1st), it would be greatly appreciated if you just listened to the gears in the video and shout your opionion. Its not the most entertaining listen to us blabber so just focus on the shifting and sounds haha.

-When heat or ac is on and driver is under 3k RPM the air comes out the vents like its supposed to! When the truck is gunned the air comes out the defrost vents by the windshield...but heat and A/C still works just comes out the defrost vents untill you are not gunning the truck real fast. Can anyone explain the problem and how much it will cost if its serious?

-Truck drove fine for the most part in my opinion, seemed fairly solid.

Please voice your opionions... I like to hear mechanical input, ive looked at over 10 trucks and this one is the last one in consideration. Its either i buy this truck and head outa town or i keep my car and head outa town!

 

Well, that's a lot of tire for that truck with an auto tranny... If it seems to have any problems in that area, I would be leary. Do you know what gears it has in it? With 38's, please tell me it doesn't have 3.55's. The air problem sounds like a vacuum issue, but I can't say for sure. I would want to know why that check engine light is on as well. What about the plenum? Make sure it isn't blown... Also, check the compression on it to make sure it's okay. I would check and double check on this one. Honestly, I would pass for $5900... I personally don't like buying modded vehicles, but that is just me. I just think this may be a bit much for a '97, even with the lift and tires. That stuff doesn't add any real-world value. It's up to you, but I would guess that tranny is barely holding on unless the truck has new gears and a rebuilt HD tranny. That's my .02

 

I did take a picture of the rear axel: I cant tell the difference between dana 44 and 60... Maybe dana 60 has a different gear ratio or something? I dont know howelse to tell if the gears have been modified...

http://picasaweb.google.com/itsdaveo...94778664130626

The stock sticker under the hood says it has 3.5 axle ratio...assuming that hasnt been changed... (zoom in on the sticker as it shows all the equipment)

http://picasaweb.google.com/itsdaveo...94708111156162

 

With that many potential problems, and all those little things that are obvious (including a very expensive dash repair needed), I'd talk him down.

I'd offer $3500. The most I'd pay, if you really, really like that truck, is $4000. It has enough repairs that are needed that you'll end up putting at least probably half that again into it later on, if you were to repair everything thats wrong with it.

edmunds.com says dealer retail if it has all the options (and if it was in "clean" condition, which it is not) for the Laramie SLT package is about $5000.

EDIT: That rear axle looks like the stock Chrysler 9.25 axle to me, but I could be mistaken.

 

Looks the same axle I have...Chrysler Corporate 9.25". The front should be a Dana 44. I would ask about the gears...a 38" tire needs to have at least a 4.56 ratio, if not more... I wouldn't be too into this truck...at this point anyway.

EDIT: Just for info purposes...according to 4lo.com, you would need about 4.50 (ideally) gears to get back to factory ratio... Much different than 3.55's

 

yeah i zoomed into the 2nd picture and your both right about the rear axel. The sticker also indicated the front is a dana 44. Although it could have been changed, i dont have a picture of the front axel...

And the dealer is only letting it go for 5900 or else it goes to auction. He claims to have gotten it for 5500. And this is a really small dealership only 1 guy owns, and operates it and he earns his income on selling fleet vehicles in larger quantites. He only has a few vehicles and is not there much...He gets his income elsewhere and really didnt seem to care about the truck even if i bought it. So negotiating is almost out of the question. He didnt really seemed thrilled if i put a deposit on it to buy it the next day...

 

I'd pass then. If he paid $5500 for it, he got taken. Whoever sold it to him came off really well.

 

Hmm...I think ill have to agree with you. The trucks 38' tires are too large for the emissions dyno down here, so id have to buy smaller tires just to get my emissions tested. On top of that we have the wrong ratio and a possible tranny on it's way out. In addition a new dash needs to be put in its place and the trucks interior is sort of shotty. Dont forget the vacuum leak!


I'll just have to find out where this guy auctions his trucks out...he is expecting 6g he says...he might come to a slight suprize haha.


Anyone is welcome to comment on the truck still. My decision isn't totally final but im really thinking twice and probably wont get the truck.

 

I'd say run away. You can probably find a better deal if you look around a bit, and find one w/o a bunch of expensive potential problems. That one sounds like a ticking time bomb.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

That looks like a mighty fine truck in my opinion. Looks very clean! I couldn't check your tranny clip (couldn't see a link) but I do agree that a tranny near dead would kill the deal. The vacume leak is probably the one under the battery (common) and is really not a big deal at all. The rear is the chrysler 9.25 like others have said. You said that the owner may have swapped the front axle out which is not the case. I don't even need to see the front to verify it is a stock dana 44 under there. Another deal killer would be to find out he is using stock 3.55 gears that came with the truck. I really don't see how that is possible since most complain about 33's with 3.55's. Also, don't fault the guy about the cracked dash. That isn't his fault as more than a majority of dodge trucks have cracked dashes (I have one). I thought about buying a plastic dash cover to glue to the top of the old dash to "cover it up". But I tell myself its a pickup and now a show truck. No sense in dropping $200 on a dash cover in my book. Anyway the things you listed dont sound too bad. Double check the tranny and that check engine light to decide if it is worth it. There is always room for negotiation so work your magic if you do decide to go for it.