I would not pay more than $6500 for it. The ramp system is retail priced at $1,900, flip it for a grand and put that towards the needed repairs. It's a nice truck.

 

i was going to sell the ramp system if i got it. thanks for all the feedback really appreciate it.

 

The tranny thing is worth looking into, also check that the heater core is not rotten - both good reasons for the original owner to want to dump it on someone else & at a shop those repairs can be $1-3k. Also, since I used to be a body man, I will share a tip or 2 for checking on body damage. Left the hood. See the row of bolts that hold on the fenders? They were painted with the fenders already installed from the factory. If all the fender bolts have paint scraped off like they were removed & screwed back on, it has been wrecked. There is NO REPAIR ON EARTH that requires removal of the fenders. I have had dealers try to lay that line of BS on me. Some wreck rebuilds are good, but some are not. If it has signs of accident damage, walk away from it & don't look back unless they are will to drop the price by HALF. The hardest thing when you are jonesing for a new rig, is knowing when to walk away from a bad deal. Another fast tip - drive it around for 15 minutes to get the engine temp up to normal, ten park it with the engine running, left the hood & remove the oil fill cap. Is there blue-ish white smoke puffing out of that hole? That is called blow by & is a strong indicator of a worn out engine. Low miles does not mean good, the PO could have dogged the crap out of it. I bought my 2001 at 42k miles & had to replace the tranny for starters. Luckily, I talked him down to $700 so I did not complain but my truck is a very base model V6 2wd That also has a bit of body damage. it is also true that quality rust repair is $2k & up. Be shrewd & understand that the impulse to spend is not as long lasting as the pain in the **** of a long string of expensive repairs.

 

ALSO - put it in 4wd on a smooth surface & turn a full circle in each direction. If you hear clicking or if it acts like it is going over a series of lumps that are not there, it has 1 or 2 bad front CV axles. Those are easy enough to replace & not terribly expensive, but can be used to further negotiate the price down some more for you.

 

Umm, are you on drugs? Never engage 4x4 on a high traction surface.

What's better about a v8 auto with tooth pick axles than a heavier duty diesel, or v10/v8 with an HD stick and stout axles? ORE's are not as cool as everyone thinks IMO.