Hello all... brand spanking new to this Forum... I have a Corvette so I spend time on the Corvette Forum... Moving on.

I want a 4x4 and I have come across a 2003 quad cab 4WD Hemi SLT Laramie. 112,000 miles. I'd like some thoughts about the reliability and fixability of these trucks in general.

The good:

-Drives smooth and tracks straight.
-Hemi packs a decent punch (not like my 'Vette... but nice for a truck)
-It looks great from about 10 feet (any closer and you see the 8 years of scratches)
-Transmission shifts tightly and smoothly
-20" polished wheels (sharp against the black paint)
-Engine starts and idles good, no leaks
-Interior leather is still in fairly good condition
-4x4 works

-The bad:

-The interior bits are pretty awful.
-Dash cracked on passenger side, and an actual hole on the driver side
-ash tray is loose
-wind noise
-power window/lock switch panel is no longer attached in any door... they are just loosely in there.
-generally loose interior
-Hood is reluctant to "pop" up when I try to open it.

I can get it for 9,000. Are there any issues I should look for for this model year? With 112,000 miles... what is the reliability like? I plan to take this off-road 60 miles or so out of cell phone range... I don't want to be stranded!

What do you think of the price given its rough interior? Good deal? Bad?

 

My opinion, that year, with over 100k, and the interior flaws, price may be a little high. I haven't checked the value on mine, but it's a year newer, 20k less miles, and is in great shape inside and out, and I think I'd feel good anywhere above 10k for it (if I were selling it).

My thought process would be "if they didn't take any better care of what I can see, what kind of care did they take of what I can't see - i.e. the drivetrain". That concern could be put to rest by maintenance records/documentation. If they didn't bother to maintain it and keep records of it, I'd have more questions than answers and would probably walk away. But, that's just me. Just like anything else, take care of it properly and it should last.

All that said, that's a bit of me being the pot calling the kettle black. I made up my mind several years ago that nobody was going to own my truck but me, then my son, and then the scrapyard. I change my oil regularly, rotate my tires, keep good wipers on it, make sure the fluids are at the proper levels, etc. But, I've not been very good at documenting things and keeping receipts where I can go find them a year later. And, due to never before owning a vehicle for this long or this many miles, I've fallen asleep with regard to the maintenance schedules for other things. I'm trying to play catch up now. But, I've had my rig 7 years, I've had a check engine light once. The PCV valve went bad and I replaced it. Other than that, never any serious trouble. And no signs that it's losing any life so far.

Bottom line, I'd look around and see what else is out there and compare the condition and price to this one. I know it's a truck and you want to use it for wheeling, but from the way you described the interior, I couldn't live with it. Who wants to be bouncing down the trails and watch their window switches bounce around with you?

 

HemiGreg nailed it, there are too many nice Dodges out there you can get a great deal on to have to worry about did you just settle or not, find the one that you want and you will know it right away when you see it. Your first gut reaction is probably your best, if you doubt, leave it.

 

Tons of interior parts for sale on ebay and other sites

Dash cracked is a common issue with these earlier trucks

ash tray....IDK....have to look at it and see. Can be pulled out easily though

new door seals are about 15 each last time i bought some

sounds like they had the door skins off a few times.

hood latch springs can be adjusted.

 

I appreciate the input. I think you guys are correct... I think it is best to keep looking. Reading your posts helped to make that clear.

 

Glerma, I assume you are referencing book values as you look. I find the kelly blue book is a little easier to make sense of when it comes to value related to the condition of the vehicle. Obviously you don't want to pay full value for something that doesn't reflect the true condition of the vehicle. But, more importantly than that, nothing speaks as loudly about a used vehicle than how it was maintained and hard proof of it in the form of maintenance records with dates and mileage. Just as you might question the care of a vehicle that is in bad shape cosmetically, you can't assume one in mint cosmetic condition is in any better shape mechanically. Carfax's are helpful, or something like that (I use autocheck through nadaguides.com). A seller should be willing to give you a VIN over the phone if they aren't trying to hide anything. As a matter of fact, when I was shopping vehicles for my daughter last month, I bought a 30 day unlimited use of autocheck. I still have a week or two left on it, probably, if you want me to run some VINs for you. Just shoot me a pm with the VIN.

 

03's also had valve spring issues

 

Weed -

Is there a way to tell (visibly) when door seals need to be replaced? I don't know if I have "normal" wind noise or "excessive" noise at highway speed. It's no Lexus or anything

Should I just do it anyway after 8+ years?

Oh, and if anybody waved ~ $10k at me, they'd probably go home in a mint 03 w/ 76k miles