Buy a truck w 140K miles?

[Deleted member 995608]

Been looking for 06/07 5. 9 3500 dually,4x4, 6spd. Not too much to choose from.



I found one locally in the right color but has lot's of miles. My current truck has 138k and counting and runs flawless. I usually start shopping when I hit 150k.



I just worry. Even though the drivetrain is good, everything else around starts to fall apart after awhile.

 

[WoodChuck]

The way I look at it you either put money into your current vehicle to maintain it or have car payments. When you add it all up maintaining an older vehicle is much cheaper, especially one as reliable as yours. A POS on the other hand would be a waste of money.

My current ride has 150k miles and is in great shape, I plan on getting another 150k miles before I get something else.

 

[LBARTLETT]

I'd be concerned it might have been a hot-shot truck with that many miles on it and so new, can you find out who owned the truck or what it was used for? The hot-shot wouldn't negate me buying it as much as who owned it and what kind of care they took of it, many of the trucks owned by us older person who hot-shotted would still be gems, some of the trucks owned by younger persons have had the crap driven out of them with little or no maint. I saw an 02' Dodge Dually one time that had 214k on it and had never had an oil change, just oil added, what an idiot!

 

[rbattelle]

I'd be concerned it might have been a hot-shot truck with that many miles on it and so new

That would be my concern as well. Have you had the chance to look it over?



Ryan

 

[Deleted member 995608]

Trucks in great condition. No gooseneck or 5er hitch installed. New clutch, brakes etc.



The truck dosen't say "Come take me home". But I am getting frustrated because nothing has come up in the last six months that's relativley close.



I'd like to wait in see what the 2010's are like but who knows what will happen w/ Dodge between now and then. Not sold yet on the 6. 7 either.



?????

 

[macdaddy]

Woodchuck is right... ... ...



Im done with car payments. There are plenty of souces for replacements parts. Id be bummed if I had to buy one of the leaf licking smoged trucks.



138K is very low miles for a CR motor. Keep the current truck and leave the car payments for thye poor!!!.



Mac

 

[HBarlow]

Like LBartlett and RBattelle above, I'd be afraid of a late model used truck unless I knew the previous owner and knew how he used and maintained the truck. Most of all, I would want to be certain the truck had not been modified and used by a "hotrodder. " Nothing against hotrodders, I was one when I was younger, but... .....

With the array of aftermarket injectors, turbos, and electronic boxes that so many owners install on these trucks it is no longer safe to assume the legendary reliability and durability that we all expect from a Dodge Ram and mighty Cummins engine when the truck was previously owned.

 

[WoodChuck]

Let me see if I got this right, Your truck has 138k miles and you're getting worried about it so you want to buy a truck with 140k miles? Something doesn't compute, your current ride has 2k less miles. What do you hope to gain by going to an '06 M. Y. ?

 

[SShafranko]

Let me see if I got this right, Your truck has 138k miles and you're getting worried about it so you want to buy a truck with 140k miles? Something doesn't compute, your current ride has 2k less miles. What do you hope to gain by going to an '06 M. Y. ?

Very good point! You sound like some of my friends. They get bored and change rides every year or so. I'm in mine till death do us part as i was in my 96. Repaint it, or put on after market wheels. That should revive it for a few months until you can stumble upon something you like.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I want the dually for our 36' 5ver.



I don't prefer to buy high milage truck. It's just that every 06-07 I come across is an auto. And if it is a 6spd, it's a color I don't to pay for.



I ran my last truck to 253k. I just got tired of fixing it so I trade em off before the bigger repair bills start rolling in.



Was thinking that I could get into this one relatively cheap and run it for a few years.



Can't be too picky when shopping for used, though.

 

[AABEN]

JHAWS You need to look in E-bay dodge3500 some good low milage trucks there.

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

if you don't mind a few miles, if it were me I would buy an 03 or early build 04 with nv 5600 trans, that combo should be the best truck, without all the tree hugger crap on it. I drive an '06 mileage sucks even with a smarty, however I drive 80-85 mph on the highway which prolly has alot to do with my sub 15mpg mileage. a while back I looked on auto trader at 03'04's good lord people where proud of them, to me its pretty crazy to pay 22-23k for a 5 year old truck with 80+k on it, when a brand new one can be had for 31k. in 5 years when its paid off you have a 10 yr old truck with over 200k on it, vs a 5yr old truck with 100k on it, IMO you save in the end with less repairs and higher resale value, so the new truck IMO is the better value, now weather or not those guys are actually getting 23k for an 04 I dunno. number one rule of buying a used truck IMO is know what the absolute best deal you can get on a new one is, that way you know if you are paying too much for used.

 

[KIKER]

I was in a '99 with 150,000 miles, depreciated out, when it had two episodes of failures that cost me a little over $5000 in repairs and lost time on the job. That's when I started thinking of a new one. I went from a '99 ext cab 5 speed two wheel drive dually to an '07 quad cab auto 4x4. I could also use the 4x4 in the work I do. I went from 16-19 mpgs to 11-13 mpgs. Sometimes I think I made the wrong decision.