2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Andrew Gray '97 CTD Reg cab stock 4x4

[AndrewGray]

Hi all



Im new here so i hope im doin this right. Just need some encouragement i guess. I have a '97 CTD and its in good shape and average miles. I want to upgrade to a '01 or '02. I went to a few dodge dealers to talk trade and i have never been so miss treated in my life. Im a first time cummins owner and i thought they are the greatest ever made till now. They wouldnt give me hardly anything for it and degaded it so bad and insulted me for even owning it that i will NEVER own another one. I will go to ford . They made me feel so low im embarassed to even be seen in it. Boy you talk about stompin on pride!!! I cant believe how they degraded the very product that they sell but they did. I could have just of well be drivin a broken down volks wagon !!! Sorry guys just had to let off some steam. Hope no one else has this experience but if dodge keeps this up they wont sell many more. Hope you all can convince me to stick with dodge but im really disgusted. Sorry.

 

[SEmerson]

Dealers are a bummer to see. I even gave up on my free oil changes. It wasn't worth the hassle to get them.



But If you do chear up I would get a 12v or skip to a 03. I have a 12 and a 24v. The 12 is my second one I bought. Much more reliable then my 24v.



BTW if you get a ford you well see alot of the dealers. :-laf

 

[bmoeller]

Don't let those people get you down. Also, there aholes in any brand dealership.



I'm not surprised that wouldn't give you much to trade. It is usually better to sell it outright, than trade.



Why are you wanting to upgrade? You can BOMB the engine, and get more power/$ than trading to newer truck that has less power than what your truck is capable of producing. My truck has more power than a new Ram. Didn't cost me $30-40k, either. Cost me less than $1500 to pretty much double my stock power. Another plus is, you won't have the possible headaches of the electric lift pump and VP-44 fuel injection pump that some of the 24v engines are prone to.

 

[BCaldwell]

Don't let the dealers get you down they know you have the best light truck engine out there under the hood of that truck and were going to low ball you so they could make more moneyfrom the sale of your trade-in . bmoeller and SEmerson are right we have great vehicles that are user friendly and easy to bomb if you want to.



Bill

 

[ndurbin]

For some reason or other dealers dont want to give you squat for 12 valves. I was quoted $6,000 for mine acouple years ago. I said to hell with that and have been trying to save up for a new (used) pickup, but that hasn't been going so good lately.



Nathan

 

[Dane]

Sorry to hear that...



Always arm yourself with info before you go. 1st thing to do is go to www.kbb.com and find the going trade in price for your truck, print it out and bring it with you.



Understand that they are going to offer you less, but just counter offer by deducting the same amount from the sticker price of what you are buying.



Finding a good sales person will make a huge difference. Stay away from the kids, look for an older person who seems willing to work with you. A smart sales person will "work" the sales desk, rather than the customer.



Also, always go in at the end of the month. If the dealership is having a "bad" month in sales, they will be much more willing to cut you a good deal.

 

[DBentley]

Dont listen to the moron salesman or girl they have only 1 mission and it is to get as much $$$ out of you as they can and if they have to make fun of your trade they will. These trucks are a car salesmans worst nitemare because they will last for 10-15+ years and still be a decent ride if they are maintained properly. Dont forget the salesman probably drives a yugo and has never even owned a decent vehicle.

 

[Justin1889]

Where's the truck located?? email me back at -- email address removed -- I might have a buyer for it.

 

[pwerwagn]

Id keep the 12 valve. then you dont have to worry about the vp44.

 

[SRadke]

What do the dealers know? When I bought my 03 they were going to give me $7k for my 96 with 160k miles. I said "No thanks!". I sold it in two weeks for $14K. Couldn't be happier with the old one or the new one



-Scott

 

[Joe Mc]

Had a Frd, been dere dun dat couldn't give me a nuther one POS. Everyone I know w/diesel F brand is throwin $$$ at trannies, heads turbos, pumps all POS. Keep you 12'r and toss a few grand at it - That'll put a smile back on your face - screw those sharks at the dealers. Check kbb.com and nada.com. Better yet if you really want to sell you could probably find someone here maybe even work a trade on a newer one. I'll bet there's plent of guys w/24 valvers that'd be looking to tradw to a 12'r just for ease of bombing. MHO - I'll keep my 99 though.

 

[pwerwagn]

Go check out the ford psd website (thedieselstop.com). that will change your mind about wanting a ford.

the TDR is reason enough alone to buy a dodge/cummins!!!!

 

[Horsepuller]

You would think that salespeople would know the value of a truck with a CTD, but they don't . They treat it just like a gasser. I am always suprized at how little Dodge salespeople know of the truck they sell. Never go to the dealer for a trade in. They have to low ball you so that they have money left over to primp and clean the vehicle, then make some money after they sell it. That can be hard to do. Your best bet, espeically with a Dodge/CTD is to sell it private party to someone who is knowledgeable of the CTD and who likes Dodge trucks. If you can, wait until that person comes along, you will be able to get what the truck is worth. I sold my '73 Dodge HD 3/4ton , club cab for $2600, what I was asking, but I had to be patient (I miss that truck) and sold my '93 CTD for Blue Book, which was around $7,500. 00. It works in reverse too. I end up paying close to the asking price every time, because sometimes, I just gotta have the truck.



And most importantly, don't let the idiots at this dealership deprive you of the best diesel out there. That would be a compound error. But I definitely wouldn't buy my truck there. Unless you talk the sales manager and discuss your mistreatment. See what he does. If you aren't happy, go buy your new Dodge somewhere else, but be sure to visit the dealer and the salesperson who mistreated you so you can rub the lost sale in their face.

 

[CATCRACKER]

keep the 12v i have owned them all i love this truck (99 24v then 03 CR now 97 12v)

 

[AndrewGray]

Andrew Gray 1997 CTD

Thanks again guys. You all are the best. Great friends to have. Im goin to keep my cummins. The only reason i was wanting to trade was i want a auto transmission. I have a leg that bugs me so im lookin at the auto transmission. I was actually tryin to find a '97 or '98 12v auto and if im lucky a extended cab, but i think ill keep mine for now. Just would like to have some help on what to do first to start trickin out the engine . Its all stock except for the K&N filter. I turned up the pump as much as i can and straight stock exhaust. It all helped but still not a lot of power . I cant blow a lot of bucks all at once but little by little. I can sure use your help. Yeah im a green horn here lol but got to start somewhere. Many thanks again guys.

 

[RHARVEY]

What part of the country do you call home??? I also have a 97 5 speed and a 2k 24v. As you can see there has been a lot of green spent on both trucks in the past but I wouldnt sell them. My 97 has 230k on it and runs great. .

If you have any questions... here is the place to get them answered. . And also a place that help you spend your money :-laf :-laf :-laf



Rick

 

[EBoyts]

I second what everybody else has already said. Don't let a selfish, ignorant salesman change the way you feel. Most of them are going to try their level best to beat down every trade-in they get, regardless of make or model. I'd rather step in dog ***** than try to have a conversation with most dealer salesman I've met. I'm glad your going to give that '97 12v a chance-- If the 12v reputation means anything, you've got a great truck with even better potential!

 

[AndrewGray]

Andrew Gray '97 CTD

Thanks guys. You all have helped. This is a great site.

 

[98rammer]

put the plate forward, adjust the star wheel for smoke, and go do a burnout in the front of the dealership... . maybe they'll realize the cummins power :-laf



personally, i'll be "stepping up" to a 24v. they're more streetable when it comes to smoke in higher horse power situations (variable timing). obviously you can tune a 12v, but you have to have low rack travel to keep the fuel from pouring in too late with big injectors and smoking across the whole power band. 12valves are a ton more reliable though.



whatever it is, it's a cummins, and it'll last longer than any engine out there in a pickup.

 

[400Magnum]

It's the game they play...

You have to remember, they are there to make money off of us. If they can embarrass you to be seen in that "stinky and noisy" old truck, then you'll be more likely to trade it in on a new one that is all shiny and quiet. It's part of the strategy they employ to get your old vehicle cheap and then they turn around and sell it top dollar.



Think of like this, if you go in there and they tell you what a great vehicle you have and how the new ones can't compare, are you going to be more likely to buy a new vehicle or keep the one you have??? Right, you're going to drive away in your truck with a big smile on your face while they don't make a sale.



If your old truck is so awful, why would they want to even take it in on trade?? Wouldn't it be an embarrasement to be seen sitting on their precious lot along side all the new trucks???



Listen to these other guys. You can bomb your truck so that it'll run circles around a new one for the cost of two monthly payments of the new truck. Okay, so maybe it's not the latest body, and if you want a new truck, that's fine, go get a new one and be happy with it. But don't fall for one of the oldest tricks that salesman try to pull on people. You've got a great truck, don't let some nimrod that drives a Lexus try to tell you anything about what makes a real truck.