Looking at a used 99.....strange history

[4020Deere]

I am looking at a used 99 3500 CTD right now, and while researching it, found some strange information. The truck was on the lot at a dealer in the Texas panhandle, when new, but was sold to the first owner by a dealership just outside Dallas, TX. When sold, it had 650 miles on it. I would imagine that this was due to some test drives, and possibly there was a dealer inventory trade and the truck was driven from one dealer to another (several hundred miles).



But it gets stranger. The day BEFORE it was sold to the first owner, with only 650 miles on the truck, the Dallas dealer installed a brand new transmission (NV4500)! I've never heard of a failure that fast on one? Then at 19,500 miles, it was sold at a dealer's only auction, after being owned only 8 months! 1 month & 800 miles after being sold at auction it was sold AGAIN at another auction to a dealer in the upper midwest! The private party that now has the truck bought it from this dealer, and didn't know about any of this. I found all of this info out from carfax and the local dealer, who ran a warranty report on it for me.



Does anyone know how I might find out WHY the truck was sold at an auction the first time, then again only a month later??? Carfax shows a clean record on the truck with no accident, salvage, flood, etc. Any info or insights would be appreciated.

 

[Deezul1]

It sounds like it had better be cheap because everybody that had it dumped it quick.

 

[VicR]

Could one of those auctions been a repo deal? If it had been a new 6 speed, the quick replacement wouldn't have been that unusual due to some early quality issues, but the 5-speed... I guess it could happen.



Good luck on finding the right truck - if this one is the right price it might be worth a gamble. But... I have bought vehicles that didn't quite feel right and always lost (a 1979 Fiat comes to mind- what was I thinking!)



Good luck



-Vic

 

[Shooter]

How about:



0 down delivers, 9:00 pm take it home. financing falls through, was beat to death for 6 days while the finance guy at dealership tries to get financing. NO DEAL



truck goes back to dealer, paper work ( title & stuff never sent in by dealer caus of no deal ),



NEW truck w/ miles and a bunch of power shifts ( most missed & crunched transmission ) on dealers lot.

 

[Wheaties]

I think you're on the right track. The idea that it went from one dealership to another is probably correct. I did a dozen carfax's for a friend of mine and we got pretty good at coming up with plausible explanations. Here's my guess:

o) car delivered to dealer in panhandle. It doesn't sell

o) dealer outside Dallas either finds a buyer, or swaps for it. On the drive from A to B, the 5th gear nut comes off. Dealer decides to replace transmission.

o) truck sold to rental agency, or leased, or sold

o) rental agency auctions vehicle after 8 mo/20,000 miles (keeping the fleet new) or default on lease, or default on bank loan

o) it goes from one dealer to another, again being driven the 800 miles.

o) current owner buys it, you show up



The point here is, you know more than you did, and none of this info is flagged as unacceptable. After the transmission was replaced, it did go over 20,000 trouble free miles, right? Carfax will flag a vehicle sold as salvage (in an accident) and other problems, like mileage fraud. You're probably okay.



Matt

 

[LEEH]

How about "lemon" law return by buyer (s)?

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

check and see if the truck has one of those #53 blocks that are prone to craking if i am not mistaken the late 98's through 99's had um. After all the probs with the 24 valvers i think i would look for a early '98 LOL

 

[GFoley]

Cummins Cowboy,



What is a #53 block? I have a 99 2500.

 

[DEZLPWR]

It means that your block is going to crack soon...

Just kidding..... I have a #53 block and I am not worried about it! Supposedly, the blocks stamped with this # are more prone to cracking. :{ Oo. :{

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Some 98 12 valves came with the STORM (straight thread o-ring metric plugs used instead of 1/8" pipe plugs in the oil galley, etc. ) block. so, they might have the infamous 53 block also.



The repo idea is a likely thought. Another is that some of the 99s were horribly underpowered. Mark Chapple (TST) bought a beautiful 99 auto at his local dealership which hadn't sold because it was, in his own words, the sickest he had ever driven. Of course, it ain't sick anymore! However, the combination of low power and possibly the factory forgetting to fill the NV4500 with lube might lead to its checkered history. . .

I would look carefully for bondo and crunched panels where you normallly don't look, like inside the quarters and underneath at the rocker panels and floor pan. Also look for mismatching paint and overspray like under the hood.



If the Ram has an oddball option package, that could explain some of it. In some urban areas, for example, stick shifts don't sell well. In urban and wealthy areas, a rubber mat, baseline truck without air conditioning wouldn't have a chance to sell.

 

[Wheaties]

While a lemon law buyback and/or an accident are possibilities, I'd be inclined to discount them. This is only my opinion, but I believe carfax would catch these, as carfax claims to do. Still, Joe Donnelly's advice is good, use all you have available to you, before you buy. Go over the vehicle inside and out.



On one car my friend and I looked at, a Camry, the price was a little better than average, and the frame members around the front had a different color primer coat than the fender wells. The radiator looked brand new, while the valve cover showed signs of oxidation. The finish on the whole car was flawless, non of the scratchs we had seen on other cars of the same year. We ran a carfax on it and turned up a Salvage Title. The car had been in an accident, this dealership had bought it and rebuilt it.



My point is, both carfax and my own investigation led me to the fact that the car had been in an accident. I don't see anything in the history of the truck you describe that says, "This is a lemon" or "This truck was in an accident", but then I'm not there looking at the truck either.



What do you see? Does it ride okay, track straight, run right? Is the price set about right for it's condition, mileage, and year? A price that's too good to be true is often that--its marked down for a reason whether you know what that reason is or not. Most important, do you feel comfortable with what you think the truck has been through? If you believe its been wrapped around a tree, true or not, you'll never be happy with the way it steers. If you think it's been in the pond, it will always smell fishy to you



Sorry this is so long. Good luck!

Matt

 

[DHRA]

I know for a fact that New Venture gets dozens of these trannies from dealers out of new trucks. They go to engineering and torn down to find what broke. They fix it and sell it CHEAP! ($750)

Of course logging the reason for failure. One of the line supervisors was just in here so I asked

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

question for Joe D. or anyone else who knows If one was looking at a '98 12 valve truck and it was the #53 block would it be cast in the side of the block like it is on the later trucks

 

[4020Deere]

Well I may go look at the truck this weekend (it's a few hours away). However, I did find another used 99 about 40 miles away that sounds good also. It has 25K miles on it and he is asking $23,000 for it. I am going to try and look at it either tonight or tomorrow. He's the original owner and has everything to prove it. The only problem is it has 4. 10 gears, and I was really wanting 3. 55's. I don;t tow a whole lot, and will only be occasionally hauling a stock trailer (10K pound max). Any comments on the 4. 10 gears? I drove an ETH 6 speed with 4. 10's a year ago and it seemed to run the engine at a fairly high RPM on the highway. How about mileage? Will it suffer greatly with the 4. 10's?

 

[Wheaties]

I drive a 6-speed with the 3. 54 gears and am very happy with it, turning 2,000 at 70mph



If you look at dodgeram.org/3. 54 vs 4. 1 gears you'll see that at the same rpm the 4. 11 would give you 61mph, or turn 2300 to get you back up to 70.

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

Is the truck an auto or a 5speed. People on here seem to favor trucks with 4. 10 and the auto. If it is a 5 speed i would definatly say get the 3. 54's. Seems the auto has more of an overdrive to it.

 

[dseabaugh]

I have a '97 with auto and 355 gears and my speed/rpms matches what you posted with the gear trans. I think 3. 70 or so would have been a better match without bombing it.

 

[baby.driver]

I personally would not touch the truck that went to the auction.



The other truck with the 4. 10s can be change to 3. 54 for a few hundred dollars per axle.



The first truck sounds like a repo from an unsatisfied owner. i. e. LEMON.



JMO

Jay

 

[4020Deere]

I went to look at the local truck (the one with the 4. 10's) yesterday. It was in great shape! 25K original miles. There was only 1 small scratch inside the bed! It will need tires by fall, but that's it. Comes with a tool box, gooseneck plate, electric brake controller. The only reason this guy's selling it is he was pulling a stock trailer, and now is getting out of farming. He's asking $23,000 for it. I'm still debating the 4. 10 gears, but I might just go to 235/85/ or 255/85/ tires to help the gearing out a little.

 

[Deezul1]

My choice would be the 1 owner truck. Mostly likely well cared for and hopefully no hidden gotcha,s the gear change is a small price to pay for a real clean used truck. A Gear vendors overdrive unit is a nice option for that problem also and can be removed if the truck gets sold or wrecked so its not money gone.