http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/589031955.html

am I missing something here, or should I be buying this truck tonight or tomorrow?

[Edited on February 27, 2008 at 6:30 PM. Reason : holy shit, KBB is $9650. something can't be right here. must be a craigslist scam.]

2/27/2008 6:22:55 PM

shit is hot yo

2/27/2008 6:34:03 PM

hahaha

Quote :

"Hello, Sorry for the delayed response, but I'm in Glasgow (United Kingdom) right now and I have been very busy.Anyway,thank you for your interest in buying the car. The car is located in US right now and has US papers.Why is the price so low? I am here in Scotland with my new work and I cannot register the car here, as it is made for USA , according to USA standards. So all that I want to do now is to sell the car at this price, because I need to sell it fast(I already made a deposit here to buy me another).The title is clean and you will have absolutely no problems to register the car in the States.I will tell you a few words about the car.. My 1999 Ford F250 XLT with manual transmission it is in immaculate condition with 129,000 miles and have the VIN number: 1FTNX20F4XEC30025, rust free , no scratch and hasn't been involved in any accident. The motor runs very well ( 8 Cylinders).The interior looks great(NO SMOKING).This car needs nothing,the title is clear ,it is not a salvage one. I want this transaction to go smoothly enough as I am caught in the middle of some very important events and have little time at my disposal. I already have tons of emails so I hope you understand that I need to sort them out. The price is $3,300 THIS IS MY LAST PRICE.I will not negotiate the price.I will take in consideration only those buyers who are really interested in buying the car ,to be sure that I don't waste my time with endless discussions.This way,I shall be assured of the serious intentions . For more pictures click in the link below: http://s270.photobucket.com/albums/jj118/JasonMcPeak/ So if you are interested please email me back for next step. Regards !! ~Jason McPeak~ "

2/28/2008 8:24:05 PM

http://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/car/600513402.html





from his email response to me:

The things that need fixing. Possibly brakes. For sure the bearings need to be changed. other than that no much that I can think of. The floor board has a tendency to get soaked when it rains heavy. I am not sure how the water gets in. Here are the outside pics, I will get inside ones soon as i can.

'95 Ram 2500. V10 w/ manual (NV4500??) 110k miles.

the full size pics he sent me show the body being a little rougher than it looks in the TWW-ized versions, but still nothing too bad except for the rust-through on the left front fender.

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 1:37 AM. Reason : asdfads]

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 1:42 AM. Reason : asfd]

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 1:44 AM. Reason : hopefully i can drive it for 6 months and sell for a profit, including any maintainance i have to do]

3/15/2008 1:36:34 AM

hub assemblies will run you ~300-400 total for both sides. the water is getting in through the seal around the back glass most likely (common problem). sounds like a very good deal regardless.

3/15/2008 3:25:54 AM

you think the water leak is anything a shot of silicone won't fix?

and on the autozone and advance websites, it looks like it has regular bearings, not sealed hubs.

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 3:52 AM. Reason : wait, i was looking at 4x2. 4x4 prob has hubs. i can't tell which it is from the pic.]

[Edited on March 15, 2008 at 3:53 AM. Reason : rides kinda high to be a 4x2, & something sticks down around where the tcase would be. hmm, 4x4?]

3/15/2008 3:46:48 AM

damn, I'd buy that

3/15/2008 9:05:27 AM

I like his honesty

3/15/2008 11:04:45 AM

Quote :

"The brakes are just old and that might not even be the problem. It could just be the bearings. The front bearings are the ones that need to be replaced. They go for $25 each and the back are $125. When I had the truck worked on they said that the bearings needed it. When they are replaced it needs an alignment. The truck is a 4x4. Also on the passenger side door you can't see it in the pictures, but there is a spot of white with calking on it because I thought there was a leak going through there. If you are interested you can call me at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Let me know cuz I am going car shopping today. Thanks "

3/15/2008 12:44:58 PM

my grandad had a 95 ranger that was great (he replaced the tranny when he first got it with like 130k mi on it). Great little truck. That being said I'd get a yota personally.

3/15/2008 3:50:31 PM

^^he's got his axles mixed up. switch those prices front to rear. it's definitely got hub assemblies in the front. even if it needs front brakes too, they'll take all of 10 extra minutes to do while you're at it with the hub assemblies.

3/15/2008 11:23:05 PM

how much do you think a shop would charge to put a clutch in that big bastard if it shit the bed?

3/15/2008 11:30:35 PM

more pictures



yeah, i'm not worried about bearings and brakes. that's all easy to fix and not too expensive (and unless they're REALLY bad, it's something I can put off for a couple of weeks and do at my leisure).

I'm concerned with getting it for a good enough price that I can easily resell it--even with the sheetmetal problems--for break even (or preferably a profit ) in 6 months or so.

...and then the #1 thing I'm concerned about is it costing me a bunch of money in the interim (besides fuel, of course). I don't want to have to eat the cost of a clutch or any big drivetrain components.

3/16/2008 12:02:59 AM

dude, get it... i'll buy it from you when you get here if you don't want it anymore (seriously).

basic replacement clutches for them are cheap and easy. the only remotely hard thing about it is the transmission weighs a metric shit ton (cast iron case). non issue with a proper transmission jack.

you won't find a better stock drivetrain in a late model truck,especially at that price.

3/16/2008 4:32:28 AM

yeah, i assume it's an NV4500? they are big, heavy sonsofbitches for sure.

i just want to be pretty damned sure i want it, because it's in fucking Tacoma...that's several hours from where I live (although the odds of finding anything good on the island are slim, so I'm gonna be stuck driving at LEAST an hour any way you cut it).

i think i'll call him and try to work a deal tomorrow, if I can either find a ride down there or get a decent deal on a 1-way rental car.

3/16/2008 4:42:03 AM

I'd ask him if its had a plow on it (one of the pics looks like it has brackets on the front) and about the wire nuts sticking out from under the dash.
Other than that, I'd rock it.

3/16/2008 5:37:08 AM

seriously i'd buy it too in 6 months if BBR didn't, I need a big ass occasional use truck to haul shit around with..and that's about the best for that price range there is.

3/16/2008 9:31:28 AM

nice. i love a manual ram, i like the ghetto green wiring u can see protruding from under the dash too

[Edited on March 16, 2008 at 9:47 AM. Reason : .]

3/16/2008 9:46:52 AM

haha, he made the mistake of saying that he's planning on trading it in tomorrow morning

to which I replied:

"If you'll take $2900, I'll come get it this afternoon"

3/16/2008 3:03:51 PM

id buy it

shouldnt take too much to fix those problems

3/16/2008 3:04:52 PM

of course, ask him what the dealer is going to give him for it.. go from there. i doubt it's anymore than 2900

3/16/2008 3:44:32 PM

he counteroffered with $3100

i sat tight for a little while, and he emailed me again and said he'd take $2900.

cha-ching!



now I just have to get down there to pick it up before someone else makes a better offer or he says "fuck it" and trades it in.

3/17/2008 1:54:01 AM

lol

3/17/2008 6:24:36 AM

yea might wanna hurry the hell up on that one lol

3/17/2008 6:48:39 AM

sweet

i was scheduled to be on the functional check flight crew today until 7pm (to fly and check out everything on the jets that just finished major maintainance actions), but one of the other crewmembers is sick, and maintainance said that the odds of their getting any of the jets ready to fly today are pretty much zero...so I checked out.

got in touch with the owner of the Ram...made a one-way reservation for a rental car to take down there ($42, minus whatever I get for my military discount), and the owner agreed to meet me in the middle between my house and Tacoma--at the SEATAC airport where I'm turning my rental car in.

3/17/2008 2:56:04 PM

I'm looking for a truck right now too. Does the Dodge V10 have a pretty good track record?

3/17/2008 3:05:57 PM

I haven't heard anything bad about the v10. If you want a manual, you'll need to find a regular cab. All the quad cabs are auto.

3/17/2008 3:08:10 PM

^^no major issues to speak of. early ones had spotty head gasket issues. they love fuel (obviously) but are power/pulling monsters. stock for stock they'll walk all over a cummins.

be wary of automatics... if it hasn't been maintained religiously or has been overheated towing, etc. it's a liability. the transmissions themselves are good units... they're just extremely picky about regular care and keeping cool. the nv4500 manual is nearly bulletproof. just keep in mind the infamous 5th gear nut (not a big/exspensive fix though). the rest of the truck is rock solid.

like i said before, mechanically speaking on fullsizes you won't find a better late model truck than what dodge has/does offer.

^huh? there is a club cab v10 manual posted just above. i'm not aware that the availablity of a v10/nv4500 changed with the intro of the quad cab in 98.

[Edited on March 17, 2008 at 3:49 PM. Reason : .]

3/17/2008 3:42:16 PM

n/m

don't know where I was going with that, sorry.

[Edited on March 17, 2008 at 3:57 PM. Reason : wrong v10 ]

3/17/2008 3:52:42 PM

Quote :

"mechanically speaking on fullsizes you won't find a better late model truck than what dodge has/does offer."

I've put quite a few miles on a 95 Ram 1500 with the 360 and it does seem to be holding up pretty well. The 360 is not very light on the gas either though.

[Edited on March 17, 2008 at 7:39 PM. Reason : l]

3/17/2008 7:27:58 PM

well, for better or for worse, it's sitting in my driveway now.

not worried about the wheel bearings...that's an easy, fairly inexpensive fix. the leak he told me about appears to be basically nothing...it wets just a little spot a few inches long on the passenger floorboard (many a Jeep has leaked much more water).

the steering seems awfully loose to me...like, looser than a heavy duty truck should be (not expecting it to feel like my sports cars). it's kinda disconcerting to drive as a result. I mean, I drove it 2 hours back from Seattle last night, but i bet it has a quarter turn of free play.

the serpentine belt (or something else) sings a little, and there seems to be a little tick under load, but it seems to pull strong (I mean, I have little frame of reference with heavy duty trucks--it's not fast by any means, but it feels like it could drag a house off the foundation).

[Edited on March 18, 2008 at 11:40 AM. Reason : adsfads]

3/18/2008 11:36:33 AM

dodges are well known for sloshy steering. mine had it too. i liked it after a while

3/18/2008 12:32:54 PM

^^a track bar rebuild is likely in order. there are several aftermarket upgrades i would reccomend over stock though, it's a poor design that uses a tie rod end. once they wear and get loose, they wallow out the frame mount hole and even a new one doesn't help much.

a rebuild of the steering box wouldn't be a bad idea while you're at it. kits are dirt cheap and it's not hard, just a little messy. a 3500 box is also a direct bolt on/upgrade.

besides that, you have to remember you're driving a solid axle truck with an inverted Y steering linkage. it's going to have a little play/bumpsteer by nature.

3/18/2008 1:21:55 PM

my dads doge has some awfully lose steering too..but it hasn't been driven in at least a year

3/18/2008 1:29:23 PM

^^ i see one made by Solid Steel Industries.

what other options are there, and which one(s) do you like?

3/18/2008 7:06:54 PM

http://thurenfabrication.com/stocktb.html

3/18/2008 7:15:25 PM

Damn this is one nice small pickup, too bad I'm going fullsize
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/car/641236287.html

4/14/2008 5:44:56 AM

those fuckers will run forever

4/15/2008 8:33:41 PM

Is this a good thing or a bad thing...
Truck has 190000 miles. New engine has 60000. Truck is early 90's F-150.

Is it a good thing that the engine was replaced (with same engine model)? For all I know it's a cheap engine with crappy parts that was used to replace it(yes that's kinda a setup)?

5/7/2008 6:00:09 AM

^^^For sale, with thirty day tags? He must have got that truck for cheap, or either those are old pictures. Either way it is a beautiful truck.

[Edited on May 7, 2008 at 7:47 AM. Reason : ^^^]

5/7/2008 7:44:24 AM

^^yeah, it really just depends on the history of the motor. if it's some pos jasper reman or something, be wary. if it's a used factory motor from another truck or had a decent rebuild done, then no problem. price should really be the determining factor. if you can get a really good deal on it, then screw it either way if it runs/drives fine. even the stock motor with 190k wouldn't be much of a winner. i'd be curious as to what if anything was done to the transmission also when the motor was changed.

[Edited on May 7, 2008 at 8:32 AM. Reason : if it's an e4od automatic, it's on borrowed time with that many miles...]

5/7/2008 8:29:59 AM