Old truck, super-low miles. Would you?

I really should not be searching Auto Trader late at night, using odd search parameters. When I do, I stumble across things like this:

Old Dodge

It's a '98 Dodge 1500 long bed, as stripped out as they came - V-6 stick, just how I like 'em. It has under 30k miles (which check out via CarFax) and the ask is $6k. GoogleFu tells me it's been for sale for a couple months, and moved from one dealer to another. Also, it appears to be a one-owner truck.

It's very tempting, even though it's 8 hours away. What say the hive mind?

Low milages older cars scare me, most of the fluids (Trans, coolant, diff...ect) have probably never been changed. appears to have no rust or rot which is all-to-common up here in the salt belt. things like coolant hoses, serp belt vacuum lines will more than likely need replacing unless it has been stored in a temp controlled garage (by the looks it could have been) looks like it was probably some old guys errand running truck. offer 4k

old? it's a '98, that's not old. You couldn't pay me enough to drive it, it's a Dodge and worse it's a V6.

ultraclyde wrote: old? it's a '98, that's not old. You couldn't pay me enough to drive it, it's a Dodge and worse it's a V6.

Yea, when did '98 become old? At least have old cars be prior to when some of us started working....

tjbell wrote: Low milages older cars scare me, most of the fluids (Trans, coolant, diff...ect) have probably never been changed.

Damn, some of you guys are picky when it comes to used cars. I've never had an issue with a vehicle BECAUSE those fluids haven't been changed. Sure, various fluids degrade with time, but overall (IMO) use is what wears them out.

I am a dyed-in-the-wool Dodge truck guy, but you couldn't pay me enough to drive that truck let alone own it! My supervisor at work has the automatic version of that same truck, and I had to drive it for a week one day(felt like a week), and I wanted to kill it with fire along with my allegiance to the Pentastar! I have owned several 3.9 litre Dodge trucks(2 Dakotas,and an 88 Ram), and this engine is not well served in the full sized truck. My 88 was essentially this same truck, but red, and a short bed. I loved that truck, but it was my first, and I didn't know any better. I still miss the truck, but for other reasons now than before.

I'm offended you call a 98 old. I've only ever had one car that was newer than that.

Anyhow, nothing about its appearance makes it appear anything other than a well cared for rarely driven truck. If it's what you want and can afford, call and then take a ride.

I'd do a check of all fluids, belts, etc. and drive it until it dies.

Sure, It'll be slow.

So my truck is officially old then...gotcha. See Off Road section for the thread I started on my '95 Ram 1500 w/ 360 Mag.

Mazdax605 wrote: I am a dyed-in-the-wool Dodge truck guy, but you couldn't pay me enough to drive that truck let alone own it! My supervisor at work has the automatic version of that same truck, and I had to drive it for a week one day(felt like a week), and I wanted to kill it with fire along with my allegiance to the Pentastar! I have owned several 3.9 litre Dodge trucks(2 Dakotas,and an 88 Ram), and this engine is not well served in the full sized truck. My 88 was essentially this same truck, but red, and a short bed. I loved that truck, but it was my first, and I didn't know any better. I still miss the truck, but for other reasons now than before.

Thanks for dis-enabling me. I think I have rose-colored glasses about 6/stick pickups. They're great on paper, but I remember having to wail on them so hard just to get them to move, any potential economy gains of the V-6 are lost.

In the real world, I bet a 318 gets better economy than the 6.

I'll pass this time... but I'll still keep doing weird searches on Auto Trader

alfadriver wrote:

ultraclyde wrote: old? it's a '98, that's not old. You couldn't pay me enough to drive it, it's a Dodge and worse it's a V6.

Yea, when did '98 become old? At least have old cars be prior to when some of us started working....

I was 7 or 8 years old when this truck was on the lot

It'll be dogE36 M3 slow, but it looks to be in really nice shape. A 318 wont get better gas mileage, but it can get close, although the price will probably be close to the same with more miles.

I've owned nothing but Dodge pickups, and nothing about that would scare me off.

Hi EvanR,

Just offer them around 85% of private party FMV. They probably won’t take it but you’ll be no worse off if they don’t and you’ll be well positioned to enjoy it and get out of it any time easily if they do.

Also, AA is a bunch of Bob Costa’s…have a beer, it’s just one and everybody know you’ve earned it.

The V6 5-speed is what's keeping it on the lot(s). If it were an auto it probably would have sold at the first used car lot it was on.

Looks like a nice middle-aged truck. The 3.9/5-speed is nice in a Dakota, but might be a little doggy in the Ram. I'd say it's a $3500 truck, not a $6000 truck.

I'd drive it, it'll do everything you'll need it to.

Old? I have underwear older than that. The truck wouldn't scare me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to own it.

It's not old, underpowered, but not old. Engine could be sludgy from lots of sitting though, be cautious.

My friend has a 2004 Ram 2500 with 11,000 miles on it. He's only changed the oil twice. This year, it started needing steering and suspension stuff.

wow, a vinyl bench seat, a stick, rubber floor liner, and crank windows! id rock the E36 M3 out of that thing, and i HATE everything dodge ever made ever. like, EVER.

slow? add a procharger or a simple turbo kit, even 5 pounds of boost would be plenty. it's not like the 318 or 360 trucks were 'fast'.

it even has the bed topper/cap/shell/whateverthehellGRMdecidedtocallit.

-J0N

I do not even think that falls into the German "young timers" category.

I would call that a used truck with low miles

I'm of the opinion the only reason to buy a 90s dodge truck is if it has a Cummins in it, in which case its worth putting up with the E36 M3ty truck wrapped around it.

a full size truck with a V6 is just useless to me. a Dodge from the 90's is even more useless.

might be a good truck to swap a newer Hemi or older 440 into or something like that, but only if it costs $3k or less to get it..

Who in the world would spend $6K on a truck thats worth 3, then complain its underpowered, and then spend more money to install a bigger engine, that already came in the same body style, that you can buy for half the money??? Oh wait a minute, forgot where I was for a second.

mtn wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

ultraclyde wrote: old? it's a '98, that's not old. You couldn't pay me enough to drive it, it's a Dodge and worse it's a V6.

Yea, when did '98 become old? At least have old cars be prior to when some of us started working....

I was 7 or 8 years old when this truck was on the lot

One of those young whipersnappers, eh? By golly, when I was your age.... it was the 70's.

Thankfully, there are a LOT of people on this board who are older than me. Whew.