i'm looking at a '96 CDT, 4x4, 5spd, club cab. it's got 225k, no AC and manual everything.
the seller is asking $8,500.
should i be worried? sounds like a heck of a deal to me!!!
it's in good condition, ie no rust and paint is good. haven't seen the interier but it looks ok to me.
what do you guys think???
what kind of things should i be looking to replace w/ 225k on this truck?
(that's kind of why i posted in the Drivetrain section)

-Bryan

 

That is a lot of miles for the price in my opinion, I would hold out and keep looking. Especially no A/C?? I like my cool air when it is hot out.. Goodluck,,Rick

 

I got my 96, same truck except with the auto, had 122k on it for $8900 and that was from a dealer. I think they were oblivious to what they sold me but I wasnt telling them any different. There is a nice 97 in the classifieds on this forum for a good price, dont know how far it is from you though. It would give you a chance to get familiar with it over a few miles while driving it home.

 

My 96, while Std cab, auto, and 4x2 was $7000 with 130k on the clock. It's got power everything (Laramie SLT) and two tone paint..

The 4x4 and ext. cab will add a lot to the value, but that sounds like a little much..

Did you look up the nada/kbb prices?

 

i haven't looked up the kbb prices yet. do they have those on line?
how high is a little high?
i'll call the guy tomorrow and see what else i can find out.
nobody has said yet about what i might be looking to replace...
fuel pump, injectors, starters...?
what about a lift pump? i don't even know what that is
thanks for the input so far!

 

You wont know what needs replaced until it breaks. Nothing as far as I can tell wears out too slowly on these heavy trucks. You will get a feel for your truck and know what is wrong and when.

 

I just bought a 1996 RAM2500 Long Bed SLT CTD 4x4 Automatic with 186,000 miles for $9800. I would say no need to replace anything. Issue that people seem to have relate mostly to the steering and automatic transmission. Ball joints, u-joints etc, just check them and use the truck.

 

Ball joints and steering stuff was my main concern. they might have been replaced. i'll know more when i talk to the guy.
what about wheel barrings? i'm planning on using the truck to tow with and just wondering what to look out for.
thanks for the input guys!

 

i have 259k on mine and the wifes has 230k on it and both have been great trucks. i have replaced the steering box at 258k on my truck and a front wheel bearing at 234k. the clutch was toast at 200k and it spit the 5th gear nut, i put in a 13" southbend conversion. then i snaped a input on the 5 speed at 225k or so. i have since swapped out the 5 speed and a south bend dual disk clutch@255k or so. my wifes still has the stock clutch, all i have had to do to it is a new set of uper ball joints. but my trucks makes 100 more hp than hers and i am a good bit harder on it.
the miles don't scare me a bit, it is all in the way they were taken care of.

 

should i be worried about the input shaft then on this truck?
i can do ball joints and stuff, that doesn't scare me. i'm just wondering about how that tranny is @ 225k? it's a pretty stock truck. doesn't mean that the 5th gear nut hasn't backed out a ways though.
your input is very helpful
by being quite a bit harder on your truck, what do you mean exactly? i plan on useing this thing pretty hard to tow my rock buggy with a camper and here in WA it's all up and down on the west side.

 

Sounds like a good rig for the $$$. If you really want a good estimate as to what to expect, have it looked over by a good mechanic, even a dealer, for around 1 to 2 hours of labor. Then you will have a pretty good idea what will go wrong with it in the short range. Be aware that certain parts of these rigs are expensive - such as $129 EACH for fron brake rotors from CarQuest.

You really need to drive it and evaluate it yourself, it's just too hard to tell much about a truck from just looking at it. Also run a CARFAX on it and find out as much about the truck's history as you can. I considered a white '96 about 6 months prior to picking up my truck, and it had already changed hands 6 times since new and had an "odometer correction" in Texas. And the dealer tried to tell me it was a one-owner!

 

ouch!! i'm guessing that i'm gonna have to go look at it and drive it. i definetly planned on doing that anyway i was just wondering if it sounds like an ok deal enough for me to take the time to go look. it's 4hours away.