Hey All
Question, what are your thoughts on buying a 1996 dodge diesel 3500 5 speeed with 360 000 kilometer, what should I look for anything particual any concerns

thanks in advance

hemi_on

 

Mine has 358,000 and runs well, since it has been well maintained.
It wouldn't if it wasn't well maintained.

It depends on the condition the truck is in, and the price should be appropriate for such.

With that milage, check out everything. In particular, steering, brakes, fuel lines, brake lines, etc., etc.

 

For the most part, these trucks hold up really well but there are a few things that you want to check for since they can be real expensive to fix.

One of the biggest complaints about these trucks is that the front end is really loose and allows them to wander all over the road. The easiest way to figure out if the truck does it is to drive it at highway speed and hit some freeway expansion joints. This problem can be solved but sometimes it can be quite hard, frustrating and expensive to.

Another place to look is what condition the body is in. The cabs tend to rust from the inside out which is pretty hard to prevent. If you are good at doing body work or don't mind paying someone to do it, this can again be dealt with.

Another place to look is to see whether anything has been done to the kdp. Look at the timing case on the engine and make sure there isn't any oil leaking from it since it is a large job to change this case. Also ask the previous owner about it.

The mileage shouldn't scare you but you should look at the condition of the truck. All of the problems that I listed are not crippling but they are a real nuisance to have to deal with.