I love my truck, but severe rust issues are forcing me to upgrade.

I was looking at an 05 4 door 4x4 Duramax, but it has 186K miles on it and the guy won't budge below $16K. While looking for alternatives, I found a good looking 04 QC 4x4 Cummins with 115K miles a few hours from me. The body is in great shape, and the salesman gave it great reviews (bone stock and tranny still strong) except that the interior has some stains.

I would rather have the Cummins, since I love my current version, it's a better looking truck, and because of the high miles of the dmax. This must be a very reliable ride, as my job doesn't have patience for missing because of breakdown. Assuming no major issues, what do you think is a fair offer to make for this truck? I was thinking $16K to $17K. Blue Book has it for ~20K.

I don't really want to leave the DTR family, because the my 2nd gen siblings have been wonderful. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

You answered ur own question. Keep Cummins that is what you want.

 

I know, I know. I'm just amazed at what these trucks are selling for right now. I can't find a decent (unbeaten) 3rd gen Cummins or 2nd gen Duramax for under $18K. Has anyone bought an 04 recently? If so, how low did you talk them down to?

 

Man, I only got $17,500 for my CC DMax 4x4 with 92k miles (of course that's when diesel was over $5/gal here last summer). He's HIIIIIIGH!
There's alot of trucks for sale still though. I'd take the Dodge for $16 or 17k if it was in good shape.

 

That is a lot of mileage difference. And mileage should rule, price and all other things being equal. Get the cummins. If the mileage were reversed, I say the chevy. Remember, the engine may handle the mileage fine, but you have to consider everthing else on the truck for wear as well.

 

No-brainer. Take the Dodge.

I owned two D-Maxes. I think they are good trucks, but with the mileage difference and the Cummins I know what my preference would be. I am always leery of used trucks though. I can just picture some hyped up kid behind the wheel tearing things up. Used trucks are almost ALWAYS a gamble in my opinion unless you know the previous owners.

Good luck. You'll buy another Dodge.

 

Thanks guys for the advice. The more I thought about the miles on the D-max, the more uneasy I felt.

My girlfriend lives pretty close to the dealer so she went to look at this Dodge today. She was with me when I went to look at an 03 Dodge that turned out to be a beater. She says that this one is "beautiful" compared to that one. Tomorrow is the test drive. I'll keep you posted.

 

Well, the truck sold this morning before she could get over there. Back to the drawing board.

I saw a truck add for an 04 with ~133K miles for just under $18K. I know that the drivetrain looks similar to mine, but I wanted more experienced eyes to look at it.








Is there anything obviously wrong here? I'm starting to get frustrated, but I don't want to make a stupid purchase and regret it.

 

A good test drive will tell you most of what you need to know. Tight steering, brakes not pulling, trans shifting good, no funny noises or vibrations. If it's not leaking or smoking and the tires are good, buy it, take it home, change all fluids and filters, good to go.

Under those conditions, you almost cannot go wrong with one of these trucks.

 

I know looks don't mean much, but that thing looks pristine!

 

Bought my '04 D3500 Cummins 6 speed dually quad cab for $14K in June of this year. Has 150K miles. Was asking $15K, all I could do was complain about the rear tires being dry rotted to get him down to 14 and a tank of fuel. Since I bought it, I've fixed the recirc door, charged the A/C, replaced the left rear wheel seal and ebrake shoes, broken drivers fog light, wipers, replaced fuel filter, underhood bulb and changed the oil.

 

Look for oil coating the underneath, I didn't see any in the pics. It doesn't have a tapped hole in he exhaust for EGT, probably a good sign. Any hitches? Look at them for wear as an indication of trailer pulling. Run the fan to check for broken recirc door. Make sure the blend door seems to be working.

 

I carefully examined the pictures and read your post. After checking with my son, who is a Toyota mechanic, we determined that this truck is probably close to being broken in. You can safely go ahead and run it over 55 mph now and tow a trailer with it.

 

Trailer pulling is a GOOD thing for a low-mileage Cummins - means there is a better chance it is properly broken in, i.e. run HARD.

 

I would be patient and keep looking. There are better deals out there if you look and are not afraid of a weekend road trip.