GasNSteering

Hi all Looking for opinions on this truck purchase. It’s a 2003 2500 SLT 4x2 QuadCab LWB with CTD, 37k miles. It was my buddy’s truck and was in an accident. He was hit broadside by a blazer that ran a light. The impact on the pass side mostly on the bed and part of the cab corner. He was spun around and the drivers side bed hit another vehicle. Nose and drivers side, other than the bed, were not affected. Damage is about $8500. It drove fine but the rear tires were starting to show some wear. No other problems before accident.

Right now its at the Body shop The bed is being replaced with a used one. The Pass rear door is being replaced also. They are using a newly purchased and calibrated laser frame aligner. At this point I don’t know if the frame was bent.

This truck was meticulously maintained and garage kept. All oil changes were mobil 1. He was going to keep it for the next 10 years. It did occasionally tow a backhoe, but not very often. He bought a new truck and I can buy this one for $18,250. I will use for commuting 80 miles per day and light hauling. I doubt I would ever tow with it.

John Faughn

Whats the body shop charging ? and is that added to the price or is $18,250 the total price ? I'ved read that mobil 1 does not make a diesel specific oil , but Amsiol does , could be an issue , also I'm a little leary of somethig that's been in a reck aspecally if it was hit twice in the same reck, how fast was every body going , faster is worst . that would be a choise that I could only make if I was there , too many ???

bluebull

As long as the frame was not bent It should be o.k.

If the frame was bent I would leave where it is. The 2003's and later have a hydroformed frame and there is not enough time out there yet to see how they will react to damage such as being bent.

t-15 firefighter

Frame not withstanding, if the truck does get fixed after a wreck, it will have all kinds of squeaks and rattles inside the cab. Even though the cab as you say wasn’t really affected. In a wreck that bad it was bound to loosen up a few things inside the cab. Also I am so **** I would never be able to trust the truck to haul anything. $18,250 seems a little high but I could be way off base here. It may seem high to me because I would never buy a wrecked truck for $18,250.

I think you could find a used (unwrecked) truck like you are talking about for a little more money.

Britt

GasNSteering

I'm not concerned about the Mobil 1. My Mercedes 300 SD turbodiesel made it over 350k on 15w50 and was never touched.

My friend was traveling at about 15 and the Blazer was doing around 35 (guessing). The 18k price includes the repair. The price seems pretty good, but I would be taking a chance.

He traded it and bought a new truck for some of the concerns listed already. He gave the dealer the title but will deliver it later when its repaired. That gives me a chance to see how good the repair is and do a good shake down run with it. The dealer offered my a strong trade in on one of my vehicles, so that sweetens the deal a little more.

One of my biggest concerns is that later Dodge will try to deny a warranty claim saying the accident was to blame. I have another Dodge, so I know first hand they look for an out and I could end up with problems.

I figure if any problems arise, I can just trade it in. On paper the truck should trade for 2k more.

bluebull

The truck will have a salvage title and be worth alot less. The dealer is giving a deal because he knows it will be hard to sell a truck with that much damage to it.

IA_James

If I'm not mistaken, the warranty is null and void on trucks with a salvage title. Somebody please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here, but I seem to recall seeing that in the owners manual.

bubba33

I must of missed something I did not see where he said the truck was totaled out.If it was not totaled out it will not have a salvage title like some are telling you in here.It may show up in car fax as being in a wreck though.

GasNSteering

It wont have a salvage title. I have heard CarFax is not reliable and shows many mistakes.

Blast Chamber

It sounds almost exactly like the truck I recently bought used (except for the damage). During my search I saw '03 trucks with similar mileage in the $22.5k-$24k range. I paid slightly more than that due to the lower mileage on mine.

I'd probably pass due to this damage showing up in the VIN history plus the possibility of a voided warranty. If it was $15k it might be worth taking the chance, but not for $18k in my opinion.

- Mike

bluebull

I guess I used the wrong word, salvaged it should be damaged, and it will show up in any search of vehicle history, meaning hard to sell, hard to trade, way low price, pros and cons not worth it. All dealers run the vin number before they trade to check vehicle history. I guess All should be most, some fall through the cracks.

Sorry for the misinterpritation.

Hoss

Not that this has anything to do with the thread, but you've read wrong. Mobil makes some of the BEST oil for our diesels. The synthetic is either Mobil Delvac 1 5W-40 or now the new Mobil 1 Truck & SUV (same thing as the Delvac 1). Dino juice is Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40. The oil should be the least of his worries on this truck.

GasNSteering

Thanks for the replies. I am still undecided. It sure is tempting, but the downside is pretty steep too.

dgm

18K for a 2 year old wrecked truck? I don't know, I wouldn't do it. Honestly, you'd have to pay me to take a wrecked truck unless I was just planning to work with it and abuse it anyway. Seriously, every little creak, rattle and moan, you're going to wonder if something isn't lined up right and what further damage it might be causing.... not worth the headaches in my opinion.

-daniel

sweetwaterguy

8K does not seem too extensive damage when considering current repair costs. The only issue is the one of a potential bent frame. I would stay away if it requires straightening, regardless of the sophistication of the equipment. If it does not need tweaking, then the risk is minimal. With regard to the rear tires wearing, these CTD's have so much torque it is difficult at times not to spin the wheels and burn rubber when you start moving. It is not uncommon for rear tires to show wear, particularly if they are not rotated regularly. Another issue is fuel economy on your daily commute. If you can keep the rpm's under 2000, or less than 69 mph, you can expect excellent economy. If it is a 75mph or higher interstate drive, mileage will drop significantly.