Newbie about to jump in with both feet! Truck shopping questions!

[RockIce]

New here........glad places like this exist. So..after looking at Ford F150's I think I've decided on Ram 1500. I've always been an SUV guy and Chrysler has always served me well. Current 5.7 L Hemi has 240K miles on it and has been the best engine I've ever owned hands down. It's in a Jeep GC.

I've learned a lot about Ram 1500s that's for sure over the past month. I print out window stickers on all the trucks I like and go line by line looking at options, comparing prices, pulling carfaxes. I go into some of these dealerships and I think I make the sales guys feel bad as I'm so over prepared. It's really ridiculous how lazy some of these sales guys are and how little they know about their own product.

Anyways, what are your basic thoughts/advice on buying a newer but high mileage Ram 1500? Eg: 1 owner well maintained (oil changed at ~5K miles) 2020 Laramie 5.7 L with 90k for $32,000

Am I setting myself up for failure with a vehicle like this? It's a beautiful truck with some great options. I figured this would last another 100K without too many issues? I know it's a roll of the dice.

E-Torque
Customer Preferred Package 27H
- Protection Group (skid plates etc.)
- Bed Utility Group (spray in bed liner)
- Laramie Level 1 Equipment Group
- 33 gal fuel tank
Ram Box

Originally a $63,000 vehicle.

The ONLY thing it doesn't have is the upgraded differential. I would have liked a bit more than the 3.21 but I won't be towing anything more than a small boat. Just wanna beat my nephew's Mustang 5.0L off the line once or twice lol.

 

[dajogejr]

You’ll get opinions all over the board.
You already know, roll of the dice…. It absolutely SHOULD last you another 100K.
At 144K when I traded in my 15 limited… air ride issues were my biggest problem. But I did have a lot of other stuff replaced along the way, under my Max Care warranty…
Tie rod ends, rear end, trans seal, water pump, moonroof glass and seal… just to name a few things.

I have zero idea if that’s a good price or not, but I’d start with KBB and Edmunds to get a rough idea on trade in vs. private party. Rough idea.
Around here, without getting into each and every option, middle of the pack private party value on kbb puts that at $29,400.

Coming from a 3.92 to my current 3.21.. I only miss the 3.92 once in a while off a dead stop, and frankly.. with the better gas mileage, and the fact I don’t tow nearly as much or as heavy as I used to.. no big deal. If you want to beat that 5.0 off the line, just put it in 4L and race to 25MPH.. LOL.

If you’re buying used from a dealer, ask for a good faith warranty (1 year, 12K miles) or something similar…
Good luck.

 

[RockIce]

You’ll get opinions all over the board.
You already know, roll of the dice…. It absolutely SHOULD last you another 100K.
At 144K when I traded in my 15 limited… air ride issues were my biggest problem. But I did have a lot of other stuff replaced along the way, under my Max Care warranty…
Tie rod ends, rear end, trans seal, water pump, moonroof glass and seal… just to name a few things.

I have zero idea if that’s a good price or not, but I’d start with KBB and Edmunds to get a rough idea on trade in vs. private party. Rough idea.
Around here, without getting into each and every option, middle of the pack private party value on kbb puts that at $29,400.

Coming from a 3.92 to my current 3.21.. I only miss the 3.92 once in a while off a dead stop, and frankly.. with the better gas mileage, and the fact I don’t tow nearly as much or as heavy as I used to.. no big deal. If you want to beat that 5.0 off the line, just put it in 4L and race to 25MPH.. LOL.

If you’re buying used from a dealer, ask for a good faith warranty (1 year, 12K miles) or something similar…
Good luck.

Thanks for the advice! I'm a bit amazed at the vehicle I found last night. Decked out 2021 Laramie Hemi with 35K asking $37K. It's at a Chevy dealership but I've scoured my local dealerships and this thing is amazing. By far the nicest best priced truck I've found and I've probably pulled the info on literally everything sitting on the lots in a 20 square mile radius. I don't think it's a big deal to buy a Ram from a non Chrysler dealership? It was a 3 year single person lease return. Super well maintained.

 

[silver64]

I would say that there are very common and pretty regular failures that many of us have experienced. For example, the leaking rear window is a prime example. I had this one. It was a pain the a$$. It wound up getting covered by Ram but it's still a flaw that seems to happen more often than not. Don't buy any truck without having the most common issues checked. Loose exhaust manifold bolts, weak AC (tsb), Leaky rear center brake light and a few other things you can find here. I would not discourage you from buying the truck. Just be thorough and make sure the truck is warranted for at least a year so if you get surprised by something your covered. Good luck whatever you choose to do!

 

[dajogejr]

Good looking 2021…
Go take it for a ride. I bought a 2020 Grand Cherokee of my buddy’s Ford lot…was a great SUV we kept for a year.
Hemi, Air ride…. It was a beast.

Nothing wrong picking it off a Chevy lot…

 

[firecadet613]

Thanks for the advice! I'm a bit amazed at the vehicle I found last night. Decked out 2021 Laramie Hemi with 35K asking $37K. It's at a Chevy dealership but I've scoured my local dealerships and this thing is amazing. By far the nicest best priced truck I've found and I've probably pulled the info on literally everything sitting on the lots in a 20 square mile radius. I don't think it's a big deal to buy a Ram from a non Chrysler dealership? It was a 3 year single person lease return. Super well maintained.

Sounds like you found a good one.

 

[1923bob]

Thanks for the advice! I'm a bit amazed at the vehicle I found last night. Decked out 2021 Laramie Hemi with 35K asking $37K. It's at a Chevy dealership but I've scoured my local dealerships and this thing is amazing. By far the nicest best priced truck I've found and I've probably pulled the info on literally everything sitting on the lots in a 20 square mile radius. I don't think it's a big deal to buy a Ram from a non Chrysler dealership? It was a 3 year single person lease return. Super well maintained.

 

[1923bob]

Im on my second Ram had a 05 great truck sold our street rod and my wife and I found our new truck 2021 Ram love the Ram's.

 

[dajogejr]

@RockIce
One more thing to add. You’re either a warranty guy or not.
I’m not going to get into the personal opinion of it.

There are a couple sellers on here that sell factory Mopar warranty just above cost, they are 100% legit.
You can get a little coverage or “nearly” bumper to bumper…whatever is your comfort level.

You “may” need to get a quick inspection done…

I’m a Max Care fan. Had it on my 2015, it more than paid for itself.
Yes, it’s one of those things you hope to never use.

They range in price based on years and miles of coverage, from 0 to $200 deductible.
Just something to look into… IMO, the Max Care is the most comprehensive factory warranty out there.
There are several threads on here about them.

 

[HSKR R/T]

@RockIce
One more thing to add. You’re either a warranty guy or not.
I’m not going to get into the personal opinion of it.

There are a couple sellers on here that sell factory Mopar warranty just above cost, they are 100% legit.
You can get a little coverage or “nearly” bumper to bumper…whatever is your comfort level.

You “may” need to get a quick inspection done…

I’m a Max Care fan. Had it on my 2015, it more than paid for itself.
Yes, it’s one of those things you hope to never use.

They range in price based on years and miles of coverage, from 0 to $200 deductible.
Just something to look into… IMO, the Max Care is the most comprehensive factory warranty out there.
There are several threads on here about them.

The trucks he is looking at wouldn't be eligible for extended Mopar warranties. He would definitely need to go third party

 

[Willwork4truck]

For basically less than half msrp, you should have plenty of life in the drivetrain.
The longevity of 12” screens, nav, other options just varies, a forum exposes more flaws and issues in one day of posts than most owners see in a lifetime.

As with any mass produced piece of equipment containing hundreds or thousands of parts and pieces, something may/will fail.

I put 174K on a Ferd without any significant issues yet the future maintenance costs associated with timing chains, cam phasers etc caused me to trade it off. It would have been cheaper to spend the $6K repairing the 3.5’s issues yet I wanted something newer/new (went from a 2014 to a 2019 then a 2023).

Hope you have found what you wanted.

 

[dajogejr]

The trucks he is looking at wouldn't be eligible for extended Mopar warranties. He would definitely need to go third party

HS…
I thought the same. I’m pretty sure you’d can buy a Max Care even at the year/mileage.
The 2021 he can…priced through site sponsor Chrysler Factory Warranty’s on the right side.
Pricey… but can. 36K is the limiter..

I could’ve sworn someone here got a max care on an older/higher mileage as well, in another thread, but I could be wrong.