Here's the situation:
My father is currently driving a 2001 Ford F150 XLT RWD, Regular Cab, Long Bed truck with a 4.2L V6 and an Automatic.
It has been pretty reliable, and it has relatively low mileage for the age (92k as of the last time I drove it).
It has all the basic creature comforts: Cruise Control, Power Windows, Power Locks, and Keyless entry.
What its problem is, though, is
rust.
It is rusting everywhere, and it had some rust when my father bought it for a song about 9 years ago.
My dad drives about 5 miles a day back and forth to work, and he does this in rain, snow, sleet, or shine. The truck also lives outside year round. Between the existing rust and the way it lives, it was bound to keep rusting.
He recognizes that its time to get out of the truck unless he wants to dump a ton of money into it.
This time, though, he thinks he'd rather have a Dodge than a Ford.
(I've finally converted him - this would be the first Mopar he'll own in almost 20 years unless you count the 74 Dart we bought together in 2009!)
The problem is that he wants what he has in his Ford:
A RWD, Automatic, Regular Cab, Eight Foot Bed, truck with the basics in creature comforts: cruise control, power windows and locks, and keyless entry.
Of everything, he'd compromise and accept 4WD if I found the right truck otherwise.
He would also like a 2006+ truck.
Pricewise, he has a wide range at between 10 and 17k.
Newer and more expensive is not necessarily better, it is more about it being the right "set up" of a truck.
Mileage on the truck isn't a huge concern because he puts such a small amount of miles on a truck in a year anyway, but I've been trying to find trucks with around 75-80k miles on them because I can't see spending over 10k on something with over 100k miles if I can help it.
Trying to find such a truck, in Dodge or even Ford guise, has been next to impossible. People in New England don't order RWD or long bed trucks, and if they do, they're stripped out work models that have been beaten.
I fully believe that my father should drive the truck he wants to drive, so I look every day on Craigslist, Ebay, Moparts, Autotrader, Cars.com - you name it. I've looked in other areas for a fly-in-drive-home deal, etc.
With our current work schedules, such an arrangement will be difficult unless it can be done in a weekend.
I have come up with next to bubkis.
Lots of the trucks I find are stripped out work models or are quad cabs.
But, this morning, I had a eureka moment, so I thought:
A 2008 Ram 1500 SLT Regular Cab, Long Bed, RWD, Hemi, Automatic truck.
Cruise, Power Windows and Locks, Keyless entry, leather seats.
This is a nice truck, in nice shape, with no visible rust. It looks next to brand new, and its on Craigslist for cheap money, but with no listed mileage.
I next to jump for joy, and immediately call to ask the mileage.
When the nice gentleman at the dealership picked up the phone, however, I was horrified to learn that the truck had just over 150k miles.
This explains the cheap price despite the excellent (in pictures) condition.
So here's what I'm asking, after this long, rambling post:
- Is a truck with 150k miles on a Hemi worth it for the right price?
- What are the common issues with these trucks/this motor?
- What is the maintenance schedule like?
- How hard is it to work on one of these Hemis yourself?
- I remember reading that spark plugs are supposed to be done every 30k miles - who knows when they were done on this truck. Are those difficult to do?
Basically, I'm trying to determine if it is worth it to buy my father a truck with 60k more miles than his current one that is eight years newer and has no rust, despite the high mileage.
It is a good price, and it appears to be very, very clean (no rip on the seat despite those miles).
Thanks as always, Moparts!
