Hi everyone,
I’m looking at a 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab with a V8 5.7L HEMI, Automatic, 4x4 with 12,000 miles on it. Looks great, and seems to run good (I’m no mechanic). My only real reservation is I think it was owned by a kid. It had tweeters installed in the door (in the little triangle piece that hides the bolts for the mirrors), they are gone now so there is a couple of 1 to 2 inch holes there, the guy said they are going to probably replace them instead of getting in new door trim. And the back tires are just about bald, has 20" tires also.
Anyone have a thoughts on how much damage someone could do by smoking the tires? I’m assuming that they probably ran it pretty rough. 12,000 miles and bald tires on the back.
And is there any drawback to having 20 inch tires and towing a good size camper?
Thanks
ROb
How good is the price? I would hesitate to buy any vehicle that had obviously been driven recklessly. Take it to a mechanic you trust and have it thoroughly inspected, I would guess the brakes are probably abnormally worn. Look for damage to the bottom of the truck frame, transfer case, exhaust and suspension components, as these kids may have run over things they shouldn’t have. If everything checks out and the price is right, go for it.
I think it seems like a good deal, $19,500. I haven’t been able to find anything else around this area in that comes close. This is there web page http://www.cars.com/forkey/inv.html Just look for the 2007 dodge ram.
They replaced the breaks. I took a look under and didn’t see any dents, scratches or abnormal rust. And it doesn’t look like a receiver has ever been put in the trailer hitch.
$19500 is right at Kelly Blue Book Value private party in Excellent (the best) condition. The ad says that it has new tires, are new tires included in the purchase? If not I’d subtract the cost of new tires minus another $500 and make that my offer. If you have cash you’ll be better off of course.
Take another look at the muffler as well. It looks like the truck was left there to idle for a really long time in the pictures as there is a puddle of what looks like condensation under the tail pipe. There is also a secondary puddle in front of the large one which could be a leak. Or that puddle might be from something else, entirely unrelated.
I really worry about the bald rear tires. That plus 12,000 miles = frequent burnouts, not good!
Not that I’m excusing the driving habits of the previous owner, but it really doesn’t take much to burn up the rear tires on an unloaded truck with a large engine. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t abused, but towing a trailer or plowing is a lot rougher than burning up the tires on a truck.
Having said that, If you’re buying on looks alone, than this Dodge may be worthwhile; I’d look at other brands myself with a Tundra or Ford being first recommendations. I’d walk…because I wouldn’t recommend a Dodge esp. one owned buy a young irresponsible driver, not because the tires are bad alone.
Going through a set of tires and needing brakes in 12K miles does indicate an aggressive previous driver. Yet it is a truck and should be able to hold up under such use. Towing and plowing as someone mentioned are much harder on the transmission, and drive train.
Smoking the tires is really low stress on the drive train, about all that suffers is the tires themselves. I’d be just as concerned about how the truck was maintained, oil changes etc. This driver was a fast go and fast stop kind of driver. Perhaps he whacked pot holes rather than drive around them. As always a good independant mechanic inspection is a worthwhile investment.
If that checks out, it is a truck and has low mileage. So it had a few burn outs in its history. What are hemi’s for anyway?!
Lots and lots of ungood damage. Does it have a Hemi in it? It did, before I roached it. Buy it with Monopoly money. You would be crazy to use the real stuff. Your other posts listed the worst possible conditions on an almost new truck. Wisdom works if you choose to use it, but only if.
I would replace the oversized wheels. They are for looks but they tend to be easily damaged by potholes or poor roads. I would guess if you are towing, that might include you. It is possible that the larger wheels matched with certain tyres could also change the overall effective gear ratios and that could make towing more of a problem.
20’s were a factory option for this truck. However the tow rating and payload were compromised when the 20 inch wheels were selected. In a recent issue of Consumer Reports they mentioned that on the 09 model, opting for the 20 inch wheels knocks 1000 pounds off the rated towing capacity.
I would pass on this one, Bald read tires at 12,000 miles means this thing has been hooned around without prejudice.
I’ve driven my former employer’s Tundra with a 4.6L V8 and it took only 1/4 throttle to make it step sideway in the rain. The gross amount of throttle lag didn’t help.
So, why is the owner unloading this truck at only 12k miles?
“Bald read tires at 12,000 miles means this thing has been hooned around without prejudice.”
I agree. The tires should last 40,000 to 60,000 miles. Bald at one-quarter the minimum lifetime is a sure sign of racing.
“So, why is the owner unloading this truck at only 12k miles?”
Bald tires. 
maybe he found out oil changes aren’t included in the bumper to bumper warranty
or he lost his job and can’t afford it, lease turn in, any number of reasons.
I too would be reluctant to proceed with this one…especially at that price. You were wise to pick up on these signs of abuse. IMHO you’d be wise to heed your gut feeling and walk away.
I have to respectfully disagree that “burning rubber” on a full size quad cab pickup is not hard on the drivetrain. With a standard can I might be open to convincing, but a quad can has a long enough wheelbase and enough weight on the rear to require a lot of force to do that.
I am suprised the going price is what it is,what I mean is the price seems high.
Well I’ve been debating about this truck, I haven’t seen anything else this nice in my price range. I’m going to take it to my mechanic Wednesday for a good inspection.
I may have over stated bald when I first asked my question, I went back for a second look at the truck. They are not down to the wear bar, but definitely more worn then the front.
The truck was bought at auction, so the dealer has no history on it.
Thanks for everyone’s opinion, I’ll let you know how the inspection goes.
Really? What is the going price for a 2 year old quad cab (4 full size doors) 4 wheel drive truck that can tow 7500lbs?
I just noticed that the truck was bought at auction. Bad news. The only worse news? If you are buying it AS IS, just forget about it. It’s like a pilot noticing that his air speed is 500 NMH and his ground speed is zero. Not bad until he notices that his altitude is forty feet.
I have seen pickup prices that don’t take into account what you are getting. It seems that the prices have been push down to unrealistic levels simply because the vehicle is a full size truck.