Should I buy this SUV?

Thanks for all of your feedback. How much ballpark would you recommend having set aside for potential repairs

$2500, my thought.

$1,000 for tools (if you don’t have any) and $3,000 for parts.

If the interior is in as good of shape as the body I wouldn’t mind replacing the transmission if necessary to have a nice old R/T.

what are your plans for this truck?

Daily driver?

weekend use pulling a trailer?

Did Bugmenot find the actual dealer ?

Daily driver

Looks pretty solid overall

Hopefully it checks out

Like I said earlier, for $2000 it might be a good bet, provided it holds out a few years

241K kilometers isn’t a spring chicken, but it’s not that bad, either. Not close to the end, in my opinion. If it’s in reasonable shape now and you take good care of it, I don’t see why you wouldn’t reach 400k kilometers

You should plan on servicing the automatic transmission fluid and filter asap, unless there’s paperwork proving it was done yesterday

Do you have safety inspection in your province, territory, or whatever it’s called where you’re at?

If so, what would happen if the truck doesn’t pass . . . ?

How much time would you have to address the issue(s)?

One thing I would REALLY check out very carefully are upper and lower ball joints. Don’t be suprised if they’re badly worn out. If so, look at it as preventive maintenance. You’ll probably only have to replace them once, if you keep the truck a few years

The r/t was a badge upgrade. It had the std magnum 360. It has same hp as any other truck 360 of that era.

If I were you, I wouldn’t buy it. You better save money, this car requires huge repairs, you will have to spend a lot of money.

Usually anything at a dealer under $5000 doesn’t really have any value at all. At $2000, that’s really cheap transportation. All you have to lose is $2000 plus taxes and insurance as long as you don’t put any money into it and have alternative transportation. Check the warranty carefully.

I don’t care how well a vehicle is made or who the manufacturer is…to keep a vehicle a long time with many miles requires proper maintenance.

my two cents, even if it were $1000, expect tons of repairs with that mileage. I had a similar vehicle with 150k miles and while driving a gasket failed and all the oil drained. The engine started making a popping noise and the engine froze. I ended up selling it for parts to a junkyard.

I agree stay away

Get a THOROUGH inspection from a mechanic you trust. My neighbor has the same vehicle he purchased for $1800. 00 three years and has driven it about a year of that. . .transmission failed, computer failed (twice), front suspension, entire brake system (pads, rotors, etc.) replaced, rear end problems, fuel injection. The vehicle was in almost perfect condition physically. Almost appeared to have just come off the lot. . .externally. With the exception of a little seat wear on the driver’s side, the interior was immaculate. The engine was near perfectly (in appearance). Looking at it when he first brought it home, I thought, who would sell such a nice vehicle so cheap? He’s now in it about $5000.00. Good Luck!

That’s hilarious! I got under my wifes to replace the shocks, and it seemed like something was missing… HA! It was the spare tire! Who knows how long it had been gone, or where it fell off.
Ironically, a week later, my 01 Ford trucks spare fell off in our driveway.
Replaced both spare tire lifts in a weekend. Had to get her a new spare, obviously.
But to the original post… It’s an old high-mileage vehicle… Have it inspected, but expect the worst. Ours only has 135k on it, and we’ll be keeping it around for our kids to drive, even when the wife gets a newer vehicle. It’s a gas guzzler, but has been reliable, and is tough as nails, and a beast in the snow.

I may be going out on the proverbial limb with this guess, but I suspect that after 16 months the OP has already decided whether or not to buy that vehicle.
:thinking:

Old post that I missed.

For the record, I had a 98 ram with the 5.9. Class leading torque for the time, per the window sticker. The engine was fine. The transmission was not. I replaced it (had it rebuilt) twice. Once at around 130k miles, and again at around 170k miles. I sold it for $5500 with around 190k miles. The truck was in great shape but needed tires.

As for the mileage, all 3 of my current vehicles have higher mileage than that old Durango, so I would not sweat the mileage. I would, however, have money set aside to replace the transmission if/when needed.