Thinking about buying a pickup.

[shp4man]

That's not it, but it's same thing exactly down to the color and wheels.
Long bed, automatic, 4.2L V-6, 97,000 miles, ex-construction company vehicle with small dents in the bumpers and scratches in the bed. The engine has been cared for, the inside of the valve cover and rocker arms are shiny and spotless. It runs real nice.  $6500. I'm not sure about it yet.   

[SVT666]

What year is it?  I would be very careful about buying a former fleet truck from a construction company, but you're a mechanic (right?), so you would know better than I what kind of condition it's in.

[Laconian]

What do construction companies do to trucks, besides bang the hell out of the body and payload?

[2o6]

What do construction companies do to trucks, besides bang the hell out of the body and payload?

Idle, maybe?

[shp4man]

The truck was used to haul home remodeling supplies mostly. It's 2006 model. Mechanically it's pretty good, but it's a commercial model, never waxed, rarely washed,  It also has a "headache rack", a good one that could easily hold a kayak or an 18ft long 2x4. It's a bit beat up in the bed and the front and rear bumpers.
The guy traded it in on another Ford, so how bad can it be? 
I kind of like the utilitarian nature of the thing. It's probably only good for 17 or 18 MPG, though.

[Secret Chimp]

The 4.2L has been super-reliable across the mid-2000s by most accounts. Personally if I was buying a sometimes-pickup I'd get something with more character but I'm a weirdo.

[ifcar]

The 4.2L has been super-reliable across the mid-2000s by most accounts. Personally if I was buying a sometimes-pickup I'd get something with more character but I'm a weirdo.

Bang it up a bit and get it muddy, and then it has character. If you're feeling especially adventurous, try to attract some rust.

[Byteme]

That's not it, but it's same thing exactly down to the color and wheels.
Long bed, automatic, 4.2L V-6, 97,000 miles, ex-construction company vehicle with small dents in the bumpers and scratches in the bed. The engine has been cared for, the inside of the valve cover and rocker arms are shiny and spotless. It runs real nice.  $6500. I'm not sure about it yet.   

What's the Kelly Blue Book price?  Is there a place near you that can check the vehicle over see things that the average tire kicker wouldn't.  It might cost you $100 for that but it could be money well spent.  Also ask for a car fax.  It's just another piece of infor to add to the purchase decision.

[shp4man]

I put a few miles on it. Man, it seems big compared to the VW. And $15.00 worth of gas barely moved the gauge. The used car recon guy here put 4 new tires (cheapie Hankooks) 4 new brake rotors and pads and aligned the front end. I can get it for cost plus $200 according to the used car manager. Cost is what they gave for it in trade plus what they did to fix it (recon).
I'm going to drive it home tonight and see how wifey reacts. It hasn't been detailed yet, so it's pretty dirty. She can't drive the VW stick shift, but she could drive this- so we''l see.  
I checked the warranty history record with Ford online, the vehicle has never had any warranty service done, ever, and the guy had an extended warranty with Ford! Me thinks it's a "good old truck"  
$7700 is full retail.

[Colonel Cadillac]

That'll be expensive to drive in California, and think of all those condescending faces from those trying to save the environment in their Prius!

[shp4man]

That'll be expensive to drive in California, and think of all those condescending faces from those trying to save the environment in their Prius!

I'll have to put a "Save the Whales" sticker on it to keep them from thinking I'm a Dittohead...

[SVT666]

Sounds like you did your homework on it, so I say go for it. 

[SVT666]

What do construction companies do to trucks, besides bang the hell out of the body and payload?

A lot of the trucks aren't driven by the person who owns the company and the guys driving them just don't give a shit.  They abuse it, drive over curbs, etc. etc. etc.  I've seen some trucks that are in pretty rough shape after a couple years of being driven by employees.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

A lot of the trucks aren't driven by the person who owns the company and the guys driving them just don't give a shit.  They abuse it, drive over curbs, etc. etc. etc.  I've seen some trucks that are in pretty rough shape after a couple years of being driven by employees.

Very true. You should see how worn out some of our vans are after a couple years.

[shp4man]

My kids needs come first, so no 2006 Ford. I'm currently looking at another trade in, a 2001 Dodge 1500 regular cab short bed with 3.9 V6, auto air and only 57,000 miles. It's waaaaay cheaper than the Ford. The effing dash is cracked all to hell, but it runs really well. It's also a color I like, dark forest green metallic. Any horror stories about the Dodge Rams?

[68_427]

Thirsty

[Rupert]

Well, you're already in LA, more or less, so you might as well. It's the wrong order, though.



...

Gonna pack it in and buy a pick-up
Drive it down to LA

[shp4man]

Ok, so it's looking like a go on the Dodge. I drove it home last night and it seems to run OK. The problems are the dash -$200 fix, the paint on the hood and roof are cracked from months sitting in the sun -don't know maybe I can do a trade deal with somebody,  and it may need a catalytic converter at the next smog test. But it passed this one.
I'm a smog tech, so crap like that matters to me.
$2500 bucks and it's mine.
It's an unusual truck. For every 35 white Fords you might see one short bed Dodge. For every 35 Dodges, you might see 1 truck equipped like this one. It's got the same utilitarian look the Ford had.
The damn thing idles rough- that's normal operation I guess for the V6 (I've checked out the Dodge Ram forums       ). And I figure it's getting 15-16 MPG. The wife likes it, so that's a plus. I've got till Monday to decide.

[3.0L V6]

The damn thing idles rough- that's normal operation I guess for the V6 (I've checked out the Dodge Ram forums       ). And I figure it's getting 15-16 MPG. The wife likes it, so that's a plus. I've got till Monday to decide.

Yeah, the 3.9L is a 90 degree V6, so it's not going to idle real smoothly to begin with. I think the rev limit on that engine was pretty low too - below 5000rpm. New plugs and wires might help a little.

I'm not sure if rear-drive Chrysler transmissions are as frail as their front-drive ones - I doubt it, as they're based on older Torqueflite designs, just make sure you use the right fluid, like most Chrysler designs.

[Morris Minor]

Good luck  - post some photos.

[shp4man]

I've spent most of the three day weekend doing maintenance on the Dodge. I did the spark plugs, oil change, serpentine belt, coolant flush, transmission flush, filter and band adjustment (very old school). I transferred the sound system from the bug to the truck and fixed the trucks cracked dashboard. I also repainted the rear bumper.
Now I have to clean up the bug to get it ready to sell. Whew! Too much crap! 
The dash came out pretty nice- it's a "cap" from an outfit in Nevada. This particular year Dodge has an issue with dash cracking:

Bumper before:

And after:



I ended up getting the truck for $2500 and they payed the DMV fees. Which here in the land of fruits and nuts is like over $200. The dash repair parts were $230.

[Cookie Monster]

I really want your Bug. Good job fixing the truck up though.

Just wondering, why'd you cover the front plate in the last pic when the plate is visible in all the other pics?

[Rupert]

Lookin' good. Do you have a before photo of the dash? It looks great with the cover on it.

[shp4man]

Lookin' good. Do you have a before photo of the dash? It looks great with the cover on it.

Thanks. This pic isn't my truck, but this is typical. Mine was actually worse than this one.

[Byteme]

I've spent most of the three day weekend doing maintenance on the Dodge. I did the spark plugs, oil change, serpentine belt, coolant flush, transmission flush, filter and band adjustment (very old school). I transferred the sound system from the bug to the truck and fixed the trucks cracked dashboard. I also repainted the rear bumper.
Now I have to clean up the bug to get it ready to sell. Whew! Too much crap!  
The dash came out pretty nice- it's a "cap" from an outfit in Nevada. This particular year Dodge has an issue with dash cracking:

And after:

Try some "Back To Black" or Meguires Exterior Detailer on the black rubber on the bumper and the black exterior trim elsewhere on the truck.  It will make a huge improvement.

[Rupert]

Thanks. This pic isn't my truck, but this is typical. Mine was actually worse than this one.

Whoa. Chunks missing...