KevinR

I am considering the purchase of a 97 3500 SLT dually, ext cab, 2wd, Cummins, auto. He will take $13500 and no less.<br><br>My question... the truck has 207k mi but other than that it is in great (excellent) condition. Should I or would you consider this truck to tow a 35' Jayco TT or for that matter consider it at all?<br><br>All of the mi were done towing a 5th wheel and highway mi.<br><br>What should I look for... be wary of... other things.<br><br>I was told that the Cummins needed rebuild at 300k... right? Not that I will ever worry about that... but it is a consideration.<br><br>My other thought... how cool to drive a truck in such great shape with SO many miles.<br><br>Help me out... I turn to the Dodge Boys for comments.<br><br>Let em rip.... <br><br>KBR

DPG

KevinR: How well has the engine been maintained? Do you have access to the records? Which transmission does it have?<br>All things being equal, 200,000 miles is not a big drawback if the engine has been maintained properly. The Cummins can easily go 400,000 (and frequently does) before you need any major work done. If the rest of the truck has been maintained as well as you say, the engine probably has,too. A person usually won't take exceptional care of a truck, and let the engine deteriorate. If the tranny is an auto, there could be some major expense there, depending on what's been done recently. Sounds like you may have found a good deal. Check it out carefully, have a good mechanic go over the truck thoroughly. It's worth the expense to either give you the peace of mind that you have found &quot;the truck,&quot; or the relief that you avoided the &quot;money pit.&quot;<br><br>Good luck!<br><br>DeWain

cwsoules

Take a good look at the GVWR of that big trailer. Then compare it to the GCWR of the truck. I would not be surprised to hear that when you subtract the actual weight of the loaded truck from the GCWR that the result is much smaller than the GVWR of the trailer.

tool

Kevin search for 12V life expectancy in 12V drivetrain forum. There are a lot of really good posts in that thread. and somke ammazing stories. Some trucks with over 1,000,000 miles on original motors. 8)

pwabbott

My bigest concern would be the auto tranny. Not too many autos go 200K miles, towin large 5ers. They can be operating fine one second and gone in a few minutes. If that happens the price of truck just went up $3K or more. :'(

KevinR

Ok, update on this possible purchase. <br><br>I was able to see and drive it today.<br><br>Visual body inspection... almost perfect for being snow covered. A few little dings, no more than my 2000 GM has and no rust visible.<br><br>Interior inspection... driver door seal leaks... bad enough that the carpeting was rolled up and a towel was stuck in the space to soak up the water. Appeared to be rip in the seal. Current owner had siliconed the rear window closed and around the door seal... LOOKS LIKE CRAP<br><br>Engine inspection... oil changed just recently, trans fluid appears OK, radiator appears OK, air filter new<br><br>Tag on hood shows a 3.50 rear?, 4 spd auto and some other information.<br><br>More history... truck was used to deliver trailers around the country... hence 207k mi and this guy has owned it less than a year. Wife is expecting soon and apparently won't need it, although I wonder what the 5er will be pulled with.<br><br>Driving impression... doggy off the line, shifts firm but at around 55-60mph, holy crap! hang on cause it takes off. Brakes are good and will almost hold while applying accelarator.<br><br>Overall... decent truck w/ lots of miles.... he won't budge off the $13500, says it isn't that important to sell.<br><br>My gut feeling.... why is he selling it with the 5er still there and the mini van tows that like crap i bet <br><br>Any further impressions... should I or would you pursue this further. I have read many of the posts where the 3500 has twice the mileage and still going.... still makes me abit apprehensive.<br><br>Opinions please<br><br>

Luke S

It might be OK but that is WAY to much cash for a 2wd with those kinda miles . $10-12k would be plenty with the way the market is right now.

oldred97

I wouldn't do it. You could find a good 4wd with fewer miles. Notto say that this isn't a great truck but i figure if you are gonna spend that kind of money then get a truck that is gonna have a longer life expectancy. I don't know how you feel about 5 speeds but if you would consider one you may find some cheaper prices (or so it seems in my area).<br><br><br>Sounds like you are a bit apprehensive anyway. Go with your gut.

patriot pearl blue

there are alot of trucks on ebay-

this one only has 86k and is the same price

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=1873799240

check them all out