Oh Boy...A road trip to Morristown

K

Kira

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Aug 19, 2010
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Location
Champlain/Hudson Valley
My pal's son found a 2018 RAM 1500 Crew Cab/4WD/55,000 mi.
It's white and has the 3.6l V6...not a Hemi. Their entire family has a slight Mopar obsession.
I'll be eyeballing it tomorrow.
I'm told there was a rear end hit in the Carfax report. I'll be craning my neck for the lad.

Because it hasn't sold we theorized that perhaps the "non-Hemi" eschews many customers.
Or rumors of valve problems in the 3.6 (said to be cured by 2018) scared off some.
And a Carfax hit might also be a red flag.

I've driven Mopars with the 3.6 and the 8 speed. I hope my senses are good enough to peer through a shiny wax job.
 
I’d suspect the fact that it isn’t a v8 would turn many off. Not sure the performance of that size a truck with the v6, regardless of how good the v6 engines are compared to older eras…
 
JHZR2 said:
I’d suspect the fact that it isn’t a v8 would turn many off. Not sure the performance of that size a truck with the v6, regardless of how good the v6 engines are compared to older eras…
Click to expand...
I've driven the relatively same engine in GC L. It's "ok" in there with a full car of people but a V8 would be better. I would imagine not towing it is perfectly acceptable in a truck. Towing wise....I wouldn't want it.

I had a Ram rental once, forget the year but it had the rotary shift dial with a V6 and it felt decent for it's size.
 
I'd be more concerned about the rear-end hit. Have someone follow behind this truck when test-driving it and view the rear of this truck from 3-4 car lengths back. It might be rolling down the road a wee-bit crooked.

The 62-64' Nova's were famous for this slight-sideways roll. It didn't take much of a hit of their rear-ends to develop this syndrome.
 
Nothing wrong with the Pentastar in a Ram. It’s output is comparable (if not better) than some of the V8s in the second gen Ram’s (5.9 Magnum was 245hp/275tq) and a heck of a lot more efficient. It won’t tow like a Hemi but it is adequate.
I have not seen many valve issues for some time. If there is one product of FCA/ Stellantis I still recomend it is a Ram.
Watch for rust where the gas tank straps attach to the frame. Not a big problem but there was a recall on 12’s for that.
Rear quarter panel perforation around the wheel lip, and rocker panel rot. Again not epidemic but something I see here and there. Water leaks from the CHMSL (smell for mold and water under the back seat rug).
If he buys it, first thing to do is pull back the inner wheel liners for the front fenders and clean out the “compost” (as I call it) that collects behind the front fenders at the door post. Spray some fluid film inside the quarter panels and rockers yearly….until it drips from the wheel opening and rocker lip.
Spill and fill the with the correct coolant religiously (I believe 18’ may still use the orange HOAT), 6000 mi OCI and change that ZF HP fluid by 60-70k……that truck will serve him well.
 
It won't be a crewcab- it will be 4 doors but the cab and rear doors are smaller. Full 4 door crewcabs aren't available on the lower trims. The V6 is probably the main reason it hasn't sold yet then the damage history. Nothing wrong with the V6 for some people's use but I would not consider it especially when the Hemi fuel economy is practically the same in real use.
 
They're nice rigs, I owned a 2016 with the hemi and a 2019 with the 3.6. I was always surprised at how well the Pentastar moved that truck around, never felt underpowered. However once you hooked up a trailer I felt like you needed to wind it out especially on hills. Also if it has the 321 rear end the actual tow rating is pretty abysmal, around 4,500 lb IIRC. But for general duties and family hauling it was a nice truck.

I preferred the Hemi but I think most people would!

The ZF8 is an amazing transmission.
 
This iteration of the 3.6 has 305hp; don't know the torque number. That'll be enough for the vehicle's occasional "pop-up trailer" tow.
The lad says it has the lower (3.4ish?) gearing.
He loves the simpler dash.
Thanks for the rust prevention tips.

Ha-ha, I wonder if the spare is an alloy too.
 
Triple_Se7en said:
I'd be more concerned about the rear-end hit. Have someone follow behind this truck when test-driving it and view the rear of this truck from 3-4 car lengths back. It might be rolling down the road a wee-bit crooked.
Click to expand...

What I would look for regarding frame damage:

  • Paint work on the rear frame rails could indicate repairs, sometimes which shouldn't have occurred if folded over. A wavy wrinkled rail is a red flag. I've seen low end shops put body filler on a frame to covered damage, so pay close attention.
  • Measure the distance between the bumper and bedside on right and left sides. If it's not equal, then either it was not assembled correctly or the frame is uneven. If the front bumper has this issue then you have a diamond condition in the frame where it looks more like a trapezoid than a rectangle if you drew a line around all 4 corners.
  • Similar to the previous test, look at bumper height compared to the bed and tailgate, could indicate sagging or lifted rails.
  • Check crossmember rivets for movement.
  • Look for fresh paint work in area around bedsides and tailgate or possibly damage that was not repaired.
  • Check the backside of the cab to see if the bed contacted it.
  • Sometimes cab corner and bedside damage is spot finished without full clear to save money so this type of paint work would fail eventually.
  • Ask for an estimate of previous repairs.
 
People with V6 are very happy with their choice. My 15 wrangler is pushing 150000 miles. Mostly by daughter. No issues, no engine repairs. In the ram, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between the 4.7 and and the V6 power wise.
 
Carfax might give you damage location and severity, but even then, that info is spotty. Severity levels are minor, moderate, or major and AFAIK there is no correlation with repair amount for the severity indicator.

The owner would have the estimate, and if they lost it, ask which body shop they went to to get another copy. The insurance company would have it as well but no one will give the estimate to you unless your name was on it.
 
Just got back.
I gotta say the vehicle appears to be a good one.
Every measure of the rear end was matched. Bumper to body, box to cab and straightness of lower metal...all good.
I could detect a subtle difference between the white of the tailgate and that of the RR fender.
Thanks for the bodywork tips. Any repair done looks darn good.

The engine was quiet and she shifted perfectly.
4WD/WLO and back all with easy sounding transitions. Low is real low compared to my Ranger.
There was very little frame rust....just a bit on metal "tab edges". The steel driveshafts were the most rusted things.

The battery's red plastic positive post cover had fallen off and was between the lower radiator hose and a frame member.
 
GMBoy said:
It won't be a crewcab- it will be 4 doors but the cab and rear doors are smaller. Full 4 door crewcabs aren't available on the lower trims. The V6 is probably the main reason it hasn't sold yet then the damage history. Nothing wrong with the V6 for some people's use but I would not consider it especially when the Hemi fuel economy is practically the same in real use.
Click to expand...
Test drove a similar pickup. It drove nice and had plenty of power. cruised at 80 mph effortlessly. Would have bought it except for the sleazy dealer tactics.
 
GMBoy said:
It won't be a crewcab- it will be 4 doors but the cab and rear doors are smaller. Full 4 door crewcabs aren't available on the lower trims.
Click to expand...
My pal's son thinks you may be mistaken. He said they're rare (Crew Cab in base trims) but the sheet metal is the same size.
Me, I don't know. I gotta say that after climbing out of my very low 2007 Volvo V70, the big white RAM seemed huge.
It was real big inside.

He's been looking for a while and has a handle on what's out there and price.
I bet he buys it. He said the towing package ups the trailer weight to over 6,000 lbs. and his camper is 4,000.

His Dad, "patient zero" of that family's Mopar Madness, wants him to buy it.

It's just so exciting....
 
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