terrawombat Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 After the most awkward and sketchy Craigslist encounter, I pulled home a 2004 Ram 2500 with a 5.9L Cummins diesel. It popped up on Craigslist Sunday with a very vague description, no pictures and an unusually low price. I needed to create multiple identities to finally get the seller to acknowledge me and then used those identities to my advantage in order to drive the price down. I can go into more detail if anyone would care to listen to the long version. Truck needs work. Will need new tires, some rust repair and a good exterior & interior cleaning. Final price was $8,200. This is about 4X of what I have ever paid for a project vehicle. Hope it doesn't bite me in the arse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butchershop Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 I needed to create multiple identities :chillin: to finally get the seller to acknowledge me and then used those identities to my advantage in order to drive the price down. I can go into more detail if anyone would care to listen to the long version. Yes, please.... :popcorn: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 After the most awkward and sketchy Craigslist encounter, I pulled home a 2004 Ram 2500 with a 5.9L Cummins diesel. It popped up on Craigslist Sunday with a very vague description, no pictures and an unusually low price. I needed to create multiple identities to finally get the seller to acknowledge me and then used those identities to my advantage in order to drive the price down. I can go into more detail if anyone would care to listen to the long version. Truck needs work. Will need new tires, some rust repair and a good exterior & interior cleaning. Final price was $8,200. This is about 4X of what I have ever paid for a project vehicle. Hope it doesn't bite me in the arse... Okay, do tell the story...Those are pretty decent trucks, and that's a great price!(And why is HTML enabled when I quote reply?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Just hope its not stolen. That would be my biggest concern after you had to do THAT much work. If you have the title your golden. Get it transferred and smile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Just hope its not stolen. That would be my biggest concern after you had to do THAT much work. If you have the title your golden. Get it transferred and smile. Eh, selling on craigslist is about the dumbest way to fence a stolen vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87Warrior Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Oooo. Purdy! You can deliver the truck anytime. Just leave the keys on the back deck :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 I have the title. I did plenty of research on this thing before shelling out a cent. I'll post the long story eventually, but too busy working on my new toy. Short story was I bought it off a young kid, but the truck was in his Dad's name. He was going to sign the title over to me, but I made him take me to his Dad to get it squared away (which he was conveniently located just down the road from my house). Found a nice surprise in the glovebox - the original build sheet...and that also contained a nice surprise. This is the HO version of the 5.9L. So instead of having a measly 235HP/460Ft-Lb, it actually has 305HP/555Ft-Lb :rock on: Truck has a hair under 200K miles on the clock and a rebuilt trans with a shift kit. Called the trans shop that did the work and they confirmed it. Going up there to pick up a copy of the invoice so I'll have it on record. Need to get rid of the tires on this thing. They're retreads and it's too tall to fit into my garage lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Clever and hopefully a good buy. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dedaw Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've seen early-mid 90's with WELL over 200k on them for going 12k-14k in this area. Nice snag! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 full story yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 I've seen early-mid 90's with WELL over 200k on them for going 12k-14k in this area. Nice snag! Same here. Everyone over on the Dodge Cummins forums seems to think this truck isn't worth anything, but I guess we're the same way over here when we see an MJ up for sale... full story yet? Ok, I'll take a little break...been working on the truck for the past 15 hours straight. This truck pops up on a Sunday night. I inquire right away via a text message. Received one back almost immediately. Texts go back and forth for a while and they basically end with me wanting to see the truck and telling the seller I'd contact him the following day about seeing the truck, which I do, but I get no response. I call - no answer. I call again at night - no answer. I send a text before bed - no response. This goes on for three days. I decide to create a new identity. I have several things on Craiglist and I get phone calls for them several times a week. I will generally only pick up if I'm familiar with the area code. I've had scammers from Quebec calling me on a non-stop basis about my motorcycle. I figure that maybe the seller thinks my NJ area code is strange and I'm not really serious about this truck. Using Google Voice, I obtain a number with a local area code. My alter ego sends a Google Voice text (with local area code) - immediate response back. I make a phone call with my new identity (hoping he doesn't recognize my voice from before...he doesn't). We agree to meet up @ 7PM at his house. He sends me the address. I go home after work only to find my house is freezing and the heat is off. I spend a while trying to figure out why and decide to call off the 7PM meeting - having heat in my house is more important than a truck. The phone call (still using my alter ego) to cancel the meeting was awkward....very awkward. The kid sounded timid and impatient and wanted to know if we could meet up tomorrow morning or afternoon because he really needed to get rid of the truck. I told him I was unable to because I had plans with my wife (my alter ego has a wife, but my true identity had plans with my GF). I explain that I would like to come by on the weekend to take a look at the truck in the daylight. He didn't seem too happy with that answer and hung up on me. Later that night, right before I slipped into bed in my very cold house, I receive a text message on my NJ number (my real identity) explaining that the truck is still for sale, but someone is coming to look at it soon and is going to buy it. Gee, I wonder who that someone could possibly be? I decided to take off work in the morning and go look at the truck. We arranged to meet up in a parking lot of a supermarket (this guy was being very sketchy so if he wanted to murder me, I wanted to make sure there were witnesses). He agrees. The next morning comes and I meet the seller and it starts making sense. He's young - maybe only 18 or 19 - and he doesn't look very intelligent. I look at the truck and take it for a test drive. It wasn't quite what I expected so I told him that and low balled him. He declined and didn't counter - said he had another guy coming to look at it tomorrow who would pay his asking price. I did my best not to smile. I told him that I couldn't pay any more than my offer and drove off. Like clockwork, my alter ego received a text message, "Hey, are you still going to come buy the truck?" To which my alter ego responded - "No, sorry, my wife says it's a bad idea since the heat is broken in the house and I need to fix that first." No response, but later that day my true identity receives a text message in the form of a counter offer. I counter back and we agree on a price and I picked the truck up that night. Probably didn't need to make the second identity and probably could have kept pestering him until he responded on my main phone number, but this was way more entertaining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
87jeepmj Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Wow, if that guy had not been such a tool about it all he could have made it better on himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 Yea, I was kind of sketched out about the whole transaction from start to finish. Even when we were doing the title signing, I noticed it was in his Dad's name and he was just going to sign it over. I pumped the brakes and made him take me to where his Dad works so I could watch him sign it. All I needed was this kid to sell his Dad's truck without him knowing about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftpiercecracker1 Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 Same here. Everyone over on the Dodge Cummins forums seems to think this truck isn't worth anything, but I guess we're the same way over here when we see an MJ up for sale... Ok, I'll take a little break...been working on the truck for the past 15 hours straight. This truck pops up on a Sunday night. I inquire right away via a text message. Received one back almost immediately. Texts go back and forth for a while and they basically end with me wanting to see the truck and telling the seller I'd contact him the following day about seeing the truck, which I do, but I get no response. I call - no answer. I call again at night - no answer. I send a text before bed - no response. This goes on for three days. I decide to create a new identity. I have several things on Craiglist and I get phone calls for them several times a week. I will generally only pick up if I'm familiar with the area code. I've had scammers from Quebec calling me on a non-stop basis about my motorcycle. I figure that maybe the seller thinks my NJ area code is strange and I'm not really serious about this truck. Using Google Voice, I obtain a number with a local area code. My alter ego sends a Google Voice text (with local area code) - immediate response back. I make a phone call with my new identity (hoping he doesn't recognize my voice from before...he doesn't). We agree to meet up @ 7PM at his house. He sends me the address. I go home after work only to find my house is freezing and the heat is off. I spend a while trying to figure out why and decide to call off the 7PM meeting - having heat in my house is more important than a truck. The phone call (still using my alter ego) to cancel the meeting was awkward....very awkward. The kid sounded timid and impatient and wanted to know if we could meet up tomorrow morning or afternoon because he really needed to get rid of the truck. I told him I was unable to because I had plans with my wife (my alter ego has a wife, but my true identity had plans with my GF). I explain that I would like to come by on the weekend to take a look at the truck in the daylight. He didn't seem too happy with that answer and hung up on me. Later that night, right before I slipped into bed in my very cold house, I receive a text message on my NJ number (my real identity) explaining that the truck is still for sale, but someone is coming to look at it soon and is going to buy it. Gee, I wonder who that someone could possibly be? I decided to take off work in the morning and go look at the truck. We arranged to meet up in a parking lot of a supermarket (this guy was being very sketchy so if he wanted to murder me, I wanted to make sure there were witnesses). He agrees. The next morning comes and I meet the seller and it starts making sense. He's young - maybe only 18 or 19 - and he doesn't look very intelligent. I look at the truck and take it for a test drive. It wasn't quite what I expected so I told him that and low balled him. He declined and didn't counter - said he had another guy coming to look at it tomorrow who would pay his asking price. I did my best not to smile. I told him that I couldn't pay any more than my offer and drove off. Like clockwork, my alter ego received a text message, "Hey, are you still going to come buy the truck?" To which my alter ego responded - "No, sorry, my wife says it's a bad idea since the heat is broken in the house and I need to fix that first." No response, but later that day my true identity receives a text message in the form of a counter offer. I counter back and we agree on a price and I picked the truck up that night. Probably didn't need to make the second identity and probably could have kept pestering him until he responded on my main phone number, but this was way more entertaining. Wow, :laughin: That is the most brillantly bass akwards thing i have ever heard. Good job for playing it so smooth. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 :rotf: That's incredibly brilliant in a mad scientist sort of way. :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 I mean... is a retread gonna cause it to not fit in your garage? whatd they do wrap the tire 15 times? doesnt make sense. If it doesnt fit now, 1 less inch should make much difference. Youre gonna put dinky tires on it just so it fits in the garage? those look about the right size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COFFMAN Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 So what was his dads take on the boy selling the truck ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 20, 2013 Author Share Posted January 20, 2013 I mean... is a retread gonna cause it to not fit in your garage? whatd they do wrap the tire 15 times? doesnt make sense. If it doesnt fit now, 1 less inch should make much difference. Youre gonna put dinky tires on it just so it fits in the garage? those look about the right size. The retread didn't cause it to not fit in my garage (it actually does if I air down the tires), the fact they're 35" tires on an already tall truck causes it not to fit through my 7' high garage door. I'm going to put dinky (otherwise known as stock size) tires on it because I want highway fuel efficiency. This truck will be going back and forth between NJ/MD several times a month. My trucks go off road maybe once or twice a year in the summer. The Eastern Shore of Maryland is about as flat as Kansas so everyone around here goes "mudding." Pretty boring, if you ask me. Also, the dry-rotted, unevenly worn retreads that are on the truck now won't pass the mandatory Maryland state inspection. So what was his dads take on the boy selling the truck ? His Dad knew he son was selling it so it wasn't a big deal. The father seemed a bit surprised by the number we agreed on and attempted to do a renegotiation because he claims the trans was just completely rebuilt and that should warrant a higher price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainman Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 ahhhh i seee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted January 27, 2013 Author Share Posted January 27, 2013 35's and the worst attempt at de-badging a vehicle I have ever seen: Back on stockers and de-badge complete: Dodge put a dedicated turn signal and parking light circuit in for the pre-wired trailer harness. Each signal has their own relay and the parking lights also get their own relay. The only issue with this is that the trailer turn signal relays operate any time the turn signals go on - whether there is a trailer attached or not. They used a type of relay that was supposed to last something like 10 million uses, but they failed to live up to their expectations. Unfortunately, the trailer circuit relays are located inside the fuse panel, soldered to an internal circuit board so getting to them is somewhat of a treat: New relays on: Old relay internals: Still need to do ball joints and drop the pan on the transmission to replace a couple of solenoids inside. Drove it some this past weekend and the overhead console claims I'm pulling 22MPG on the highway - we'll see how close that is when I get a couple tanks of fuel inside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjrev10 Posted January 27, 2013 Share Posted January 27, 2013 22 mpg is not uncommon. Trusting what the overhead says and going by it, very common on the net! Haha I used to get 25 with my 01 rclb 4x4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now