Help deciding new truck

[Admin]

Both are 2003, both are Dodge rams, both are four wheel drive and 4 door extened cab, both are $20,995

 

The differences: Truck A)black with 34,000 miles and 4.7 litre engine, not fully loaded, 18 MPG

Truck B)Red with 52,000 miles and 5.7 litre hemi engine, fully loaded, 17 MPG

 

On a normal day, the clear choice would be the Hemi, but that extra 18K miles has me worried. Anyone have any thoughts.

[yankeefan21]

Let me introduce you to my good friend Kelly Blue Book. This is one of the guides that dealers use to determine trade-in values. Then, they lowball the customer below the trade-in value and try to sell for more than the resale value. I have bought several cars at great deals by doing this: 1. determine the resale value. 2. determine the trade-in value 3. subtract the trade-in value from the resale value. 4. Divide that number by 2. 5. Add that number to the trade-in value. Example:

 

Resale Value = $20,000

Trade-in value = $12,000

$20,000 - $12,000 = $8000

$8000/2 = $4000

$12,000 + $4000 = $16,000

 

If you offer $15,000 and let them talk you up to $16,000 [or that general area] you will get a good deal.

 

One more word of advice, dealers are trying to have a fire sale on trucks that don't get over 20 mpg. Use gas prices to your advantage and feed them that fear...

 

Truck A: $16,450

 

Truck B: $18,280

 

You shouldn't pay more than that. With that said, you are talking about a V8. Assuming that the oil was changed on these suckers once in a while, your engine will outlast your truck. Somebody bought my old Chevy pickup with a 454 just for the engine - and it had almost 200,000 miles on it...