I found what I had initially believed to be the right truck aside from color (not the biggest fan of black vehicles despite me currently owning one and who knows how many in the past). It is rightly optioned strictly from the perspective of I wanted some extra bells and whistles. This one's whistles add about $15k in options over a base Power Wagon. This is a 2022 with <40k miles with one owner purchased and serviced since new at the one location in inland Florida (not near the coast, so no salt issues), but I am looking to purchase from a dealer that has no affiliation.
- Level 3 Equipment Group
- RamBox with the in bed adjustable tie downs, LED lights, bed liner, and dividers (I think the dividers are MIA - I didn't see them at least)
- Digital rearview camera (it's on the options list, but I did not see this - can someone explain this feature? I was expecting the rearview mirror to just be a small screen instead of a true mirror?)
- Adaptive Steering (bleh)
- Trailer camera wiring
- Diamond Black Crystal Pearl monotone paint
I had assumed that Level 3 would get 360 camera, but if the truck does have it, I could not figure out how to make it work. That was the item of note for me in terms of features I feel I would miss, but still having a backup camera and the ability to "easily" add two more auxiliary cameras may cover my need.
Pictures definitely look better than the truck presents in person. It is clear that it had been used for some work with a fair amount of fair scratches - predominately on the top of the bed sides (Ram Box lids); it would appear things may have been in the bed of the truck and then pulled over the top of the bed instead of out of the tailgate. I'm working with my detailer to see what the reality is to get these buffed out, but I'm almost a
little relieved the scratches are there and will free me up to use the truck more openly. Nothing that I can get a finger nail to grab or anything, so all superficial as best as I can tell.
It is close to the life cycle of the OEM 33's. Factory spare is in place and not used. Having a glass-half-full outlook tells me the door is open to just go ahead and grab 35s or 37s even.
The leather on the dash where it would be pinched underneath the plastics near the windshield is no longer pinched. The best way I can describe it is that the dash saw too much Florida sun and cause the leather to lose its adhesion. It is completely loose where it would be "fastened" near the windshield. This is my biggest problem, but is this common? Seems crazy to think that the leather upholstery has come undone in 3 years?
The driver side Ram Box doesn't seem to close flush towards the rear. While I don't plan to permanently store items in there, I also don't want to worry about leaks should I have something in there traveling somewhere during a rain storm. Are these adjustable?
Passenger rear door intermittently "pops" when closing. It looks like the spring-loaded latch that goes across the roller may have a sharp point on it? Or maybe the spring needs to be greased? Has anyone else noticed this before?
Mechanically the truck seems solid. Regular maintenance. I called the original selling and servicing dealer and had a great conversation with a service advisor there that was willing to walk through every single service visit over the phone. It's nice to see actual customer service nowadays... The only thing that stood out is the blend door for the A/C had to be replaced at about 25k miles (I'm wondering if this has anything to do with why the dash leather is loose?). Not sure how invasive of a repair this may be? Everything else is strictly regular maintenance.
Truck has no leaks, not even a dusting of the presence of corrosion, all fluids are where they should be and the color they should be. Zero evidence of anything ever done offroad in the truck - no undercarriage scratches, no mud, no sand, just a super clean truck underneath. Drives great, shifts great. Overall, I think it's a good truck, but it's evident that it was used as a truck probably hitting some jobsites. I am thinking that I can get this for a
really good deal comparing to others and KBB values, but I also know that I'll need to toss a few grand at it right out the gate between tires, detail, and dash upholstery.
The three items I have in bold above are the items of main concern to me. Are these "typical" concerns and are they easily addressed? What do you feel is a fair price to purchase knowing the above?
