1997 Dodge Ram 3500

SLT Laramie Extended Cab Pickup

5.9L 359Cu. In. l6 DIESEL OHV Turbocharged

Automatic

3B7MF33D5VM534437

Clear

Diesel

This is a Texas truck that I purchased in November 2001 on eBay with 113,000 miles on it. I am the second owner. It hasn’t towed anything since 2005. From the time I purchased it, it was used to commute to the Bay Area for work. Drive 230 miles on Sunday night, park it, then drive 230 miles home on Friday afternoon. Mainly I hauled building supplies from Lowes or Home Depot when we were building our house. The only time the four wheel drive was actually used was during winter when the roads were snowed. It’s the SLT Laramie package, grey leather, extended cab, power windows, electric driver’s side seat, etc. Since purchasing it, the oil has been changed with Mobil-1 full synthetic religiously every 3,000 miles. Yes, I know and I don’t need the lectures. I change my oil a lot. I also rotate my injectors. So sue me. If you’re a wild eyed tree-hugger that thinks that my oil change frequency is excessive and I’m somehow depleting the world’s resources, just kiss my ass now and be done with it. Call it obsessive if you want, but I also run a quart of ATF in the fuel tank about every fifth fill up to keep the fuel pump and injectors lubed and clean. If you know diesel you know you can’t trust California low-sulphur blend to be kind to your fuel system. We have several Dodge Cummins trucks and they are rock-solid if treated well. This one is no exception. It’s been a great vehicle. The transmission and transfer case were swapped out around 250,000 miles. The reason was likely due to some kind of previous work as the bolts mating the tranny to the case came loose and they rattled until I finally noticed it. So, they got exchanged for Jasper components. The four wheel drive was only ever used to drive in the snow, but the transfer case was engaged in both 4-hi and 4-lo every month to keep things exercised. Here is the full disclosure: The truck has 403,000 miles on it. The engine and tranny are strong, but the rest of the truck needs some love. I don’t have time. Cosmetically it’s what you’d expect from an 18 year old truck with 400k on it. Cracked plastic on the dash, fading paint, etc. The main issues are pretty much confined to electrical. It really needs somebody that is willing to chase through the wiring and run it all down. The air-conditioning does not work. That may or may not be electrical, as the vacuum distribution selector seems to go only intermittently. The turn signals stopped working. The headlight switch went out, so I’ve bypassed it. That was about 10k back, but now the taillights have given up. It’s 12 volt, so more than likely it’s grounding issues, but who knows. Like I said, I don’t have the time to trace it all out. The stereo/cd player makes some odd speaker squeals every now and then, but it’s got no pattern to it. Sometimes right when you fire it up, sometimes when it’s cold outside, sometimes just rolling down the highway. The ignition circuit seems to be intermittent. This is a very recent condition and really the reason I stopped using the truck about a month ago. I could work around the lights, but when it was engaging the starter only about half the time, I stopped and parked it. The ignition switch may be the issue, but it behaves like maybe one of the two batteries has a poor connection. The fuel gauge stopped all at once, so I use the odometer and keep a notebook to determine when to fuel. Electrical. You either are willing to deal with it or not. I’m not. But, I will stand by the fact that if the electrical issues were worked out that I’m quite confident that there is still a good bit of life left in the old girl. The power windows are still working, and the power adjust on the driver’s seat still works. The Viper alarm works, but I haven’t set it in years. The appearance is what it is. The goofy taillight covers were on it when I bought it. So was the faux carbon fiber looking dashboard treatment. As was the chrome grill bar up front. I suspect it was a very hip drugstore cowboy package at one point. It was Texas after all. The metal utility shell goes with it. It has a glued-in lining of poly insulation that I added years ago so that I could keep things like epoxy, paint and adhesives from freezing. The original tailgate is included. The truck is located in Northern California. If you buy it, I can drive it to either the Reno or Sacramento airports and hand it off to you. But, keep in mind that the electrical is wonky and there are only headlights, with no running or taillights, so pick it up in the daytime and either take it to a repair shop and get a room or start driving with your volt meter and alligator clips.