Ram Van 1500 V6 opinions?

[vanman2300]

Someone I know through other friends is selling a Dodge 2003 Van with the 3.9 V6 engine. It has 60K on it and both the interior and exterior are in absolutely perfect shape.....not even a scratch inside or outside. I'm amazed because it looks like it came right off the showroom floor. Engine sounds good and runs smooth as well as the transmission plus hardly any wear to indicate the vehicle has been driven excessively (seats and pedals). I know it is a gas hog but there is a lot to say for the reliability of that engine and it has only 60K on it. A trade off as I see it sacrificing MPG for longevity and reliability.

Anyone ever have experience with a van like this that could sway me either way? I'm very tempted to buy that van! They want just under 6 thousand for it.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

The vans and trucks we've had in my family have always been Dodge and we've liked them. Depends on which way works best for your budget. You might check Kelley BB or Edmunds for the values in your area. Comes up about $4500 to $5000 in my area from private party sale based without options on the mileage you listed and between $5500 and $6000 from a dealership---may be higher or lower where you are. A clean low mileage older van that's already had it's depreciation sounds like it could be a good thing---that longevity and reliability without having to deal with depreciation definitely takes a major load off the front end and more than likely will totally make up for the mpg unless you are putting major mileage on per year. Somebody check my math as I am known to get it wrong: arbitrarily using $10,000 as price difference, $3.50 as gas price and 10mpg---10000/3.50=2857 gallons X 10mpg=28570 miles. Dang, now if I could find one that clean with that low of mileage I'd be tempted. Just my thoughts.

 

[Bdog1]

I've never owned a v6 Dodge, but I've driven several and they perform similar to the 318 (5.2). They get the same mileage too. To my mind it sounds expensive.

 

[TucsonAZ]

Price sounds really high to me, 2016s are going to be coming out soon, $6k on a lower end van that's 13 model years old wouldn't ever sell here but vans are dogs where I live so people here would be pressed to get $4k for it. Also, while I'm a Ford guy for vans I have owned a couple Dodge vans, always with the 318, I can't see any advantage to that V6 personally and unless you drive empty all the time I'm guessing fuel milage will be even worse with it than the 318 but these are just my thoughts.

 

[gypsychic]

I recently purchased a 95 dodge ram 2500 conversion van. It was a good price and in decent shape to help me transition into fulltime so I could build up an emergency fund/another vehicle fund. I've only had it for 3 months and I'll be local for a year or so but I'm pleasantly surprised by the gas mileage. I get between 14-15 mpg without doing anything special. After the conversion part was stripped down to the sheet metal it went up another mpg.

My purchase was based on price, not brand loyalty or even options on this particular van. I just needed a decently reliable short term van to start off in and if it lasts longer than short term than that's great. It had/has some cosmetic issues that I may eventually address. I looked on some dodge van forums before and since I purchased it to see common issues. You may find that helpful.

I'd look at that price because that sounds high, as others have said.

 

[highdesertranger]

a v-6 that doesn't get decent mileage(close to 20 or better) is not worth it in my opinion. my as well get a good ole v-8. highdesertranger

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Looks like average estimates on mpg are 15/17mpg on one site and 14 combined on another. How often are clean vans that were driven to church on Sunday by a lil ol lady (well-kept and low mileage) available? If they are asking a bit under 6 there's probably negotiating room. How much would it cost to by a newer vehicle to get that low of mileage? Average mileage for that model and year on Kelley is listed at over 136,000.

What am I missing? Worse case scenario math numbers I used had 7-10 years worth of gas money based on my projected mileage, so there would be even more gas money with current gas prices and the mpgs listed, even at 14mpg. Seriously, somebody help me out here please. I've been thinking since I need reliability that I was looking at much newer vans, some with over 100,000 miles with way heftier price tags.

Are there certain areas of the country where it would be better to shop, though it's not like I could run check each one out?