[cbush314]

So what is considered "High Mileage"? As I am looking at trucks I am finding a lot of good, clean, and solid trucks for a pretty reasonable price but they have between 150k and 250k. You would have to think by that time, the under carriage is starting to show some age as well as the paint and even interior. So what would you guys consider High-Mileage? Lets here what your trucks are up to mileage wise and even share some pictures.

 

[Anschutz]

It really depends where the truck has lived. If you live in an area where road salt is a thing (Looks like you do) there is going to be more wear to the undercarriage and body. I go to school in NY and a lot of trucks have extensive body corrosion on vehicles newer than many back home in GA that are perfectly clean. The inside will carry some of that as well but a truck in Texas used on the oil fields is going to get a lot of bed and back seat wear from tools getting thrown in there all the time. Good luck with your search.

 

[stng_96]

It really depends on your own preferences, and what part of the truck you are considering. These motors can obviously last a LONG LONG time if maintained right, however thats just the motor. All the other electrical, computer, body items that happen to any vehicle can happen here as well. I just bought mine about a month ago, and I was looking for around 100k miles. In my opinion, thats still fair mileage on one where not too much can go wrong.

 

[White Ghost 1]

I bought my 5500 with a little over 100k miles on it . It's now at 370k miles . I have not had any major problems with it . Just make sure it has a good clean carfax on it .

 

[TBittner]

Everyone's opinion will vary but IMO over 100k is high mileage. A lot of little stuff starts to happen over time to suspension electronics etc. I laugh every time I see an add that says low mileage and it has 100K+ miles.

 

[CAttletrkr]

I used to think 100K was the cutoff, now I think 150K. Anything over that and you're on borrowed time. Having said that, I'm over 306K miles on mine without ever touching engine or transmission.

To keep a truck, 300K is high miles. To buy a truck, 150K.

The preceeding is just my opinion and is worth every penny you shelled out to get it.

 

[krashDH]

Bought mine with 190k on it. I must be one if the lucky ones. Perfect interior, excellent shape, now has 220K on it. Shoot its still a baby for a diesel.

I feel like my interior could really last as long as the engine. People seem to say they just "evaporate" around the engine. I personally haven't experienced this so I think the dodge interiors are great.

 

[CAttletrkr]

Bought mine with 190k on it. I must be one if the lucky ones. Perfect interior, excellent shape, now has 220K on it.

Yeah, if/when I ever clean mine it still looks pretty good. A few wear marks here and there, but nothing that's just falling apart. The protective layer of dust is what I think makes them last so good.

I removed the pull out cup holder and screwed a regular sized CB in its place. No special bracket to strengthen the plastic or anything. Just ran a couple #12 self tapping screws into the plastic. Hasn't wiggled a bit since it went in and that was probably in the first 25K. Point being, cheap crappy plastic interiors really aren't all that bad.

 

[6 n a row]

if you know the history, and its good then I'd buy one with no more than 200K but with unknown history I wouldn't buy over 100k...MO

 

[Sam Hain]

I would also check the engine hours (turn key on *don't start*, hold down the trip button for a few secs). I went to look at a 3500 last week, truck was clean, clean car fax, 128k miles. Engine hours were over 6500, I've never seen one that high. Truck had done ALOT of idling. I passed on it.

 

[mischiefdiesel]

yeah Im in the 100k (ish) maybe unto 125k for buying a truck would really be my cutoff. I try and stay as close to 50k as possible. I don't believe in buying someone else's problems. and at around 150k is when other components start to break down. And we all know a lot of people don't fix things they way they should.

 

[TEX]

all depends on how it was maintained

 

[Livermorenick]

I would also check the engine hours (turn key on *don't start*, hold down the trip button for a few secs). I went to look at a 3500 last week, truck was clean, clean car fax, 128k miles. Engine hours were over 6500, I've never seen one that high. Truck had done ALOT of idling. I passed on it.

Sam,
was wondering if there was a thread or opinion on miles and engine hours and what a good average MPH was when calculated using these two data points. Maybe a relationship to DPF problems or other issues?

 

[olds-cool]

Living in one of those states that uses salt in the winter, I look at both miles and body. I consider reasonable milage on a diesel to be about 2x what I would consider as reasonable on a gasser. Like I said, body has to be taken into consideration around here. I've seen trucks that have only 70-80k on them that are covered in rust. On the other hand I've see a few that have over 300k and the body/frame look as good as day one. The visual condition of a vehicle will tell a lot about its previous owners attitude towards it. Around here it's pretty easy to tell when it was someones baby that got washed regularly and garaged vs one that sat outside all the time and was always covered in salt and grime.

 

[2004.5ram2500]

If your on the west coast or southwest I'd say 100K in clean condition with good service is a good starting point.

Watch for 5th hitches and signs of towing or excessive use.

Brother bought one with 117K (not sure if rolled back) and spun rod Bering after 2,500 miles.

Again it all comes down to condition and maintenance.

 

[macmov]

I'm at 512,000 on my '08 only real issues I have had are turbo issues the last 50,000 miles. I just rectified that buy 86ing the VGT. Other than that truck runs great, I expect to get at least a million out of it.

 

[Billhillytim]

Little things I have always done when looking for a newer used vehicle to help determine what type of mileage it has on it are:
1. Driver seat wear-more in and out, more short trips, more wear on the side
2. Brake pedal rubber wear, clutch pedal rubber wear
3. Engine hours if available
4. Brake fluid color-darker usually in conjunction with other items listed means hard stop and go or heaving stopping over a period of time and someone who may not have as stringent maintenance than I would care for.
5. Moaning in power steering with low or dark fluid-see maintenance above
6. Paint chips on front-not negative normally except cosmetic-100k miles and lots of chips, sandblasted windshield I tend to prefer. My last gas Dodge had over 100k and never broke down while I owned it minus one freeze plug that rotted out and the original battery was over 12 years old- I nearly shat myself and bought lottery tickets the day it died.

Hope these little things help, always look for the small stuff that would get damaged during service like brake caliper bolts to see if they have signs of being changed several times and brands of replacement parts for a good indication of whether the previous owner did "budget" maintenance or stuck to the better parts.

 

[macmov]

Little things I have always done when looking for a newer used vehicle to help determine what type of mileage it has on it are:
1. Driver seat wear-more in and out, more short trips, more wear on the side
2. Brake pedal rubber wear, clutch pedal rubber wear
3. Engine hours if available
4. Brake fluid color-darker usually in conjunction with other items listed means hard stop and go or heaving stopping over a period of time and someone who may not have as stringent maintenance than I would care for.
5. Moaning in power steering with low or dark fluid-see maintenance above
6. Paint chips on front-not negative normally except cosmetic-100k miles and lots of chips, sandblasted windshield I tend to prefer. My last gas Dodge had over 100k and never broke down while I owned it minus one freeze plug that rotted out and the original battery was over 12 years old- I nearly shat myself and bought lottery tickets the day it died.

Hope these little things help, always look for the small stuff that would get damaged during service like brake caliper bolts to see if they have signs of being changed several times and brands of replacement parts for a good indication of whether the previous owner did "budget" maintenance or stuck to the better parts.

Good thinking, thanks for sharing that.

 

[El Pozzinator]

look for tool marks on stuff that typically gets replaced with performance goodies, EG the EGR system, exhaust flanges around the down pipe, cat, etc. look for screw holes or 2-sided tape/velcro where chips/tuners might've been plugged in under the dash, excessive wear to the OBD-II port (tuner being plugged in repeatedly), loose OBD-II port (tuner plugged in full-time), and generally just stuff that doesn't look right. holes where there shouldn't be holes, tool marks on the radiator support, stuff that shouldn't need to be removed, etc. if i open a door and the seat brackets are rusted, i'm walking; it's only a matter of time til that cancer gets in the floorpans if it's not already there. if the coolant is the wrong color, that's a big indicator of the previous owner having a "lawnmower" maintenance program. ditto for trans fluid smelling like cotton candy or brake fluid looking like hot chocolate. loosen the oil fill cap and start the truck; if it starts dancing like a drunk fat girl, that's probably not good.

 

[abzayas]

If buying a truck that has over 100k, the body is a very easy thing to check, now as far as the longevity of the engine, i would ask for maintenace records, check for blow by, ask the owner or dealer to keep the car cold before you get there to see how the motor feels when it is dead cold. that is a great indicator of the engine. because an engine at temperature is completely different.