Thoughts on Full-Size overland build? 2018 Ram Power Wagon 68k miles

[clawfilm]

First post* ( I posted this on Overland Bound Forums but thought I'd try to get a few more opinions). I have a friend selling his 2018 Ram Power Wagon with 68k miles for $80,000. This is more truck than I'll use but at the price point I feel I might not be able to pass this up. Spec'ing out a full size truck with camper gets be close to the price. I wanted to get a second opinion. Any thoughts? Any Price recommendations for what modifications should be worth?

Here are the specs:
Thanks for any input

CAMPER
-AT Overland Atlas with skylight, roof rails
-Cellphone booster (not sure which one but far larger than a WeBoost)

ELECTRICAL/LIGHTING
- AEV ProCal module
- sPOD Source SE w/ touchscreen
- Baja Designs LP9 sport combo lights (x2)
- Baja Designs LP9 sport spot lights (x2)
- Baja Designs XL80 ditch lights (x2) w/ZROADZ brackets
- Rigid rear bumper backup lights
- Morimoto XB LED headlights
- Morimoto XB LED taillights
- ABEL components locker bypass w/ kill switch

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN
- AEV raised air intake w/ pre-filter
- AAM 5.13 AAM regear front/rear
- Dodge Off-Road steering brace
- Magnaflow 12589 muffler w/ resonator delete
- Dethloff hydraulic steering assist
- Synergy drag link
- Synergy HD tie rod
- PowerStop Z36 pads and rotors

SUSPENSION/AXLE
- Toyo 40x13.50R17 MT/R
- TrailReady HD beadlocks (World Series rings); RAD valves
- Thuren rear trackbar
- King 2.5 shocks; Thuren-tuned stage 3 (rear)
- King 3.0 shocks; Thuren-tuned stage 3 (front)
- Thuren 1” rear coils
- Thuren 1.25” front coils
- Thuren front track bar
- Thuren active rate sway bar
- JKS sway bar quick disconnect
- JKS sway bar lanyard
- Boogie rated bumpstops (front)
- AirLift air suspension w/ Daystar cradles (rear)
- ARB twin air compressor
- VIAIR 2.5 gallon auxiliary tank

ARMOR
- AEV front bumper
- AEV rear bumper
- AEV differential covers
- White Knuckle .188 DOM rock sliders; rhino-lined
- Dethloff oil & transmission skid plate
- Thuren front axle truss
- Maple Off Road skid plates
- Maple Off Road cross members

INTERIOR
- WeatherTech floor liners
- AirLift double needle/path air gauge
- Lockr Down console safe
- Expedition Essentials RAMPAM accessory mount

EXTERIOR
- AEV front/rear fender flares
- Dixon DC20S 303 stainless steel quick connect auxiliary air fitting attached to front bumper
- Factor 55 FlatLink E shackle mount
- Master Pull 7/16" x 85' 29,700 lbs. breaking strength Superline XD black winch line
- MAXTRAX MKII (x4)

RECOVERY/EMERGENCY GEAR
- Pro Eagle 3 Ton Big Wheel Off Road Jack "Kratos" w/ extension and mount
- Hi-Lift 60” first responder extrication rescue tool
- Heliar LED road flare
- WARN 92093 3/4” epic shackle (x3)
- Bubba Rope GatorJaw 7/16” 32,000 lbs. breaking strength soft shackle (x2)
- Factor 55 2.5” hitch link
- WARN wireless winch controller
- WARN 93195 Epic snatch block
- WARN 91575 winch dampener (x3)
- VicTsing car safety hammer (x2)
- Amerex Halotron I Class B C fire extinguisher
- Deadman Off-Road Earth Anchor
- Bubba Rope 176680RDG 7/8" x 30' 28,600 lbs. capacity breaking strength snatch rope

 

[Roam.Wild]

We have a 2023 PW "Overland" build and love it, came from a 2021 Ranger build and 4runner build and the full size is superior in every way IMO.

BUT, $80k for that rig is insane. The older models like that one, especially with the 40s, are known to eat up transmissions. We cant link external forums, but a quick google search for HD Ram forum will point you in the right direction on those issues. You can buy a much newer 5th gen Power Wagon, with mods (oh wow ours is for sale) for around $60k-$65k, throw on a camper and still be under the $80k he is asking. The AEV kit w/ 40s, beadlock wheels and the Thuren kit are top $ mods, but essentially useless for "overlanding" and are more on the rock crawling side of the hobby, but absolutely depends on what you plan on doing with it, but that is based on the "more truck then I'll ever need" comment.

It's a VERY bada$$ build, with pretty much every mod you could really want already done, but realistically only worth about $45k -$50k. Don't get sucked into the mods he has done and trying to price it out on how much it would cost to replicate, mods add around 1/10th of their original cost to the total selling price of a vehicle.

 

[clawfilm]

We have a 2023 PW "Overland" build and love it, came from a 2021 Ranger build and 4runner build and the full size is superior in every way IMO.

BUT, $80k for that rig is insane. The older models like that one, especially with the 40s, are known to eat up transmissions. We cant link external forums, but a quick google search for HD Ram forum will point you in the right direction on those issues. You can buy a much newer 5th gen Power Wagon, with mods (oh wow ours is for sale) for around $60k-$65k, throw on a camper and still be under the $80k he is asking. The AEV kit w/ 40s, beadlock wheels and the Thuren kit are top $ mods, but essentially useless for "overlanding" and are more on the rock crawling side of the hobby, but absolutely depends on what you plan on doing with it, but that is based on the "more truck then I'll ever need" comment.

It's a VERY bada$$ build, with pretty much every mod you could really want already done, but realistically only worth about $45k -$50k. Don't get sucked into the mods he has done and trying to price it out on how much it would cost to replicate, mods add around 1/10th of their original cost to the total selling price of a vehicle.

Thanks for your insight Roam.Wild. This is very helpful to hear and kind of what has been in my head. It's been very difficult for me to understand the depreciation of these modifications, in a turnkey rig. I also understand that mods lose a ton of value. I see rigs with extensive builds like this being posted north of 100k, which made me feel good about 80k (do you have a link to the truck you are selling?). In addition to his local off-road shop (which I've spoken with) and my local off-road shop telling with their eyes falling out of their heads, "wow that sounds like a great deal for what has been done to the truck." The shops seem to have a different view point on used mods being worth something, specifically these mods. Which just adds to the confusion.

The few caveats are:

1. I know the history of the truck, the seller personally, and truly how meticulous the maintenance has been.
2. To your point - I've thought about buying newer model, add a camper, add some other things. I quickly get up to 80K or more. I've enjoyed building rigs in the past and feel that buying turnkey is actually a slight con. However, I'm entertaining buying a turnkey rig because I have two small kiddos and want to hit the road asap. Time is fleeting at this stage of life to be able to build out another vehicle.
3. Some of the mods listed are relatively new: Topper, winch, tires, tire carrier, fluids have been recently changed, brakes are new-ish
4. The AEV kit w/40s, beadlocks I agree aren't necessary for me and wouldn't buy them if I was building this from ground up. However the suspension and how this thing handles off-road is truly an experience. It's extremely comfortable and provides a lot of confidence.
5. The Truck by itself is valued at 37k, meaning the depreciation of the mods is roughly 18.5k. It seems like the mods should depreciate more (to your point).

I'm definitely trying to justify buying this truck but sounds like I should stop being blinded buy the bada$$ build...
Thank you for your point of view. it is helpful!

 

[Roam.Wild]

Thanks for your insight Roam.Wild. This is very helpful to hear and kind of what has been in my head. It's been very difficult for me to understand the depreciation of these modifications, in a turnkey rig. I also understand that mods lose a ton of value. I see rigs with extensive builds like this being posted north of 100k, which made me feel good about 80k (do you have a link to the truck you are selling?). In addition to his local off-road shop (which I've spoken with) and my local off-road shop telling with their eyes falling out of their heads, "wow that sounds like a great deal for what has been done to the truck." The shops seem to have a different view point on used mods being worth something, specifically these mods. Which just adds to the confusion.

The few caveats are:

1. I know the history of the truck, the seller personally, and truly how meticulous the maintenance has been.
2. To your point - I've thought about buying newer model, add a camper, add some other things. I quickly get up to 80K or more. I've enjoyed building rigs in the past and feel that buying turnkey is actually a slight con. However, I'm entertaining buying a turnkey rig because I have two small kiddos and want to hit the road asap. Time is fleeting at this stage of life to be able to build out another vehicle.
3. Some of the mods listed are relatively new: Topper, winch, tires, tire carrier, fluids have been recently changed, brakes are new-ish
4. The AEV kit w/40s, beadlocks I agree aren't necessary for me and wouldn't buy them if I was building this from ground up. However the suspension and how this thing handles off-road is truly an experience. It's extremely comfortable and provides a lot of confidence.
5. The Truck by itself is valued at 37k, meaning the depreciation of the mods is roughly 18.5k. It seems like the mods should depreciate more (to your point).

I'm definitely trying to justify buying this truck but sounds like I should stop being blinded buy the bada$$ build...
Thank you for your point of view. it is helpful!

I'll shoot you a PM about our truck.


Most of the vehicles being posted here over $100k rarely see that as final sale price, and most are going to be diesel which adds a very big premium to the overall value. Knowing the seller personally is great, as is knowing its been taken care of, it doesn't add 75% to the value IMO, but it does add a nice piece of mind, so only you can decide what that is worth to you.

The truck being worth $37k means he values his mods at $43,000, he is trying to recoup 90% of his costs in mods on the sale. Again, that's crazy talk. There have been quite a few full size build outs on here, as well as Power Wagons, for sale for you to get a quick point on what a good price would be.

Try not to get caught up in the, "well if I bought a stock truck and did all his mods and paid 100% of the costs, it would be over his asking price" mentality. They are selling a used truck with used modifications. Ever try to sell used aftermarket parts? You get 40-50% of what you paid usually. Mods add SOME value to a vehicle, but not much, what they do well is help set a truck apart from others like it being sold and help the truck sell faster. I've had a lot of vehicles in my lifetime, most of them of the modded to hell and back, never once have I recouped 90% of my modification cost in the final sale. Lets take my current truck as an example, I paid $77k last year brand new, 0 miles. It's for sale now for $65k, 23k miles, and $12,000 in modifications. There are bone stock trucks going for $65k, I realistically wont see a penny back from my mods. Big sad face lol.

If you are dead set on this truck, which again is totally rad in every way, I would offer him $50k.

 

[vintageracer]

Dealers will add $0.00 or very little for the mods on that truck when trying to buy it or trade for it since it is hard to sell to the next buyer. Folks can't finance that truck for anywhere near what the seller is asking without a HUGE down payment which they do not have. Another BIG problem!

All those mods while neat severely limit the number of buyer's for that truck. That's why so many of the rigs on Expo sit unsold. Sellers with unrealistic values of their truck because of all the Moohlah they SPENT on those mods!

What you SPENT on your truck mods has no bearing whatsoever as to what your truck is worth in the real world vehicle market! Expect to recover 10% or LESS of all the Moohlah you spend on mods if you are lucky!

 

[B_Hayes]

First post* ( I posted this on Overland Bound Forums but thought I'd try to get a few more opinions). I have a friend selling his 2018 Ram Power Wagon with 68k miles for $80,000. This is more truck than I'll use but at the price point I feel I might not be able to pass this up. Spec'ing out a full size truck with camper gets be close to the price. I wanted to get a second opinion. Any thoughts? Any Price recommendations for what modifications should be worth?

Here are the specs:
Thanks for any input

CAMPER
-AT Overland Atlas with skylight, roof rails
-Cellphone booster (not sure which one but far larger than a WeBoost)

ELECTRICAL/LIGHTING
- AEV ProCal module
- sPOD Source SE w/ touchscreen
- Baja Designs LP9 sport combo lights (x2)
- Baja Designs LP9 sport spot lights (x2)
- Baja Designs XL80 ditch lights (x2) w/ZROADZ brackets
- Rigid rear bumper backup lights
- Morimoto XB LED headlights
- Morimoto XB LED taillights
- ABEL components locker bypass w/ kill switch

ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN
- AEV raised air intake w/ pre-filter
- AAM 5.13 AAM regear front/rear
- Dodge Off-Road steering brace
- Magnaflow 12589 muffler w/ resonator delete
- Dethloff hydraulic steering assist
- Synergy drag link
- Synergy HD tie rod
- PowerStop Z36 pads and rotors

SUSPENSION/AXLE
- Toyo 40x13.50R17 MT/R
- TrailReady HD beadlocks (World Series rings); RAD valves
- Thuren rear trackbar
- King 2.5 shocks; Thuren-tuned stage 3 (rear)
- King 3.0 shocks; Thuren-tuned stage 3 (front)
- Thuren 1” rear coils
- Thuren 1.25” front coils
- Thuren front track bar
- Thuren active rate sway bar
- JKS sway bar quick disconnect
- JKS sway bar lanyard
- Boogie rated bumpstops (front)
- AirLift air suspension w/ Daystar cradles (rear)
- ARB twin air compressor
- VIAIR 2.5 gallon auxiliary tank

ARMOR
- AEV front bumper
- AEV rear bumper
- AEV differential covers
- White Knuckle .188 DOM rock sliders; rhino-lined
- Dethloff oil & transmission skid plate
- Thuren front axle truss
- Maple Off Road skid plates
- Maple Off Road cross members

INTERIOR
- WeatherTech floor liners
- AirLift double needle/path air gauge
- Lockr Down console safe
- Expedition Essentials RAMPAM accessory mount

EXTERIOR
- AEV front/rear fender flares
- Dixon DC20S 303 stainless steel quick connect auxiliary air fitting attached to front bumper
- Factor 55 FlatLink E shackle mount
- Master Pull 7/16" x 85' 29,700 lbs. breaking strength Superline XD black winch line
- MAXTRAX MKII (x4)

RECOVERY/EMERGENCY GEAR
- Pro Eagle 3 Ton Big Wheel Off Road Jack "Kratos" w/ extension and mount
- Hi-Lift 60” first responder extrication rescue tool
- Heliar LED road flare
- WARN 92093 3/4” epic shackle (x3)
- Bubba Rope GatorJaw 7/16” 32,000 lbs. breaking strength soft shackle (x2)
- Factor 55 2.5” hitch link
- WARN wireless winch controller
- WARN 93195 Epic snatch block
- WARN 91575 winch dampener (x3)
- VicTsing car safety hammer (x2)
- Amerex Halotron I Class B C fire extinguisher
- Deadman Off-Road Earth Anchor
- Bubba Rope 176680RDG 7/8" x 30' 28,600 lbs. capacity breaking strength snatch rope

This truck is way over priced. I agree with @Roam.Wild and his truck sounds like a way better deal!

 

[csj]

It is very difficult to put a value on a rig like from a sellers point of view. I have a very similar rig but diesel. 68k is pretty low miles for a 2018. The work and dollars it takes to put something like this together is significant. If you really like this rig, get the best price you can. You will probably be impressed with it, I am every time I take mine out.

 

[clawfilm]

Thanks for all the feedback. It’s greatly appreciated. I do really like this build, I understand all that went into it (to the best of my ability). It took me 4 hours just to price everything out to understand the cost of each modification new. A trusted off-road shop mentioned to me today that they generally think $.50 to the $1.00 is a fair way to look at those mods. That would bring the truck down to $65/67k. Which at that price feels rather great to me. Though some might still think that is too high.

But as I said, and as it stands now, the depreciation of the mods isn’t sitting quite right.

Much to think about. I’ll let you know what happens and be transparent about the entire process. I think more people should update the sale after they sell their vehicles to keep the market honest.

 

[mog]

The AEV kit w/40s, beadlocks I agree aren't necessary for me and wouldn't buy them if I was building this from ground up.

I personally love the truck (Bias alert - I have a Power Wagon on 40s), BUT if you do not desired 40s, a portion of the added items are related to those.
AAM 5.13 AAM regear front/rear
Dodge Off-Road steering brace
Dethloff hydraulic steering assist
Synergy HD tie rod
Toyo 40x13.50R17 MT/R
AEV front/rear fender flares
There are tons of great add-ons and a huge valve in all of that being done and dialed in.
But again, if 40s are not for you, stick with 33s/35s and have a simpler/less expensive life.
Your buddy will not be broken hearted, he will sell it to someone else at very close to that price point, especially on the west coast.

 

[clawfilm]

I personally love the truck (Bias alert - I have a Power Wagon on 40s), BUT if you do not desired 40s, a portion of the added items are related to those.
AAM 5.13 AAM regear front/rear
Dodge Off-Road steering brace
Dethloff hydraulic steering assist
Synergy HD tie rod
Toyo 40x13.50R17 MT/R
AEV front/rear fender flares
There are tons of great add-ons and a huge valve in all of that being done and dialed in.
But again, if 40s are not for you, stick with 33s/35s and have a simpler/less expensive life.
Your buddy will not be broken hearted, he will sell it to someone else at very close to that price point, especially on the west coast.

Very good way of looking at it. Don’t get me wrong, I love the way the 40’s handled the truck on the trails we drove on. And of course looks incredible and bring an undeniable presence to that truck. Plus it’s just fun as hell to have. But will the trails I find require 40’s… probably not.

How many miles do you have on your PW? Are you concerned by running 40’s you are shortening the lifespan of drivetrain?

I’d generally feel very confident in buying used with 68k on a normal vehicle. However I’m unclear how the 40’s + other mods affect lifespan.

 

[kmacafee]

Figure out what type of trails you'll run and how often and buy or build a vehicle to suit your needs. That powerWagon certainly looks great and the modifications are first class for the most part, but are they appropriate for your abilities, strength and goals? For example, I'm almost 70 and in pretty good health. But I struggle with remounting an 80 pound wheel when I rotate them or after a flat. Those 40 beadlocks probably weigh more than 100 pounds each. As I age, I am always trying to adjust what I can do with what my body is capable of.

I have a 2015 Ram 3500 with 152k miles on it. I purchased it used in 2018 with 18k miles and have only added modifications to make it as reliable as possible. While lifting trucks seems to be the first thing new owners do, I have always been of the belief that the engineers who initially design these vehicles generally know what they're doing so it still sits at its original height on stock tire size. I replaced the bed with a flatbed so I could carry my camper but all of the suspension bits that wear out have been replaced with upgraded components without altering height, drivelines etc.

Knock on wood, in 7 years traveling all over the US, up to Tuk and Deadhorse and down to the tip of Baja, it has never left me down. Many of those miles were offroad on a variety of trails and I have always made it through. Since I live in the midwest, I typically travel days on the interstate to access trails in the west and having a pretty stock vehicle makes those highway miles relatively drama free. have traveled with friends with heavily modified and lifted trucks that have experience all sorts of problems because their modifications to one part caused problems with others. Some of my friends actually started trailering their rigs to avoid interstate driving since the modifications make the ride horrendous.

After a long search, I did buy a 2015 Jeep Rubicon last year that was pretty bone stock but worn out. I intentionally avoided all the "built" rigs for sale for a variety of reasons. I replaced most of the worn drivetrain, and added a small lift but it still runs on the stock wheel and tire size and its not a bad ride, even on the highway, and I'd be comfortable taking it on most trails. I modified it based on what my goals and capabilities are, not on what looks cool. I can't say whether $80k is too much for that truck or not without seeing it but I agree with others that there are lots of vehicles out there going unsold because the owners expect to be repaid for their choices. Find a blank slate and make it yours.

Cheers

 

[mog]

How many miles do you have on your PW? Are you concerned by running 40’s you are shortening the lifespan of drivetrain?

135,000. The prior owner (the most important thing on any vehicle purchase, even over 'equipment' IMO), was fanatical about maintenance/service. The 66RFE (6 speed) transmission that does not have a stellar reputation has a larger (2 addition qts) finned aluminums pan and he ran/runs Red Line 30604 Full Synthetic C+ ATF which he changed every 20k (every Red Line, list 'severe duty- as 40-60k, Ram 120k). The diffs (with 4.88 Nitro) run Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-140, again changed every 20k (Amsoil recommends 50k, Ram 120k). Oil changes every 5k with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic 0W-40 (no 'Hemi tick' <insert>dancing banana), tire rotation (Yokohama Geolander M-XT 40x13.40R17) every 5k (it has an 'aggressive' alinement, and handles perfectly at 90+mph {Texas, not Oregon }, and all other maintenance done 'early (plug at 100k), He was planning this as his 'forever vehicle', so he wanted to not have any issues.

Certainly more 'wear' on the drivetrain/suspension/steering over 33s/35s, but now, all Thuren, Synergy, DOR, Fox, and Dynatrac ProSteer Ball Joints. It does not have any 'hydraulic steering assist', but I have zero issue turning in any condition/speed. I am not a 'high mileage guy', so I have confidence that this will last until I replaced it with the latest Expo Hover Vehicle running on a Mark 7 Mr. Fusion.

It is a 'big step up' to 40s as far as getting the truck 'perfect' with them on. Your buddy has done that+++ (certainly even more than my truck). Dialed in and a known history is priceless. That said, unless you want/need 40s (I bought my truck because of dialed-in 40s) as I said before, your are better off (cheaper, less hassle, less 'needed' upgrades, less wear & tear, etc) with more 'normal sized' tires.

On the cost of your buddies mods, just my humble opinion. 1st, if you want them, they are not devalued. You would be putting them on anyway, buying them at retail and probably having them installed. Just an example, the AEV fender flares are $1,688 (I don't see anyone selling discounted AEV stuff), BUT install can be $1,000 (there is a metric ton of work needed). So are they worth the 20-50% of the parts cost ($590), or since you want/need them, are they worth $2,688+ (since you don't have to schedule/wait to get them installed and can see the current install was done well). 2nd, on my truck as an example the prior owner went through multiple steering stabilizers, not because the early version were 'bad', but because the current version is perfect. Do you factor in the cost of the early stabilizers (if you were dialing it in yourself, that is money out of your pocket), so 'Parts/labor'+'Parts/labor'+'Parts/labor'=current, or just a percent of the current part?

One more thing to consider, IF you are going to put a camper on your future Ram, the Power Wagon has locking diff, factory winch, AND softer 'off-road' suspension. And if better off-road suspension components (softer) from Thuren or Carli are added, while you have an even more flexy off-road beast, you now also have a sway-factory with a camper on. I had to replace my Thuren Boogie Bumps in the rear with airbags, and upgrade downgrade the Thuren rear swaybar to a Hellwig 7738 when I put my EarthCruiser GZL camper on. I hated to undo the prior owners dialing in (it is easy for me to swap back, if the camper is off), but if a camper is in your future, might you be better off with a 'normal' Ram 2500 to start with, and upgrade the diffs to lockers if you want those?

 

[Skinhyfish]

Good to see it regeared

 

[clawfilm]

A

135,000. The prior owner (the most important thing on any vehicle purchase, even over 'equipment' IMO), was fanatical about maintenance/service. The 66RFE (6 speed) transmission that does not have a stellar reputation has a larger (2 addition qts) finned aluminums pan and he ran/runs Red Line 30604 Full Synthetic C+ ATF which he changed every 20k (every Red Line, list 'severe duty- as 40-60k, Ram 120k). The diffs (with 4.88 Nitro) run Amsoil Severe Gear 75W-140, again changed every 20k (Amsoil recommends 50k, Ram 120k). Oil changes every 5k with Pennzoil Ultra Platinum Full Synthetic 0W-40 (no 'Hemi tick' <insert>dancing banana), tire rotation (Yokohama Geolander M-XT 40x13.40R17) every 5k (it has an 'aggressive' alinement, and handles perfectly at 90+mph {Texas, not Oregon }, and all other maintenance done 'early (plug at 100k), He was planning this as his 'forever vehicle', so he wanted to not have any issues.

Certainly more 'wear' on the drivetrain/suspension/steering over 33s/35s, but now, all Thuren, Synergy, DOR, Fox, and Dynatrac ProSteer Ball Joints. It does not have any 'hydraulic steering assist', but I have zero issue turning in any condition/speed. I am not a 'high mileage guy', so I have confidence that this will last until I replaced it with the latest Expo Hover Vehicle running on a Mark 7 Mr. Fusion.

It is a 'big step up' to 40s as far as getting the truck 'perfect' with them on. Your buddy has done that+++ (certainly even more than my truck). Dialed in and a known history is priceless. That said, unless you want/need 40s (I bought my truck because of dialed-in 40s) as I said before, your are better off (cheaper, less hassle, less 'needed' upgrades, less wear & tear, etc) with more 'normal sized' tires.

On the cost of your buddies mods, just my humble opinion. 1st, if you want them, they are not devalued. You would be putting them on anyway, buying them at retail and probably having them installed. Just an example, the AEV fender flares are $1,688 (I don't see anyone selling discounted AEV stuff), BUT install can be $1,000 (there is a metric ton of work needed). So are they worth the 20-50% of the parts cost ($590), or since you want/need them, are they worth $2,688+ (since you don't have to schedule/wait to get them installed and can see the current install was done well). 2nd, on my truck as an example the prior owner went through multiple steering stabilizers, not because the early version were 'bad', but because the current version is perfect. Do you factor in the cost of the early stabilizers (if you were dialing it in yourself, that is money out of your pocket), so 'Parts/labor'+'Parts/labor'+'Parts/labor'=current, or just a percent of the current part?

One more thing to consider, IF you are going to put a camper on your future Ram, the Power Wagon has locking diff, factory winch, AND softer 'off-road' suspension. And if better off-road suspension components (softer) from Thuren or Carli are added, while you have an even more flexy off-road beast, you now also have a sway-factory with a camper on. I had to replace my Thuren Boogie Bumps in the rear with airbags, and upgrade downgrade the Thuren rear swaybar to a Hellwig 7738 when I put my EarthCruiser GZL camper on. I hated to undo the prior owners dialing in (it is easy for me to swap back, if the camper is off), but if a camper is in your future, might you be better off with a 'normal' Ram 2500 to start with, and upgrade the diffs to lockers if you want those?

This is all such great info. Appreciate you taking the time to write this all out. It definitely helped in making my decision to grab my buddies truck. We worked on the price and will update ya’ll when the sale is final. I should hopefully be picking it up within the next 1.5 weeks.

I laughed when you said “want/need 40’s” // just a want

Really appreciate all the input from everyone. Thank you.

 

[mog]

It definitely helped in making my decision to grab my buddies truck.

I'm glad to know I earned my commission 😇 Make sure your buddy sends it to the correct Venmo account - 40sROCK@PWXLsRule.com 🤪
Joking aside, that is certainly a dialed in truck, and awesome fitted/kitted out. With both of us in the PNW we will have to get together for an adventure as we both need the same WIDE trails.
And more photos, we need lots more photos (once it is yours, so no one tries to snipe it before you)