The seller of this rare 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 SS/T – an acronym for Super Sport Truck – has listed it for a very fair price, seemingly concerned that the high mileage requires it to be marketed as a project. Yes, it has seen some use, but the bodywork seems more than fair for a truck with 230,000 miles on the clock. So long as it still runs and drives well enough to make its way onto a trailer, the $4,500 or best offer listing here on eBay seems like an absolute home run for anyone hunting for one of these rare performance models.
The Dodge Ram SS/T was built in homage to the Indianapolis Pace Trucks that led the field in the 1996 running of the storied event. You could begin to see how Chrysler was envisioning its future as a performance-oriented brand, with the pace trucks mimicking the classic blue with white stripes paint job of the Viper GTS coupe. In my opinion, these were the glory days of the Mopar brand in the current era, with fun to drive vehicles dominating the lineup and performance a top priority for company brass. The Ram SS/T came equipped with a 5.9L Magnum V8, distinctive 5-spoke wheels, and a short-bed, single-cab-only configuration.
The seller is right to point out that this truck needs to be sold as-is to the highest bidder, as high mileage on a collector vehicle usually renders it to daily driver or project status fairly quickly. Still, I don’t see any rust underneath or on the body, and since it’s located in Washington State, I doubt you’ll find any, either. The tires appear to have good tread and the listing emphasizes that the truck has been maintained. We don’t get a ton of specifics owing to the listing being created by AI, but it does confirm that the engine and transmission are healthy and the tires are recent replacements.
The interior is also encouraging because despite the number on the odometer, it appears to be in good shape – not exactly easy on these cheap Mopar interiors of the late 90s, and one that sports light colors, in particular. The woodgrain trim around the instrument cluster is a nice touch of luxury in this performance-oriented model, and while some of the trim does look a bit tired, those are all easy replacements. The driver’s rear taillight has a cracked frame and the headlights are cloudy, but overall, I can’t find much to fault for a vehicle with over 200K on the clock. Do you think this SS/T is a bargain performance truck?
Similar to the pace truck the made. Nice looking!!